RSBreth

Good idea taking out at Creighton. I paddled up from the lake towards there a couple of weeks back, and that stretch is a mess. Like a "two guys with chainsaws and a full day" type mess.

Nope, didn't even try, there was a long (20+ feet) of VHS tape torn and blowing around in the wind when I pulled up to it. So you'll have some explaining to do the next time you try to rent another one at Lilith's Lair!

I do - read my website.

I just missed you, I fished down by the confluence of the two rivers starting right about 7. Did you see that little T.V./VCR combo someone had thrown out by the entrance to the hay fields?

There isn't much need for anything besides a new bridge for cars. Besides idiot "cyclists" on the narrow 2 lane roads on either side of the bridge, there isn't much besides cars passing along that way. Instead, how about a new bridge with a parking lot where Riverside was, and river access? That's my idea.

I feel your pain, I've looked high and low, and we are going to have to get one of the companies to make the perfect shoe. I have a cheap pair similar to all three of those, and then I put a pair of gravel guards on over the top to help keep gravel out. Ideal? Nope. But better then boots. I think a pair of shoes with a zip or velcro top made out of thin neoprene would work, but there really isn't such a thing. Flats boots are close, but have ZERO support, you might as well be wearing scuba slippers.

"I do wish they carried bagley crankbaits in springfield." You would kill me if you knew how many "Honey B's" I've bought at the outlet store on returns or clearance for just a couple of bucks a piece! You never know what will be there, it's just a "hit it often and look around" type deal.

It was like a small artillery barrage or maybe a couple of guys randomly throwing grenades in the water for about 20- to 30-minutes, from about 5:45 A.M. on til it quit. Awesome!

http://www.in-fisher...rent-smallmouth From the article... "Hook: Since I discovered it was possible to catch bronzebacks on circle hooks without inflicting deep-hooking injuries so common with traditional livebait hooks, I’ve used nothing else. With a simple line-tightening no-yank hook-set, over 90 percent of my bass are pinned neatly in the corner of the mouth. Removing a circle hook from a bass takes a bit of practice, however. I use a small pair of pliers with a 90-degree bend in the tip, which makes it easier to grasp the hook shank and rotate with a circular motion. (Putting bait on a circle hook is also a bit of a trick.) I’ve settled on Mustad Extra Fine Wire Demon Circle Hooks because they’re a true circle hook made of fine-diameter wire that does not damage delicate baits. I use sizes from #6 to #4 for hellgrammites, and riffle runners up to 1/0 and 2/0 for large chubs." Not local knowledge, but good nonetheless...

I was down at my In-Laws just chillin' Saturday and Sunday. I only fished Sunday morning from shore, but did manage to scrounge up a few decent but small Smallies and Spots on a Bass Bug as the sun was rising. I did see see a massive school of Stripers busting shad out in the cove for about half an hour. It was near point 5.

The outlet store is the place to go. I always go there first.

Video of the old building comin' down... http://www.kspr.com/news/local/Riverside-Inn-Demolished-99142484.html

I think that's actually more about the "meth or no meth" debate right there...

Summertime is "turn and burn" or "run and gun" or something like that on Ozark rivers for bass. Anything that you can work fast works pretty good most days. You'll find most folks using tubes, worms, or maybe jigs, which is fine and will catch fish, but I'd much rather use a popper or walk-the-dog topwater, a floater/diver minnow (think Rapala Flat Rap or original Minnow) or soft jerkbait aggressively than one of the slower techniques. Shallow and medium diving cranks are great if there's any color to the water at all, too.

http://ozarkanglers.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=790&Itemid=99

Yeah, I don't see how it would be easier to move around when portaging, unless your talking about those cute little wheels that click on. Good for level ground. What does the Tarp 120 weigh, more than 60-pounds? I don't see how that would be easier to lift and move around than the 33-pound Pack.

Yeah, I read that too, but after an hour of paddling one I got into it's blend of maneuverability. It feels "tippy" but it has plenty of secondary stability (the thing that keeps you from flipping). I can lean it to one side or the other while snaking through timber, and kind of lean into turns. As everyone knows, (and is bored to tears from me constantly saying it) I just love that little boat! I really don't understand why some folks can't get the hang of the Pack, I'm 6' and 200 lbs of walking clumsiness, and I've never tipped it over. I never moved the seat, or lowered it, nothing. Bone stock. Makes me wonder if I just sit more still or don't panic and overcorrect, or if everyone else is even MORE clumsy than me. I'd imagine the Discovery 119 would feel more stable, being 10 pounds heavier and with a lower seat. Good article about hull design at Paddling.net HERE

One of the recent trips I fished Beaver Lake out of my solo, I had some kayak company for a while. They didn't get blown around by the wind as much as I did, but when a wake from a bigger boat came through the cove, they got wet, and I simply bobbed up and down on the waves. So that's another wrinkle.

