Mark

My radio is the transistor type. Volume at a low level so passerbys will barely notice. The Alice Cooper show can be entertaining at night, but agree that loud head banging music sucks anytime on the river. But we primarily just have the radio on for Cards game. Kind of takes us back to childhood, before cable/sat TV, when radio was the main source of following baseball. And on several days trips, we like to get weather updates on the pop up storms in the summer. Nice to get a heads up when you are in the path of lightning and high winds. We have also found we like to set up camp around 5pm in the summer. Get camp set up, collect firewood, begin Happy Hr., and leave time for everyone to get in that last hour of prime fishing time. But no matter how well we plan, we never get around to eating supper until 9:30-10:00. Agree that no need to spend much time on breakfast and lunch. NOTHING BEATS A BOLOGNA SANDWICH ON THE RIVER.

Three items I always have that are not mentioned; 1)Baby Weber grill 2)radio (any self respecting Cards fan has to have the game on) 3)Guitar Campsite priorities; 1)Evening and morning fishing spot 2)Enough wadeable water for a couple people to each have their own water 3)Enough tent room to keep snorers away from nonsnorers 4)Evening shade 5)Ability to get reception on radio for Cards game. There's nothing like sitting around the campfire, having a cold beer, and listening and laughing at Mike Shannon.

We do have far more lenient laws with regard to our streams in Missouri than a lot of other states. We can float and fish practically any stream in Missouri, pull over on gravel bars, roast weinies, let the kids play in the water, and pull the car over at any bridge or crossing and go wading anywhere we want. That just isn't possible in a lot of places anymore. I am truly thankful to the local populations in the Current River watershed for banding together decades ago and not allowing a dam to be built across the Current River. I just wish they could see the need to have some regulations to do all we can to protect this natural resource for future generations.

Polar Bear, I can certainly understand your point of view on the debate concerning regulations on the Current River and Jacks Fork. And please feel free to correct me on my take of things as you may certainly know the specifics more than I. The Current/Jacks Fork Rivers have been place on an "Top 10 Endangered Rivers" list by certain environmental groups. Even if this is a trumped up claim by some environmental group, we all should be concerned about the health of our Ozark streams. Are not the majority of accesses to be closed considered "unauthorized accesses"? From what I understand, people with land adjacent to the National Scenic Riverways have made trails or dirt roads or used existing trails across the 1/4 mile of federal protected land to make their own personal access to the river and have their own personal gravel bar on the river. These are not public accesses but private accesses made illegally across federally protected land. Just because it has been done for generations doesn't make it right. Should people that own land adjacent to Yellowstone National Park be able to make trails and undeveloped roads for their own personal use to access Yellowstone? It is the same with the 65 miles of "unauthorized" horse trails that are planning to be shut down. Just because someone lives near the rivers doesn't mean they should be allowed to do what they want on federally protected land just because "we've had it this way for generations". Wasn't it just a couple years ago that the Jacks Fork was deemed "unsafe for swimming" after one of the big horse trails rides? Do we really want to allow that to happen just because the trail rides are a "tradition"? And I say "we" because all of us are owners of the National Scenic Riverways. I really can't speak scientifically about the negative effects of motor boats on the rivers, although I would imagine that some destruction of habitat and erosion must occur. I know my biggest issue is being in a canoe and having jet boats fly by me without slowing down and having no regard for others on the river. Yes, they act like they own the river. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a jet boat fly by a family with young kids in a canoe and seeing the canoes dump or come close to it. Do you really think they need boats with 50HP, 100HP, over 100HP on these rivers? I believe it is the law that when you pass someone on a waterway, you are to do so at idle or no wake speed. This never happens on these rivers. These points seem to be the big rant and rave of Sen. Jason Smith - "They are taking our horse trails away, our accesses away, trying to tell us how to manage our rivers the way we have for generations". Well, I say "What part of unauthorized don't people understand". Just because "we have done it for generations" doesn't make it right. No one is trying to close the rivers, not allow camping, horseback riding, put local business out of business, impede on personal freedoms. What most of us want is to protect what we have, establish some rules and guidelines, and have people follow the guidelines. None of this would have even come up if people had not been doing "unauthorized" practices. I, for one, am not if favor of turning the riverways over to local control.

It's tough to put a cohesive team on the floor with so many new faces. Mizzou is definitely athletic but will be a matter of whether they can gel in the next few weeks. Still inconsistency will bite them in the butt come tournament time. Haith is a good recruiter but it's hard to play the rebuilding game year to year with transfers and juco recruits. Unless you are loading up with McDonald's All Americans each year like Kentucky and Duke, Haith will need to get some solid classes of recruits that will stick around for awhile and learn to play the team game, i.e. SLU. I'd much rather watch the Billikens than Mizzou this year.

