Randall

I did not know that. What about the mounts I see around, what's the story on those? Don't happen to know the statute or reg for that do you?

Definitely a fun little creek. It kills me that I grew up in Cuba and never knew it was there until a few years ago after I was already gone. Don't know what you have, but I don't think I could fish that with anyting bigger than my 7'9" 3-weight. Which now that I think about it, every time I go there I end up getting stopped for speeding... maybe I shouldn't fish there anymore.

Here is a link to the easiest pattern. http://www.taneycomotrout.com/howtotiedubbedscud.html I generally add one or two #6 shot to get them down. If you fish one as a trailer, I like to tie a 12-14" section of tippet to the hook bend of the lead fly then tie the dropper onto that with no weight in between. Like Dano said, olive or gray will both work. I generally fish gray because that is what I fished first, but it shouldn't matter much, especially in the park. Probably stick with size 14 and 16 for Meramec.

Pond-born? I always thought the water got too warm in those ponds over the summer to support trout.

I went out on Friday afternoon for a little fix to Coot lake. The back side was free of ice but the front was covered and Plover was iced solid. I fished a small olive wooly and caught 6. They were all right on the bottom, 3 under an indicator right when I got there and 3 more stripping it right before I left at dark. There was one guy catching fish on a red jig and a half-dozen or so others (including me) that really weren't for the majority of the afternoon. After about 2 hours, and as the sun was going down, I slowed down and pretty much just crawled the fly across the bottom and still don't really know how I knew they hit it was so soft. The first three I caught were all 10" or less which I guess I understand because they'll be in there for a few months getting bigger, but I don't see them being big enough to be eaters by the time the water warms, especially the one that was about 7". Pretty glad I went out... with the cold the past two days, I imagine the ice is getting thicker now so it'll be a while before its fishable again.

C- for me... apparently I know trout, but not much about the science of their food.

If there aren't that many fishermen I doubt the fish would be too pressured. What other staff would they need for the fishing days?

Meramec is open 7 days and I haven't seen it too crowded. I don't see why they couldn't do it at Montauk too.

I fished it for two hours on Sunday and cleaned up. Didn't catch anything big, but I was just playing around in jeans and tennis shoes. The water a up just a hair and a little cloudy, about right for what I like. Not to be that guy, but once you figure it out, the park and red ribbon section are really a lot of fun in the winter. Won't catch me dead in there during the regular season though.

Wonder why they didn't post that on the website? Reed is in Lee Summit, Mo, take 50 east from 435 or stateline, whichever is closer, then go south on RA, the last Lee's Summit exit. You'll see the signs for James A. Reed. Stop in at the main building for a map then the two lakes are Coot and Plover.

Thanks for the info. Did it say anything about the other pond up north?

I went to Alex George last year and didn't catch any trout, but there were plenty of bluegill. James A. Reed- Coot and Plover lakes- was pretty dependable for the most part. You can't see Alex George from 435 but it is pretty easy to find and I never saw anybody else there. I'd offer to go with but I'll be freezing my butt off on the Meramec or Blue Springs next week.

I went on MDC but they just had the maps. There is a number you can call but I haven't. If you find out, let us know.

I cut little slits into mine with a razor knife. It makes it slightly harder to adjust and remove, but the plastic sort of pinches the line and holds it. It also avoids the problem of the loop sliding to the top and cinching down on the line coming in and going out. If I move it shallow enough to be on the tippet it is somewhat less effective, but at that point you're better to just take it off and use a palsa.

One of my frat brothers from Licking snags down there and it sounds exactly like they were snagging. I have no idea if its legal in the blue ribbon section.

I kinda think its funny.

Kyle came up with a little trick on our last float that was pretty easy. We tied a 3-4 foot section of rope, cord, or whatever else is handy to a caribeaner (sp?) and the other end to the cross bar. Clip between the reel and the first eye and your rod is quick to access and won't get away if you spill. It looks pretty ghetto but it works. I found I could still cast a flyrod while it was clipped on. The downside is that if you flip in fast water the rod could possibly get hung up in debris or otherwise damaged.

I never had a bad experience in Feathercraft but I completely agree that Hargrove's is hands down better. Tom is one of the nicest guys you'll meet and Craig, i think it is, is great to deal with too. Whoever said they want to stay in Hargrove's but want to get out of feathercraft quickly hit the nail on the head.

I'd be more worried about the shooting industry than the hunting or fishing industries. The increased cost of lead alternatives would be tolerable in comparison with the extra costs sport shooters would face even considering the already nightmarish cost of ammunition. I'm a little surprised groups like the Brady Center aren't involving themselves in or at least championing issues like this... or maybe they indirectly are by virtue of individuals being members of both gun-control and animal rights groups and raising issues under one banner that will further the goals of both.

Looks effective. It'll catch a fisherman if not a fish or two. How complicated is the tie?

A few posts ago, JDC said that you can't use a bicycle. If he were a game warden, he'd give you a ticket for riding a bike in pursuit. At that point, the law becomes a matter of subjective interpretation and that is what the judge ruled. As far as pursuing a deer itself, is a person sitting in a treestand "pursuing" a deer that has not walked by? What constitutes "pursue"? When does pursuit of a deer begin? When you see it? When you intend to shoot it? When you intend to attract it to an area?

Just to be devil's advocate, does that mean that a person who is wheelchair bound cannot hunt? I've seen people hunt from motorized wheelchairs because they cannot propel themselves in any other fashion. Should they not enjoy the privilege of hunting the same as a person who can walk? In a similar vein, where do you draw the line at "aid"? If I take an atv to within a half-mile of my stand, could that be interpreted as taking a deer with the aid of a vehicle? What about a quarter-mile? A hundred yards? Fifty? Now, can you shoot a deer while on the vehicle where you previously intended to stop? Do you get off/out and shoot? How many steps do you take? Can you shoot a deer you saw while operating the vehicle? At what point is the animal again fair game? Is a person sitting on an atv (not yet started), about to leave, who sees and shoots a deer in violation? What about the guy who was on a "deer drive" who sits on his atv to rest then sees a deer? Is driving from home to the intended hunting destination not using a vehicle to aid in the pursuit of a deer? If you want to go to the extreme, discing a field you plan to hunt to plant a food plot could reasonably be considered use of a vehicle to aid the pursuit of deer. Then you have the issue of driving your vehicle to pick up the deer. We would consider the last two examples permissible use of a vehicle to aid in the pursuit of deer. An overzealous game warden could decide to issue a citation and the hunter most would not consider to be in violation now risks prosecution.

That's him... he went to Central Methodist... he's one of my fraternity brothers

This would be better in the fly tying part, but no worries. Try fewer thread wraps and make them tight... really bind it down so it won't pull out. If you're worried that you're not getting enough of the feather tied in, build a one or two wrap thread base to create friction between the marabou and the feather and/or apply a small drop of zap-a-gap so it won't pull out. Btw... you're from St. Clair? You know a guy named Matt Bethel?

I built a 7 weight Cabelas FT that has enough backbone to punch out most of the bigger stuff and handles heavier streamers like circus-peanuts if I really need it to. I'm sure a six could work in an absolute pinch, but it wouldn't be an enjoyable experience.