rFisherk

Well, I thought it was a neat quote. Are we the only creek peepers?

CFM is gearing up for Conservation Day at the Capitol. More than 25 affiliate organizations are hosting booths filled with information and materials about their organization. The booths will be set up from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., so join us anytime throughout the day to learn more about these dedicated organizations. The event is an educational and informative day where students, citizens and legislators can learn more about the organizations in Missouri who support and advocate for conservation around the state. Each organization brings their own expertise to the event and is looking forward to sharing their knowledge with Missourians. Take a look at some of the organizations that are joining us April 2: A few of the groups attending offered quotes, including MSA's Matt Wier. Missouri Smallmouth Alliance "I'm enthralled by moving water. I can't help but slow down and take a peek every time I cross even the smallest creek. I wholeheartedly support and applaud all the citizen conservationists who work to conserve and improve our waterways and oppose those who choose to exploit them for short-term personal gain," said Matt Wier, President of the Missouri Smallmouth Association.

This is the fly I use for white bass. It's a variation of the Thunder Creek Marabou.

Very nice. Macro is great fun.

I realize next Thursday, April 2, is a work day for most, but if you could take a personal or vacation day to attend Conservation Day at the Capitol, it could be the most important thing you do for conservation this year. The whole idea is to present a strong and unified conservation front, right in the Capitol Rotunda, right in front of the various legislators who now threaten it from so many angles. It has to be on Thursday, because unlike working stiffs, legislators all go home to start their weekends by Friday. A strong showing at this event not only will help kill the current glut of legislation--it will send a strong signal to those considering similar measures in the future. They seem to think they can do about anything they want for their special interest donors, because the general public, and the majority of conservationists, are apathetic about the political process. Conservation Day will make them think differently, and the stronger the attendance the stronger the message. Let's make it standing room only. Everything is free, and the various conservation groups that have signed up to man booths at the event represent a diverse cross section of conservation interests. They include: Hunting Works for Missouri Katy Land Trust Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Missouri Chapter of the Wildlife Society Missouri Coalition for the Environment Missouri Collegiate Conservation Alliance Missouri Delta Waterfowl Missouri Ducks Unlimited Missouri National Wild Turkey Federation Missouri Outdoor Communicators Missouri Park and Recreation Association Missouri Parks Association Missouri Prairie Foundation Missouri River Bird Observatory Missouri Smallmouth Alliance Missouri Trappers Association Missouri Whitetails Unlimited Ozark Regional Land Trust Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation Quail Forever and Pheasants Forever Quality Deer Management Association Renew Missouri Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Stream Teams This not only will be a great political event, but a great place to socialize with like-minded conservationists, network with those who share your interests and investigate all this great state has to offer. It really is one of the best in the nation. Let's ensure it stays that way, and if anything, improves.

That right, Joe. My intention was to publically challenge them to participate, not pose something that invited excuses, because I think it is very important for MSA to participate in this event. We have never had a more serious threat against floating and fishing Ozark streams than Ross's bill, which has been amended, but is far from dead and would still drastically limit access. All the signs and education efforts mean nothing if all we can legally float and fish are a handful of rivers like the Mississippi and Missouri, and even the gravel bars on them would be private property under this bill, even as amended. I don't hold anyone or any group in reverence; only the environment and our ability to access and enjoy it. But MSA stepped up, and I applaud them for it. Of all the groups attending Conservation Day at the Capitol, it is most important to me that MSA be there, because floating, fishing and camping on Ozarks streams is by far my favorite thing to do. I wrote an article published in the Outdoor Guide that included: "The smallmouth bass is my favorite species. It is a native, swimming here long before man arrived. Missouri boasts more smallmouth streams than any state, and I believe it should be the state fish, on the state symbol, prominently displayed on the state capitol and somehow incorporated into the state moto." I've spent my entire life (not just weekends or vacations) in the outdoors. It has been my life and my livelihood, and I've done everything I can to protect and enhance it, including putting up MSA signs. I've never seen a more serious threat to our outdoor traditions than during this current legislative session. This is more important than any flack I might get here for protecting what I love with whatever means I think will work best.

All I said was: "As I suspected, Missouri Smallmouth Alliance is not represented." And they weren't at that time. Now they are. Good deal, because this is an important political statement. Given the current political climate, most notably Ross's bill, I think it is very important for the group most centered on streams to be represented. I said nothing about all the other stuff you seemed to be upset about.

I guess you finally cleared it with Lenny.

Well, it worked.

Just got a press release about Conservation Day at the Capitol, and it now appears MSA has a booth. That's more like it.