Oh yeah, he knows how to play to his audience. There are a couple of points he fails to mention though. The 65 miles of horse trails that are being debated to close are unauthorized trails to begin with. The same with closing unauthorized accesses, they shouldn't have been allowed in the first place. As far closing down camping on the gravel bars, again no one is suggesting that floaters will not be able to camp on the river. The intent is to eliminate people who have made unauthorized trails and roads to the river, drive their 4 wheel drive trucks out on the gravel bar, and camp out of their trucks and RVs. As far as Sen. Smith supporting no further regulations on motor boats on the rivers, again he is preaching to the choir, and uses terms like Obama bureaucrats and big city environmentalists to appeal to his predominantly GOP voting base. It isn't a debate of us vs. them, or Democrat vs. Republican, or big government vs. individual/states rights, or local interests vs. outside regulators. The issue is do we take steps to protect our streams and enforce the laws vs. allowing the status quo of ignoring the regulations in place by allowing some to do whatever they want on federal ground because they live in the area and it's always been that way. The question remains, why don't we enforce the laws that are already in place by eliminating the illegal horse trails, illegal vehicle accesses, and illegal parking on gravel bars. I have no doubt that there are some locals who believe it is their river, they have riding horses wherever they want, making their own accesses, and driving the pick ups on the gravel bars all of their lives and don't want anyone telling them they can't do it anymore. I don't believe the solution is to remain the status quo and allowing some people to disregard the regulations already in place.

Definitely not too many teachers using the teacher union's resort. Assuming you are using sarcasm. BTW - A letter to the editor in today's St Louis Post from Sen. Jason Smith advocating leaving the regulations alone on Current and Jacks Fork.

That was my intention all along - I wanted to set up camp one evening and float the next day back to my camp. I would gladly pay $10 per night to camp on the property owned by my labor organization. I would think that is what the property is for - the rank and file members and not a private resort for the highly paid administrators and union bigwigs. And I have no reason to think this other than a suspicious mind, but I wonder how many union bigwigs or local "good ol' boys" in general hunt on the property on a "wink, wink" arrangement with someone who knows someone from the union. I would think it would be prime deer and turkey hunting, and no one there after the first of October. Who would know, and if anyone asked, then they could just say so and so from the union gave permission? I just find it hard to believe absolutely no one gets on the 2,000 acres from the first of October until mid May. No accusing, just always suspicious about that sort of thing. Very easy for a few "in the loop" people to have their own set of keys to 2,000 acres owned by a entity and not an actual person.

I haven't been able to watch the video -even after registering with Vimeo. Suggestions?

The Missouri School Teachers Bunker Hill Resort is a 2,000 acres facility owned by MSTA for exclusive use by MSTA members that borders the Jack's Fork River. As a MSTA member, I called the resort last summer to check to see if I could access the Jack's Fork from the MSTA property. I was informed that access was limited to MSTA members who rented cabins. Cabins are rented for $80 per night per person or $125 per person for Friday and Saturday nights, including meals and the price is the same whether guests eat the meals or not. Children under 3 yrs old are free, 6-12 yrs. old are half price, and children 12 and over pay full price. So the price for a family of four with two teenagers would be $320 for one night or $500 for a weekend - quite a tab for a family on a teacher's salary. The facility is only open from Mother's day until October. I recently wrote to the MSTA Board of Directors to express my dismay at the cost of using the facility. I stated my opinion that many teachers could not afford the cost, many teachers would use the facility if camping was allowed on the 2,000 acre property, many of us are outdoorsmen and enjoy the outdoor experience of camping and preparing our own meals, and have access to the Jacks Fork on property that is owned by our organization. I also stated that there are many who enjoy camping in the spring and fall when the resort is closed, and would like to see the resort available for camping use in the offseason. I was pleased to get a reply from the Board of Directors that informed me that the Bunker Hill Resort operations were recently turned of to a committee called the Friends of Bunker Hill, and my email had been forward to the committee. The Friends of Bunker Hill are considering such options as designating a camping area on the property. As the reply did state, I understand that there are regulations that must be followed in accordance with Ozark National Scenic Riverways and the Forest Service. The Bunker Hill Resort cannot simply open up a camping and picnic area right on the banks of the river or allow vehicles traffic right up to the river bank. But surely a 2,000 acre property has room to set aside a camping area not on the river bank that would allow visitors to go down to the river for day use. I would encourage other MSTA members to voice their opinions. I have not been able to find a direct email address to the Friends of Bunker Hill but will suggest you write to the MSTA Board of Directors and request your opinion be forwarded to the committee. I have never been to the Bunker Hill Resort and, as the policy now stands, I cannot see myself ever using the facility due to the cost. Seriously, $320 per night for a family of four is out of the price range of most teachers. I would gladly pay a nominal camping fee. The reply I received stated that the organization is considering ways to better utilize the facility.

