FishnDave

Is it the one that says, "Scratch Here" on the belly?

Wanted to catch a bigger Longnose Gar. My previous largest was 37"... not particularly big as far as they go. Missouri Master Angler size is 42". I tied up a special fly for it (with a pair of articulated single hooks, no trebles, no rope fly... nothing against any of that, just describing it). It worked! Caught a new Personal Best... 47.5", 10+lbs (based on an online calculator for Longnose Gar)!! Only its head fit in the net...it was longer than my "mid-length" net...including the handle. Also caught a bluegill, 2 freshwater drum, black crappies, and white crappies (biggest was this 13-incher):

I heard a rumor (that I just made up now), that gender fluidity is very common in that area. Any truth to that? 😬

Or jaws like this?

That was a complicated fish... a Butterfly Mirror Koi. What about the (nearly) scaleless one? Leather Koi.

We saw some big Longnose Gar...but only managed to land this smallish one: Freshwater Drum: Caught around 15 crappies, so that was pretty fun, too. (Of course) @Ham caught the largest crappie, a beautiful 13.5" Black specimen. Hopefully he'll share his picture of that one.

Warmouth: Grass Carp: Bowfin #101: @Ham after we got hammered with a 20-degree temperature drop, sideways downpour with marble-sized hail. We were SOAKED! Even my shoes filled with water...

@Ham came to StL and stayed a few days. I tried to show him how hard it is to catch fish around here... but he just catches fish everywhere I try to confound him. We had a good time, hitting numerous locations, and we caught a combined 21 species over the 3 days. We got Hamilton 6 more species on fly for his 2023 list! VERY COOL! He can share his pics here too, and I know he's sharing some of them under one of his other threads. I'll share some of mine.

Flatheads are super-cool fish! I haven't caught one in years... I wish I knew where (and how) to get one on FLY! I think I know how...but I gotta find where some are that can be accessed easily from shore.

And if a mountain lion attacks a "target practice" elk made from timber.... woodstock, right?

Because it was dead.

Did it! 100 Bowfin on fly in 2023!!

My wife and I took pickleball lessons last year. We played each other (no score-keeping) for a couple months, then we over-did it and hurt her elbow. We let that rest over the winter, then played a dozen or so times this summer. Our HOA has a tennis court we use. We aren't good or particularly competitive, but it really is fun. @Quillback When my son was in early High School, he was very into Parkour. He was pretty good at it, could do all sorts of flips on the ground and off walls and trees, etc... fun to watch! He got a number of his friends into it as well. Anyway, he wanted a Bosu Ball to practice off of...and one day we had it in the the house. He ran from the kitchen, launched himself off the Bosu Ball into the living room, did a mid-air flip, and accidently kicked the ceiling fan down! 😅

You mean Madame Antoinette?

Happy Birthday, Phil! Also, Happy Belated Birthday Marty!

I can't even imagine the talent and practice that would require!

Due to a strange configuration of family genetics....I have my own "built-in" fish caller. But I think I'd have to buy that anyway, for $5.... Kazoo might be the only instrument I can sort of play!

Warmouth x Green Sunfish hybrid: