skeeter

Thanks to fast work by the contractor MoDOT employed, I-44 re-opened at Hwy. 65 approx. 10:00 P.M. Saturday night 7-7-07.

Go to the MoDOT website. Details are thoroughly covered there including detours.

Great minds think alike

Amen to that !!!!

Gentlemen it's all done in the name of profit as I'm sure many if not all of you are aware.... The pressure put on Companies to constantly grow their share value to stockholders is incredible but that's our way of life ! The environmental concerns and regulations in this Country have made it financially beneficial coupled with the cost of labor to move manufacturing to the Communist dictatorship that is modern day China to drive those profits. Investors, Wall St. and mutual fund managers make these demands and this is the result. Not saying there is anything wrong with that but how the Chinese abuse the environment is criminal. The Chicoms spy on us, steal our technology for national defense and manufacturing and we are truly "sleeping with the enemy".

Oh, I would have loved to. But not with two Grandkids in the boat. One 11 and the other 6. Smith & Wesson did come to my immdiate mind though.....

The "meat hogs" referred to in other posts are those that illegally keep short fish and those that keep more than the limit, either in the livewell, on a stringer, in a fish basket or, to stock up their freezer. I'm sure everyone is aware of not just the daily limits but the limits MDC puts on numbers of fish in your possession ? Personally I still say carefully release the bass and eat the panfish, they taste better for sure and catching big'uns can be a challenge. Thanks for posting the reminder about culling denjac, probably ought to extend that time period down here in the Southern part of the State until the end of September. Getting real tired of seeing dead bass after tournaments. You can't carry enough ice in a boat to keep livewell fish cool in the Summer, day or night.

Has anyone seen the offshore tunnel hull with the bright green stripe on it running around ? I hear the thing is capable of 140 and it's Godawful noisy despite the obviously inadequate mufflers the older owner has on the twin Dodge Viper V-10 engines in the thing. How many more of those are we going to have to listen to when some clown tries to "one-up" the thing ? I'm out doing some yard maintenance in the Baxter area two weeks ago and I can hear this guy coming from up around Big Creek or point 20. Thought the Confederate Air Force was flying their restored B-17 around, it's that loud ! Then there's the jerk running around in the twin inboard 35 footer with " Murphy's Law " painted on the stern. He likes to buzz fisherman trying to drop shot and when he goes flying by real close he likes to flip you off with both hands no matter if you have Grandkids in the boat or not. No hull numbers on the boat so I assume he's got it "documented" with the Coast Guard which is the way these people avoid paying personal property tax. How many more of this type boat and the owners that seem to go with them will TR have to endure? Believe me when I say they have no consideration for others. There has to be some limits established now before it's way too late and too late is coming fast. Yeah, it's a public lake and all that, yadda yadda yadda, but it's not the Ocean, it's not the Great Lakes and no one needs a battleship in a bathtub. Perhaps someone from the Corps needs to get out on the Lake on weekends and see just what is going on.

OUTSTANDING !!! Thanks very much for posting the phone number, just finished inputting to my cell phone book. Want to encourage anyone else reading this thread to do the same.. Maybe if enough concerned anglers start reporting the meat hogs they will find out it's cheaper to buy fish at the grocery store. Depends on which Judge they come up in front of as always so I hope there's some outdoorsmen/women on the bench in Stone & Taney Counties. Again, enforcement Officers can't be everywhere and I would think they would welcome some valid tips.

Well I guess "confront" was the wrong term to use. More like "do something about it " like calling in registration numbers if possible on a cell phone while on the water. I was referring to the meat hogs that Bill had posted about that are keeping short fish and keeping more than the limit. I've seen them in the past and just shook my head, no more. As per prior post, excellent suggestion would be, if possible, find out where they launched their boat and get the vehicle license number. Many ramps have only one way in and out which helps.

