skeeter

Good luck at finding a useable ramp. Everything at Baxter is under many feet of water and the Corps has orange sawhorses at all the roads leading to the water with signs on them saying to keep out. Saw some guys launch an aluminum john boat with fishing seats in it at the end of Hwy. "H" and about three hours later the Corps had a citation stuck under their windshield wipers. Don't make the mistake of submerging your rear axle under the water trying to launch as most have breathers on them and will suck in cold water. Just saw two boats go past the house wide open ( must be a small tournament) despite all the debris floating in and on the water.

--------------------------------------------------- Just a heads-up that if anyone you know of is plannning travel on I-44 between Springfield and St Louis from now through the Easter weekend I would suggest they check with MoDOT first. Driving West yesterday at 4:30 P. M. I just did get across the Gasconade River at the 131 mile marker previous to the Interstate being shut down in both directions because the River was coming over the road with strong current on the flats East of the River bridge. The Eastbound lanes were already shut down and the left lane of Westbound was underwater and then it came up some more. That may have been the flood crest but I kind of doubt it, probably too early on a river that size. In addition I almost guarantee I-44 will close at highway 141 in St. Louis County sometime Friday at the 272 mile marker as the crest on the Meramec River at Valley Park is projected to come within 1/10 of a foot of the record crest of 1982 and the Interstate went under about three feet of water back then. Since '82 the Fed's built a new $49 million levee around Valley Park that is going to push all the flood water over to the Interstate side of the Valley. There is one sure way to get around this closure and that is to exit at Grey Summit on Hwy. 100 which avoids the River crossings completely. Watching Table Rock come up I wonder just how high it's gonna' get ? Forecast is 931 MSL and that put's it at the top of the flood gates which I hear are all now all wide open. Sure glad I'm not a dock owner. There are trees floating in Big Indian and the White that are the size of large cars. Be careful out there and remember some of these snags are sub surface and you can't see them and you DON'T want to be in the water at these temps.

SKMO, got in late in the afternoon. Baxter Dock is closed and inaccessible with the water up (last night ) to the top row of parking in their lot. The Corps has a sign posted at the access road to the dock off "H" closing the area. Hear the crest isn't due until Sat. so it's gonna' get higher !!! Saw your pics of the 86 bridge, awesome, thanks for posting. Read my post about the drive down from STL on the " General Angling Discussion" . Gotta' get out, if I can find a useable ramp and flip a jig into the junk floating at the backs of coves.

It's going to be critical that if there is a fast warm-up while the water is still high and if the fish go on their beds that the Corps maintain the lake levels and not expose the nests. Since they have all 10 flood gates open I'd say that right now the last thing on their minds is the spawn but it should still be weeks off. Brownies and the Kentuckies go first followed a few degrees later by the largemouth. Early next week's forecast is for below normal temps as another Canadian high pressure moves in so who knows, at this time of the year, just what will happen.

SKMO. Gotchya' on which side of "H" you launch on. If what Phil is reporting about 10 flood gates being open at the dam, there ought to be a VERY noticeable current for your lee side of the points stategy. That's an excellent strategy. With all the visible and sub surface debris coming in it ought to be hard to get the boat on plane for safety's sake. 921.76 and rising is the latest this A.M. Might run across you if you're out tomorrow. Same boat ( a little older ) as yours if you recall the morning of the foggy Ranger tournament off the campground point.

Like I posted over in another thread, what happens to the hatchery if it goes over the new spillway ? Not aware of the MSL reading where it does go over the spillway but that would seem like it would be disaster for the hatchery down below. Latest lake level on the National Weather Service is 921 and rising so it can go up another 10 feet and then lookout.

Sure hope for all you trout anglers that the new spillway at TR dam doesn't get a tryout. It lools like that could spell disaster for the SOH Hatchery if it happens. Pretty dumb design IMHO but they claim it was necessary. It's gotta' stop sometime!!!