It's hard to imagine how tough life was 100-200 years ago with winter's like this one.

We got about 6" in Ste. Genevieve - temp in teens - near zero tonight. Luckily, we started school earlier than most this year. I'm guessing after this week's snow, we are looking at May 30 as our last day. This will put us over the magic number of 15 days missed - not required to make up over 15. Still, looking forward to spring!!

Roads are clear in Ste. Genevieve County but school was called off. Lots of gravel roads that must have some icing.

LMAO - fishing for 99% of us is a "hobby" and not to be taken so seriously. OAF is my favorite website and I check it almost daily. Part of the appeal is that it is usually all inclusive and even a "bait chucker" can be entertained and learn without being looked down upon. Thanks to all the more knowledgeable OAF brothers that have kindly replied to PMs every time I have asked for advice.

My favorite method for an intruder in my space on the river is to go set my rod down, get a running start, and dive into the hole, splashing around and making enough ruckus to ruin the fishing for both of us. It has to be summer time for my method. Plus I'm a pretty big boy.

That's the thing I don't get - aren't there enough places to ride horses without polluting the river with horse dung? I don't buy the tradition bull crap.

I feel the same as many of you do on many of the issues with protecting our ONSR. I just completed sending in my comments. It is very easy to do and let's keep up the campaign to encourage others. But I am afraid it will all be for naught, as others have stated, our legislators and overseers of the ONSR will never have the guts to do the right thing. Our only hope is to get enough people onboard with a campaign to make our voices heard. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD TO EVERYONE WHO USES THE ONSR TO SEND COMMENTS NOW.

Al, you do have a religion. One similar to Native Americans.

What are our chances of finding a good campsite within walking distance of wade fishing without reservations on the Frying Pan? The camping experience is equally as important to us as the fishing. Is there awesome scenery at the campgrounds? Is there some degree of solitude and a wilderness experience? I'm guessing that the area is in the national forest. I like the idea of having a bathroom and shower available, but don't want that feeling of being in a trout park like in Missouri.

thanks I am not well versed on flies.

Thanks all, I am now considering the Frying Pan. My biggest concern is the crowds at the Frying Pan and afraid my friends will be turned off by the crowds. It will be there first camping trip in Colorado and they are expecting a wilderness experience. The campgrounds appear to be clustered around Ruedi Reservoir. On the plus side, from the reservoir to Basalt, there is 8.5 miles of public waters and the feeder creeks are public as well. And the Frying Pan is loaded with fish. Catching fish and great scenery may trump any crowd issues. Anyone fished the Frying Pan? Is the 8.5 stretches of public waters wadeable water? There is 8 pull offs along the road with access but no clue if there is much wadeable water at accesses. How are the campgrounds? Do you get some privacy in the CGs? I fished the Crystal River and camped at Bogan Flats a couple years ago. Great campground and 7 miles of public water but man it was tough wading. We could wade maybe a half of mile from camp until water became too fast and cluttered with boulders. We spent most of our time at pull offs along the road, but again the wadeable water was very limited at the pull offs.

It seems that no matter how many fish are taken by the commercial fishermen, it will be a never ending battle that man cannot win. What a shame.

Has anyone fished the Taylor River? Seeking info - there looks to be plenty of campgrounds, public water, but don't know how wadeable the Taylor would be like in late July. Wondering if it gets crowded too. I have been reading about the area and there also seems to be lots of feeder creeks that some have suggested as well. Also wondering about the scenery as the area around Gunnison starts looking barren of trees, with eroded canyons and cliffs. I'm wanting to try a new area of Colorado.

Wouldn't work - Republicans would vote it down as they have vowed to do every piece of legislation proposed by Democrats - talk about childish!!! Maybe send Chaney with a bottle of Jim Beam and a shotgun

About 30 years ago, most of us would have been considered the wrong crowd. That is a great lineup of bands, would've loved to see some of them. Gotta admit, I loved the outdoor music festivals of my youth, such as a couple NORML concerts in the Ozarks, SIU Ed Riverfests, heck even quite a few local farm jams with $10 cover and all you could drink keg beer. Poor kids nowadays have to pay $100 to go see somebody like Lady Gaga. "Come gather round young men wherever you roam, and admit that the problems of this world have grown."