Buzz

Trav, you are very correct in stating the necessary evil of taxation. The fact is that if we don't pay enough taxes the government just goes out to the international community and borrows it. Countries like China own so much of our debt that if they ever decided to cash-out this country would be little more than what they were 30 years ago. I do believe that the taxation should be fair to all. I, over the past 10 years have gone to great lengths to get myself out of debt. I have only a house payment and utilities, no credit cards. Pay as you go is my belief. "If you ain't got it to spend you probably shouldn't buy it." Missouri has in it's Constitution a law that basically states that if more money is taken in than the budget is set for it must be returned to the people. I remember when Carnahan was Governor we received at least two checks, two years in a row because of this law. I don't remember any suffering on my part. It's unfortunate he had died before getting to go to Washington to try to teach the Senate how this can be done. Also, we as a state thought enough of his abilities to do so that we voted him into office knowing full well that he had passed. Apparently deciding that a dead man was the lesser of two evils. Basically, I will pay the taxes and hope that everyone else does also, and hope that they are being put to good use. BTW, if we could just figure out how to keep both of the houses from looking at the Social Security money as a cash cow we wouldn't have to worry if we will have something when we retire. Buzz

Obviously, this is not a good place for Democrats, as is most of the rest of the state of Missouri. McCain is the epitomy of a flipflopper. When it was (or is) in his best interest he has backed BUSH, otherwise he was against him. He can't be trusted to do anything different than the current administration, because he has sold out to them just to get elected. I truly believe that he is much more moderate than BUSH, but he would have way too many markers out to do anything good. Nobama as you call him( which I find to be very offensive) might actually have a chance to do something if the House and Senate gain the Democrat seats that they need to actually get something done. ANWR, I have only one thing to say about that...........CHA CHING. All of that oil would go to the same place that it is going now, Japan and China. It wouldn't help us out at all. That is just one more farce of the 21st century, like Ethanol. Between the corn lobbiest and the oil lobbiest we don't stand a chance. Unless you can figure out how to power your truck on wind power, which we get a lot of, or maybe hot air is a better word for it, the price we pay for fuel will continue to climb. For better or worse I will have to vote Democrat again, because I just can't get behind anything the other guys have to say.

Yeah, you won't hear me complaining about have first pick of all of the good holes. You are a great captain and guide Chief. I'll have my time in the back of the boat eventually I'm sure. It was a fun day in the sun. I noticed a little pain in my arms today from casting so much though. I wonder if WORK COMP would cover that?

Chief, Dylan, and I were on the water by 8:15 this morning and ready to catch some fish. I decided I would start off with buzzbait and spinnerbait. I'm glad I did, I love it when the bass are on the buzzbait. I managed 9 fish total and all but 3 were at or about 1.5 lb. My biggest brownie hit the spinnerbait, it was 14.5 in. and put up a great fight. All but 2 were caught on the old buzzbait. I can't even guess how many fish I missed. It was a blast. Dylan did great throwing a spinnerbait. He caught several fish with one real nice brownie. The great Chief did very well also boating some really nice fish and trying to keep me out of the overhanging trees, although I think sometimes he put me into them on purpose. It was another great day on the creek. Buzz

FishinSWMO, I don't really fish for SM specifically, I tend to fish for bass in general. I've noticed that I have been catching some really nice smallmouth on the bigger spinnerbaits that I throw for largemouth. I have found a few baits that will catch all of the different bass and I have trouble changing. Pretty much the same as Sunday. I fished two baits all day and didn't feel the need to change. Do you ever do any fly fishing on Shoal Creek? I've had some really good luck with the bigger smallmouth wading and dead drifting Crawdads and Helgramites. I have found one wadeable stretch that has produced SM's in the range of 2 to 2 1/2 lbs. I haven't waded it yet this year but I will in the next few weeks. There's nothing like hooking a 2 pounder on a flyrod. Buzz P.S. I do think that lure choices make a difference, but with the right presentation a bass is still a bass.

FishinSWMO, I don't think we caught more than two spots Sunday, and one was under 12 in. I really haven't caught that many spots this summer. Some of the places I figured I would catch one I'd catch a LM or SM instead. I've always fished more around the Tipton Ford area and have caught spots there but I've not seen any real difference in the last few years. Some years I catch more SM's. Some years I catch more LM's but haven't seen it to be lopsided in any way as far as spots go. Where do usually fish? That may be the difference. Buzz

Hey CDC nice to meet you this morning. Very nice fish in that picture. It was Chief and I who moved your canoe for you. Well we had a little different day. We caught at least 30 fish between us. Probably a 50/50 split of largemouth and Brownies with a couple of goggleye in there too. We fished from Ritchie down to Wagonwheel. We caught fish pretty much the whole way except for a couple of the long slow holes. I caught all but a few of my fish on spinnerbait and a couple on the wooly hawgtail. It was hard to put the spinnerbait down as they were slamming it. I caught 6 LM's that were 1 1/2 to 2lbs. A couple of the SM's were 14 and 15 in. Very few little fish, maybe 6 all day between the two of us. I was very impressed with this stretch of the creek which I had never fished before today. All of the fish fought hard and were strong and healthy. We had only one portage that was a little tricky, but with the water still holding at a good level it didn't take too long to get over it. Great float, I recomend it highly.BTW, we seemed to catch more smallmouth after Racoon Rd., in places that was all we would catch. Here are a couple of the fish that we caught. [attachme n t=3711:100_0085.JPG]