Looks like the first scheduled Conservation Day at the Capitol on Thursday, April 2 is going to be a success. It would be a lot bigger success if they could hold it on a weekend, but that would defeat the main purpose: to show the legislators that we're not all ignorant and apathetic dolts sitting outside somewhere with a six pack and a rod or gun. I'm told our hard-working legislators all start their weekends on Fridays. Because of the recent and ongoing assault on the MDC and conservation issues, Conservation Day is a show of force and concern for conservation issues by sportsman's groups and individuals. Many of these groups will have booths set up in the Rotunda, but you don't need to represent or be a member of a sportsman's/conservation group to attend. Everything is free. A few of the few conservation minded legislators will be there to socialize. It's doubtful any of the stronger opponents of MDC and conservation will show up to be questioned, but they will be observing the event. You can bet on that. It will be on their minds the next time they draft anti-conservation measures. I don't think there's ever been anything like this held at the capitol, but I also don't think we have ever faced a more diverse and unified assault upon the environment and the traditions we hold dear. If anyone who plans to attend will be travelling through Ironton, MO, I'd like to share the ride and expenses with you. Send me a PM.

I believe the first turkey decoys, at least in MO, were made by Swartz Studios. I sold them back in the '70s when I was managing the hunting and fishing departments of Outdoors Inc., an exclusive shop in the St. Louis Area that stocked high ticket items and specialized in fly fishing. These decoys were made by hand out of paper Mache and were quite expensive; $60 each, if I remember correctly. Turkey hunting was new, and decoys were a novel idea. I ordered two of them, not really knowing if they would work, but figuring the novelty of having them sitting on the glass counter would be worth it. About a week before the season, a man bought one, and the afternoon of opening day, he came back in the store, toting a gunny sack. When he pulled the decoy from the sack, the head was missing and I figured I was in for a customer complaint. It was a long time ago, but I remember his words (don't ask me where I placed my car keys this morning). "I set this decoy out on the edge of a field just before daybreak," he said. "Shortly after first light, I saw a turkey at the other end of the field and called. "The turkey started trotting my way, and when I called again, he started running toward me. He ran directly up to the decoy, beak to beak, and I blew both their heads off." He bought the other decoy.

Good post, Jesters. The first question most fishermen ask, is what color were you using. From a lifetime devoted to fishing, I have determined that color is the least important part of catching fish. Colors catch fishermen and keep the lure manufacturers in business. Most important is the action, or body language, of the lure. Part of this is built into the design of lures and effected by the type of equipment used, but much of it is determined by the person presenting the bait. The differences in presentation between catching some fish and catching a bunch of fish is often very subtle and hard to relate in words. You'll catch more fish if you concentrate totally upon exactly what you are making the lure do and imagine the body language being presented. Body language is the universal lingo of the wilds.

I found from teaching fly fishing classes, guiding on both rivers and lakes for decades and giving seminars that people who have fished for a long time tend to take too much for granted when dealing with beginners. It's obvious to me you are a very new beginner, because you haven't yet learned to most common attribute of a fisherman, and that is to lie and exaggerate how much you have caught, how much you catch and the importance and productivity of your particular methods or baits. Don't worry, though, that part will probably come naturally after you catch just a few fish. The rest of it, however, is a life-long learning experience, which keeps the challenge and the rewards fresh. My old friend, Robert Montgomery, probably put it best decades ago when I was guiding him down the NFoW. He said a fishing theory is something that happens often enough to become a theory, but never often enough to be proven. And I've notice repeatedly over the years that about the time I think I've got them figured out, they'll do something different. I also remember my frustrations when I started fly fishing the trout parks back in the '60s. I already knew something about fly fishing, or thought I did, had the right equipment and all that, but my success was similar to yours. Don't feel too badly. In fishing, it is the frustrations that make the successes so sweet. The trout parks can be especially frustrating, because you can see schools of trout at your feet, and you can, as you said, literally bounce baits off their noses. My advice is to study the other fishermen. Pick out someone who seems to catch trout at will, introduce yourself and ask for help.

Black River is in minor flood stage, about 9 feet. No way you can wade it during the next few days. Don't know about the Castor. It's a much smaller stream and should come up and go down quicker, but I've found fishing to be tough when water is falling. My advice would be to postpone your trip.

That is very similar to the ones I tied, Jason, and the pattern I caught most of my stipers with.

Conservation Day at the Capitol (I posed the initial announcement elsewhere) is April 2, a Thursday. It had to be Thursday to ensure that legislators would be around to see it. Following is the list of groups so far that will be represented: 1. CFM 2. Hunting Works for Missouri 3. Katy Land Trust 4. Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative 5. Missouri Chapter Wildlife Society 6. Missouri Coalition for the Environment 7. Missouri Delta Waterfowl 8. Missouri Ducks Unlimited 9. Missouri National Wild Turkey Federation 10. Missouri Outdoor Communicators 11. Missouri Park and Recreation Association 12. Missouri Parks Association 13. Missouri Prairie Foundation 14. Missouri River Bird Observatory 15. Missouri Trappers Association 16. Missouri Whitetails Unlimited 17. Ozark Regional Land Trust 18. Ozark Water Watchers 19. Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation 20. Quail Forever / Pheasants Forever 21. Quality Deer Management Association 22. Stream Teams 23. MCCA (Student Organization) As I suspected, Missouri Smallmouth Alliance is not represented.

