rFisherk

I was told earlier by an inside source that they were making some kind of compromise to the original bill. This, to me, looks like an amendment to the original bill, which would be in addition to eliminating all fees for resident licenses, not a compromise. I'll admit I'm a bit confused by it also and will try to find out exactly what is going on.

As many of you know, I'm a defender of the MDC. I don't agree with, or like, everything they do, but I must keep in mind they are managing fish and wildlife for everyone, not just me. I consider them among the best of their kind in the nation, because I've seen the pitiful way some state's departments are forced to operate because of legislative control. My concern is for the quality and quantity of conservation principles now and for generations to come. Nevertheless, I'm in no way beholding to MDC or blinded in any fan boy fashion, and I do believe there are a few legitimate complaints. In fact, I'm making a list, not in a way to attack them or give fuel to those with the ultimate goal of controlling their monies or bending their rules to appease special interests, but to ensure that our best, common, interest are paramount in their decision making process. If you think you have a legitimate complaint that should be on this list, send me a PM with a brief description of your complaint. We'll trade email addresses to keep it private and gather more details. I have my own complaint, which I think is very legitimate, but I will not air it here, preferring to see how many contact me unprompted with the same one. Once the list is completed, I'll deliver it to the Director and Assistant Director of the Department of Conservation and to the Executive Director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, all of whom I know personally.

I absolutely agree with you on this one, Fishinwrench: Ya know, if the MDC wants to be free from state legislature then they should not go to bed with Family Support payment services. Taking away someone's "legal" right to fish/hunt because they got behind on court ordered alimony payments is freakin' bull$#!t.

No one really. It's a total lose/lose situation. The purpose is to damage the MDC any way possible, regardless the effects on the citizens. The list of services and programs the MDC has already said they would have to cut include: Elimination--not cut backs--elimination of public and private fish stockings. There goes your catfish and your trout. Even the trout parks depend upon MDC to rear and stock trout. Closure of Department Nature Centers. Closure of Department shooting ranges. Closure of Department maintained boat accesses. Elimination of partnerships with rural fire departments. Significant reduction of habitat work on Conservation Areas. Significant reduction in enforcement of conservation agents. There are others, but this will give you some idea of how devastating this could be. The place to kill it is in committee, but without a strong showing of opposition at the hearing, it is unlikely. This one coming to a vote scares me most.

By law, they only need to give 24-hour notice of a hearing, so they announced the hearing on Senate Bill 56 late yesterday, and we are only finding out about it this morning. This bill is very likely to come up for a vote, because the committee that decides to recommend it is chaired by Muntzlinger. It is doubtful more than a handful of the estimated 1,000,000 anglers and 576,000 hunters in Missouri who will suffer from a loss of resources if Senate Bill 56 passes will be able to attend on such short notice. If this legislation were to pass, the Department of Conservation would lose an estimated $42 million per year based on recent permit sales and Federal reimbursements tied to permit sales (Pittman-Robertson Act and Dingall-Johnson Act). The list of services and programs that will be cut is long and will dramatically effect everyone who cares about the outdoors and wildlife conservation. The meeting is in Room SCR 1 at 2 p.m., and I implore anyone who can make it to be there to defend their rights--loudly.

Here's a link to about the best article I've seen about the current onslaught of legislation aimed at the MDC. http://www.newspressnow.com/sports/outdoors/article_aa4f8d1b-d82d-5d7d-8189-fa1a979df29d.html A thing to know, in addition, is that most of the authors of these bills also sit on the committees that decide to recommend them for a floor vote, so most of them will probably make it out of committee.

I leaned the value of light lines, small lures and very slow presentations back when I fished Bull often with Doc Clayman, and that was reinforced over the years by fishing with some of the famous guides on Dale Hollow. When I guided on KY Lake, my biggest challenge usually was getting clients, especially from the city, to slow down. I think most fish too fast, and they definitely troll too fast while casting.

It's my opinion that smallmouth are basically bottom huggers, and while you can get some of them to rise, especially during the hot months, I always catch more with something along the bottom. Catching the most, or the biggest, is not always the measure, however. Sometimes seeing a splashy rise is worth three or four hooked deep.

