skeeter

Based on all-day surface feeding I've been seeing out on the Lake by our home, topwater has got to be going strong. It's just the usual question of what to feed them. Astoundingly early for the last third of March and more 80's coming later this week.

Just heard from my Son that the usual flotsam and jetsam is rolling down the James at the Cape Fair Bridge after last night's downpours. My electronic rain gauge has decided it doesn't want to work anymore so I have no idea how much we got over the past few rains. Back to the old reliable analog gauge.

I recall reading somewhere they had to be thinned out on one of the Great Lakes due to their impacts on the fishery. Hope they don't take up residence here.

Watched a flock of 50-75 Cormorants hit numerous schools of what I hope were only Shad out in front of Baxter yesterday. Hope they are just passing through. Looked like one of those feeding frenzies you see videos of the Sea Birds doing when they find a bait ball in the Oceans.

April 21 huh ? Bed-jerking will be the rule, not the exception.

Beaver's Bass fishery is heavily impacted by Bass Eating Stripers. Invalid conclusion on AFGC's part.

Based on the shallow water location I always see MDC' fisheries sampling boat shocking fish, I think their studies are all wet.

If you lived here and were here early enough to remember the 15" limit being installed in '76, the reason for that is that Bass were being kept, long before catch-and-release got popular, as soon as or before they reached 12 ". MDC surveys and on-the-water creel census of anglers proved it. The concern is not that 12" spots will suddenly begin being kept, it is that mis-identification of the species, both accidental and deliberate will ensue.

Except every time I encounter an MDC fisheries sampling boat, they are cruising close to the shoreline while shocking and netting fish to be counted and sampled. I question just how accurate their study is because of that procedure.

It's not done quite yet. 1.96 " at Baxter yesterday morning and our Son, who lives just West of Cape Fair, has been getting hammered with heavy rains that miss the Baxter area. At least these downpours seem pretty local and not widespread.

I used to feed the birds year round. Two years in a row I had to kill 12 Skunks who were hanging around the bases of the feeders after dark. Can't have Skunks around when you have dogs in the house that sometimes need potty breaks after dark. Then I read where MDC is recommending stopping wild bird feeding about on May 1st and not resuming until November 1st. No more Skunks and, while it takes a little while for the locals to find the feeders again when I resume feeding in Nov., just one bird finding the feeder seems to spread the word. No more Coons or Possums hanging out either. Other replies on here are pretty good advice. .22 shot shells have very limited range and foul the rifling grooves in the barrel and a 12 Ga. is way too much.

Thanks for the reply and suggestion. I've seen several ads for boxes made of polyethylene and a local Company in Lampe that manufactures boxes made of aluminum sheet over a steel frame that sounded pretty good but are just as expensive as fiberglass. I had one guy respond ( that has now disappeared ) on here with an email address that I followed up on and got a reply from the alleged seller at that address who wanted to know where I'm located but never heard back from him after replying. Strange the reply on OA disappeared so no idea what was going on.

anyone have one for sale ? Tx/

Yep, that idiotic idea is almost as dumb as their re-introduction of the dratted Otters. Clearly recall the noise and opposition when they introduced the 15" limit in the 70's, which was one of the best things they ever did, but we now seem to have some very different people in charge. Notice when we see them doing their "Electro-fishing" census their boat is always relatively close to shore because the voltage won't reach deeper depths? So their sampling is incomplete. Would Florida strain LM survive our winter water temps ?

Would you mind sharing the locations in NIXA that sell non-Ethanol Pure Gas ? Thanks. I'm through there constantly and have never seen it posted on the Rapid Roberts or Casey's pumps. And yessir, I fully agree with always using non-Ethanol fuel in any Marine Engine.