Johnsfolly

Those are nice stripers! what did you use to catch them? Any idea on their weights?

Dan Just found this post and I enjoyed the video.

That is a great rainbow! It's got some girth. Looks like a great day.

When I was in grad school, we would sample multiple lakes in a given day. One day the one team came back in from sampling out in a storm. They were laughing and saying that when they were out on the lake their hair started to stand up. None of them realized how close they came to being hit by lightning on that trip.

SS - Congrats on getting your second bird! You tagged out before I even bought a tag. BH - good luck to the Mrs if she goes out again.

I've seen six-lined racerunners in Elephant rocks state park. Racerunners and collared lizards prefer glade areas, which as Ham pointed out are being overrun by cedars in most places.

Ness - that's a pretty cool collared lizard and a nice photo. We have them in MO as well, but I have never seen one.

Al - I enjoyed the post very much. Small creeks are special places and I wish that more folks appreciated these places. I have the opportunity to bring my kids to places like you described to develop their appreciation. Thanks. Of course there could have been more darters written into your post. Just saying.

BH - Congrats on getting your second bird! Sounds like you and your lady had a great season!

BH - This was an inspirational post! Thanks for sharing and participating in this great event!

I would rather have a gun that shoots well than how powerful it may be. You can make up for less power by better shot placement or getting them in closer.

Well that record was short lived. Another St. Louis area angler catches a state-record skipjack herring MDC congratulates Steve Wengler on breaking the pole-and-line state record by catching a 2-pound, 5-ounce skipjack herring on the Mississippi River. ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that Steve Wengler of St. Louis became the most recent record-breaking angler in Missouri when he hooked a skipjack herring on the Mississippi River using a rod and reel. The new “pole and line” record skipjack herring caught by Wengler on April 17 weighed 2-pounds, 5-ounces. It broke the previous state-record of 1-pound, 14-ounces. Wengler was using two 1/8-ounce white and chartreuse jigs to catch the skipjack herring. MDC staff verified the record-weight fish using a certified scale in Defiance. “The skipjack put up a pretty good fight, but I got it in as fast as I could because I didn’t want to lose the nice fish,” he said. “Once I got it in, I had an idea that I had caught the state record, but wasn’t sure until I put it on the scale.” Anglers often catch skipjack herring to use for bait. The fish is boney, lacking in flavor, and is seldom used as food. But it fights spectacularly when hooked and can provide considerable sport on light tackle. The oil present in its flesh is said by fishermen to attract catfish. Skipjacks can usually be found in swift water below dams and around the ends of wing dikes. “2016 is shaping up to be a big year for state record fish in Missouri,” MDC Fisheries Programs Specialist Andrew Branson said. “We have already had nine new records so far, which is more than an entire year sometimes. The mild weather we have had so far this year means more anglers are fishing, and catching big fish.” Wengler added that he intentionally tried catching a state-record skipjack herring. “I’m really thrilled to have caught a fish like this,” he said. “I’m really glad I was able to get my name in the record books. My plan now is to get back on the water and go after many more records.” Missouri state-record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include: throwlines, trotlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery, and atlatl. James Lucas of O’Fallon recently snagged a state-record skipjack herring under the “alternative methods” category on the Mississippi River on April 8 that weighed 1 pound, 10-ounces with a length of 16 1/2 inches. For more information on state-record fish, visit the MDC website at http://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/state-record-fish. Congratulations to Steve Wengler on breaking the pole-and-line state record by catching a 2-pound, 5-ounce skipjack herring in the Mississippi River on April 17, 2016. (NOTE: High-res image available at http://mdc.mo.gov/node/32775).

Nice fish! Great to see another nice smallmouth.

Dan that's a really nice striped shiner. He is ready for the ladies. If you scale down your hook size, the cardinal shiners should be getting into their breeding coloration as well. You should be able to find them both in shoal creek as well as the spring river. I was catching them a couple of weeks ago where Rt 97 crosses the Spring river above Stotts city and also in Talbot CA just below the bridges. They should look like the ones in the photo by now.

With the threat of severe weather passing, I decided to head out to Little Dixie to try for some crappie. I got out to the lake a little after 7 pm. There was a slight breeze from the southwest. The water was relatively flat. I fished a 1/64 oz black and green jig and float combination. I started by casting parallel to the bank trying to stay about 10 to 15 feet off the bank. Slow reel and sit retrieve worked best. Most of the crappie were males. After the sun went down, I had some success casting into deeper water and caught mostly females with a couple that were full of eggs. The problem when I cast into the deeper water was that I got more bluegill bites. I fished until I could no longer see my float. Packed it up around 8:40. I had caught 22 crappie between 6.5 and 9 " and 7 bluegill. Not bad for a spur of the moment fishing trip. There may not be many large crappie taken out of this lake, but I enjoy the numbers of fish that are available.

Seth that is a great fish!

