rFisherk

I've caught a lot of fish over three pounds in the Black below Lesterville. I was talking about the upper forks, which are too small to be floated.

I've spent a lot of time on the various rivers and creeks here in the St. Francious Mountains and have noticed very little illegal harvest, or very little harvest for that matter. The common opinion is that smallmouth are no good because they are "wormy." I've also caught a lot of nice smallmouth from the East and West forks of the Black River, but nothing much over three pounds. In fact, other than a very few kids fishing at the public accesses, I've rarely seen anyone fishing, and in about five years of heavy use, I've only seen one other fishermen beyond a few yards of an access. They swim and they party, but they don't fish. The West Fork is one of my favorite places for underwater photography, so I've spent considerable time snorkeling there, and I've yet to see a bass much over three pounds. The extremely clear water and solitude is what I like. Size is not important. The only thing I see damaging the fish population of the Black River System is the winter harvest at Clearwater Lake, and I suspect that is taking a heavy toll, even though legal.

Nice close shots, Clay.

I suspect the major problem is a lack of cleansing floods, because it isn't a local problem confined to one arm. All three arms are having problems with brown and green algae growth. I doubt, too, if the problem is from mining interests, because all three arms are affected. All three arms flow through very rural and unregulated areas. It is very mountainous and rocky. Only trees and a few marihuana patches grow. There is no agriculture. Very few places are cleared for pastures, and most of these won't even grow enough grasses to support cattle. I have long suspected the source of the summer bloom was from the various faulty and nonexistent septic systems of the rural poor scattered all along these upper arms. Many of them are so poor they only get by with government assistance, so they can't afford to upgrade their systems, and there has been no pressure for them to do so, because this area has very little tourism value (beyond Johnson's Shut-ins), unlike the river below Lesterville. The Black River system is one of the most infertile and clear rivers in the state, because it is all rock and gravel. There's almost no aquatic vegetation, so any nutrients simply cling to the rocks and are not absorbed. Normally, spring and early summer floods have flushed the river of this minor, widespread pollution, but the past three years have contained few of these floods, and the number and amount of the sources may have increased. This long-standing problem has in the past only been evident in slow sections of the river during the warmer water and low flow of late summer, and has been mostly restricted to the upper arms, but it is like August in the arms now, and I suspect the main river below Lesterville will have problems this year as well, which could greatly effect the floating and partying tourism. The migration of smallmouth to Clearwater Lake during the winter is a separate issue, but it does compound the problems the Black River faces from our perspective. Jerry, and all his friends who fish tournaments there during the winter practice catch-and-release, but there are many others who do not. I'm convinced every bass in the river and all three arms migrate to the lake during the winter and are concentrated along the upper lake for easy pickings. This used to be a local secret, but the word has gotten out and the pressure on these vulnerable concentrations has increased, which means there are far fewer smallmouth left to run back up and repopulate the Black River system. I have been lobbying the biologist to have much stronger restrictions put on smallmouth bass in Clearwater Lake for a couple of years now, but was told to wait until the migration study is done. Results should have been revealed by now. These two thing, I believe, add up to some serious problems with the Black River system.

I've fished the West and Middle forks of the Black River for years. Each year it seems they have declined in water quality and fish. Just got back from the West Fork at Sutton's Bluff. Not a single fish in the mile or so I investigated--not even a panfish. Didn't get one hit. Didn't see any, except for one that looked like a small sucker. Brown scum that used to cover the bottom in late August is already there. This used to be very popular with local swimmers, but few of them come any more, and last year by June the water was so scummy no one went in. It could be that the forks just need a big flood to rinse out well, but I'm wondering if something more serious is the matter.

Someone needs to invent a mushroom detector, sort of like a metal detector.

I'm trying to do that, but every time I get one near him, he tries to eat it. Actually had a worthless hound when I was a kid that would find mushrooms. Then one of us would have to keep him at bay with a stick while the others picked them.

On a hike today with my golden retriever, I found this huge morel; almost a meal in itself. The thing was over 11 inches long and so heavy it had fallen flat to the ground, yet still attached.

I've mostly been crappie fishing and mushroom hunting, but my hunting spots are along a couple of small creeks, and I've combined a little fly fishing with mushroom hunting. Have only caught a few small bass, even fewer than usual for small creeks. During turkey season, however, I plan to float camp and hunt along the Current River.

Thanks for the info on the site, SpoonDog.