I second that. I can catch some very nice smallmouth on both the smaller creeks and the larger,Shoal Creek, but they do seem to be fewer and farther apart. I think a statewide limit would help a lot. 12 inch limits for all bass to me is a little outdated, slot limts obviously wouldn't work because of enforcement issues. A statewide lenght limit would be the easiest to set up. I remember when the creel limit on trout was changed to 4 fish, a lot of complaining but now it's not even discussed. A 14 inch smallmouth is a brute and I would love to see more out there. Buzz

Many areas discourage the use of live bait because of increased fish fatalities. By using artificial lures or flies we can decrease the mortality rate. However, some level of mortality still exists. Therefore, I propose that the sportsman who fills his creel and stops fishing is more ethical than the Catch & Release fisherman simply because none of the fish the former kills go to waste. In fact, I think many philosophies would suggest that tormenting an animal simply for the sake of sport is inhumane and wrong on some level. I'm guilty of both, but don't proclaim myself to be of higher ethical standing than any of my fellow law-abiding sportsman. Catman has made a very good point that I had not ever considered. I trout fish mainly at Roaring River and the White Ribbon streams near my home. I have caught as many as 60 fish on an outing and have always tried my best to release these fish as carefully as possible. I am basically C & R for a couple of reasons. 1) I guess I'm too lazy to clean them. 2) I like the idea that someone else might be able to catch that same fish, whether it be 12 in. or 20 in. If on the off chance that the fish cannot be revived I will take the fish and clean it and eat it at a later date. So good point I will watch my fish better and as always play each fish no longer than need be. I have noticed that most bait fishermen do tend to keep thier limit, which is good because of the mortallity rate. Thanks for the comment Buzz

Unfortunately you are both right. This time of year a stocking is a bonus. They don't stock as many and they obviously don't last too long either. This last stocking was pretty much only in the park (near the ball fields) and so there wasn't much chance for the fish. It's really a wonder you caught what you did. They did do a much better job last year of policing the area. Plus, there are a lot more of US that do fish it and watch for poachers and those who don't know the laws and limits. I believe last fall and winter was the best year I've ever had at Hickory. The quality of fish was unbelievable and the amount of fish stocked throughout the entire creek was much better than in the past.( look back through some of the posts to see pics and read stories) It was better than Capp's in one way, it was catch and release/fly or artificial lures only from Nov. through the last day of Feb.. Capp's on the other hand is catch and keep at all times. If you don't know where the out of the way spots are you will come up dry, within 2 weeks of a stocking. I prefer to fish the coldest days because a lot of the local baitbucketeers won't venture out the sometimes 2 or 3 times a day for limits each time. I have seen the game warden at Hickory a couple times but never on Capp'sCreek. Come back next October or November and try your luck. You might be pleasantly surprised. Buzz

Most of it boils down to a few people making someone mad and ruining it for all. Unfortunately you are right. The many are always punished because of the few bad apples that don't care about anything but having fun. Thankfully there are still plenty of low water bridges left in our part of the state and lots of places where the creek flows beside the road or the state has provided access. I park near a house on Shoal Creek when I float my favorite stretch and have never had any problems with them. They know that we will launch and be back in 8 or 10 hours to pick up the truck. We are always careful not to leave any sign that we had ever been there and my truck has never been molested. We used to launch upstream about 1200 yards but the current land owner fenced it off and posted it. It used to be a party place, so I do know what you mean. The part that bothers me is the rich guys that patrol thier little piece of paradise just hoping to run someone off or threaten them with the law. That happened to Chief and I a couple of weeks back. While we were wading upstream we saw an older gentleman who notified us that we were on private property. We stated that we entered the water from the road and not gotten onto the banks. He told us that he owned all of the land on both sides and through the creek. We did leave the area only because we did not want a confrontation with the law, which he threatened to call. I really think that Missouri needs to redefine navigable waterways. I know I could easily have gotten my canoe through that creek. (Although I might not have been able to haul a truckload of product to the local Wal-Mart.) Sorry about the sarcasm, but old laws that don't match the current situation really tick me off.

I think this is what you were asking for. I'm not sure but, I would think that almost any Supreme Court ruling sets a precident that can be used in any state. Of course a ruling from the United States Supreme court would be the most powerful. Chief sent me this picture about a month ago and actually showed me where one was still posted. It looks to me to be very real with all of the different agencies listed on it.