I can't imagine the size hook that he used to catch this fish, since he was attempting to snag a paddlefish. I would say probably a little heavy tackle for this fish. Still impressive for the species. O’Fallon angler takes state-record skipjack herring Congratulations to James Lucas on breaking the state record by snagging a 1-pound, 10-ounce skipjack herring on the Mississippi River. O’FALLON, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that James Lucas of O’Fallon became the most recent record-breaking angler in Missouri when he snagged a skipjack herring on the Mississippi River. The new “alternative method” record skipjack herring caught by Lucas on April 8 weighed 1 pound, 10-ounces with a length of 16 1/2 inches. This beat the previous state record, which was held by Lucas, by 2 ounces. MDC staff verified the record-weight fish using a certified scale in O’Fallon. “I really can’t believe I broke my old record with this fish,” said Lucas. “I was trying to snag spoonbill and out of nowhere I snagged this skipjack. I’m just really grateful. It’s always nice to upgrade the state record.” Lucas added he snagged the skipjack herring off the bank with 80-pound braided line and a 10-foot fishing pole. “The skipjack herring didn’t put up much of fight when I snagged it. After getting it on the bank I knew the fish was going to be close to my old record, but I wasn’t sure I beat it until I got it home and put it on the scale,” he said. Lucas is familiar with state-record fish. He also holds the state record for the skipjack herring he caught with his pole and line in 2010. “I plan on making a replica of the skipjack herring and putting it on the wall. I also may try to use it for bait,” he said. Missouri state-record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include: throwlines, trotlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery, and atlatl. Conservation makes Missouri a great place to fish. For more information on state-record fish, visit the MDC website at http://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/state-record-fish. Congratulations to James Lucas on breaking the state record by snagging a 1-pound, 10-ounce skipjack herring in the Mississippi River on April 8, 2016. (NOTE: High-res image available at http://mdc.mo.gov/node/32769).

Great to see you taking the kids out! They looked like they were having a good time! it's great to make memories with them. Hopefully they will be fishing buddies for life.

I have never floated with any, but there are canoe rentals on the Gasconade about an hour south of Columbia. Most folks here travel south for good floating waters.

Does this have a hard or soft body? It would seem like a great night fishing topwater bait for brown trout.

Very nice smallies! Good job!

I have fished the confluence of the Tavern and Osage and caught my largest golden redhorse there last year, but nothing like this one. I'm surprised at the weight, because the fish just doesn't look to be nearly 10 lbs. A great fish! Jefferson City angler catches state-record river redhorse MDC congratulates Dan Schmitz on breaking the state record by catching a 9-pound, 13-ounce river redhorse on the Tavern Creek near St. Elizabeth. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that Dan Schmitz of Jefferson City became the most recent record-breaking angler in Missouri when he hooked a river redhorse on Tavern Creek using a rod and reel. The new “pole and line” record river redhorse caught by Schmitz on April 15 weighed 9-pounds, 13-ounces. It broke the previous state-record pole-and-line river redhorse of 9-pound, 10-ounces caught on the Osage River in 2006. Schmitz was using worms when he caught the fish. MDC staff verified the record-weight fish using a certified scale in Jefferson City. “I fought the fish for about ten minutes before I got it to the bank,” said Schmitz. “I knew the fish was pretty big, but I didn’t know it was a state record until talking to MDC. I really can’t believe I caught a fish like this! I’m not a master angler. I’m just a hobby fisherman who loves to fish. I’m super excited to have the honor to be a state-record holder.” River redhorse fish are a part of the sucker family. They are a moderately chubby, coarse-scaled fish with a dorsal fin containing 12 or 13 rays. These fish are can be found mostly throughout the Ozarks. Schmitz’s fish also beats the current world record. While the river redhorse does get much larger, the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) only recognizes fish taken by pole and line. “Larger river redhorses are usually taken by gigging and do not qualify for the IGFA world record,” MDC Fisheries Programs Specialist Andrew Branson said. “Conservation makes Missouri a great place to fish and this new unique record clearly shows why. This fish could be the largest river redhorse ever taken with a pole and line.” Schmitz added it’s hard to believe he may be a world-record holder. “I just can’t believe it! One day I’m fishing for fun and the next I could be a world-record holder,” he said. “I’m still in disbelief.” Missouri state-record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include: throwlines, trotlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery, and atlatl. For more information on state-record fish, visit the MDC website at http://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/state-record-fish. Dan Schmitz caught this 9-pound, 13-ounce state-record river redhorse at Tavern Creek near St. Elizabeth on April 15, 2016. (NOTE: High-res image is available at http://mdc.mo.gov/node/32761).

Nothing like playoff hockey, especially when you have a team in the mix! I have stood for many a third period. The only sport that goes faster as the clock winds down. With the Blackhawks off of their back, the Blues are good enough to get to the finals.

I usually don't let it go for more than a week without taking down, cleaning, and refilling our feeders.

Pretty cool snake. I have never seen one in the wild. Too bad it wouldn't play dead for you.