zander

No it is only trout waters. The MDC made a video that explained how to treat felt soled boots so they would be legal. In the video the MDC employee advocates buying rubber soled waders for trout waters and keeping the felt sole for warmwater wade fishing

I still think it may be crabapple. Take a fruit and cut it open down the middle. If it has one single stony pit inside it is a wild plum, if it has several little seeds in a core then it is crabapple.

Might be some kind of crabapple or sour cherry. Are the leaves serrated or double serrated? If double serrated ( each tooth has another tooth) then it is likely some kind of sour cherry. I would say more likely to be a crabapple. Be careful tasting fruit that you aren't sure of.

I always would try to plan on 1 gallon of water per day for everything. I rarely used that much but it was nice to know I had it. You can get by on less in cooler temps. I have a nice little water filter that I have never used once. I never trusted it for some reason. It was too easy to just bring water along. For overnight trips you can pack it and not worry about the weight because tge more you drink the less it will weigh. On extended camping trips I boiled the tar out of water. The more you camp the more you learn. It should be fun for you.

Many other countries have nationalized healthcare and they aren't in a perfect world either. There will always be people who take advantage of things- coupons, parking meters, welfare, off-shore tax shelters, bankruptcy protection, etc. In spite of that it works extremely well in most countries that have it especially for basic and preventative care

Basically it comes down to whether or not you believe healthcare is a basic human right. In countries where they have universal coverage they have affirmed that they think it is: just as the right to representation, right to be treated equally regardless of race, religion, etc. There were times when only the rich could be represented in court, or being catholic or black meant you had to endure other restrictions then the majority person. America collectively hasn't yet answered whether healthcare is a basic human right. Is it a right of humans to know that when you fall ill or are born with challenges that your countrymen will pay for your care. We all pay for national defense even though we aren't all physically attacked. I am in no way trying to minimize the sacrifices of the soldiers who do their duty but we will all surely be attacked by sickness or injury at some point in our lives. Is it reasonable to share the cost for the defense of our health just as we already share the cost of our bullets, bombs, and bazookas for the defense of our country and interests? That is the question which will be answered eventually

When I was there a week ago I filled up a floating fish basket with beer cans off the bottom. While I am out there acting like nature's custodian the gravel bar gets filled up with 15 people of various body shapes, ideas about how commmon expletives should be in every single sentence, and views on giving their "testimony" about the lack of complaints their partner has about their bedroom abilities. Sure was glad I brought my 8 yr old son along. I also found it odd how many people use vomiting as a way to recognize where on the river they were at that time. For example, "Tina, you remember where we are now??? Remember???? This is where you puked inside of the raft LAST WEEK" I heard several other examples. The problem with the public water ways is that the public isn't always what we would want it to be. Such a beautiful river and such a shame to see it trashed like that.

The article you quoted stated that it will only effect "high income" taxpayers. I doubt they would live in a $100,000 house and most retirees I know are not "high-income." Here are some figures from the White House. (granted to be just as biased as the GOP's numbers) http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform/myths-and-facts#healthcare-menu

I was out there that night too frogging. I saw the jug lines and I called operation game thief to report them at 9:00PM. The dispatch person asked me if I had a pen and paper to write down the number of the conservation agent. I told her that I was in my boat in the middle of the lake in the dark and I don't have anything to write the number down. I told her that it was her job as "dispatch" to relay the info to the agent. Se just sat there quietly. I hung up in anger. Later that night once I got back to the truck around 11 PM. I called again and got someone else. She passed the info along to the agent who called me around midnight from the parking lot at the boat ramp waiting for the people who had set out the jug lines. There were only two trailers in the parking lot when I left, so when you left that meant the person who set them out was left. May not be the smartest thing to say "It was me who called the agent" but I have 25 jug lines made up that I would love to set out on the lake, but I don't because it is not allowed. I have an 18 hp outboard that I would LOVE to not have to take off my boat each time I bring it out to the lake, but I do because those are the rules. It was my first time calling operation game thief and I was impressed with the end result.

I was there yesterday. Water is pretty low, but you should only have a couple of spots where you might drag a little. Water is very clear right now. I can't tell you how long it will take, but I was doing ok yesterday using popper flies with 5x tippet.