Here's a link to the best article about CWD I've seen: http://www.qdma.com/articles/10-reasons-you-dont-want-cwd-in-your-woods

Good on you, Chief.

Romine is my senator too, and he is one of the few that always responds to emails. Usually it amounts to political spin, but at least he responds. I believe it actually is him, too, and not someone on his staff. Last time I contacted him, I also mentioned my concerns over Ross's bill, that I realized it wasn't in his neighborhood, but that if he would walk over to the house and slap the snot out of Ross, I would vote for him (Romine) for that alone. My two "representatives" have never responded to numerous emails.

I'm with Muddler. One of the few things that is clear in this bill, is it redraws private property rights from the high water mark to the low water mark. Ross not only doesn't seem to care about the rights of his constituents, he must think they are extremely stupid.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that 11 new cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) have recently been found in deer harvested in Macon, Adair, and now Cole counties. A buck harvested near the village of Centertown in Cole County is the first case of the disease to be found outside of the Departments six-county CWD Containment Zone of Adair, Chariton, Linn, Macon, Randolph, and Sullivan counties. All previous cases have been limited to Macon, Linn, and Adair counties. These 11 new cases bring the total number of Missouri free-ranging deer that have tested positive for CWD to 14 for this past season and 24 overall since the disease was first discovered in the state in 2010 at a private hunting preserve in Linn County. CWD has also been found in 11 captive deer in Macon and Linn counties.

I'm glad you posted about this here, Brian. I posted about it in Smallmouth Talk, and it has four of five pages of replies so far. Thought about putting it here, but I've been sort of dominating the Conservation Issues forum and figured the smallmouth guys would jump all over it. Worked out for the best, because now it is in both places. Thanks.

I'm without a vehicle right now, so can't possibly attend, but here's some questions I'd like asked at the hearing: 1. The bill says: "No adjoining parts of a watercourse shall be considered navigable unless they are deemed navigable by a Missouri court." As far as I know, only a few rivers and streams have been deemed navigable by a Missouri court. Would this mean that the vast majority of rivers and streams would be considered non-navigable (without further court action), and therefore private property? Wouldn’t this overload our court systems with petitions? 2. Do you know how many rivers (or river miles) are currently deemed navigable by the Courts? 3. Do you know how many rivers (or river miles) will become private property as a result of your legislation? 4. The bill appears that it will shift the boundaries of many property owners along Missouri's waters. As a self-employed surveyor, do you stand to profit directly or indirectly if this bill becomes law? 5. What is the definition of "substantial compliance" as written in 537.298? Who decides this? Why would you take away an individual's ability to seek justice in the Court system if their quality of life is being compromised by the owner of a nuisance? 6. It would reset the private land boundary for navigable streams from the current high water mark to the low water mark. Would this mean that gravel bars would be off limits on all rivers? 7. On non-navigable streams, it would make the bottom of the stream private property, to the middle of the stream from either side. Would this mean an angler couldn't wade it without trespassing? 8. Would making these rivers and stream private property restrict the Missouri Department of Conservation’s authority to manage fisheries? 9. It essentially would make rivers and streams the property of those who own the banks and give them rights to manage these waterways as they see fit, as long as they complied with federal guidelines. Would this bill give adjoining landowners rights to alter the streams, divert water and a host of other things? 10. Would this bill create a "commission" to rule over streams, and would they would be able to accept donations from private companies who might profit from such rulings? 11. The bill says: The commission shall: 2 (1) Exercise general supervision of the administration and enforcement of sections 3 644.006 to 644.141 and all rules and regulations and orders promulgated thereunder; HB 955. What are sections 3 644.006 to 644.141? 12. The bill says: Issue, modify or revoke orders prohibiting or abating discharges of water contaminants into the waters of the state or adopting other remedial measures to prevent, control or abate pollution. Does this mean this commission could modify or revoke current state water pollution standards? 13. Require the prior submission of plans and specifications, or other data including the quantity and types of water contaminants, and inspect the construction of treatment facilities and sewer systems or any part thereof in connection with the issuance of such permits or approval as are required by sections 644.006 to 644.141, except that manholes and polyvinyl chloride 48 (PVC) pipe used for gravity sewers and with a diameter no greater than twenty-seven inches shall not be required to be tested for leakage. Would this exception exclude PVC pipes of the specified size coming from industrial sites? 14. Section 13 ends by stating: ...however, no permit shall be required of any person for any emission into publicly owned treatment facilities or into publicly owned sewer systems tributary to publicly owned treatment works. Does this remove protection of the watershed into the facilities? 15. Would this bill create another giant government bureaucracy governing sewage treatment facilities of the state?

Great to see you here, Kathy. Not sure if you are old enough, but we need to approach this political situation with the same enthusiasm we did back in the 1970s to get the Conservation Tax passed. And the most unified way to do that is through CFM, just as you suggest.