Thanks for your reply. Not sure this rain is going to help all THAT much but I experienced kinda' the same situation after the much colder Winter of '77-'78 when most of the lakes along the AR-MO border froze almost bank to bank except on the main channel and then it got close in places. Had a huge threadfin shad die off and then a 3-4 " rainfall at 65-70 degrees the last weekend in March '78 when a large warmfront blew in. When the warm water runoff hit the area lakes all the crawdads came out and everything in the lake was up on the banks eating them as there wasn't much else left. This year's situation isn't as extreme as that Winter but somewhat similar and should make some difference...... Maybe ! Guess we're all going to find out since once the rain is gone the weather forecast looks pretty decent.

Hey SKMO, good to hear from you again. Did they fix the courtesy dock at the Baxter launch ramp yet ? My daughter is bugging the heck out of me to take her fishing and I'm wondering if the rain you're getting in the area is a warm or a cold rain ? This time of year after a cold winter a warmer vs. a cold run-off can make all the difference ( maybe ). Anybody else local care to chime in I'd appreciate it. Thanks much.

No, not "finally" ! This is the third 8 inch plus storm since December and more to come tomorrow. Plus two ice events and one sleet event. Table Rock is possibly going to get it tonight and tomorrow and then it's coming our way. The nice thing here is it melts between storms unlike Chicago.

Come on up to St. Louis. We got 12 inches yesterday where I work and where I live. Wife and I spent three hours digging my truck INTO the driveway so I could get off the street and park. 25 miles West as the crow flies they got less than an inch. Go figure ! Time for winter to be over. Al Gore, what the hell happened to your Global Warming ?

Yeah, I saw that "courtesy" dock all torn up and neglected. What's up with that ? Isn't the Corps supposed to maintain that dock for all the "fees" they collect ? Might be time to make some very pointed calls to the Lake hdqtrs. and get them off their rear ends. Lot of folks are going to be needing that dock in the next few weeks. They are sure quick enough to place tickets on fishermen's vehicles they suspect haven't placed their "fee" in the box.

Yo ! Ricky......how are things down at club Babaloo now that Fidel has "retired " ? Is Raoul treating you any better ? apologies....couldn't resist

Anyone have their rain gauge out or, like me, is it inside due to freezing concerns ? Totals anyone ?

Now there's a mix for you. Slobo the Croatian and his Irish Setter.... Cute story and I can see it happening as we've had three " Big Reds " over the years and they are quick and agile. The first guy would retrieve rocks I threw in the clear shallow Ozark streams even though not asked to and would stick his head under water and look around for the rock I threw. It wasn't always the same one but he had good intentions Too bad Slobo couldn't have made a video tape of his "Lipi" actually catching the fish.

OMG ! Rolling on the floor laughing my arse off at that video, thanks so much for posting. Gonna' have to try putting one together but will aim it for the broad side of a close by tree, SPLAT ! Anything one can do to discourage and thin out the "tree rats " is a plus. They really have no predators anymore except for the Great Horned Owl that will pick them off at night if they can find their nest site. I've seen a full grown fox at my deer feeder try and nail one and the darn squirrel came out the winner. Your wife will rue the day she encouraged squirrels to hang around your home and will enjoy paying to have them removed from your attic after they chew their way in. Greatly encourage .22 with short shorts or high velocity pellet guns to reduce their numbers. Traps are so-so but for Pete's sake if you trap 'em send them to squirrel heaven and don't try and re-locate.

National Geographic Explorer channel on cable/satellite had a nice 20 minute video about Pruitt and his wife on last night, 1-1-08. Title of the show is "Monster Fish" and I'm sure it will be repeated, watch your program guides or listings. His wife went to net this fish and the net broke, he had to haul it in by hand over the gunwale of his boat. He's sure there are other, larger fish to be had. Bear in mind this took place just above the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers and that same area yielded a Bull Shark at one time.

Sounds like great news to me but here's hoping they don't sink them all in the "middle" of coves as the fry of the year need cover to hide and grow in. That's an excellent use of those danged old nasty tick hotels called Eastern Red Cedars that take over seemingly everywhere. More power to them and I hope they cut down more Cedars and uncover the glade environment that MDC has stated is disappearing due to shade cast by overpopulation of Cedars. There used to be a program wherein the Corps brought discarded Christmas trees to the COE campground areas in January/February and lot's of us would gather them up and devise permanent weights for them, drag them out on flats etc. and sink 'em. However, Eastern Red Cedars are known to last much longer in an underwater environment than typical Christmas tree species so bring 'em on. We always believed that if you sank a cedar that was still green it was an immediate Crappie magnet. Hope they make their way up to mid-lake some year.

