skeeter

I am not familiar with the Walleye River program. However, on the Lake I can't figure any other method they could use to make a study of fish populations. I have had the unpleasant experience to be fishing in a TR cove in the Spring and had their boat come into the cove and shock the entire bank. Needless to say, I exited the cove as continued fishing was pointless. For those like myself who aren't aware of the Walleye River shocking program, what exactly is MDC doing that has folks bothered and questioning their methods ? Thanks.

Yep, cell phone for me too. It's expensive enough and don't want to be bothered by chatter on VHF. As far as weather, I keep my eyes on the sky from time to time. Only thing I would like to see weather related is an inexpensive mobile lightning detector other than your ears listening for the thunderclap. It would be nice to be able to tell how far away the lightning is and it's direction. The way the hills echo the thunder makes it difficult to tell direction many times. There is a card you can purchase and install in your PC along with an external antenna that receives the radio frequency of lightning bolts but that isn't going to help you on the water.

A " tip of the cap " to those who can consistently catch Crappie anytime of the year on the Rock. You must be on the water a whole lot more often than I and a much better fisherman ( which ain't hard ! ). Right now, during Lent, I get the taste for fresh fish and by that I mean Crappie. Wish they sold them in stores. Have to resort to going to Rundy's or Culver's for their Walleye. Also thanks for the comment about the subsurface water column being way too cold yet. Maybe these winds will help stir it up but night time temps are forecast to drop into the 30's again and that won't help a bit.

That's great initiative on the part of a 10 year old. Congratulations Dylan, I hope your name is mentioned prominently in the Bill as it should be. The choice of the Missouri River was a smart and logical one but allow me to pass along a piece of information that completely floored me when I learned of it and how correct it is. Several of you may be aware of this. The normal method of the old-time explorers to determine the course of a River was to follow it from it's mouth where it enters the Sea upstream always turning into the largest branch or tributary when the occasion arose. The Mississippi was explored by Marquette and Joliet bass-ackwards. In other words they went downstream, not upstream in their voyage of exploration. If the normal or accepted method of exploration had been followed and the River explored upsteam from the Gulf, when the junction of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers ( as they are now known ) would have been reached just upsteam from St. Louis, the explorers would have turned left or West into the present day Missouri as that River is proven larger at the joining of the two. That would have made whatever they decided to call the River much longer than the accepted present day Mississippi. Doesn't mean a whole lot I guess, just an interesting concept.

If it hadn't been for Warner's ill-advised pass into triple coverage at the end of the first half, the Big Red would have won. Then there was the holding on Warner during the following runback that got ignored..... Have to agree about the p-ss poor referees, no calls whatsoever on "roughing-the-passer" almost every time Warner threw. Steelers figured out they could get away with it and just pounded the quarterback. Just ridiculous letting that call go whenever Cards had the ball, and then they call it to protect "Big Ben" when a Card's defender gets anywhere near him. I also thought the call against Cards when Wilson ran over the ball-holder was BS, the replay showed the guy was tripped and couldn't control his direction. Very very sad when this much money and prestige is on the line. The botched fumble call at the game's end just reflected what went on the entire two halves. Only thing I liked, even though I was pulling for the Cards and Warner, was that Bidwell lost again ! Now his players will all want more money ( which he won't pay ) and they will all leave.

Yeah Greybear, I agree with you but folks have to make income from their land somehow. A lot of these cattlemen are still struggling with the cost of replacing five strand barb wire fences that the ice storm of 2007 took down. Just be glad those numbers of cattle aren't hogs, then you would have a really BIG problem. Nuthin' is too much worse than a hog farm, I think they are even worse than chickens. Heaven help you if you live downwind from one. Pork......the "other" white meat ! Ha !

Those observations are very interesting Troutchaser, thanks for sharing them. The North American cougar ( and I'm no expert either, just read about them recently ) is reputed to be one of the most elusive animals we have on this Continent and very difficult for wildlife biologists to study even if they can attach a radio tracking collar. These cats just hide from and avoid people really well. To have been lucky enough to see several and even see a mating pair is very rare and fortunate. From what I read I can only suppose the female was released or escaped from captivity perhaps as they don't seem to roam in search of new "territory" like the "Toms" do. It would be interesting to hear from the folks who put up "trail cameras" if they have captured any recent images of wild Cougars in Missouri. To me, it's kinda' neat to know they are around as long as they don't become a hazard to small women or children as they have in certain areas of highly populated California.

County road "H" down to Baxter is clear and mostly dry. Ramps are another thing. If there were banked turns on them they would make a great bobsled run. White stuff on the ground is like iron, you can't move or remove it. About one to two inches of ice topped by three inches of tightly packed sleet. Some melting going on Thursday and Friday but it's going to be a while before you can launch safely without sliding your entire rig into the lake. Today's weather should help a lot but the "steep" ramp at Baxter faces North and doesn't get much sun. The shallow ramp at the end of the road will get better, faster.

When I used to live out West, they had trouble with sheep being taken and calves. Not many sheep raised around Missouri lately so like you, I'm surprised you don't hear all the beef cattle ranchers complaining about calves being lost. I was really surprised to learn Missouri is second only to Texas in the numbers of beef cattle being ranched ! The cougars are definitely here in the State in small numbers and with the size of our deer herd I am guessing that is their preferred food source ? Most full grown cattle seem to be too much for a cougar to tackle as they can be intimidated by a larger animal and have to be pretty desperate to take on a full grown steer. They are solitary hunters, unlike the African lion, and really don't get all that big when compared to the other "big cats " of the world. I've been told the key to the future of the Cougar in Missouri is whether any females get released/escape or wander in as right now there is no evidence of a breeding population and the reported animals that are wild that have been accidentally killed and examined have all been males.

Heckuva program.... "Supervolcano"... well worth watching with scientific evidence showing the last eruption of the Enormous Yellowstone caldera deposited heavy volcanic ash all the way East of the Mississippi River and as far South as Louisiana. Didn't know that Old Faithful had shut down, has there been any further information on what they think caused that ? Interruption of ground water supply maybe ? The Geophysicists took measurements in Yellowstone Lake and the floor of the Lake has risen/bulged enough from a presumed upwelling of magma to submerge land on the South end of the Lake that has never been underwater before. Been through Yellowstone extensively on two, two week trips in the 70's. Hiked the back country and encountered many geothermal features that are not readily accessible to typical tourist visitation as they are far off the paved roads. All that energy underfoot causing those features makes a person think about just what lies not far below the earth's surface. Another eruption like those in the past would completely devastate the U.S. and certainly bears watching and further study.

Fellas, Check the routing, if you haven't already, of the pull-rope and see if there are any burrs, sharp edges or rough spots where the rope becomes weight bearing and contacts metal on the motor mount. I broke two ropes on a much older Motor Guide and happened to be in the shop at the local marine dealer and saw a slightly newer motor with the same design mount. Motor-Guide had developed a plastic grommet insert placed in the round hole in the mount where the rope passed through the metal and received the most stress. I was able to order the same grommet, installed it on my mount and have used the same rope now for six years with little or no wear evident. Yours may have a different design but just suggesting you check things out. It also helps to keep the release latch greased to reduce the pull stress on the rope when dropping the motor in the water and recovering it. Hope that helps a little.

As always, thanks for the great report. Any one care to speculate on the unusual ( for TR ) shallow activity and location of the bass this year ? Dissolved oxygen shortage at greater depths...location of food ???? Maybe something to do with extreme high lake levels ? Sure makes taking the kids and Grandkids out a lot easier and more fun for them.

Amazed to hear anything positive about Zebra Mussels. Always heard they took over traditional spawning areas so the fish couldn't use them. Would like to hear any input from LOZ ( Lake of the Ocean, that's a good one ) dock and lift owners about the impact to docks and boat lifts due to invasion of Zebras. Heard several rumors about them weighing down both so heavily they had to be cleaned or both started to slowly sink.

Have to agree about the lowered volume of boat traffic around Baxter but their launch ramps are still well under water. Danged jet skis are still out there though and there is something about a fisherman in a bass boat that draws them like flies to a fresh kill. Was on the flats Friday across the White from Baxter with fish blowing up all around me ( wouldn't touch my spook ) and no one else on the lake at 0600. All of a sudden from nowhere two jet ski's appear and guess where they headed ? Yep, right through the area the nice Kentuck's and Brownies ( I think ) were running shad. Never have seen it fail and beginning to believe it's on purpose. Couldn't get anything but a couple of bluegill bumps on the fall from a trial of the "Flick and Shake" worm rig in about 22-28 feet so headed in and removed their source of amusement. Will try again today and keep looking for that jig bite others are having success with. Must be using wrong color or fishing wrong water.

