Chief Grey Bear

I have two industrial size stainless steel freezers that I am going to convert to smokers. One of these days. I have seen Alton Brown make some smokers with flower pots that used hotplates and a set of lockers with a ho plate in one and vented to the third locker over. He cold smoked a pork belly to make bacon. Really really looked good. Hot plates and hickory shavings is really all you need for something like cheese. Keep all the heat away. That was my thought behind the small fridge. Running the fridge to keep the cheese cool and piping in some smoke.

How'd that work for ya? It rained here.

I haven't done it yet, but I always thought of buying a used dorm fridge. Plumb small smoke box to it with some dryer vent hose and run the fridge to keep the cheese cool so to cold smoke it. Smoked cheese rocks! Looks really good!!

And that just shows how tough nature is. Armadillos don't store fat. So they must eat every day to survive. I have seen them digging through the snow to eat. And they must be finding things to eat. They survive much further north than us with much less favorable weather. Might as well learn to like them I guess. It is going to take more than a couple of cold days and two inches of snow to drive them back. The snow will have to stay on the ground longer than a week multiple times in a season. Which I don't want to see because of damage that can most likely will be done to the quail and other natives.

I suck at dancing. But the longer the night, the better I get. Or so I think. I'll give it a wirl though. On a serioius note, dancing by the plains Indians was patterned after the Prairie Chicken.

Ahh Dablemont. Now there is a source of of truth. I love his rant on the Judge from Western Missouri. What Larry doesn't tell you, because it doesn't fit his agenda, which is really a vendetta against the MDC, is that this land in enrolled in a CRP type program that is offered and also used by other landowners around the state. But he sure has wrote a doozie of a story about it over the years. As for the Million $$$ to PBS, does anyone have any documentation of this? I have never heard of it. I will find out though. Armadillo's. I just happened to have a conversation with a retired Research Scientist from the MDC just last weekend. We actually took a float together. He also suggested that the Armadillo was protected. I didn't think they were either but since they came on their own and were not introduced, apparently we can't just shoot them. I didn't think they could survive the winter either. But when you think about it, we don't have much of a winter anymore. Not like we used too anyway.

Ahh heck yeah, just call it FISH SPAM. It'll be flying off the shelves much like the carp themselves were just hours before. Mmmmm, FISH SPAM Taco's!!!!

Is it they are not implementing good, solid, science based practices, or just not doing it how we personally think they should. I will say though, I think we need a change in unimpounded water regulations. And soon!

Very nice fish Buzz. How did he taste?

It sure doesn't help. Everyone is a fishing hero now.

Sometimes it is a tough call to make. I think you have to take each situation and individual separately. In this case, I don't think it was going to do any good. Knowing me, I could see the situation escalating to a point it would have ruined the day. I have never seen as many people C&K on the rivers as I have this year. It is just nuts! They are out in droves it seems.

I am NOTproud of that decision I will tell you. I feel I should have said or done something.