The most memorable, and fun, fishing in the Quetico was one evening in the back of a big shallow bay that was loaded with pike. By then, I had had about all the pike I wanted, lost about half my tackle to them and one of them had put a big treble hook through my hand. I was fishing a small Jitterbug for bass. It was the last one I had. Pike had taken all the others. Every time I'd start retrieving, I'd see this V wake speeding toward my lure. These beasts are more aggressive than sharks. I'd wait until the last second and jerk it away. Sometimes they would turn and come after it two or three times, making big splashes, but missing. I could keep teasing the same fish over and over again. But there were pike in almost every direction I casted. In just a couple of hours, I know I had over 20 savage strikes, maybe 30, and managed to avoid hooking any of them.

The smallmouth fishing in the Quetico was great. It might be the best smallmouth fishing in the world. But the pike fishing unbelievable. Caught many of them a yard long every day, and that was with bass equipment and trying to avoid the pike. Lost dozens of lures. Tell you the truth, if I would go again, I'd bring some steel leaders and go after the pike. But I'd also have one of those long landing nets and thongs for handling them. Those things are dangerous.

All lures mentioned are productive, but one I use a lot no mentioned is a 1/16-ounce Road Runner. Also, believe it or not, I caught deep holding rainbows on almost every cast with a Wiggle-Wart on the Eleven Point last summer.

I appreciate your support, Quillback, but I'm a bit confused by your post. Do you mean you signed up for a membership in CFM? I'm pretty sure the Action Center is for MO residents only. To sign up, it asks your address so they can include your particular representatives for quick email and phone contacts. They even include a standard letter/email you can send as is, modify or personalize to your own voice. I don't think any of this would be possible without a MO address.

By the way, you don't have to be a member of CFM to participate in this. It is for all citizens, and it is very easy to use. Directly contacting your elected officials, and banning together as a concerned and unified force under CFM, as Jeff just did, are very powerful ways to protect your interests and your rights.

Because of numerous legislative attempts to disrupt conservation in our great state, the Conservation Federation of Missouri has launched a Legislative Action Center, an interactive citizen's advocacy portal where you can vote to show how you feel about legislative bills and send emails or call your representatives to let them now how you want them to vote on important issues--before those bills actually come up for a vote. You will be able to leave your personal comments about particular measures and see what others have to say. The comments with the most "likes" will be shared in CFM's report to legislators. This site is a vital tool to make your voice heard at the capital. To get more information or join, click here: https://account.voti...e/CFM/index.php

Not a bad idea, Jeff. Even if they won't return messages, they're getting them, and the more they get the more they will sense the error in their ways. I don't want to hear their spin on it anyway.

The ones that matter most are the three listed at the top, because they rule over your district and you vote for or against them, so you carry that weight with them. The rest on the list are not directly involved. I, however, have a friend who finds out who is on the committee a particular bill is referred to for review and emails every one of them. I admit I haven't gone to this trouble, but I should, because the place to kill this stuff is in committee, not after it reaches the floor for debate and vote. Of course, we have an uphill battle in committee as well, because Ross is on the committee for "Conservation and Natural Resources," and Munzlinger is the Chairman of the committee that oversees "Outdoor Resources." I suspect most or all of these bills will gone, or already have gone, to one or the other of these committees.

A very good and long time friend of mine has gone to fly fishing for carp because of that.

I think it is for a few reasons: Because of the prolific stocking program, the lake always is loaded with trout. I'm not sure of the statistics, but I suspect the number of trout per angler is much higher. Because it gets comparatively far less fishing pressure per acre of water than the Parks, the fish are less educated and fishing is better. Even though it technically is a lake, there are plenty of places to wade fish. Rarely does anyone wade in front of you, stand too close or tangle lines with you. I believe it is generally a better put-and-take trout fishing experience, and Lilley's Landing is a great place to stay.

Another very effective thing any of you can do to combat this attack is write a "letter to the editor" and send it to your local newspaper. This is especially helpful if you live in a rural area. Some of the big city dailies are just starting to pick up on this, but the little weeklies all across the state have nothing, and the vast majority of the public don't realize the looming threat to conservation. If you do so, please post a copy of it here, and a link to the paper, if available, so we can celebrate it.

