netboy

Wife killed a pigmy rattlesnake in the yard this morning. Little bugger was coiled up and rattling like a big guy. Picture before he was hacked into pieces.

That is a great story. You just never know what is around the next corner in life. Gotta do what you want today..... Three thumbs up for him. Thanks for posting.

After looking at the game cam pics, it appears the does and young'uns are coming out later at night (time is correct, but dates aren't).

Thought this one was pretty cool. Too bad it's so fuzzy.

Here is another one I just took off the game camera. The date is wrong.. can't seem to figure out how to set it.

Interesting that we bought this house just a year ago and had lots of deer in the yard, but all does and fawns. This summer all bucks.

I do that but use smoked trout instead of baked. Yum.....

Oh my you are really missing out.... We enjoy a fresh trout dinner once a week. I catch lots of trout being retired and fishing most every day. I usually keep 2 trout each week for a fresh trout dinner. What I look for are trout that have been in the river for some time. That said you must be selective on what you keep and not keep trout straight of the hatchery or they will taste as you posted. Here is what I look for...trout with vibrant colors, white tips on the fins and a distended anal vent. These are the ones that are feeding mostly on snails, crawfish and minnows. When you clean one like that they will be full of snails and the meat will be an pretty orange color, much akin to salmon. Fillet them and saute in butter and olive oil, then take the fillets out. Next add a bit more butter, lemon juice and almonds and let them brown up and then spoon over the fillets and serve with a nice chardonnay. Really good eats. We just finished that exact dinner and pretty darn good.

Apparently it is illegal which is great news. So does anyone know if MDC has given this guy a citation or at least shut his operation down?

I am still curious if the consensus of opinion is that is legal to sell wild caught trout (or any other gamefish) up there in Missouri.

Those are some beautiful trout and great scenery. Thanks for sharing.

Wow, what an adventure and a really great narrative. Post up those pics!

Definitely legal in Texas and Arkansas, I think the simple solution to this question is if someone knows an MDC enforcement officer... please ask him. Let's put this to rest.... That said I only fish on the Eleven Point river in Missouri a couple of times a year with a $7 daily license and would never think about killing one of those beautiful trout.

I found this definition of "Possession Limit" on the Arkansas Fish and Game website. Seems to be about the same as Texas. Possession Limit – The total limit of a certain fish species that is in your possession at any time, whether on your person or stored in another location. Fish and wild game (other than migratory game birds) that have been processed and stored at a residence do not count toward a person’s possession limit. A residence is defined as a house or house trailer that is permanently in place and is owned, leased or rented by an individual; it does not include mobile travel trailers, tents, vehicles or temporary rental units (motels, lodges, cabins, resorts, etc.). Sounds like an interesting question for someone to ask an MDC guy for clarity.

Okay, I guess I was wrong. That was the rule in Texas, so I thought it would be the same up here. Here is the definition of "possession limit" from the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. Possession Limit: The maximum number of fish a person may possess before returning to their residence. Possession limit is twice the daily bag on game and nongame fish, except as provided in this guide, and does not apply to fish in the possession of or stored by a person at their residence.

I think the possession limit pertains to a trip limit. For instance if you are camping or staying at Phil's place for a few days you can only have 2 day's limit per person. Once you get home and put the fish into your freezer at your residence it no longer counts as "possession" limit. I am amazed that MDC apparently allows the sale of sport fish of any kind.

I hate poachers. 🤬

Water is low all day here in Cotter until about 6pm. Looking out the window it is just coming up now (6:30 pm). Great wade fishing conditions. If you like big water head up to the dam around 2:00 pm and fish it down to White Hole.

They have been showing 35 mw on their schedule instead of the true minimum flow of 7 mw that we have been getting for the last week or so. I have no clue why, but I'm happy with the lower flow. Other than that the schedules of when they really start generating have been pretty accurate.

This guidebook has maps of all the trout fishing areas along with the current regulations. https://s3.amazonaws.com/agfc-static/guidebooks/troutfishingguidebook.pdf

Nice browns. Gotta agree with you on our Ozark trout fisheries. I've fished quite a few public rivers in Colorado and New Mexico and they don't compare to our fisheries. That said there is some fantastic private access streams out there with big trout but they are pretty pricey to fish.

Definitely.. when the Norfork comes up you need to have a good escape plan. It's a smaller river and comes up faster than the White. I have taken a swim escape once on the Norfork (minimum flow to 2 full generators totally unscheduled) and don't want to do it again at my old age. That said the White comes up pretty fast below the dam when they don't blow the silly horn. Amazing that when they increase the flow they can't take the minimum effort to push the friggin HORN BUTTON. How much effort that does take?????. As a side note...fish were just starting to rise to sulphurs when the water came up, Oh well I guess it is what is it is... just be careful out there and don't trust SWPA schedules. I've fished up there and heard the horn blow and then nothing came down. Bottom line.. just be careful. This time of year I always wet wade so I don't have a wader full of water to contend with if the water comes up. If you are wearing waders be sure to have a wading belt around your midsection to keep the water out... voice of experience once again.

I got the nickname Netboy from previous flounder fishing trips during the fall runs on the Texas coast. Usually 4 of us in my boat and when fishing for flounder the standard method is to count 20 Mississippi's after the flounder takes the bait and then set the hook. Seemed like someone always had a flounder "on count" and they would yell "Oh Netboy, get ready". Sometimes we would have 2 or 3 "on count" at the same time. I didn't get much fishing in myself on those days but still had lots of fun.

I went to the C&R area below the dam this morning and caught this pretty brown on a Y2K. As I was taking his picture on the bank I noticed the water was starting to rise (no horn). There were 3 guys on the gravel island that waded over from the State Park side. I heard one of them start yelling to the others to get to shore. It was still pretty foggy but it looked they were able to get back without going for a swim as they all hung on to each other. You just never know what SWPA is gonna do.

Great fish and story. Congrats We left shortly after you came by.