I saw some of it at Shelvin Rock last night. I think it is due to the low water this summer. That clears up the water and lets more light through the water. The lack of rain and consequently higher water isn't letting the stuff be flushed out. It is not Rock Snot though, that only survives in cold water streams (like trout waters)

went down there this afternoon. not a cop in sight. Picked up some trash, didn't see anyone else picking up trash. For the most part things were ok, I did see some tattooed g-funks doing donuts in their 1990 Honda Civic hatchback with g-funk rims and exhaust on the slick rocks there in the creek bed. I noticed a lot of out of state plates- Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska. Wondering how they know about the place. I also noticed how the same bikini can look like a string bikini on one girl and a super modest 1950's bikini on a normal sized gal. That made me wonder if beer bellies came in pairs like butt cheeks and boobs, would they be covered up by swimming suits too? I brought my diving mask and saw quite a few smallies and a spotted bass there in one of the deeper holes.

flatheads to me are the best tasting catfish. I have seen others catch some in there. They probably exist in the more river like areas up stream and sometimes find their way down.

should probably be MDC since they have all of the stuff in place for licensing already, retail locations, computer networks etc.

I doubt the Riverkeeper system would drive our states deeper in debt. Remember that it would be user-fee funded. So thankfully the FED won't have to print up any more money or borrow it from China in order to protect our Ozark rivers. So now that we have done away with that objection, what is a legitimate arguement against protecting our Ozark rivers with a user based fee? Now I know some of you like to complain about have to pay for something like this. How much did you spend on your last fishing rod? Answer: likely more than 2-3 times than the proposed cost of this fee. You could have cut yourself a stalk of cane and made your own pole (to save that money), but instead you dedicated your hard earned money toward a product that you felt would enhance your fishing experience. It may stay in your garage most days out of the year. It may get dropped right off the side of your boat into the water (if you have my dad's luck) on its first trip out. The user fee for the Riverkeeper system works all year to enhance your Ozark river experience. It doesn't get lost after it's first use. What is the argument against this? Why and how in good conscience can you think that our children do not deserve the best that these Ozark rivers can give them? I do not have Al's eloquence, but I think that if we Ozarkians do not value this enough to implement a system like this, as more and more people move in from elsewhere the risks for them grow greater and greater. These rivers have been my nanny at times. My mom worked the summers at Silver Dollar City and my dad was at work. I was in the feeder creeks of Table Rock chasing darters from stone to stone. They were my teacher. They were my entertainer. Likely many of you can say the same thing. We are disagreeing over a $3 proposed user fee to fund without going deeper in debt a system which will allow local agencies to give more of their attention to these rarer and weakened rivers. Go back and read some of Al's posts. He lays it out there very well.

It wouldn't work because it forces drunks to be responsible? When I go hunt at Bois D'Arc Conservation Area, I have to stop and fill out a card first. Then when I am done hunting, I have to fill it out with lots of info and drive back to the same spot I got it to turn it in. Now does everybody turn it back in? Probably not. Am I a cheap skate and do not want to pay a ticket for not doing it? Yes. That isn't Soviet Russia either but people do it here. The problem with the NWR idea is that it will take land away from people who are good stewards of the river now. Plus we have so many great streams, that would be a lot of land to acquire. By targeting stretches of river that are hurting the overall quality and getting them, restoring them, then we can better protect the resource. The Ozark stream stamp would be purchased by individuals just like a trout stamp or duck stamp. It is connected to the person not to the watercraft but would be required to use the rivers in any form of watercraft as defined by some Coast Guard classsifcation that no doubt exists somewhere. Now does Missouri lead the way and do something like this first or would Arkansas?

Yeah you couldn't check everyone. You just need to make random checks and nail people $$$ for lying about what they have. The same goes for customs declarations and other things where you have to check a few and not all

It is not the duck stamp that is the tool for conservation. The duck stamp provides for all of the things that you need- land, equipment, enforcement, research. Imagine what a "Ozark river stamp" could do. Riparian area purchase for protection in a targeted manner, dedicated enforcement, clean up. One thing that might be nice is a beer can census. Each canoe must declare how many cans of beer they have when they start. When they finish they need to have the same number of unopened cans or emptied with them. Any difference is a per can fine. Make it mandatory for outfitters to have their guests fill it out and complete it. Make the fine for falsifying it really hefty. Have officers check mid float and at take outs. I like the Ozark rivers stamp idea. They could buy a daily stamp or a yearly. Stamp must be seen or purchased through an outfitter if for a rental company. Individual users of these streams could purchase at walmart or wherever I bet a lot more people would get behind this if for no other reason then it does not use the word tax or fee

I was out there yesterday evening (Finley River Park) I didn't notice an increase in the level. There were a lot of kids out swimming by the rope swing and we interrupted one classy lassie relieving herself in the dirt parking lot. I would probably go to Lake Springfield.

