Chief Grey Bear

I'm sure you are right FT57.

Oh yeah. Fishing is a year round job. Cold weather doesn't stop us. The big snows did though. We don't do quite as much in Jan and Feb due to doing some rabbit and squirrel hunting. And the youth turkey season is coming up which we get to hunt and fish on the same days!

I don't think you have been keeping up with technology. Todays bulbs are far less harmful than the lead that rubs off onto your fingers from the tackle you use. Do you have any data stating how many people in the US have been poisoned by these types of bulbs?? Seeing how they have been in just about every factory, school, public building, store, and any structure besides a house that you can think of since back in the 40's, there should be millions of cases to choose from.

I have mine set on "Active Content". Currently for the last 24hrs.

Who cares. You can't laugh at results! Anytime you can produce fish with an uncommon bait, it makes others take notice.

You might want to brush up on your history just a little. http://www.sonofthesouth.net/slavery/slave-maps/mason-dixon-line.htm This may help a little.

Missouri is actually south of the M-D Line. I don't know that I would say above everyone. Two that come to mind are Top Fuel drag racing and Hydroplane boat racing.

Thanks. I agree completely with what you are saying too. I was just really talking about the Teeny Craw inpaticular because it was getting some, what I cosidered to be, undeserved bad press. But other than that, there are a lot of baits that don't really represent anything natural. Or even close. And I think it may just all boil down to being at the right place at the right time and presentig a bait in the right area. I can agree there may be a bit, albeit a small bit, of science to fishing but, it ain't anywhere near what some want to make it out to be. That is just me though. Color is a funny thing. I have used some baits that don't even come close to looking like anything other than a clown and on some days, just tear them up on the river. Wild shades of bright colors. Blues, yellows and greens. Look at the colors applied to plugs from the 40's up through the 70's. I love those color patterns on those old plugs. And I'll be darn if they don't produce today like they did back then. I just love tossing those old school plugs from 50 years ago. YES, 50 years ago. Some of the old tadpollys that I still use today were produced back i the 50's and 60's. Same deal with the old River Runts and Scouts. Talk about turning some heads. And they all want to know where to get one. Sorry, you can't anymore. They just don't make the good old river plugs like they used too. It is all lake style plugs now. And I ain't complaining either. I have a good supply. I don't mind a orange belly. Natural?? No. Works?? I think so. But I won't say that it is better one way over the other. And oddly enough one bait that I think preforms very well on the rivers is a minnow bait. I love to toss a F 9 or CD 9 Gold Rapala. Just a great, great river bait. I probably prefer the CD over the F. Lots of big brownies have been caught on a Rapala minnow bait. Larry Dablemont has a great story about his brother inlaw and a jointed Rapala in his book, Rivers to Run. And on smaller creeks the smaller 1 1/2 - 1 5/8 size minnow are just fabulous to use. Just like the Teeny Craw's and a lite spinning rod, you will catch a ton of fish. And trout can't resist them either. My favorite color was the Tenn. Shad that Rebel used to make. Boy you can't find the early version for nothing anymore. Wow was that a producer though. I recall one time a few years ago while I was living in SW Oklahoma, I was fishing one of the lakes just outside of Duncan in my Bass Hound. I was using one of the Tenn. Shad minnows and was fumbling around in the bottom of the boat just after making cast. The plug was slowly sinking while I was doing what ever and them WHAM! I mean I had snaged a freight train. Thank God I had a hold of my rod. It doubled over and the line snapped just as quick as a second. I have no idea what it was but, I have always suspected that it was a catfish. I'll never know though.

I can't begin to tell the numbers of fish I have caught on the Rebel Wee Craw. That has to be one of the best baits ever created for smaller creeks. I prefer the deep dive version. It can get deeper in the water column of the deeper holes. And as it rises up out of those holes, it is raking along the bottom causing quite a fish attracking ruckus. Now I will agree that its bigger brother the Rebel Craw is not as productive. And I really can't say why just excactly. For me, over the years it has just not produced like the Wee Craw. But I don't throw it as much either. Now with that said, I wouldn't be inclined to throw one all day long on a river the size of the Kings, James, or Spring River. I am not saying you won't catch some fish, but if you want to consistantly catch larger fish, you need to throw a larger bait. I have caught some nice 1 1/2 to 2 pound fish on the Wee Craw though. On smaller creeks like the Flat, Finley, or Big Sugar, you can do very well all day long. The Wee Craw will produce more than you care to count in the 12-13 inch range and down. It is just not a good producer of larger fish. I agree that hooks on the claw end can be very troublesome. But there is any easy fix for that too. I always change mine to a #12 or #10 size gold treble hook. I don't know if gold produces more fish but, it will add just a bit more flash. It may give them something to key in on too. I can't say for sure though. One other thing that I sometimes do is paint some clear varnish on them. I think it helps to keep that shiny, wet look to them. I have never seen a shiny real crawdad but, I think it can help with the flash. I have also used clear finger nail polish. I will put 3-4 coats on there to give a little more weight to it and get it down maybe just a little deeper. Does a Wee Craw really look and act like the real thing?? I would say yes and somewhat. The profile of a Wee Craw and a real craw are very similar. And the various colors of the Wee Craw are also very similar to those of that inhabit various creeks and streams. And the wobble. There is a difference in the action of a Wee Craw and a real craw. A real craw does have a wobble. But it is more of an inline, front to back wobble that is created by the thrusting action of its swim pattern. A Wee Craw has a side to side wobble. Can a bass tell the difference between a real craw and a Wee Craw?? I don't think so. I don't think they have the capacity too. It is doubtful that slight variations of color in prey makes a huge difference in stream bass. I have certain colors that a I like to use and think that produce better than some others. And that maybe due to me using them more than others too. I also don't think don't think that bass, or any other predator fish, can discern the difference in wobble. Both provide an action that triggers their instict and induces a strike. ***EDIT**** I meant to say TEENY Wee Craw

Too many will use the excuse of not knowing the diff between a LM and a Spot. That is the short version.

I say post the pic. Post the whole report, I would love to read it. The only parts I wouldn't mention is the exact or really even general locations. Like Phil said, Crane is no secret. But all I would say is I was fishing at Crane and leave it at that. I personally think when it comes to Crane, the locals, those in a 30 minute radius that gets worse as you get closer, are the hardest on the stream. And there isn't any stopping them. But also like eric said, there are some lurkers out there, so beware.

Do you have any information to prove there is a "lack of enforcement"? I keep hearing this but nobody provides any evidence to substantiate their claim. Well not really. Does he know with out any doubt that he had diddy on and/or in his felt? Merely fishing waters that have been known to be infected in certain areas does not constitute the harbor of diddy in ones sole. And his he claiming that he was purposefully stepping in diddy and knowingly trying to spead it to other steams? In other states??

Here, here!!!!!

We might just have to do that some winter day.

I hope they ban felt if for no other reason than to peese off all the snotty fly fisherman.

I understand the validity of your point too. I guess the next question would be, where do the majority of wade fisherman live and/or tend to congragate??? I can't say with any assurance but, I would venture to say that the MDC believes that it may be at these points. And this is just as good a starting place as any.

Well, if you don't have a problem driving to those areas to fish, I don't know why you would have a problem driving to those areas to learn how to protect them. What is it for you, about 40 miles????

I think he is just funning with ya Thom.

Actually this one is in the state of Missouri. I will not name it as it is has a very small population of forgotten self sustaining trout. It is well off of the beaten path and far from any other trout waters. There is really nothing special about the place or the trout but it is the feeling you get while fishing it. After parking on a secluded dirt road, I begin my hike, albeit somewhat short, of about a 1/4 mile down a dry creek bed. Slowly and steadily though, more and more water comes almost without notice out of the gravel. Before you fully realize it, there is a good steady flow. Every increasingly, you suddenly find yourself in some of the most beautiful water like an oasis in the middle of the desert. A spring that boils out water at about the same rate as Roaring River is at this point. I have never fished this spot on a sunny day. Not that it was planned that way, it has just always been a cloudy, overcast day that when coupled with the deep winter, looks as if you are on some great water deep in the Black Forest of Germany. One person that has fished it with me says it has the feel of a Blair Witch Project to it. And I agree. It has a very eerie, mystical, medieval aura about it. Visions of Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's fantasy sequences in the film The Song Remains the Same vividly come to mind.

No I am not always right. This has nothing to do with who is right and who is wrong. When you started this thread you made the claim that the MDC was not being truthful with the public in regard to Mt. Lions breeding within the boarders of the state of Missouri. I challenged you to prove them wrong by providing facts. Nothing more, nothing less. When you claim that the MDC is not being truthful with the public, you better have some facts to back it up. From reading this thread and others, it is appearant that you have a obvious disdain and distrust of the MDC. Everyone here knows that I am a huge supporter of the MDC. And I am not embarassed to say so. They provide us with more than you can imagine. And there is some incredibly hard work that goes into what we take for granted that not a lot of people know about. With that though, that does not mean I am happy with everything they do. There are some areas that I would like to knock some sense into them. But for the other 99% of the work they do, I love it. So when you go to bashing them undeservedly, you better have your facts to back up your claim.

I think I already have it figured out.

I'll go one better, the Spring Float will be coming in just about a month. He has the first invite to attend.

You left out one. And probably the most important one. And that would be not fabricate objectivity and then pass it off as fact. And while doing so, trying to tear down, villify, or otherwise intimidate or bully other people.

I agree JD.

I haven't read the exact law but, it is my understanding that you are not allowed to alter or impede the flow of any water way without the proper permits. You might ask the local MDC agent who you should get in contact with. Take plenty of pictures to send with your correspondence.