snagged in outlet 3

I'm back. 200 feet, 40 degree incline of ice covered hill. Day with the daughter, PRICELESS. I mean that was one great hill. It's called Bum's Hollow in Blanchette Park. It's a 3 sided bowl and it's fast right now. 26 degrees today and once the new fallen snow got blown off it was ice and it was FAST!!!!!!!!!! Daddy that was the best day of my 8 year old life. Moma went cripple on the first run when she hit an unexpected bump and bruised her tail bone. I walked up that hill 40 times. It was awesome. A real gut-check when you crest the top of the hill. Heard the famous saying "watch this" several times. Some dads just don't know they're not teenagers anymore. I recommend the inner tube, much easier on the old bones. SIO3

I'm taking my 8 year old daughter out to the best rated sled riding hill in the St. Louis Metro area. If you don't hear back from me it because I'm probably in the hospital with a broken something or another. IT's rated 4 out of 5 stars. I'm in trouble and I'm scared. SIO3.

Nice!!!!!!! It'll have whole new feel down there night fishing. SIO3

Hey MW You won't have a problem getting to the dam this year if they keep generating like they are now. The generation chart is pinned to the top of Taneycomo forum so you can check it whenever you want. I wouldn't discount using crawdad cranks, but if you look at Phil's latest fishing report in the Taney section a white jig wouldn't hurt ya. SIO3

I'm trying to get down there Sunday and Monday. Weather looks great. Black Yukon. I'll be by myself so if somebody wants to hook up let me know. I might put my OAF sticker on my back or stop in and get a hat from Phil. Are there any left? Pete.

Hey Leonard. I remember when you used to wade around fishing with that little one on your shoulders. He's coming along fine I see. How's the reel? SIO3

Thanks Terry. We had two jars included in the recall. My daughter had already eaten half of one of them over the past couple months. My wife commented that my daughter had a stomach ache a couple times this winter. Looking back we wondered if it was from this peanut butter. Be careful out there. SIO3

Toilet paper stuff is didymo. I think there is a very good story about it in the North Arkansas fly fishers Newsletter. Phil might have a link. They drag a length of chain to position and slow the drift. Not illegal in AR. Apparently polluting the river with runoff isn't seen as problem down there either. SIO3

Hey Fullmoon and Bassman1308. Did either of you guys fish Taney back then? Any stories of monster trout? SIO3.

Nice report Phil. Anybody gonna be around Sunday and Monday fishing? I'm thinking of driving down and sleeeping in the truck. Phil, is it worth trying to get in on the shad bite from shore with water running? Maybe around the first chute? Do you sell shad flies? I came down a few years ago when the water was coming over the top of dam and we rented your bass boat. We heard the water was coming over the top and drove down the next morning. We had a hey day on em. Spin fished with white jigs and just caught em all day. I can't remember all the different species that were caught, (whites, largemouth, smallmouth) but it was awesome. SIO3.

I find it very interesting Fullmoon. Tell us any stories you like, I'm listening. Man what a great time to be on The Rock. The best times I've had on The Rock were about 7 or 8 years ago when me and a buddy took our wives down around Mother's Day and stayed at Big Cedar. We would troll around fishing all day while the girls got lit up on mixed drinks. Oh yeah we caught fish, but man the nights in the jacuzzi were the real memories. SIO3.

Hey Crip. Send a link to this thread to Joanne the staff writer. Also tell her this. Here is a partial list of what some of the guys do for a living that goes on our trip. Most stayed Thursady to Sunday. We had 15 guys this year. 2 flew in from New York. Doctors Dentist Software engineers Sales directors Business owners Cops Car dealer Airline pilot Bond portfolio manager We always play golf at Big Creek. Eat out several times. This year we were there during the World Series and we are from St. Lou so you know we went to the bar every night. Out of state licenses. Some guys rented a trailer at Gene's. Everybody rented boats at least one day. I couldn't put a number on beer sales. Food, gas, firewood and campsite fees. Many trips to the fly shop. I think you get the idea. SIO3

Hey Crip. We were on our annual camping trip that weekend and we had some guys that just recently started fishing the White and Norfork. Of course to them, compared to Bennett Spring, it is an awesome fishery. But I kept telling them how it used to be years ago when we started the trip. The guy I started going on the trip with was so disappointed in the fishing this year that he said we should start looking around for something better. He commented that it was hardly worth the 4.5 hour drive and the gas money to come down anymore. In addition to the decline in fishing, throw in the overcrowding and the closing of McC's and Mountain Home is losing it's allure as a destination. SIO3

Thanks Dano. I wish I would have known it was you the last time I was at Quarry. It was in October and you were sitting on the picnic table with another guy right down at the water's edge. My buddy and I walked right in front of you. Wasn't until I got home and read your post concerning the sulfur smell that I realized it was you. Man did it stink down there or what? Hope to meet you one day. SIO3.