I am fortunate enough to have a little land within a couple of miles to Bennett Springs and the Niangua. I have yet to take advantage enough of that as I would like to. That being said, the Niangua is a beautiful river. I understand struggling to make a dollar, but with a better product it may be a little easier. There are thousands of people who do not go out on these rivers because of the crap that goes on out there. Imagine you have to get a cab. You see two: one that is a '92 Buick LeSabre with 2 out of the four hubcabs on it, surrounded by a group of loud drunk twenty somethings or a '12 Chrysler 300 sitting in a nice quiet parking lot. The new cab costs $3 more to use on top of the fare. Which cab do you hire? Which cab driver would you rather be? A lot of a little bit can go a long way. There are many of you who are so cynical and jaded that it will never be "spent right." Well it is a good thing that there are some optimists out there who wonder what might be done to conserve and improve a resource. I saw the arguement that these rivers are like public sidewalks. Try doing some of the stuff that happens on the river on a public sidewalk and see how fast your name is on a sex offender registry or drunk tank. Don't want to single out the outfitters- fine. Like Al said maybe a small yearly sticker for each floatable watercraft (excluding inflatables or something). The status quo of this is not ok. I do not think limiting numbers of watercraft is a good thing, but we should certainly be doing more to protect the resource. We can't count on local governments. Dallas county can hardly keep their roads up much less anything else.

I would be for it. If a lot of these people will spend $30 on a rental another $30 on beer and liquor (per person), I don't see how a small fee/tax on the canoe rental would hurt. These Ozark rivers and streams are a true treasure that we have. The fact is just like anything else they need to be kept up. It would be nice if volunteers would keep them clean but they don't. Volunteers surely don't have any enforcement abilities. As far as the right to protect oneself and carry a gun, you are right. But do we really want to take our families out to a place where we have opted to do without law enforcement where the concentration of drunk young males (and all of their hormones and wonderful decision making abilities) is so high. We can all be Quick Draw McGraw's or we can use some of this money to hire professionals who will help keep the peace and the right kind of atmosphere on the rivers. My two cents.

I feel like a parishiner who is about to confess to his priest. "Forgive me guys, for I have sinned. It has been almost 3 years since I flyfished." I have been busy with school, new job, health, bow season, etc for the past three years. A buddy of mine wanted me to go flyfishing a feeder creek for Stockton Lake the other day. I went and although I only caught two trotline sized bluegill, it reminded me what I was missing. Ok now that I have confessed, here is the report: Got below the dam about 9 PM. The water was still up but I knew that they were supposed to cut it off so I waited. I started off with a nice little brown on a dying scud pattern I got off YouTube. Then NOTHING for the next hour. I changed flies. Missed a couple of hits on a black Hibernator but could not land anything. There were two other guys out there last night, and one of them was definately catching fish regularly so I knew it had to be something I was doing. I decided to put on a thinner tippet and tied on a bead-head olive pine squirrel squirrel. That is when it got a lot more interesting. I ended up catching 3 more browns all of which were 14-15 inches long. By this time it was 12:15 and I was wondering if I could keep it a brown trout only fishing trip (no rainbows had been caught). I realized the best way to do that would be to stop fising, so I did and went home. I was the last person out of there last night although one of the other guys left shortly before I did.

i did finish but not this one. i wasn't happy with something but i couldn't put my finger on it. the one i finished you can see on my facebook fanpage and then click on the etsy tab. it will be auctioned off at conclave to raise money for FFF southern council at the end of september

I am happy they finally got off their rumps and did something. Even as a little kid, I could almost "see" elk grazing around on the balds around here.

prints are now available for this painting. click here to view a good picture of it or buy it as a Father's Day gift for yourself through my etsy shop My link http://www.etsy.com/listing/46980943/bite-of-the-day-limited-edition-gilclee Thanks! Phillip