No sight of any last weekend. Probably a little bit early. Wait for the second cold front behind this one that's going to stall out. Late next week they'll be riding in on it. Nature's F-16's ZOOOOOM !!!

Al, Figured I'd reply in this thread rather than over on the excellent post you made about your recent trip on the Big. Guess I didn't keep up with the Fed's designating the lead mine tailings as a Superfund site, thanks for updating us. Having ridden dirt bikes extensively in the 70's on a tailings site down Hwy 185 South of Sullivan I became very familiar with the "fines" and how St. Joe Lead and others would dam up entire valleys then "float" the "fines" via water transport into those valleys until full. That two mile long valley on 185 and a place in Flat River called the "Sugar Bowl" by the bikers were fun places to ride and would remind you of riding in the desert Southwest on BLM lands. However, those "fines" can be some of the most treacherous surfaces you ever encountered when wet. You've no doubt heard of "liquefaction" of alluvial soils during earthquakes ? Same goes for the "fines" only X 10. It only takes one rider to pass over a wet surface and the next guy will sink to his frame, guaranteed. My point is it's good of the Fed's to "stabilize" these tailings impoundments of fines but the material is so unbelieveably fine and so incredibly subject to movement by liquid that I think the only real solution is to transport those fines right back where they came from, deep underground and off the surface of the planet. Those stabilization projects will only last so long and then future generations will be faced with the same problems we have seen. In other words, the problem isn't solved, just put off for a few years. Let's hope the overseers of the Superfund sites realize this in short order.

You can come snag the dead four foot long spoonie floating between Baxter Dock and the parking lot

Many thanks, as always, Capt. Don. Outstanding, detailed report that is greatly appreciated. If I ever get done working on this consarned house maybe I can add some of my own.

I and several others were saying "good riddance" to a despised, amoral "greaser" who screwed everything he could that wore a skirt, had next to no acting talent and who abused drugs. This is what we were supposed to look up to and admire? Get serious !!! God blessed him with somewhat of a voice and somebody was smart enough to advise him to copy and imitate the leading black musicians of the 50's. You wanted to know and you got the unbiased truth and I guarantee there are thousands who feel the same way but are afraid to openly admit it due to Elvis mania. Let the barbs and arrows commence and I could care less, the truth often hurts !

Yep, and one of the worst "obnoxious drivers" in NASCAR has the same last name as a beer my employer makes that comes in a blue can with mountains in the background ! We first encountered him at a truck race at Gateway before he had "ascended" to the Cup cars, what a stuck-up jerk he was then and apparently continues to be. These guys are marketed and pimped by their business agents and press agents and their sponsor's names roll off their tongues in every sentence of every rehearsed speech they make. Have to agree that open wheel is where it's at. At the same truck race I mentioned in previous paragraph one of the support races was called the "Silver Bullet " cars ( I think ) and they were front engine roadsters ( remember them ? ) with rear mounted fuel tanks and the drivers sitting in an upright position sawing madly away at the steering wheel while trying to maintain their line through the turns. Great fun to watch and all were powered by stock blocks crowned with old-fashioned Hillborn injection and they flat put it on the NASCAR trucks with their much faster lap times. NASCAR has become BORING and is over-hyped and over-marketed for what you get. Think race fans are starting to realize that as TV viewership is down 18% this year and the Corporate types are WORRIED. I love F-1 with a passion but please, somebody get rid of Bernie Ecclestone and his dictatorial ways. At least they put some driver input back into the cars with the grooved tires and reduction in electronic traction controls.

Thom, Reading your post about required lake trout removal...didn't some mis-guided individual sneak them into Yellowstone Lake too ? I can only hope this Danube River fish stays in the Danube River. From the pics it looks like one ugly fishy. For some reason it reminds me of a Coelacanth ( sp ? ).