zander

I didn't know you had to have proof of insurance on your boat. I have a 14' aluminum boat and it is hard to find anyone that will insure it without charging me a third of what the boat is worth every year. Who do you guys use for a little boat like that?

The gay bass must be stocked, since they wouldn't naturally reproduce.

I won't have the stickers on my motor. but if you see this motor on a 14' aluminum john boat, say hello just as well. Finally finished this after a record setting amount of procrastination.

nice size brown for your first. You always remember your first child, your first wife, and your first brown

welcome!

I wish I could I am still trying to find time to make it just to Branson I am so busy, Arkansas is out of the question unfortunately but I do dream about it.

My great great grandfather and his sons were big time bear hunters in the Carroll county hills before and after the Civil War. They preferred bear meat to eat over pork because you could eat a lot more bear meat without getting an upset stomach like you can from too much pork. I've never tried it but I want to.

I am stoked about the recovery in Missouri. I asked the MDC about when we could have a hunting season on them since Arkansas has had one for several years now. They told me that their bear management plan right now calls for a limited hunt to occur when the resident bear population stays around 500 individuals. We aren't too far from that at the moment.

I am not one to over heap praise on stuff, but I wanted to do this. I recently started posting on a couple of other forums and the responses I received made me realize just how special and rare Ozark Anglers is. Other forums can be filled with cliques, inside jokes which are more abrasive than humorous, and desperation for new members. This forum that Phil has worked so hard on over the years is a wonderful place on the net. Classy without being snobbish, clean and most times respectful and friendly. So thanks to Phil, Dano, and the other contributors and memebers who make this place what it is and what other forums aren't.

I really like your website as well as your Facebook page. It is good to see how you go about creating your pieces. I could tell that it took countless hours even before I saw how much work you do in preparation for each painting. Now I am wondering how you have any time to go fishing

The problem with going a ways down the tailwater is that you can't wade the whole way unless you are planning on getting wet anyway. There is a little goat trail that goes along the side of it but then you have to bushwhack your way to the river to fish. It gets a little less trashy, maybe it is better since the flood of the century. The last time I went way downstream I somehow ended up inside the restricted area of the power plant as I was on my way back out, and I had to slither under the chainlink fence at a low spot ripping my clothes up pretty good. Trust me there are better places to take him. I have been wanting to wade fish around rivercut.

another thing about wading the tailwaters of Lake Springfield is all of the huge chunks of rock you can't see and deep drop offs that you can not see. That is the only place where I have almost ended up taking a spill because you just can't see through the water. I'd fish other more scenic and easier wading sections of the James or Finely if I were you.

ok the painting is on its way to the printers now. there will be a limited edition run of 150 for each size of this painting. the first is fullsize and it is 18" high by 24" archival ink printed on fine art paper prints will be $130. the second will be 9" high by 12" same type of printing for $45. If you want them you can PM me. The price does not include S&H if I have to mail it. You will also be able to purchase these at Creative Concepts gallery by mid-May on S. Lone Pine Rd. in Springfield if I still have any left (not printing 150 right now just 3 of each). If you have bought art from me in the past you get a 10% discount. Thanks. edit--- 2 9X12's and 3 18 by 24's left now. Thanks.

Sorry for not replying earlier. It has been very busy for me. I wasn't planning on making prints, but I was thinking about it. I guess I can. I'll get it scanned in and then I can post prices for full size and half size. There will be two other trout in this style painted. One cut-throat and a rainbow. Starting May 1st I will have some of my paintings displayed and for sale at Creative Concepts! gallery just south of Sequiota Park in Spfgld. But a little trip Minnesota to the printers won't hurt I guess. I was feeling guilty about not getting it scanned in anyway. The best way to keep in the loop is to join my Facebook fan page, the link is in my signature line. Thanks again fellers.

Or if you don't want to search for it on Facebook, you can just click here

yeah, I know what you mean. This one is based on the fact that when you look for a long enough time at a color and then look away (best at something white) then you "see" its compliment color. Because there are so many different little areas of strong color surrounded by white and shades of white, it creates the whole effect.

Here is a painting I finished up last night. It is called "With Envy" obviously it has a lot of tones of green in here. I painted it in such a way so that the viewer (works best in real life) when looking at the painting for a little bit of time will experience optical illusions causing the gill plates to appear to be shimmering in the light. These are subtle optical illusions so no one call Disney but kinda neat. Anyway, enjoy and comments always appreciated. 18" by 24" acrylic on textured canvas.

