podum

Gonna be a blast!

Wow! Lots of helpful responses. I’m still in the dark about the quality of the fish in the pits (there is one wholly on the property and one shared with an adjoining owner). Ill repost in the spring as I get some feedback. Wrench, there are shallow areas on either end of the pit, so I’m optimistic about spawning nurseries.

I'm buying 120 acres in west central Missouri with a buddy for hunting and fishing. Gonna manage for quail. Plenty of deer. It has an old coal mining strip pit that is about a 1/2 mile long. Likely 40 feet deep according to old maps. It has bass, crappie and bluegills. Wondering what's possible with the introduction of other species. Any experience.

No floating for me between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Late September through November is much better on all of the rivers - especially if we get a little October rain.

All good stuff. I miss about half of my takes on swinging flies. Doesn't matter if its a leech or a #16 soft hackle. I always believed it was because of the tension in the line. When fish hit and turn, I believed they pulled the fly out of their mouth and the lack of slack provided no margin for the fish to hold on to the fly. The "use heavier tippet theory" destroys that thought. I'll give it shot. I'd love to fish with you Wrench. Drop a PM

Same experience with the leech Wrench. When starting I try to have all 4 presentations in every cast. Dead drift into a swing, then let it hang, then strip back. Once the fish tell me what they want, I focus on that.

I've fly fished the Niangua a lot - far more than any other river. As a result, I've developed habits based on things that worked. As a result I use mostly the same flies in the same types of water, etc. I'm wondering if I'm missing some opportunities because I've become set in my ways. So . . . open question. What are your go-to flies and techniques on this river? I'll throw mine out - I nearly always start with something new I tied and end up within 40 minutes with a size 10 olive leech or bugger of some sort.

The area is Lake City CO (1.5 hours south of Gunnison). Great fishing all around that area - remote with lots of public lands. Waterdog Lake is a helluva hike at altitude. Starting around town at 8400 and hiking several miles up to 10000ish. Not much danger of overfishing pressure. It is beautiful. There are several lakes like it in that valley. Lots of big native cutthroats in those high mountain lakes as well.

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Thanks all. My wife and I have a strong faith and a long row to hoe. Prayers and well wishes help a lot. Compassion and empathy are the greatest human emotions granted by God. Your messages are valuable.

I've been on this board for a while, though I haven't posted much in the last few years. My wife and I lost our only child, daughter Ansley (19) a little over a year ago. It has taken more than a year to process this, much less talk to people about it. She was a light in the world - a musician, vocalist, song writer, harp and guitar player and could debate a lawyer on politics and win. I've lost my initiative to fish and hunt, though it is slowly coming back. I'm heading to Louisiana to chase a Red Fish this weekend. I hope to post a big one. I've enjoyed my conversations with many on this board and hope to get back involved in the future. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

Peppers, tomatos, eggplant and tomatillos on the way

Chili Powder I posted a while ago about making fermented hot sauce and chili paste. Peppers in even a small garden overwhelm my ability to ferment them all or use them in cooking. The logical answer is to dry them. Most I then convert to chili powder. I start with a dehydrator (a cheapie). My only requirement is that it has a temperature setting. I dehydrate chilis at 100F or lower. Any higher and they "cook" a little which changes the flavor in a way I don't like. The result: At low temps, it may take up to 10 days to fully dry the peppers in the dehydrator. I don't hurry. Once done, they keep for a few years. To make the powder, I use a handheld coffee grinder that goes for $15 bucks on Amazon. It's made by Krup, but any model will work (just don't grind your coffee in it afterward). I leave lots of peppers whole to grind into powder as I need it or to add dried peppers to soups and stews. The cool thing is that you can have powders and peppers available in heat levels that are all over the spectrum.

Tomatos are on my list, specifically ketchup with a kick. I've done carrots and kraut. Both are great.

A while back I posted about making hot sauce from home grown peppers. This was my second year and I now have friends and family demanding the product. Fermenting is easy. I've never had a jar of peppers spoil (20+ jars). Here is the process: 1. Grow some peppers. I use everything from jalapenos, seranos, cowhorns, habeneros, lemon drops, cayennes and aji varieties. 2. Ferment them. I cut them into small pieces (no stems). Pack them into quart sized mason jars and add a 3% brine over the peppers. The brine percentage is based on the weight of the water. I use a scale I can zero out to weigh the water and then add 3% of that weight in salt. NOTES - Used salt without any additives and use distilled water. Chlorinated water can kill the bacteria that cause the fermentation. Also make sure the brine covers the peppers completely. I bought some glass weights that are made for this on Amazon. You will need lids with a vent (available on Amazon) because the fermenting process will create gas that needs to escape. You can let the fermenting process go on for 3 weeks to 6 months. Flavors mellow the longer the ferment. 3. Making Sauce Strain the fermented peppers in a collander. Add peppers and vinegar to a blender and liquify. I use barely enough vinegar to allow the liquification. For thinner sauce, use more vinegar. Next, run the mixture through a strainer pressing it through to extract all of the liquid possible. The result is two products. The sauce and the paste. These are obviously from different batches. Save the paste. It keeps more than a year in the fridge and spices chili nicely. I marinate chicken in it a lot. The sauce goes on everything.