Hey, that sounds good to me. I'm going to take my 3 sons and son-in-law to see Ted Nugent Saturday nite, so I probably will stay close to home Sunday. The following weekend works for me. Buzz

It was a good day for sure. It was my first trip down that stretch of water this year,and it has changed quite a bit. Some of the old downed trees that I have fished around for 20 or more years have been moved or are completely gone. Still the fish were still in the same places as they have always been. I put Chief on the fish and he caught them. LOL. The biggest brownie measured 15 1/4 inches and fought like a champ. We got a picture and let him go back to get even bigger.

Ollie,I got to the park at about 6:30pm and fished until 8:30. It was getting dark and I was having trouble seeing my strike indicator. Redbird, It's hard to say how long the fish will be there. I'm not sure if they stocked all of the creek or just inside the park. I stopped at the lower end Thursday nite and didn't see any but that doesn't mean anything. There should still be fish on Friday.

I fished Hickory this evening, and it was an experience that I won't soon forget. It was like being in a third world country, fishing a trout stream, with bombs and artillery blasting all around you. Seriously, it was something that was bizzare and fun at the same time. The wife wanted to go to her Dad's, so I thought it would be a good chance to catch some fish. I swear there had to be at least 500 people in the park. I saw 3 and 4 year kids using fireworks that I wouldn't have let my kids touch until they were at least 12. At times, I felt like I was dodging bullets. The funny thing was that no matter how many fireworks the kids threw into the creek I still caught fish. You have all seen the pictures of the kids that suround the tourist's right, well it was similar to that. Most of these kids had never been fishing, let alone seen a Rainbow Trout, so as soon as I started catching fish I instantly gained fans. Picture yourself trying to fly fish with 6 kids all around you with no option but to roll cast so that you don't hook a child in the ear. The fun part was when I started a conversation with a sweet little 10 year old girl. She was asking me all of the normal questions about fishing and I told her the basics of how to catch fish ,when she asked if she could catch one too , my heart melted, so I told her that the next fish was hers. After I hooked the next one I handed her the rod and showed her how to reel. She did pretty good for her first trout on a fly rod ( with a little help). The next one I hooked I gave her the rod and she did it all on her own with just a little bit of coaching. Very satisfying. The last thing she said to me was that she couldn't wait until she could go fishing again. Of course I explained why we should release the fish, and I think she got it. She showed so much heart that I was amazed, she explained to all of the other kids in spanish why we should let them go. After she left I was covered up with the boys, so I let them touch the fish or help release them. Don't forget that I had to literally dodge artillary and missilles. When I left after catching more than 30 trout, I told my father-in-law about the experience ,he told me that the little mexican girl would remember that experience for the rest of her life. That pretty much made my weekend.

Like Ollie said, the campground is really designed for RV's, but I have seen a few tents set up. It is right on the creek and and is very close to Shoal Creek. Not many people use it though, so you would have a good choice of sites. All of my favorite spots are near there and the kids can swim near the campground or go into the park to play or use the skateboard park. I don't know how you would pay for the site though. I'm sure someone who is staying there could help with that. If they do stock the creek as I've heard it would be even better.

Great catch. It looks like you are at the island? I love fishing Cape Fair and hope to get into some of those soon.

I haven't heard anyone even say"MoMo Monster" since I was a kid. At the time, even at 11 years old, I thought it was made up. Good to hear that at least the name was real. I have seen a panther in the headlights about 20 years back and heard a very big cat ( not a house cat) panting in the dark at the lime quarry I was working near Neosho. A co-worker took me into a few of the old mines and we saw some very big cat tracks. As for Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, I hope that they exist but sort of hope they are never captured for obvious reasons.

Have you heard anything about the night fishing???? We usually fish either Cape Fair or Big Indian. Just wondering if anyone has heard how it's been. Buzz

Great map. Thanks a lot.

Which day this weekend are we talking about? I'm booked on Sunday, Fathers Day, Saturday is all I have. Buzz

I'd be up for that. I'm not sure what day they might stock it though. Maybe Ollie can keep an eye out for us. Ollie, I used to work at the old Wal-Mart in Neosho back in the late 80's and would drive to Morse Park on my lunch hour to fish. I used to catch some very nice smallmouth right in the park. Some would be as big as 14 and 15 inches. You could also catch largemouth and as many perch as you wanted. I'm not sure if they were all fished out or if the work they did to the creek had anything to do with it, but you just don't see the same size fish that you used to. Out of the park and closer to Shoal creek there are more, but I still haven't found any of the bigger fish.

I fished a spot on Hickory yesterday that I hadn't fished in years. My first fish was a very healthy bow that went about 16" on a Rebel Crawdad. The second hit a woolybugger and went about 14". Had to wade up quite a ways before the next one hit the bugger it was about 16' also. I think I caught at least one of everything in the creek, 3 smallmouth, several perch, a couple goggleye, and some good sized chubs. Not a bad 3 hours spent close to home.

Thanks Al, I guess I was ilinformed. Oh well, I will still enjoy the view of a new river and hopefully catch a couple of fish as well.