Brian Jones

In regards to fluorocarbon, I said this somewhere once before to the agreement of some and disagreement of others and I'll say it again: Fluorocarbon is the hot girl of fishing line. It's flashy, popular with all the guys, loves being noticed and works awesome when it's in a good mood. It's also high maintenance, very temperamental, has to be pampered and will leave you absolutely heartbroken without any notice......... That being said, I will spool my spinning rods with 8 lb red label in the winter and will use what's left as leader material to braid when I throw little swimbaits on a spinning rod while float fishing in the summer. For the vast majority of the rest of my fishing, I prefer just using regular mono, tying the knots I want to tie and avoiding all the excess "drama"..........

I'm hoping someone on here needs a lower unit so I don't have to jack with Market place or CL. This is a lower unit off our former 1997 90 HP Yamaha. We bought this engine in early 2002 and put the jet off of our 70HP Yamaha on it. All I can really tell you about the unit is that the engine was originally on a pontoon boat at Lake Perry in Perry County and the customer who originally bought the entire rig from Scenic Rivers in Bonne Terre (now closed) traded it on a 4 stroke. I recently changed the gear case lube, just to make sure the original lube was clean and free of metal shavings. It was and I have saved it in a jar for inspection. Interested buyers would need a water pump assembly and trim tab. I am asking $575.00 but the price is negotiable as I don't need this. That being said, however, I am not going to get Ned Beatty'd over it. It can sit in the basement and be auctioned off with the rest of my treasures when that day comes. I would consider meeting VERY INTERESTED buyers anywhere within a 90 minute radius of Bonne Terre.

Happy that you had a good trip. Agonizing that you caught a spot...... That's the first one I've seen or heard of above Leadwood and my heart is aching..... I guess no part of the Big is pure anymore.

Back in the winter I posted on a different Big River thread about a rumor circulating around town that the Newbury riffle placed across the river a little downstream of Desloge had been removed. I can now confirm that the rumor was true. For whatever reason, the powers that be took out the middle section as seen in the pics below. I accidentally ran it this morning and somehow made it to the bottom relatively unscathed. If you float through this section, be cautious and have a plan. This is a good place to lose some gear or risk injury if you're not on your toes. My decision wasn't the best, but fortunately it all worked out. On a positive note they've done some stream stabilization work with some big rip rap rock down below the riffle as seen in one of the pics that, IMO, is going to make the fishing below the riffle even better.

https://www.rogerssportinggoods.com/remington-410-bore-2-1-2-inch-1-2-oz-game-loads

Al, the bank in the picture was our access to the river as a kid. I would ride my bike to a buddy's house who lived in Briarwood. And from there we would cross Hwy P, walk the old RR track bed to the landfill and then walk the landfill road over to that steep bank. We'd drop off the bank, enter the river and wade up to the Island Hole and back. I find it absolutely amazing how that part of Big River has recovered since the remediation began around those tailings in the late 90s. Also, word on the street is that the Newberry riffle has been removed, but I haven't been through there since mid-August and I cannot find a reliable source to confirm the rumor.

Only "public" access between Bone Hole and St. Francois State Park is Old 67/Raider/Berry Road. Just to be safe, go ahead and cut the catalytic converter off of your vehicle and leave it where the degenerates can find it easily. That way you won't be surprised when you get there and find out it's gone.............. Tread lightly between the state parks. Lots of private property. Sure you can camp on gravel bars below the high water mark. But one has to ask themselves if it is worth negotiating with an upset landowner in the middle of the night and how good am I paddling an unfamiliar river in the dark? Don't know much about Browns Ford to Morse Mill is a lot of long flat water. Hope this helps

You might check with Tommy Bench (Gasconade River Guide on FB). He spends a lot of time up that way.

Not associated with nor do I even know the seller, but these things are getting pretty rare so I figured I'd share. https://columbiamo.craigslist.org/boa/d/columbia-lowe-17-foot-river-jon-boat/7507045041.html

Call me Nancy all you want, I've been OK with what I see when I look down in the morning for around 30 years............. Every one certainly has their right to the river and the Beer, B**bs and Boat crowd is no different. Unfortunately, when the "R" word (rights) gets brought up these days, the other "R" that mirrors it (responsibility) is often forgotten. Anymore, I'll enjoy the Meramec from the first frost til about mid May and will get out the Old Towne pack and return to my first love (upper Big River) during the summer months.........................

Unfortunately, staying on the river until 10:30 am in the summer is REALLY pressing your luck. Glad you made it off safely.

The MDC really doesn't care what the anglers think. It took me a while to come to terms with that. The surveys are strictly so that they can say to the General Assembly that they have sought "input" from anglers and "value" their opinions......................................... In the end, they're not going to do a dad gum thing to improve our smallmouth fisheries............................... Nothing...........Nodda......................Zilch.........................

Can you give us the length of the flathead??

Whale tail benefits depend on the boat. Our first boat (1650AW Alumacraft with a 90 Yamaha) ran great without one. It had a good hole shot, decent speed for a 90 and could stay on plane at relatively low speeds as long as I had the trim tucked all the way under. Our current boat however (1752 Blazer SS with a 115 Yamaha) has ZERO trim capabilities, stands up out of the hole and takes a lot more speed to stay on plane without the whale tail. Though most anti-whale tailers will tell you that running one decreases top end speed, our boat actually runs a little faster with the whale tail due to the increased trim range. My BIL's boat (1756 Troutt Special Xpress with 250 Yamaha) is basically un-driveable (sp?) without the whale tail due to how violently it porpoises.

You have a buddy like that too??????..........