FishnDave

No boulders yet, but I've had golf ball-size or smaller rocks thrown at me while fishing in a few places...in Iowa and Missouri. No wind, no overhanging trees, usually landed in the water within 6' of me. I've heard tree knocks while fishing in both Iowa and Missouri. My buddy was fishing out-of-sight from me on a remote trout stream in NE Iowa, he saw a panicked deer racing along a treeline, and then it turned and shot up a big steep wooded slope. A few seconds later, he saw something black following after the deer very fast. The deer made lots of noise running through the weeds. The black thing made no noise. There's no bear there. A dog would have made as much or more noise than the deer. I've seen tree structures, tree breaks, and trees placed in "X"'s in the woods in a number of places. These folks are everywhere.

You caught some pretty ones!

Sounds like 100% Sunshine and Lollipops so far! 😜 I bet it gets BETTER!

You've got nothing to lose but the pain... maybe try laying on your back on the floor, then bring your knees towards your chest and try to curl into a ball like a Pill Bug, then sort of roll forward and back on your spine. See if that releases whatever is being pinched: Another manuever that can ease back pain is to lay on your back on the floor or bed, bend your knees ~ 90 degrees with your feet flat on the floor, then lift your hips toward the ceiling as high as you can. Hold for 30 seconds. My father-in-law does this.

ding ding! Yes, I think that might be it! Nice work, thank you!

oooh, that is good! American Climbing Fern? I see the similarities...pretty close! I don't think that's it. The ones I see have sort of "sawtooth" leaf edges.

I saw this vine earlier this year down in Arkansas. It was growing out in the open, along the ground, and it really trips you up! Saw some near StL recently, and it also really grabs at your clothes (and probably skin) as you walk by. No thorns that I can tell. Anyway, I haven't been able to figure out what it is. Can anyone shed a little light on this for me, please? Its the seven-lobed leaf stuff in the picture below:

You're amazing. You certainly have my respect! 👍

Good on you to pass up those offers. An electrified chair is usually the LAST place you sit. 😬

Of course! I like to blend into my urban fishing surroundings! And those strike indicators I use are called "Fish Pimp", after all. 👍

@Ham Your tackle is probably trying to escape! You keep trying to drown it and feed it to the fishes!

Sounds like he didn't specify WHICH uniform to wear...so that is up to you.

Very cool! I just ordered the book, can't wait to give it a read!

Caught a bullhead, 2 Common Carp, a 26.5" Shortnose Gar, and 7 Bowfin while flyfishing on Saturday.

Saw a bunch of snakes while fishing this weekend. Mostly Northern/Common Watersnakes, some others as well. This one didn't move much...I never saw all of it, but it was huge...about as big around as my forearm. Had a distinct ridge on the top of its back: And this Fishing Spider is for @fishinwrench : (I'm not a fan of spiders either)

This is what happens when you feed fish that fat to cats: ...and humans:

Glad you are getting out and catching big fish! The fish will wait for you.

Nice! After I read your post, I saw this: Southern Illinois road set to close due to snake migration Holden Kurwicki - Yesterday 4:46 PM The U.S. Forest Service is preparing to close roughly three miles of road in southern Illinois due to a snake migration.View on Watch If you drive 90 miles southeast of St. Louis down Illinois Great River Road you’ll snake your way through the hills of the Shawnee National Forest. “You’ll see a surprising number of out-of-state license plates,” said U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Biologist Mark Vukovich. The reason they’re here might make your skin crawl. “Forest Road 345 is the number,” said Vukovich. “Everybody knows it as Snake Road. It’s just a great place to come watch snakes.” Biologist Mark Vukovich keeps a keen eye on the Snake Road for the US Forest Service. “There are venomous snakes here,” said Vukovich. “Twenty-three species of snakes have been documented.” There are so many snakes in the area that twice a year the US Forest Service shuts down the 2.7-mile stretch of road for a migration rarely seen anywhere else in North America. “They hibernate in these limestone cliffs and they go to and from these cliffs every year into Larue Swamp,” said Vukovich. Some may find these snakes spotted in this area of the Shawnee National Forest scary. “The #1 snake you’re going to see here is going to be the Northern Cottonmouth,” said Vukovich. “The other two venomous snakes are Copperhead and Timber Rattlesnake. You have a good chance of seeing those.” Despite the obvious danger, Vukovich said the area is safe. “I always stress stick to the road,” said Vukovich. Vukovich went on to add that if you look close enough you just may learn a southern Illinois secret. “It’s a great way to get people over that feeling that snakes are bad and they’re nasty creatures,” said Vukovich. “They’re not. They’re not at all.” The US Forest Service will close Snake Road starting Sept. 1 through Halloween. Vukovich said if you want to see some serpents the best time to come out is in October.

That isn't a White River fish?? 😜 Looks like the big ones @netboy catches. 😁 Seriously tho, that is a monstrous fatty of a trout! 👍 A HUGE congrats to the young lady on her catch! Also...Her dad...88...looks to be in great shape! That's awesome! #healthgoals

I know a spot. I could trade you a Bowfin card for a Blue Cat card! 😁

Same thoughts here. Wow! Really glad everyone survived that! Heal quickly, Daryk!

Bowfin! Bowfin were on my "bucket list" for many years. With the help of @Ham I finally caught a baby one (@ 5") on my fly rod earlier this year. Now for an "adult" one....A week ago, I visited a new spot, and saw many bowfin surfacing. Water was really muddy. I didn't catch any. When water is muddy, bowfin rely on their sense of smell. So, I bought some lure scent to add to my flies if that became necessary. I fished the same place this weekend. I caught the first bowfin on an unscented fly. After that, I added scent to see if it helped. It certainly didn't hurt. I ended up catching 3 bowfin, and lost at least 5 others that shook free. Pretty awesome!

Yes, a Northern Pike Minnow (or Pikeminnow?) seems correct. Very cool! Don't see many of those! In comparison, Whitefish have very small mouths.

This bivalve chased down a fast-moving large white conehead Zuddler fly. I believe this beast is called a "Giant Floater", Pyganodon grandis. Not to be confused with the other Giant Floater....like the Baby Ruth from Caddyshack movie: