brownieman

Raising two good looking daughters. I knocked up at 17... $30,000?, loss of hair, nerve damage Accesories for raising two good looking daughters....$30,000, wrecked cars, making threats to boys, etc. An 8 year old beautiful grandson and best friend...free, told ya so's, my kids acting like I did..TOTALLY PRICELESS! Funny how things turn out

Oh well jc...then we will just have to keep feedin the monkey just to watch em s**t. When the time is at hand...well...just can only hope my grandson can see a smallie on his line somewhere...besides in an aquarium in a nature center. Due to our actions he may have no choice...for one, it just bothers me, ya know.

mpc633, I agree with most of that. Most agents have become overwhelmed by new regulations, hunter safety courses...things of this nature and all the associated bs that goes along with it. They are allowed little time to perform what their jobs should entail. The MDC budget could be trimmed heavily in areas of wastefulness with no increase of anything and allow more agents to be hired and perform the functions of which they were hired to do. IMO that's a pretty good day for the bioligists...just some suckers fried, lol...they feel the need to zap em twice...whatever works...or don't?

CC...the old wooden canoe we used since i was little had to weigh about 150 lbs. Too much repair over the yrs. She had a few broken ribs over the years...many coats of glass, gunnels replaced several times. Guess the prettiest one I have seen was made from cypress strips...there is a misconception concerning the durability of cypress...but this was indeed a nice piece of work. I asked and they told me...forget how much time they put in on her. They said they hated to use it but felt they should...was a boat you know, lol

beautiful work gf...what kind of wood did you use? My father and I have been craftsman our entire lives...made a little bit of everything...paddles, couple of jons, re-done some canoes... several guitars, most unusual being an electic bass, made the fretboard and all...that was kind of a touphy, lol...used knobs from a 48 buick for the tuning knobs, even made the keys. All the guitars we bought the hardware. Think the neatest thing we've made is a fiddle...the back is walnut, sides cherry, top white pine and the neck is mullberry...took 147 hrs. I love that old f hole pattern ( no comments on that one now, cmon) have my grandfathers old f hole acoustic. Just wanted to tell ya thats sure nice work...if you kept track, how many hours on the mandolins? The old wooden canoe we fished from since I was a child was ribbed...sure was a dandy but hard to pick up hooks and stuff when ya dropped em, lol

You stand not alone my friend...you're comments are always constructive and well stated. "Youth is a gift of nature...age is a work of art"...with age comes wisdom...you sir I beleive possess both. I always look forward to your comments

To me it's the total outdoor experience...standing motionless in the river with the fog rising waiting for a deer you see upstream swimming downstream towards you...dressed in camo you will be undetected if you don't move. When he (In this instant was an 8 point buck) is right in front of you, rod tips length, when he turns to look the other way just quietly say hi...don't move a muscle and just observe. While this is happening directly behind you there are hundreds of turkey vultures in huge sycamore trees spreading their wings to let the dew dry from their wings so they can take flight...really an awesome thing to behold...the bonus would be catching a fish but all else takes presedence at that moment in time. These encounters with mother nature...well...it don't get much better in my book. Here's a good one concerning the chase/take. Got to the river a little before daylight, geared up, when I shut my truck door a turkey gobbled on the ridge right above me...season was open and as I do not turkey hunt I went ahead and fished. Couple of miles upstream I caught about a 6 lb. brown and saw another that was bigger, both active. Catching the little one spooked the bigger one so I moved on. Had a couple of friends, both of them being hunters and fishheads, with which we shared sightings of big fish, deer, whatever. We had our pet names for every hole on the river so we could key each other in on the exact spot we had saw something. I told my buddy about the turkey and the fish that evening. Heard a knock on my door the following morning about 9:00 am...I opened the door and he was standing there grinning with a 24 lb. gob in one hand and an 8 lb. female brownie in the other...his first big trout and mount. I cussed him a little in jest and likewise. Fishing trip, $100.00...Hunting trip, $200.00...mornings like these, priceless.

Well put Al, We do need more agents but only if they are willing to put forth the effort it takes to catch people, you know...get out in the heat and walk a few ridges or paddle a canoe down a river instead of using a jet boat to let people know they are coming 3 miles away. Otters...it's said their main diet is crayfish although I have had otters on numerous occasions chase a bait right up to my rod tip...it's a delicate balance and crayfish are one of the mainstays of smallies...often times I have been told by dept. employees on certain streams when they are unloading trout the otters have a feeding frenzy...have talked with fisherman that have seen this also. I also don't agree with their sampling methods, shocking...well the name implies what it is to me and it can't be good for the fish and IMO I'm sure a few have have been totally fried on occasion. Creel limits, whatever. Both methods may give an idea but not very accurate imo. You and I have fished and have pashion for the same type waters...you and I have seen the decline with little effort put forth...imo it's because it is not a high dollar source of revenue. They will study and study till their gone and then and then only...they'll stand back, scratch their heads and wonder what happened. I say again, if it's deemed endangered, they will study it till it's extinct. I do not understand the mindset or is there one?

To me fishing is meant to be enjoyable...catching was always just a bonus. Don't think many of us are going catching this week-end...just fishin

Al, Thanks for your input...least you're making a lagit effort and conduct yourself in a professional manner...more than I can say for some. If any hard facts and figures and real answers come to light...it's big money vs small money. IMO the little guys generally get squashed... Only thing i can figure is maybe my eyes have seen things others have not...if you're the man I believe you are...well...imo things I've seen would sicken you also. Bet you are tired of crunching numbers, lol

Tightline...have plenty of old pics, no scanner...pretty much a self proclaimed computer moron. I can't get my email through this site to work, whats the trick or am i really the computer moron, lol Used to give a local taxidermist some big ones (he was having a hard time with color...used to take pictures on the river when I would land one to show him the goldish color on their lower sides, different size spots, ya know, then slip them back in the water to catch another day, trout discolor when they die real fast. I did give him a few in the 20 to 26 " range...he sure made some pretty wall monts, table mounts, corner mounts...you name it. When he got his colors down then I gave him mine...they sure could stand to be repainted but are still pretty...he was the very best and does it no more...damnit ! He did give me a sweet deal for helping him out...especially when I see what others fetch for their mounts...MAN ! I aint even gonna tell ya the size a couple i've lost right at my feet...you would think I was plum full of it, lol I would have just reached down and shook the hook off anyway...handleing fish is very hard on them...I try hard not to take them out of the water...trout aren't slimmy for no reason. I'll do my best to get the 2 I have mounted on here...just never thought about it...caught so many I guess it wasn't no big deal, ya know.

I'm tryin gf... An honest reasonable answer...well...what can I say. It is indeed a double edged sword, hate to see it. You mentioned pay...whenever you hear of the gov. telling about state empoyees are getting a 5% raise this or any year, remember...5% of $80,000 is allot more than %5 of $25,000. IMO why couldn't there be set dollar increases for all?...go figure, lol guess this is the "System" and we as taxpayers get taxed to no end...matters like this...well... imo they just sit back and talk...it'll blow over, give er a little time and we'll dodge this bullet too...we are to just go on our merry way, tuck our tails...maybe wet ourselves a little and keep on payin with no expectations or explainations. Makes little sense to me but hey, what does anymore. All I can say imo they have a pretty good thing goin and they keep their tools well oiled. When huge amounts of money are involved I don't need to tell you what happens...you are one i feel knows my friend. It all comes back to accountability with me...or should I say the lack there of

last one had to take some stuff...had his dna all over it, lmao

i can't account for every penny i spend but at least i earned it and it's mine to spend...be a fool to tell you otherwise...c-mon "That will show them"...nice sarcasm but a futile attempt my friend. It has nothing to do with like or dislike, jeeeeez...it has all to do with our tax dollars being "Wisely" used at any level... and as you say the 2 of us...think it's a little more than 2 my friend

sorry to disappoint gb...never have shot a duck or any type waterfowl just would hope you see first hand where the bulk of the money is spent...if you're a hick like me...imagine you do, lol fyi...never even killed a deer...shot em with a camera...killed 1 turkey, no big pump off that i'll take a bend in my rod above all else...

Hey guys, a little more food for thought ? Our current president...is he there for the duration? appears he may be. Who is next in line if he goes ? gotta feeling he don't want nothing to do with it. Who's next in line...Nancy Pelosi... anyone think this administration can swallow that one?

pretty fish, nice color...least he has all his fins if i ever get a digital camera i'll post a pic of 2 i have mounted...caught em probably 15 yrs. ago now, ah maybe 20...geeeeez, maybe longer...who called these the golden years, feeling a little tarnished myself, lol anyway, there on the same piece of cedar drift. 32" male & 30 " female, both brownies...pretty mount they were really the first what i call biguns i caught...those were the days

I've seen guys that know how...unethical as can be but you too can get your name on a lunker board...and have bragging rights. Use something that doesn't float, light colored that you can see well...drift the bait right in his mouth if he sits still enouph, well... there you have it...not a foul hook if you get em in the mouth...TOTAL BS...but it happens more than you'll know. Pretty stinkin pathetic imo!! I suspect this would not be possible if these were real wild trout...whatdayathink?

Hey...you said you were outta here, lol just could'nt resist than one, could ya, lmao Thanks to you and all the number crunchers...don't care for it much myself but I'm glad some are good at it...

Thanks randall...I like nothing better than a fresh mess of fish once in a while...private lake, that's cool...don't get much better eatin than that.

These accesses are the obvious...heavily used. There are other access points but you have to earn em...well...right of passage I guess. Some of the least pressured public water in the state I reckon...don't know if there is such a thing these days...

Just a suggestion...watch the local fisherman... betcha they know where the honey holes are at.

Gavin, Thanks for breaking it down and putting expeduratures to paper. You state "by cutting payroll or reshuffling the mix of employees"...after all of this in my opinion now we are getting to where the real problem lies. My opinion is, note, we are all entitled to our opinions even if we differ...it's what makes for a healthy debate...heck if we all saw eye to eye...boring...we aint robots, lol...but there are allot of puppets, ya know. Payroll and Benefits; most present and past employees I have spoke with are just riding it out trying to make it to retirement age which with the state is out at 80. Just a paycheck to most. The mindset...It's been done this way for 30 years...whatever...better just row that boat and not rock it...your position is easily re-filled. You got an idea...keep it to yourself unless you can hand it to a higher level person and them stick a feather in their hat for it...imo the state will ruin a good hard worker. Capital improvements and Maintenance; The bulk of this goes to high profile areas...they cater to the vote and do a fine job of it...here is where the tool called propoganda is the most useful. Travel and Vehicles: This figure could be trimmed in half...terribly abused...I won't even get into this one...this post is getting so lengthy and a book could be written about this category. Administrative Costs and Programs; Meetings, task forces, studies, training, pet programs, etc....whatever. The last employees I spoke with were required to attend such things or they did not get their salary increases...by the way of which we have no say even though we are there life blood. IMO most employees attend these things (and all related expenses incured, travel, meals, lodging) because they are required to...just sitting through some boring meetings and/or training that they could care less about...more like a few paid days off to most, but hey, beats being at so called "work", lol. IMO some new employees come into the MDC with good intent...they are dis-illusioned and dishearted pretty quick...you know, thats not the way we do things here, get used to it or you won't last long. It really is a shame but imo a reality. Al, You seem to me to show genuine concern for our states natural resources...we are in the same boat my friend...but you did mention earlier in this thread you were friends with bioligists, you had supplied artwork for little or no cost to the dept (good cheap advertising though) and you had seen things go by un-noticed...did you not ? You are not on their payroll but imo this is an affiliation...please correct me if I'm wrong. IMO you do have total respect for good ole mother nature...you just need some non rose colored glasses to take a look through my friend. I feel you would not care much for the things you see.

Randall, Couple of questions if I may...that picture you posted...even with a mag. glass these old eyes can't tell and please correct me if I'm wrong, hope I am. Are those smallies and some gogs on the stringers? They appear to be...please tell me I am wrong...about the smallies anyway. Do you practice catch and release on the smallies? This is the main reason I did not feed into this thread...I can't feel responsible for the decline of the river smallies. They are such a slow grower and are being threatened in many different ways...it's a shame ! Al,...I suspect you know where I am coming from. Such as yourself smallies have earned my total respect as far as river fish ( native ) in our streams and rivers. Pound for pound there is no harder fighter, the "bronzebacks" and patterns, red eyes...imo they are a magnificant and unique species of bass. It don't get no better than an 18, 19 inch smallie on your line in swift water...that's hard to beat my friend. There hve been no efforts made by the MDC ( besides designated smallie trophy areas with little enforcemnent ) to save these fish. If any efforts have been made in this arena someone please let me in on it. An effort such as this would be a little bang for our buck...at least an attempt, even if futile. Are you catching any walleye on the St. Francis ? I hope that effort was successful...last I heard some decent size fish were being caught here and there. You said you own land there...reckon you would know if anyone would. You and I are standing on common ground with the exception of one thing and you know what that is...we each are going by the things we have seen and experienced...we could have a good one on one discussion, I am convinced of that...just feel you view the MDC through rose colored glasses, as do millions of others.

there are good things...all agree on that...there should just be more bang, a big bank that heps the common folks who support them instead of pet programs...I can give you examples of some real money pits that millions have been spent on for one reason only. They have an ex director, commissioner, etc name in their title. How about a few men on tractors working on re-establishing habitat for vanishing small game species, prarie chickens, quail, etc....instead we get task forces, commitees, studies, meetings...no one to stick a shovel in the ground...hand tools are kinda frowned upon imo by most people...especially state employees. How about some incentives for landowners to leave some edges on their crop fields...nope...fescue, cattle...they practice things that puts a little money in their pocket. IMO most of their efforts are geared towards whichever generates the most revenue, deer, turkey, trout and the the fees that are connected to such things. C W...imo they see what they want you to see and they tell you what they think you want to hear. IMO few really know what goes on behind the scenes and If we did...well...quite frankly I feel most would not like it...there is lots of money spent...but well spent...who can tell by the info they give us and in such a timely manner, lol. My opinion...just the tip of the iceberg guys and allot of money is spent trying to get us to buy into it...whatever the case...this old boy aint buyin it...you buy it, go ahead...thats your right...means their doin a good job, lol