Grizzly asked: "Can someone give me a number to this Ross guy, or any of the other Reps that are attempting the same?" Beyond the two bills by Ross (outlined at the top of this thread), here's a list of the bills, and their authors, currently threatening MDC. SB 56 (Munzlinger) - Eliminates hunting, fishing and trapping permit fees for Missouri residents. SJR 1 (Munzlinger) - Modifies the membership composition and terms of service of the commissioners on the Conservation Commission. SB 178 (Munzlinger) - Modifies provisions relating to captive cervids. SB 337 (Munzlinger) - Bans the Conservation Commission and the Department of Conservation from engaging in prohibited conduct with a connected not-for-profit corporation. HJR 27 (Spencer) - Proposes a constitutional amendment reducing the sales tax from 1/8 of a cent to 1/16 of a cent. HJR 28 (Spencer) - Proposes a constitutional amendment requiring the conservation sales tax to be approved by voters every 10 years. HB 315 (Brown) - Requires the Department of Conservation to conduct testing of deceased deer found along state highways for chronic wasting disease. HB 316 (Brown) - Requires Conservation Commission members to register as lobbyists upon appointment by the Governor and to follow all lobbyist rules and regulations. HB 317 (Brown) - Requires the Department of Conservation to reimburse automobile owners up to $500 for damages inflicted upon their vehicles by deer. HB 479 (Houghton) - Exempts data collected by state agencies under the federal Animal Disease Traceability Program from disclosure under Missouri’s Sunshine Law. HB 710 (Basye) - Allows nonresidents who own property or pay income taxes in Missouri to receive resident hunting and fishing permit privileges. HB 763 (Houghton) - Prohibits the Conservation Commission and the Department of Conservation from engaging in prohibited conduct with a connected not-for-profit corporation. (This last bill, This last bill and SB 377, I believe, are aimed primarily at the Conservation Federation of Missouri, because they are starting to make a lot of headway in the current fight for conservation.) You can get contact information for all elected officials here: http://www.senate.mo...fault.aspx/leg_

I applaud you.

I'll bet an old fashioned letter is still most effective. Email is easiest. Let me know if you actually get your Rep. on the phone. You can get contact information for all three methods here: http://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/default.aspx/leg_

I don't mean to make it sound like fly fishing for stripers in the river during spring runs or during winter down by the lights of the dam is easy or a sure thing. Timing is very important. I lived on the North Fork of the White at the time, so could drive down to the lower river/lake mouth, whenever word got out they were running. Down by the dam, I fished with the head of the Water Patrol, who kept constant tabs on them and knew when they were surfacing. Strangest thing of all: each of the three times I fished for stripers near the dam at night, we caught far more walleye of 4- to 6-pounds. Only time I've ever heard of walleye hitting on the surface.

When I was fly fishing for them (up in the current of a river), I tied my own streamers, most of them weighted, on 1/0 and 2/0 hooks and all to resemble shad. Pattern I thought looked best had whole, broad mallard breast feathers stacked on each side of the hook, but I surmised stripers weren't too selective, as long as you could put it in front of them, which meant getting it down. Tried using a full sinking 10-weight line, but found it to be too much work, so mostly used floating lines. Usually, I would cast quartering upstream (long cast), mend line a couple of times, then just hang on and let it swing. Strikes were sometimes such a jolt, it yanked the rod from my hand. Used 20-pound mono tippet. If I were doing it today, I'd use a heavier and thinner lines that weren't available back then. This is not overkill, if you have the chance to hook a 20-pound striper in the current. They are a strong fish to begin, but when hooked in current, they fight sort of broadside to the current, constantly working downstream, which doubles or triples their pull, just like their little cousins, the white bass. It's different in a lake, but they are still formidable. Never fly fished for them there, but did use heavy bass equipment for them at middle of the night, during January and February, down by the Norfork Dam. That time of year, they bust big shad on the surface. (Fly fishing, of course, would work too.) We would cast big Bombers, about 8-inches long, and bring them back so slowly, all they did was make a little, wobbling V on the surface. Big stripers would be blowing up all around. Kawhooosh. Kawhoosh. It was unnerving to retrieve that slowly, and even more so when you got the initial hit, because the first hit, a big kawhoosh, was them hitting it to kill or cripple it. Took everything I had not to set the hook. Then we would let it sit for a couple of seconds and twitch it, or start it back even slowwer. When they actually took the bait, it sounded like a bluegill sucking in a popper, except amplified a dozen time. Still you waited until you felt the pressure of the fish before setting the hook--hard. They would strip line on the initial run, and the guy on the trolling motor would follow them on high.

I spent a lot of time in a canoe last year, starting with a 2-week trip into Canada's Quetico Wilderness. There were a lot of smallmouths in between, culminating in a 4-day float/camping trip last fall with my good friend, Bill Cooper, on the Jack's Fork and Current rivers. Even though we went without seeing another soul for 9 days during the Canada trip, I think I actually enjoyed the fall float right here in the Ozarks more.