They could have saved the money they spent on the study and just ask guys who have fished these area's for years. The truth is these fisheries are on the decline and have been for a few years. This is all relative to what it was 15 years ago. Natural systems have a tendency to hide problems until they are at a critical stage. I think this is what's happening in these tailwaters. Little didymo here, little low DO there, little runoff over there and people claiming it's not that bad. Then poof!!!!!!!!! All the sudden it's worse than expected. Look at Wotton's Post on Wilson's board. " "The average size of Bows at BSD zone being caught is around 12 to 14, with a low percentage of fish in the 15 to 18ins range. We are not seeing the large Bows in the 20 ins plus range we have in previous years, and l for one do not believe that there are many fish of that size there these days. They certainly were not there this past backend. As we would normally expect, and l fished there more or less every day mid Sep to end of October, you do not see em, let alone catch them. And l know how to do that if they are there. Since the opening day at BSD,reports from the reliable guides l know that do not BS, we are looking at a 300 to 400 fish caught there, yes a few Browns in the 20 ins plus. The odd one or two in the 20 to 25 plus. And that includes Steve, Jimmy, and a few others, along with myself. It is wrong to promote the fact that the so called shad kill is going to give the opportunity for visitors who come to fish here the chances of hooking into trophy trout on a regular basis, it ain't gonna happen, end of story, sure you may get lucky and nail a good one, a 20ins plus fish, which by any normal standards is a very good fish in any river system in the country." Finally a guide that steps out and tells the truth. SIO3

That is very interesting and cool. I really like the "remember when" section. "Two guys in 1970 kept 40 bass toatling 208 pounds?????" That's a smokin average!!!! The award for the most times a guy turned a 3 and 3 quarter pound bass in as a 4 pounder. Man some things just don't change. Thanks Phil. SIO3

Isn't there a Mo/Ar license for the White River drainage lakes? I thought I read that on here once. Phil??? SIO3

I went to T. Hill Tuesday for a scouting mission in search of hybrids. It was sunny, 40 degrees with a pretty good west wind and all the water temps I took were right around 59 degrees. There were 12 trailers in the lot and some people walking the banks. I didn't have a boat and was able to fish quite a bit of the shoreline around the ramp. I caught 4 largemouth in around 3 hours of fishing. I caught nothing in the canal although occasionally I would see shad being chased in there. I saw shad being chased all over the cove by the ramp periodically throughout the day. I never caught a hybrid and I didn't fly fish. Next time I'm flyfishing that canal. I saw one boat that had a hybrid on a stringer that was easily over 20 inches. I was landing a fish when a boat was coning in and the guy commented that, that was the only fish they saw that day. It was great to get out and it was only a 2 hour drive from St. Charles. Man I wish I lived in Branson. I'll go up there again and next time take the boat. BTW, the road going in had ice on it where the trees shaded it. 4wd wouldn't hurt, especially if pulling a boat. SIO3

No, never have, never will. Don't believe anybody on this subject, trust me. When you go, call the dam line often. Don't be foolish with your life. SIO3.

Stick with John, you'll be very happy. SIO3.

No ramp at RR. But you might as well just go to the confluence if you're that far down. I'm assuming RR is what we've always called handicap access. SIO3

Sorry about not catching your reply. Better late than never. I like to use flukes or unweighted plastic worms in the winter. I don't get in a big hurry unless they are really nailing it. In that case I go to a spinnerbait to see if they'll bite that because that's my favorite way to fish. Jig and pig works too. Sometimes it's surprising how well bass bite and fight in the winter. A couple sunny, warm days in a row with a good south wind will turn em on. I really like a 20 - 30 mph wind because I've done real well on those days. those conditions when a front is pending is even better. I was just looking though my fish picture book and there is snow on the bank in one of them. I started winter fishing for bass because I couldn't get away for a full on trout trip because of the 4 hour drive. I would get the shack nasties and just say what the heck, better than watching TV. If I lived in Branson or somewhere near the big resevoirs I'd be out there more. As it is I just hit the local ponds that are available and occasionally the golf course lakes. SIO3.

Count me in, keep us updated on the final deal. SIO3.

Hey Bill. The power plant gave me the number to call. It might be the same number you called but here it is anyway. 417-881-1204. Funny thing is, when I called a couple weeks ago and used the number given on the MDC website I got the mining division at TH and the guy says "let me just look, yeah we're shut down, but here is the number to call for power generation" When I called that number he said we can't give out that info. He told me to call the number above. I like the mining division guy better. Let me know what you find out. SIO3.

Just got back online after the ice storm. Looks very cool out here and the roads never did get bad. I've got some tree damage but nothing serious. I'm in St. Charles county just west of St. Louis. We have a good half inch on everything even though the news "pro's" say we got less than a fourth inch. I guess a ruler wasn't included in the weather guesser's toolkit. I haven't been without internet for any real length of time before and I was wondering how I lived without it before. Man, it's like livin in a cave my friend. Lucky I had satelite high def TV, heat, popcorn-maker, football game and my fly tying stuff. Oh yeah and cold beer! I mean without those things how does a guy survive? I even went clothes shopping with my wife and daughter. I got in trouble there though. I was trying on this leather jacket that had an alarm system attached to it and the last thing anyone heard was me saying "hey what's this?" The high-pitched squeal really only bothered you if you were on the top floor of the mall. Then the lady couldn't get the code right to turn it off and people are running out the door screaming, thinking the place is on fire and the whole time my wife and daughter standing back as if they don't know me and they're pointing at me. Well the lady runs and gets the key to turn off the stupid thing then she asked "would I like to try on anymore or did I want to just buy this one?" I said no I was just kinda, checkin it out. She gives me this dirty look and when I turn to leave the girls are gone. I never could find em so I went to the truck and waited there for them. When they got back to the truck they acted like it never happened but I swear I heard my 8 year old daughter in the car-seat behind me snickering. This morning I told my wife I still needed dress shoes for work and that I might head out this afternnon to get some and she says "Don't go without me, okay" Actually she screamed it. Anyway I'm back online so if you need anything just let me know. SIO3.