Good for you Trav !!!! Best wishes for your eventual success and I know there are many others who remain silent on this same issue who are 100% behind you but are reluctant to express their feelings. Considering the fishing "royalty" you are related to and personally know I think you have a valuable inside track on this subject but can only wonder what the "big money" sponsors will do when they can't set up their weigh-in circus at the end of the day ? The problem initially discussed in this thread seemed to be the results of a small, local or "club" derby and the only thing that will control that, IMHO, is a change in Statewide fishing regulations by MDC.

Rules have to be changed by MDC for ALL tournaments once 6/15 of the current year has been reached. Catch, weigh and release only until say 10/10 or thereabouts. I've been griping about this cruel waste of our natural resources for years and while sad to hear about this not-isolated incident am glad that others have become aware of this problem. This sad handling of fish reminds me of earlier posts made about the "chute" one of the big events this Spring had behind Ahoys where they dropped the weighed-in fish down a long chute and into the lake without benefit of a release boat !!! All concerned anglers need to lean on MDC and loudly express their displeasure with current regulations concerning handling of tournament caught fish. The excellent suggestion about "salting" the livewells is a proven fish-survival aide but after overhearing two tournament anglers adorned in their sponsor's shirts talking in Spgfld. Bass Pro about how the salt ruined their livewell pumps I doubt many use salt unless their sponsors provide the boats and maintenance for same.

George Carson was the outdoor writer for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat and was replaced, after his retirement, by Bill Seibel, his Son-in-law. I had the pleasure of knowing both gentlemen. When the Globe was "absorbed" by the St. Louis Post-Disgrace, they had an "outdoor" writer ( Tim Renken I believe ) already on staff. George passed away and Bill went on to become an N.R.A. instructor and more of a fisherman of the modern type than George had been. George was actually more of a shooting enthusiast who would put on his annual demonstration of shooting aspirin tossed into the air with a BB gun at the original St. Louis Sports and boat show held at the Arena on Oakland ! That is a fact and I witnessed it several times as he could hit 9 out of ten airborne aspirin. He had an entire theory about "pointing" a gun, not aiming it that he passed on to many. I can't imagine where George would have come up with the idea of Lake Trout in Lake Sherwood but Northern Pike would have made it but not been able to reproduce.

Fellas, as, always, thanks for all the replies and good ideas. Like I said, the entire neighborhood is up in arms over this ( literally ) and no one is going to back down, we are fed up to the eye brows. It is an intrinsic, God given right to defend one's self and property. There are enough Nam vets here that did tours with firing restrictions to know when and where not to let go. You want to catch them with the portable tanks they are taking in their boat or their siphon hose stuck in your filler neck. The suggestion made about locking fillers was on the money and PERKO does make some but they are not unversal fit by far. This entire problem will only become worse as fuel climbs in price ever further. If you sit back passively and take no action this problem will only continue. I posted about night fisherman being wary around public Marinas because owners are blaming night tournaments !!!! They have no basis for that but that is what they are telling people complaining. Gasoline on the water hit $4.75 yesterday with the latest delivery. Honest fishermen have no worries but I would not be pulling up to the stern of any moored boats and laying hands on them if I were you. This may draw some unwanted attention.

Bill, Wanna' put any bets on " I won't shoot over $gas theft " ? We have a little law enhancement in Missouri commonly referred to as the "Castle" law where you don't have to drag their body inside any more after plugging them. My attorney advised last night the law could be extended to cover boat or car theft if you get the right prosecutor or judge. The entire neighborhood is fed up and it's time for some down home law enforcement. I catch 'em and it's "DEAD BANG ! " Enough is enough........ The entire boat is locked thoroughly and even locked to the dock with security cables. If I could devise some locking method for the gas fillers I would have them. Yes, I'm experienced and old enough to know about marine theft on docks and have taken all reasonable precautions including the significant hassle of removing all tackle and rods every night. Four years ago the water patrol told me Table Rock had the highest incidence of marine theft in the state so there are a bunch of crumb bums that think it's easy pickins and it's time to teach them a fatal lesson. OO buck = no survivors on full choke.