It is important to give a reference for the pH that Taxi used above. I got this from a dept of chemistry website. "Coca-Cola® products range in pH from 2.5 - 4.2. Coca-Cola Classic® is the most acidic at 2.5" At these low levels it would take barrels of that strength of acid to damage a small piece of skin. Sometimes I admire these guys, it is easy to do that. They seemingly do what they want and are "sticking it to the man." At the same time, I sometimes think they are all a bit off-center. That being said, the Japanese have the defense that they hunt whlaes only for scientific research purposes. This defense is just as woefully transparent yet successful as OJ's defense. I think if they claim it is for scientific research it should ban the use of the meat. The UN should mandate that the carcasses not be used for consumption but rather for further scientific research like colonization of whale carcasses by other organisms.

Thanks Tom. If you like what is on my website which hasn't been updated in a coon's age, you would also like to see what I have on Facebook. Feel free to add me as a friend although you should be able to look at my stuff without doing that. Phillip Taylor

Terry asked me to do the artwork for the Southern Council FFF Conclave and Fly Fishing Festival this year. Unfortunately my painting is a little too complicated for printers to put on a 1 inch square pin. The saddest part about that for me is that it would have been the closest that my hand's or the work of my hands could have gotten to April Vokey's chest . Nevermind... I just remembered that I'm married. Maybe in fifty years they'll be able to do it but the technology won't permit it as of now. The painting will still be auctioned at the event to raise money for the organization and there is a possiblity of prints being available too. I know this isn't the best pic and a lot of you have seen it either in person or on my Facebook page, but others of you haven't. It is 8" by 10" acrylic on canvas board. If you like it let me know, I always appreciate thoughts and input on my work, even if someone says it looked like Disneyland threw up on the painting (I remember them all ) Thanks for looking. Phillip Taylor

Alberto, You will like Missouri's fishing, and I compliment you getting on here and refining your English. My wife is from Croatia and before I go over there each time, I get on Croatian fishing forums and try to speak to them, and I know how difficult it is communicating in a different language. They usually get tired of trying to decipher my meaning and write in English as best as they can to help me out. Enjoy your visit. Phillip Springfield is about 45 minutes from Table Rock, although the white bass may be starting at that time and you don't have to have a boat to fish for them at certain places. keep watching the forum for more information.

oh snap! no need for that. retract your claws please.

I think everyone deserved a trophy fishing as cold as it was. Brrrrr. I only fished in one of Phil's tourney's and it was in Jan. a couple of years ago. It was a little above freezing but I thought I was gong to have a heart attack from the cold hitting me as we sped down the lake. Hats off to the brave!

I have checked a lot of the gun dog forums and no one has posted that any are missing in the area. There are a few more that I will check. Shock collars not to mention dogs like that are expensive, but the $3 cost of a engraved name tag is worth spending money on too. My pointer ran off a couple of weeks ago, and just as I was growing weary of looking for him, my cell phone rang and a fellow had found my dog and called me up.

It was a nice late summer day at Taneycomo a few years ago. My wife was pregnant with our son and we decided that we would rent a kayak and paddle around lower Taney where Scotty's now is. I was planning on getting a 2 person kayak since my wife didn't really know a whole lot about paddling or boats or anything and I did. The folks at the kayak rental place which is no longer in business really did a good sales job on me trying to upsell me on getting two kayaks instead of renting a 2 seater. They went on and on about how many dates they had seen go wrong after putting two lovebirds in one kayak, blah, blah, blah. I figured why not and got two kayaks. we got in and paddled way up river. Then my wife got tired and I had to tie the front of her kayak to the back of mine and tow her back down towards where Scotty's is now. Finally we got back there and she decides to paddle up that little inlet right across on the hollister side of the river. She is going forward and I am following about ten feet behind. All of a sudden she started screaming at the top of her lungs and stopped paddling. I have no idea what is going on at this point. she keeps screaming and it is getting more desperate finally i hear her yell "SNAAAAAAAAKE!!!!!!!" I look and there is a coiled up water snake on a rock at the mouth of the inlet and she is heading right for it. I am yelling at her to stop and she is still screaming and watching her kayak glide through the water like a guided missile right at the snake on the rock. Of course the kayak hit the rock at which point the snake flipped into the water, and my wife totally freaked out (as if she wasn't already freaking out) and jumped out of the kayak where she thought the snake had fallen in. With a big splash she went right into cold Lake Taneycomo. she got over to the rocks but of course she was freezing. thankfully some folks from Nebraska had a pontoon boat and brought her to the dock on the other side. I got the other kayak and her paddle and went back ot the other side. It was very embarrassing. she later said that she was so scared of the snake she couldn't even think of putting in her paddle to stop or even steer away from the snake. Needless to say it was the last time for a kayak for her, but thankfully the baby was just fine.