Wayne SW/MO

Nice. I saw a load of kayaks heading east on 160 yesterday. I hope they were going fishing because I think they were too late for any white water.

And yet the fish never seem to get the message. We get all lathered up and frothing at the bit, but the fish follow their instinct and normal timeline for the most part. Part of the fishing gene is the nervousness and anxiety that comes with warm spells either in the winter or early in the spring. There is no cure.

Size can be important at BS and 18 or smaller will generally do better. A big part of the game is in detecting strikes. Those fish can suck and blow very quick.

Betcha miss the Niangua!

The biggest difference is the population and the fact that people fished local. People from KC and STL didn't run to the Ozarks for a weekend. I've known my share and I would disagree. I've found a lot more giggers will tell you they get away with a lot then bank or boat fishermen do. Much of it is do to opportunity, they fish at night on remote parts of the river and eat the evidence on the river bank. When they have 6 or 8 giggers and another 15-20 family members waiting for a fish fry, they aren't coming in without enough fish. It's no different then the upper Taney and the park fishermen having to live with the reputation created by a few, the giggers who toe the line have to put up with the bad ones and the reputation they create. The MDC has become overly sensitive to any criticism by groups. I suspect the sale tax is behind much of it. One reason giggers have more success is in the equipment, which has outrun the sports self imposed restrictions. While electronics on a bass boat can show you the fish, it doesn't show you exactly what they are or lead them to bite, but a set of sodium stadium lights on the front of a jon boat does show you what where and even at a depth the old giggers would have never dreamed. If the MDC would dial the sport back to it's origins most of the violations would cease.

Yeah this was just above Shadow Rock on Swan. He had the advantage of gaining some height by standing on the road rip rap. He was able to to come up and the whites weren't that far off the bottom and there were a lot of them. I think that was the most whites I've seen in Swan or Beaver at one time in one area and the creek blew out during the night and ended it.

That's nonsense. Why do you think the armed forces teach survival and provide gear? The recent deaths in MO could have been avoided with the minimum amount of survival gear.

There's no doubt Chief that this is a big state and enforcement cost money. They can't be everywhere. I think they fail, IMO, in not using the media more. I've advocated for years that they form a couple of teams that work areas that agents feel need attention. Then they should paper the results of the operation everywhere. One reason that there are so many violations is that there is a sense that they won't get caught because the agent is home.

I don't know why you don't think it happens Chief? It does, but how often do you think the one or two agents in a county stays up late to wait for giggers, especially not knowing where they'll take out. Then there's the crowd of hungry friends and kin at the takeout, firing up the oil and watching over the area, oh and carrying cell phones. The MDC doesn't seem to be as aggressive as in times past and they seem to watch the tourist areas more often then not. I suspect part of that is because judges are more apt let the locals go while hammering tourist that have an attitude.

To each his own, but I don't see woolybuggers and streamers in the same category?

The story about a raid on the Niangua several years back was that the giggers lost their boats. I heard this from someone I would believe.

Maybe this guy has it figured out?

I would think it was pretty skinny in a lot of places wasn't it?

unfortunately that's not unusual. I had a similar experience except it involved whites. The grabber, it's know as grabbing I believe, said he was having trouble telling the suckers from the whites. I could easily tell and I was twice his age..

I suspect Okiedogs mind was thinking about TR where there was a move to lower the size on spots to help the other bass. The MDC wouldn't buy it even though the spots run smaller than the other blacks. The one size fits all does give the spots the edge for overpopulating and it certainly doesn't do anything to keep them out of the James, Kings and their tributaries.

Matches are nice, if they light. I'm surprised none of you carry a fire starter and tinder? Steel wool in 0000 size is a great tinder material and will take a spark well, wet or dry. I think given the reason for the supplies I would have a good machete also.

I doubt it. They seem to be fond of finding the water temperature close to their optimum. Unless the creeks are warmer I doubt they will be interested.

I understood that and I referenced Bennett because it adds a lot of water to the river. Obviously it's a guess, but I would say yes because the river won't be that far from normal for this time of the year. It rose a lot, but it started from a low point.

They did fish a BASS sponsored state tournament on TR back in the 70's, maybe he was part of that? Each state had a tournament to determine a 5 (?) man team plus an alternate. I don't remember if there were any individual awards, but there weren't any rings and I'm certain of that. Maybe he bought the ring from Butler's estate? I know the shop in Tulsa closed.

I wouldn't cancel a Saturday trip. Windyville and BS are both dropping. Bennett doesn't have that big of a drainage area and when it starts to drop quick it won't stop if there isn't anymore rain.

He's a fraud. The second one was in Tennessee and won by Don Butler from Tulsa. He was the developer of the Okie Bug and the SOB. He passed a few years ago. Maybe this guy got a hold of Butler's ring and is exploiting it?

Bill do they favor one river over the other, Bryant or NF? Ham how big do the yellow bass get there? My limited experience in OK produced small ones, <6".

Nothing more than trying to create a perfect world out of imperfect raw materials. It never works as planned because you can't legislate morality or mental health..

Replace drunk with mentally ill and you have the cases that hit all the headlines. Drunks don't kill a lot of people, criminals don't and suicide doesn't. The fault in the acts that triggered this thread is mental illness and that is the ONLY thing that will cause a repeat with help under the 2nd amendment. It's too bad that people aren't demanding that it be addressed rather than gun ownership which was nothing more than accessible. Assault weapons are only more convenient and it's ridiculous to think that even if they were confiscated it would halt future attacks. They can't even guarantee that that the numbers of casualties would decline, look at McVeigh and the intent of the Columbine pair.

Good point.