tjm

4'6" copperhead is just about a world record. No doubt bigger than any I've seen.

I added a green X to the dog track, you will never see a cat track that has this open X space

Carp draw the X through that dog track so's they can see that distinguishing mark. JCreek do you recall that bio's name? The one that I think should be working your area is a trapper and does know tracks. Large dogs often leave deeper and larger tracks than pumas might.

https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/chestnut-lamprey https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/northern-brook-lamprey

My point was kinda what Trevor said, there's a lot of marbles unaccounted for. 18 weeks per year worth for most in the work force, that is a lot of days to count your marbles. Folks that don't work 5 day weeks or have longer vacations or comp days can count even more weeks off.

Makes sense , it's not only the votes in the cities; by far the majority of the sales tax is actually paid in those cities. If you get most of your income from one source does it make sense to ignore that source and give all your services to some group that pays next to nothing in? Must be in the City to ever have had an outhouse?

Nice stuff. I'd probably just put them on display... too pretty to feed fish.

Good luck with that.

Thing that strikes me is the river is wide enough that any tree should have been avoidable. I wasn't talking about the date when I said I doubted it was by outfitter, I was thinking about the water depth and speed. Risk of lost and damaged equipment. But then I don't know any of the current operators either. The places near the bridge in Pineville looked ready for a big weekend when i passed this evening. Water in Little Sugar is ~5' lower than it was Saturday. Elk still looks pretty full. same rains that raise Beaver lake flood this drainage.

Little Sugar has been at flood til day before yesterday and still is very high, not what I'd like to canoe; especially knowing a fresh load of trees have just been dumped in it. I doubt an outfitter sent any boats out yet. Not many details yet, but, it said near MT Shira, which is public (MDC) and she was from Bella Vista, so a local. Always some that like it best at or near flood stage.

When I was up there years ago, I'm not you could fall over without hitting the guy next to you. It was a line getting in at the head of a hole and getting out at the tail and repeating. Don't recall what zone that was but it was a strange fishing experience. I'd think if the guy in front of you stepped in over his head and popped up 50'-100' feet down stream that the other hundred people in line would use caution. Anyway, thanks for the heads up.

Aren't tiger muskies sterile? A mid '80s stocking would be 30+ years old and should be 6' long by now? Fellows must be about a million miles by river, imo, either the fish got transported or an unreported stocking took place. Could have been carried there after death, even.

On the other hand many or most are already taking 18 weeks per year off, and don't realize it. It's a nice story, but it brings to mind the guy that got wealthy by only working half days every day. He had trouble deciding which 12 hours were best ...

1 boat maybe fishing in 37 years ? That is unbelievable. Is heavy fog a nightly occurrence?

Yes, it will help. No you won't ever be eight teen again. Try building up to a thirty minute brisk walk and find out if that woman is wrong or not, exercise wouldn't be a jillion dollar business if it didn't help some. I don't know about that stepper thing, but you can start by going to the mail box and then down the road a piece and back, til one day you can walk to the post office. Every body over 30 has got arthritis. But if you give up half way round the mushroom patch, there ain't gonna be no Oklahoma Big Horn & Elk hunt in your future. You go get yourself fit enough to walk to the boat store and carry that jonboat home, why then she'll have to let you get it. ps. 3 times a week won't cut it, try 7 days a week til you can out run that woman uphill, after that you'll probably be in good enough shape to cut back to just every day.

I'm not so sure of that fishinwrench, only seeing one question at a time it's impossible to gauge the slant of the survey. All over the country the fish and game divisions are being infiltrated by animal activists that are more or less against hunting and fishing, the questions and the manner in which they are asked could either favor increased gigging opportunity or elimination of gigging as a sport. Pollsters slant questionnaires all the time to show support for whoever hires them. Maybe do it twice once answer Yes I gig and the other answer No I don't gig and see if the remaining question are the same. I bet they don't ask any questions that elicit answers contrary to the desired outcome.

Too far away for me, I think, just to watch.

Do lots of logs get into Taneycomo?

Is there an agent present at all bass tourneys? In my they are kinda the same thing, I don't think either can be adequately policed unless they are banned entirely. Either accept that some bass are going to die from haulage and sorting or ban those things; either accept some bass are going die from gigging or ban that. The most effective control over gigging small mouth might be to close all the public ramps and or ban the jet boats on streams? I used to wade and push the tub and hold the light while Dad & Clayton did the gigging in water 3' deep and they could fill the tub pretty quick for a fish fry. I guess my thoughts run like; gigging is an old tradition in the Ozarks, but jet boats are not. Not too long ago killing passenger pigions on the roost was an Ozark tradition, Grandpa showed me where they roosted and told me how he and other boys loaded the wagons with the dead birds the men killed. Some traditions just die out, I don't know of a single market hunter in this county. I did not take the poll yet and might not, I want to see all the questions at once and they want to sort the responses question by question. A process designed to get a predetermined outcome, imo. I also think public opinion should not be a part of the process, we pay scientists to manage; make them do it according to science. Once the opinions over rule the science the AR groups will rule out all seasons, C&R will go first.

Did you try what the neophytes were doing, that is creating odd, against the current movement? Do you think the extra movement the drag caused actually attracted the fish? I recall one opening day on a small lake when a bunch of high school boys limited out on trout using salt water lures while the accomplished fly flingers caught only an odd one now and then. Made me wonder if the fish were illiterate and hadn't read the books.

Probably make that 46 or 47, most states the fish and game is legislated and changes at the whim of the masses, think limits and regulations set by animal rights advocates and the politicians they elect.

Might I ask why? I can understand liking another species better, but, golly, any fishing is better than finding something else to do. I'll fish for tiny long ear rather than skip fishing...

I think from the try this that & another bait and the repeated/recycled recommendations in each copy that these reports are maybe geared towards the latest issue of new anglers, I'd almost bet there two or three folks out there with nearly new permits that have found MDC's web page yet are not members of this forum, haven't even heard of OA. Some people that don't read this forum are also taxpayers, believe or not, and just maybe they want these useless to the professional angler reports. But, I have always found that an Email to MDC gets a timely response, so if it chaps your buns to have these published you ought to let them know. Surely if enough OA members complain MDC would reconsider publishing the Reports. https://mdc.mo.gov/contact-engage/contact-us

What is a man cave? I saw that some where else, but no details.

well, it's a report, that means it has to do with some thing that already happened and no matter if you get a report from them or bob or george or sally it is always going to be about what is history and doesn't apply to what is today or will be tomorrow. In the case of the MDC report it is weekly , so all the information or misinformation is based on last weeks history. Between September and April the report might be 6 months old but will apply to tomorrow's fishing just as much as a week old report. It comes in my email and I rarely open it, it is probably compiled by an accountant in a basement from what ever bits of info they get fed. You want to know how the fishing will be when you go? well, it's almost always "you should have been here yesterday" or a while ago or this morning. You want to go fishing, just do it. If you're out there every day, you can be the guy that says "you should been here then". Flush the toilet to see what the barometer is and look out the winder to see if it raining and get out there.