Warning !!!! If you keep your boat on a lift or tied to a dock on Table Rock overnight, gasoline thieves are targeting boats with filler openings on the stern of the boat that are easily accessed from the water after dark. I personally lost 35 gallons in the past two weeks. Our area has been hit hard and we have formed a neighborhood watch that will take turns standing armed guard on the dock at night and there are enough people pissed-off to spell each other frequently. We figure this is the only solution as no one makes locking gas caps that fit our fillers. Water Patrol and Sherriff are helpless so it's up to the property/boat owners and we are resolved. If I were a night fisherman I would keep a far distance from public Marinas which are posted anyway with no fishing signs so suggest you not try sneaking in on the trolling motor. If any of the guilty parties are reading this ( which I seriously doubt ) I hope to heaven it's my turn when you come back as I shoot to kill and have had plenty of practice at it in the past thanks to Uncle Sam. I want to watch you bleed and hope you enjoy the six foot hole they will put you in if the turtles leave anything to bury. It will be worth the price of admission to jail and a bail bondsman and attorney to snuff your miserable life. Think this is an idle threat ? Please try it again and see.....

Warning, If you keep your boat on a lift on Table Rock, gasoline thieves are targeting boats with gas filler openings on the stern of the boat that are easily accessed from the water at night. Our area has been hit hard and we have formed a neighborhood watch due to the current price of fuel and have decided to stand armed watch at night, spelling each other frequently. Everyone is mad and fed up and we are pledged to shoot on sight. We believe this to be the only way to prevent this as there are no locking gas caps available for our style gas fillers and besides, I want to watch them bleed.

Bill, I'm wondering if you have tried to fish LOZ out of say a 21 or 22 ft. bass boat ? Good Luck, and I hope your life insurance is paid up if you fish in daylight hours !!! I have to agree that tying up or anchoring next to a bridge pier in the middle of a busy day needs to be re-considered but what several of us are trying to get across is that the LOZ menace of larger and larger boats is headed to TR and has been increasing every year. I know a guy on the water as frequently as yourself has to have noticed this... We're not whining, we're stating facts and this will negatively impact you and your clients in the warmer months if allowed to continue. The time to act on length limits is NOW before it gets away from us and completely ruins the lake for fishermen. Sharing the water is what it's all about but endangering people's property and lives because you have to impress everyone with your wealth and power by floating your Queen Mary is unacceptable. When these enormous boats run on an inland lake no one is safe and they are the ones who need to share !!

Part of the problem with fishing next to bridge piers is that not only do you get the wake directly off the play-boat's passage but then you get the reflected wave from behind you as it bounces off the bridge pier. That's what makes tying up there so dangerous and I'm certainly not implying you shouldn't fish there but be prepared to "fend off " when irresponsible boaters go by. Where two wave peaks intersect going the same or in opposite directions, the wave height is double what the original wave height was. That is what has swamped several large craft at Lake of the Ozarks. Think I have said this before but I'll say it again. A hull length limit needs to be established on Table Rock right now. Either that or maybe make the entire lake "no wake " if your craft exceeds a certain length ?? They screwed up at Lake of the Ozarks and didn't install a size limit before the gargantuan boats owned by the "look at me and my new toy " crowd ruined that lake. As a result they have many "battleships in a bathtub " running around ruining everyone's days and property. If you've fished TR for a few years you've seen play-boat sizes and their numbers and the seemingly accompanying lack of common courtesy growing and growing. I have no idea where to start with this and hope others that are fed up have some ideas ??? Who do we contact ? How does this get started ? What kind of an organization will it take to get this needed regulation off the ground ? Thanks.

Amen to the Sea Foam, really does help. Baxter Boat Dock is a source of gasoline minus the dreaded Ethanol. Passed a station in Green Forest AR yester day on the main highway that advertised no ethanol in their fuel. Ethanol is a scam and a source of engine problems. Several of our lovable Missouri State legislators have discovered they shot themselve in the foot by "mandating" ethanol content as they are cattlemen and Ethanol drove up their feed prices 200-300 % !!! Serves 'em right for not doing their homework and listening to the well funded ethanol industry lobbyists!!! There's plenty of oil out there, you just have to convince the extremist tree huggers to allow it to be drilled for or extracted from oil shale.

If you can read Bill's report and not get the immediate " I gotta go fishin' right now fever " I think you may need one of those defibrillator gizmos to get your heart started again ! Outstanding as usual and I sure thank you for it. I'm stuck for another day recovering from yesterday's knee surgery but if I have to crawl into the boat Saturday I'm doin' it. Great tale, thanks as always for your time.....