Had a good friend get a hold of me early in the week and wanted to do some floating. Well, sure thing. He wanted to take the same float I took him on earlier this spring. Sounded good to me, I hadn't fished this creek again since that trip either. He asked what time to meet up. I think he was quite surpised when I said 9:00am. I think he was expecting something much earlier since we had a bit of a drive and getting vehicles in place. We meet up at the aformentioned time and I then say to him that I need to stop and get some beverages and snacks. I could tell he wasn't real happy with that move either. But I knew on the inside we would be just fine, the fish will wait on us. I did end up telling him that after about 1:00 the fishing will really heat up and we won't miss a thing. So its now 11:00 and we have set sail. We negoitate a little dead water and soon find a canoe of two and yak of one right a head of us working good hole of water that I had hoped would jump start our day. I tell him we will paddle on down and let them have this hole. As we are working our way past them, the guy in the yak makes a connection with a brownie. Doesn't look very big to me. He paddles over to the canoe and hands it to the guy in the back. He seemed to be the leader of this expedition. He appeared to measure it and yelled out 12incher and promptly strung it up. We got past them and began our days challage of getting the skunk off. Didn't take long and we both had scored our first brownies. Very soon, the party we passed, was gaining on us. I paddled us on down. They promptly caught us again. I soon tire of this game and decide that if they want to lead this bad, go ahead. I have caugh just as many behind a group has I have in front of one. So as they are getting very close, they string up another one. Now this is maybe an hour into the trip and there is a long way to go. I start having thoughts of calling the number and having someone waiting at the take out. We also thought of confronting him, but it was legal, and he looked to be well on his way to severe intoxication. We both decided to just let them pass and continue with our day. I am not proud of that decision I will tell you. We started right in behind them and quickly resumed catching fish. For a moment it seemed they just wanted in front as they slowed to an almost stop. It was at this point I was tired of dicking with them and I think they knew it. I was fixing to go by them again only at a much slower pace than I did the first time. They decied to get on down the way and and we didn't see them for the next 7 hours when we finally took out. I didn't get to see if they had a stringer though. Probably a good thing. So, our trip. After getting some space between us, we started working certain holes and not messing much with others. I knew on this float I only needed 2 rods at the most. But I again packed 4. I had a blast using the spinning and one bait caster. Water was gin clear and lower than I expected. It was superb for taking dips in the heat and we did numerous times. Soft plastics was king today. Soft craws, ned's, worms, you name it. We worked the brush in strong current and just caught one after another. Wading these areas was the most effective way this day. We would catch 8-10 or so at every one. At most of the slower water areas, we would just drift with the current and pick off fish. When we got to slower areas with lots of boulders we started catching a ton of Goggle eye. They were biting anything you would toss at them. As the day wore on, we actually tired of catching them. We got to where we would just kind of rest and float on through these areas. I know, it sounds crazy. And it is! Neither one of us counted how many fish we caught. But if I was to put a number on this day, it was in excess 100 a piece. A good portion of those were, close to 50%, were goggle eyes. The last couple of hours of the trip we just kind of floated and hit a spot here and there. Then we just decided to call it a day and and paddle on. The sun was getting low, we had to get vehicles together and make the long drive home. So the last mile we just kept moving. One oddity. As we floated that last mile we encountered a lone fisherman that was doing a little wading. As we made small talk, he made the comment that he couldn't big ones in here like he used too. I agreed and we drifted on. Out of ear shot, we began talking about his comment. I asked my friend if he noticed that stringer he had. He said yep. Case solved. So anyway that is about it. You know its a good trip when you get tired of catching fish. Was that too much drama?

Very nice pics! Got some practice in this weekend on Doves. Can't hardly wait.

Thats is odd. I know a ton of leftist, as you call them, among other things, and I don't know a one of them that detest this law. Not in the least. Why would they?

Why is he spanking a sleeping horse???

Took a hell of a trip with an old friend that I hadn't fished with in a while. I'd love to tell you guy's about it and post some pics of midget Neosho's but, I just found out the other day from the good Dr. of Physiology that I am just doing it for the oooh's and ahhh's. I never realized that sharing reports with you guy's was just me really looking for a pat on the back and acceptence. I am starting to feel better now though. I think anyway.

Yeah, I found out the hard way last year! But I guess not as hard as the Tigers did. LOL!

I know I am pretty delusional or so I have been told by some here, but I thought Mizzou did pretty good last year for the first 3 quarters of every or most every game. I think Al was right on talking about depth. I think that is what killed us at the last 15 to 20, 25 minutes of the game. We just got wore down. We couldn't hang on in the end. If we could have rotated players, I think the tigers might have something to contend with.

You sure do! If you didn't have those beautiful white doors, I wouldn't know it was you!

I am not sure how to play this game so I guess I lost. I am a looser! I don't have any of that stuff mentioned. I was close on one of them though. I have a Ford. Ranger. Its Blue.

I'd laugh if it wasn't true!!

I use nothing but Crystal Fireline on my spinning rod. Have never had any trouble what so ever with it. It is caught ton of trout both at parks and places such as Crane that I won't name. I have tried Prower Pro on two different occasions and will never use that crap again!