Because I have studied fishing and tested lures for decades, especially the decade I guided on KY Lake and fished about 300 days a year, I've come to believe that the general bass population becomes educated to certain faddish lures, especially those available at Wal-Mart and especially where the majority of fishermen practice catch-and-release and where lots of tournaments are held. That's mainly why the fads tend to change every year, but some of it, too, has to do with the general fickleness of fishermen. About the time I would hear of a certain lure being "hot," and notice a lot of people fishing them, that lure would not produce very well. Fish are not very smart, and bass are not very selective, but all of their senses and sensibilities are aimed at survival, and to grow even to legal size, they must learn not only what to eat and what to avoid, but to determine thorough the prey's body language which food sources can be captured with the least amount of expended energy. Being caught and released is the most traumatic and educational thing a bass will live through, and they learn pretty quickly to avoid something that looks or sounds like the thing that drug them out of the water. So, to catch the most fish, I think it is best to stay away from fads. The larger they get, the more bass learn to only move on those things that display a certain body language that indicates it is easy to capture with the least expended energy. Little fish chase. Big fish ambush.That's why the majority of big fish are caught on slow, bottom-bouncing baits like worms and jigs. The vast majority of fishermen fish everything too fast. They troll down the bank far too fast, because they don't really know much about where bass are found and think they can improve their odds by covering a lot of water, and they cast and retrieve too fast, which mostly catches the young, dumb bass that still chase most anything that moves. Body language is the universal lingo of the wilds, so in addition to whatever action is built into the lure, presentation if the most important thing. Size is the second most important factor. Probably because it is easier to cast and fish fast, most fish lures that are too large. For example, they fish jig combos that are the size of lobsters, not crayfish. Color is the least important factor. Colors catch fishermen and keep the tackle manufacturers in business. Presentation catches fish.

Where and how did you find this information? Can the same be done for other Senators and Reps?

This bill is sponsored by Munzlinger. This name should sound familiar by now. If there is an reason beyond trying to damage the MDC, the same as with other bills Munzlinger has proposed, I don't know what it is. I also suspect CFM is a target in this bill, because they have done a lot to combat other anti-conservation measures.

Fisher is my middle name. Ron Kruger is the name I use.

Outstanding!

SB 337 is scheduled for a hearing on tomorrow, April 14 at 9:00 a.m. This bill limits the Conservation Commission and the Department of Conservation from working with non-profit organizations. The effects would be wide sweeping and devastating to Missouri's outdoors and outdoor heritage. It would affect the outstanding work MDC accomplishes with nonprofit organizations. Some of these include: Conservation Federation of Missouri, Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Foundation, Quality Deer Management Association, and many more. Attend the hearing tomorrow and speak out against the legislation. It is your right as a citizen to have your voice heard. Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Time: 9:00 a.m. Room: Senate Lounge

I think probably the most popular old bait is a Beatle Spin. It's still the main bait for country folk. I use Jitterbugs a lot, not just on rivers, but on ponds too. Started going to Charlie Brewer's Sliders whenever fishing got tough back when I was guiding on KY Lake. Love fishing the Baby Zara, especially during the summer. The Bass Slider, I think, will work as well, if not better, than the Ned Rig and the Shakey Heads. Part of the equation seldom considered is the size of the bait. Ned Rig and Shakey Heads are smaller than most baits people throw, and I think that's why they work. Sliders are small, too, and have better action. Does a Road Runner qualify?

Does Stream Team accept dogs as members? While mushroom hunting today near a creek, my golden retriever, Doc, retrieved three empty beer cans. Retriveingest dog I've ever seen.

Don't know how long this pattern has been around, but Terry Wilson introduced a very similar fly called "Bully's Bluegill Fly" decades ago. There are stone flies in the NFOW and I used to use a number of stonefly patterns there. After considerable experimentation, I found that a large Wooly Worm worked as well as more elaborate patterns. Wooly Buggers worked well, too, and could have been mistaken for either big stoneflies or small crayfish. All these patterns were heavily weighted and clunky to cast. For the fun of it, and certainly more fun casting, I preferred dry and slightly wet patterns and caught plenty of fish on them. These included various skittering caddis patterns (Elk Hair and King's River), Humphys and hopper patterns. Not only were they more fun to cast, trout often would leap all the way out of the water and capture the moving fly on the way down, which was visually delightful.

I call it the "Computer Game Generation."

I met my good friend, Bill Cooper, and we rode together to Conservation Day at the Capitol. Bill is a veteran outdoor writer/videographer and filmed an interview at the MSA booth. To check it, and some of Bill's other videos, go to https://www.facebook.com/OutsideAlways?fref=nf

This discussion of representative's responses is very informative. Romine does appear to be a responsive one, but I don't think his statement that he "would not vote for any bill that would hurt our outdoor opportunities" is genuine, because he supports the bill to reclassify captive dear as livestock. When I challenged him on that, he stated that he was for it because he wanted to be sure he represented all his constituents. After he told me that, I googled deer farms and started calling those listed in his district. Made five calls, and every one of them had either been disconnected or the person that answered said they were no longer in business. I got distracted with other matters, but my initial inquiry makes me wonder who are these other "constituents?" Are they rich friends who like to frequent these establishments, or something more clandestine? Other people I talked with about this at the Capitol yesterday told me the money (big money) to support deer farms is coming from the national organization. That's not a constituent, and if Romine has received money from them, it smells of special interest pandering. I'm planning another email to question Romine further about this issue and bill (which is still alive, too), and I'm asking Al, Jeff and anyone else in his district to do the same. It's possible, I suppose, that Romine doesn't understand the ramifications of this bill, but it's also possible that he is trying to appease us with disingenuous political spin.

Event was right next to the house chambers, which was still in session. It would have been hard for any representative to miss the conservation presence, or for any of them to think they can draft future anti-conservation measures without considerable resistance.

It was open to everyone, and there were so many people there all through the day, I doubt they were all members of some group. The only group there I'm a member of is Missouri Outdoor Communicators.

First time I've been to the Capitol. Very impressive building. Conservation Day was a big success, with many groups represented, including MSA. Thank you Matt and Dan for your participation.