tjm

Currently costs me $80 to fish Ar.; $60NR + $20 trout, so OK at $81 isn't all that much more, although it is a jump from my current cost of $58. ( OK doesn't add on for trout.) MO cost for NR is $61 $51 for being a NR and $10 trout. I consider that trout add on to be one of the stupidest things ever done, a fishing license should cover all fishing for one fee, the trout cost spread over all permits would probably only raise the permit cost a few pennies and be a reduction in the cost of admin. Kinda like selling one drivers' license for east-west roads and another for north-south roads.

It was 97F on my back porch (north side of house) at noon yesterday and car thermometer (usually accurate) said 101F in Rogers ~4PM. 98F by the time we got back into Mo. around 6PM. And that high altitude lightening a bit later was near enough that twice the whole house shook with thunder. Rain helped though 70F at 5AM today.

I read some place that the science says it's distinct species, some nonsense about DNA differences. International Game Fish Association considers it a species, https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/fsh.11051?bbejrid=-1279406016&bbemailid=54284408&bblinkid=279008937 Still it's just a strain of sunfish I guess. But unless we distinguish them and protest the stocking of invasives like the small mouth that can hybridize with them it won't remain a species. Fish stocking agencies don't care about such things they just want to sell licenses.

I thought that the upper Illinois had Neosho bass rather than Smallmouths? Did the guy on the other forum get that wrong?

Others are in campgrounds, I think. I don't know how far away that is.

Ain't been there and likely won't get there, but your map shows a restroom at the upper landing and none at the other two. That's all I'd need to know, ...

I can't think anything that would offend them all equally, so ...

Scared people are often more dangerous than armed people, because the emotion governs actions. No telling what a scared person might do. It's a good bet that the armed person is aware of the consequences of using that weapon in public. Scared people are scary.

And then all that plastic will be more waste in the ponds that no one is responsible for.

And name calling right off too.

So, it's been said that "there is always one"; well when you get rid of that one and look around, it's still always and you'll find that the next in line has become "the one" and you must get rid of him/her (doesn't seem to be many gals so maybe just him) and when he is chased off, the cycle repeats, until the whole dozen regular users are gone and the kicker-offer is the only "one" left to be removed. Forum means- " a public meeting place for open discussion" "Open discussion" would seem to mean that all opposing views can be shouted around. A moderator then would mean a nonpartisan mediator. It must be hard to keep that nonpartisan, impartial attitude given that we all have our own biases.

So if you don't like the stream or don't fish it or have never been there (myself) does that make the poaching okay? I may be misreading these comments but it sounds like some are saying "not my creek, it don't matter"? I don't think it matters where the poachers came from originally nor how they filed their paperwork, the crime of concern is the poaching. The report doesn't even mention that they might be Honduran or Chinese or Hungarian and I'm sure the fish don't care. It's surprising that the issue of being native redneck versus imported redneck is even mentioned here, fishing violations are equally harmful and equally serious regardless, and it must be just as serious on someone else's creek as it would be on "my creek". So, what will be the outcome? a small fine and revoke their fishing permits (which they weren't using, probably didn't have) and tell them in a stern voice "y'all behave now". Not much teeth in our game and fish regulations, hardly worth the Agent's efforts.

you work 7 day weeks, all Federal holidays and still just get 10 days vacation? that does suck

that in itself is a retirement plan other than SS. 2K per month is equivalent to a $12.50/hr job, not exactly a comfort zone if you have payments/rent etc.

Average USA working person takes 4.3 months (129 days) off work every year. That time can all or part be spent doing a cash income hobby/job/business that no one knows how much you might make. You can pay yourself as much as you want doing that?

No one is going to retire in comfort on SS. take up a hobby or gambling that can provide/justify added income that you can pay the taxes on? Maybe you sold a fly rod for $1000 more than you paid for it? sold a bee hive for $X000? I mentioned consulting an accountant, not your boss, it's numbers. Just a theory that I heard, but if paying an extra 100 per year could raise the benefit a hundred a month? yes if you read what you quoted, I said that if a person is capable of earning above poverty level they should have a real retirement plan, SS isn't meant to be a primary retirement. It's kinda like an insurance plan.

That is why it might be best to wait until you are "full retirement age", you can possibly increase your draw by upping the amounts you pay in from now until then, benefits are based on a percentage of average income over the 35 years your earnings were highest, and you never have to reduce your work income. Maximum benefit is $4,873 per month, based on how much you have paid in, so at $800 per month you ain't paid in at much more than the poverty level, something like the lowest 20%? You pre-retirement guys all need to consult an accountant familiar with the tax laws and SS. 5-10 years of increased pay in might change your pay package, and yes it's all a gamble that you'll live long enough to collect it all back, but the dead guy's can't use the money anyway. It's also important to remember that SS was never meant to be the main retirement income for any but the poorest people, or those incapacitated before reaching retirement. Anyone capable of earning above poverty levels should have paid for a real retirement plan by the time they reach 50. It was always a Ponzi scheme meant to support the users by a constantly increasing number of new contributors, so with reduced fertility in the USA we really need immigrants to continue the contributions. In construction I worked with a number of men from south of the border who were paying into your retirement fund each week with zero expectation of ever getting any of that back, simply because their SS numbers weren't theirs. I don't know how many nationwide use the same SS# but we once had three on the same jobsite until the accountant discovered it, not a problem, the next day they all had new SS cards. I don't know about other jobs, but I have serious doubts that any immigrants that are working in any industry are really "undocumented", it would be more accurate to say they are "falsely documented" and are possibly why the SS isn't bankrupt.

My nephew cut one of those baldface hornet's nest down in mid December with ~4" of snow on the ground and after several hard freezes under the impression that the wasps would be dead and they didn't bother him at all until they had been inside the warm house for a while. But he told me later that they weren't all dead and they were hard to herd out of the house when angry. Dawn dish soap works pretty well on the regular wasp nests, not so good when you can't see the wasps though. I'd guess the pros were probably using permethrin if in water.

I don't think there is any limitation on how much you can work, just some restriction on how much you can earn with out impacting your SS payments. Earnings over a set amount cases a temporary reduction in payment, for 2024 that annual limit is $22,320. And the reduction is $1 from your benefit payments for every $2 you earn above the annual limit.

Adding "Chesapeake" to it is the marketing ploy.

As far as I know all 50 species are called snakeheads, that may be the Latin translation of Channidae, I don't know much at all about them, but had looked them up when my son who used to live in Fl. described them to me. Hopefully the Northern Snakehead is the only one that gets stocked in N.America, we really don't need any more invasives. The name ought to be Invasive Channa.

Channa would be a scientific name for the genus, which has about 50 species.

just going by head size and shape in the last image, I'd say no. I'm interested to see what the herps say Was it dead?

Thanks @Al Agnew. I have no problem knowing where I'm at on any kind of map and on a topo it's especially easy. But the measure of distance on the water, around curves and given course changes from rain storm to rain storm left me curious. I think the answer is that the measurements are taken on the map and are as accurate as the map and the measuring tool. I don't mind the delay in your response at all, did not expect an immediate reply. 👍👍

Oh yeah, I've seen that a few times, run a 5gal bucket over and still raining but usually over a longer time span; and it can run off so fast that afterwards the ground is dry at an inch deep. Once stood in the door of my shop and watched it pour ~10" in one hour. Creeks get up fast in those rains.