More than a thousand a day. From KSPR33.COM By Doug Magditch (Ozark, Mo.) -- "I think people identify with that bridge," says Lisa Engel, the co-owner of Riverside Inn, which recently shut its doors. Next to the inn, a bridge by the same name. The riverside bridge was originally a replacement bridge. It went up when the flood of 1909 washed out Ozark's original covered wagon bridge. Now, it's being considered for replacement "It's definitely a deficient bridge," says John Grubaugh, the Christian County Presiding Commissioner. The Missouri Department of Transportation rated the bridge a 2 out of 10, calling it "basically intolerable." "The bridge has sustained a lot of damage by floods and traffic, and just being a hundred years old," says Grubaugh. The bridge was originally built to hold horses and buggies, not the 1,300 vehicles per day it averages now. "We just think it's strong and can handle anything, but it can't," says Engel. "We would like a bridge that serves the public well and moves traffic well," says Grubaugh. Full Story HERE People are trying to save something that is inadequate and even unsafe, because it's "historic". I'm not someone who believes it's important for there to be "progress" just for progress sake, but plenty of people rely on that sad old thing every day, and one day it's just going to get washed away. One lane bridge traffic circa 1950? Quaint. One lane bridge traffic 2010? Pain in the @#&!!!!!

Demolition Begins This Week... http://www.news-lead...beginning-today After it's gone we will have to wait and see hat happens to the bridge. A nice shiny new one with two lanes would be awesome, but there are folks who can't let go of the past. http://www.facebook....riversidebridge"

Exactly! I think people need to really try out as many different models as they can, think about what their needs are, then buy. Even after that your idea of "the perfect solo fishing machine" will probably evolve as you gain on the water experience. I just get annoyed that when folks think solo they automatically think kayak. It may be the right choice, but not even including solo canoes as an option is a mistake.

I saw one of these about a month ago. I paddled over to look at it and yeah, it looks like a barge, too. I think somewhere around 50-pounds for a solo craft is max. My tandem canoe doesn't weigh that much!

I've fit 9' fly rods in my Pack solo, but they're pretty tight. I usually use conventional gear for fishing IN the canoe, but take the fly rod out from a two-piece break down case for wading. Which brings up another topic, it's pretty hard to work ANY solo craft against current and cast a fly rod, at least effectively. Have you fished out of a Kayak or Solo canoe with the fly rod yet? It isn't easy, and the double blade of a Kayak makes it's even more of a pain in the, you know. Right about then you think "Hey, I'll get a little sculling paddle" and that's another piece of equipment you have to screw around with while the current spins you about. Most "Kayak fishermen" have more doo dads and foofarrahs hanging off their boat than flyfishermen do hanging off their vests, but combine the two and it can look like a disco ball with half of Bass Pro mounted to it heading down the river while spinning at 360rpm. I was going to jump in and give my opinion about the solo Canoe vs. Kayak thing, but Al pretty much covered it. Solo canoes have plenty of advantages, but for some reason the word "kayak" has some trendy cache' attached to it these days. Why do you think Native sells so many of their "Ultimates", which are actually canoes but they (very cleverly) market them as a "Hybrid Kayak"? From now on I'm calling my Pack a "Hybrid Kay-Noe". O.K., not really.

I fished the lower James yesterday morning, and caught a few good fish, but man, the heat was oppressive. I saw a lone Bald Eagle turn and soar up to a tree high above me. He looked hot, too. Not really much to report, the water was up a little versus normal, but clearing. Best lure was a Bomber 4A in a hot color that I can't remember the name. Lots of yellow/orange with a sage green back. Also caught a few better sized ones on finesse jigs, I was rotating between the 3/16th-ounce Baby Boo, the 1/8th-ounce Terminator, and the 1/8th ounce Bitsy Bug. Kind of grab bag, but it's what I had with me - I tried to pack light because I paddled up and there is one long portage upstream in the stretch I fished. I was going to take a picture of one Smallie with awesome markings, but I had hooked it funky with the two trebles of the crank, and had a little problem getting it unhooked easily without just ripping the hooks out, so I skipped the pictures and let it go ASAP after finally getting the steel out of her. I was splashed in the face with a swipe of the tail as a reward! I did have one funny incident where a "pounder" chased my soft jerkshad right to the canoe, then stopped cold in the water, staring at me and the boat. I twitched the lure, but the fish seemed mesmerized by the canoe and me, so I thought I'd try the "figure 8" maneuver like you do with Pike or Muskies. As soon as I turned the rod around for the second swish the Smallmouth seemed to snap out of his daze, and disappeared like smoke on a windy day. I'll say my first attempt at "figure 8 for Smallmouth's" was a failure!

Of course, there's the option of selling them back to "where they came from". http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/98361399.html