Four years ago I was asked to be the "designated driver" of a rental boat for my Nephew's bachelor party on Lake Ozark. Early Sunday morning while the "young'uns" were sleeping it off I walked down to the humongous dock at the condo they had rented and started a conversation with the owner who was down manning the gas pumps. This dock was the biggest thing I had ever seen on fresh water other than on the Great Lakes and had 20 boats (yachts?) that stuck out beyond the end of 50' slips ! The guy told me where the Lake of the Ozarks had screwed up was by not establishing a length limit on the boats allowed on the Lake six years previous. I think those of us who have been on TR for a few years have seen the increase in numbers of what I would call " Lake of the Ozarks " boats and kind of shudder at the thought of TR going the way of LOTO with huge cruisers and offshore racing boats etc. that just keep getting longer, faster and louder. Maybe it's time to start a campaign to put a boat length limit on Table Rock now before it's too late ??

This was mentioned on another local board as happening off Point 10 Sunday afternoon and ironically and unhappily the boat was occupied by two Southern Stone County Firefighters and their families. The engine backfired and started the fire and everyone jumped over the side. Report said the owner stayed on board and threw flotation devices to everyone before jumping in himself and received minor burns while doing so. Brave guy !!!

There is an MDC boat based at Baxter. I'll see him this weekend and mention he needs to really watch the crawler fishermen and pass on the address to this discussion board. Don't believe he is a full-fledged Agent but he can radio in for one real quick. He's normally running creel census but can check license and live-wells and I've been checked by him. Yes, the agents are spread awfully thin especially when you know the size of the MDC annual budget as posted on another thread. Smart-aleck jerks breaking our game and fish laws like what you encountered from out-of-State or in-State need to be reported. Suggest you get their hull registration number and phone it in along with their location while still on the water. Enforcement can't be everywhere and we obviously need to give them a hand at apprehending violators. I know I'm guilty of avoiding confrontations with obvious violators in the past but have made up my mind to no longer do so.

Hey SKMO good to see you're back. Enjoy your reports. Hope to see you on the water again, this time w/o fog and a crazy Ranger tournament zooming by. Missed the 'gills this year on the flyrod during bedding season due to lack of water time but hope to make up for it. Guess all next week a guy better just get out there at 4 like you did.

Hey Troutbum...ever by chance run into a Scott Sindelar at one of the local watering holes out there ? He tends bar or is the assistant manager and was at one of the ski resorts but then moved back into town. Can't recall the name of the place but since he's my Nephew just thought I'd ask.

If you haven't made your move yet here's what I can contribute after a couple of purchases: LCD, dim room better to view in and no glare off screen also more pricey than Plasma. Plasma, recently increased their display life expectancy to equal that of LCD, better in a brightly lit room, screens are subject to glare or reflections and less expensive for equal sized display compared to LCD. Samsung is a brand to be avoided unless you are buying their very top end model. Olevia ditto for all. Vizio, jury is still out. A Gentleman who has been in the TV sales and repair business for the last 45 years in SW St. Louis County, A-1 Antenna, told me whatever you do when making your purchase get the longest extended warranty you can afford. Repair parts on these things can be unobtanium and he admitted his customers bringing in sets to be repaired had better luck than he did in acquiring the parts. In many cases they are waiting for parts for 90 days + and finally getting action only after the irate customer/owner gets on the phone with the Manufacturer. He also spoke highly of Hitachi, Sony, Panasonic. Old story, you get what you pay for...... Personally I have a 50" Sony LCD projection HDTV that has to have the projector bulb replaced at a cost of $200 and it takes 5 minutes or less and no tools, been a good set over the past four years. Just added a 42" Hitachi plasma and been very happy with that. Reached the point where I will not buy an analog TV for any price as that technology goes bye-bye Feb. 2009. Almost forgot, if you are looking for highest quality picture, be sure and insist on 1080 display. Good luck.

Kinda' depends on where the ants are gaining access from...I had them climbing up a one story high deck post to get to a feeder hung underneath an overhanging soffit. Put a stop to them by spreading Ortho's dry granular lawn insecticide heavily around the perimeter of the post where it contacted the ground and they croaked trying to cross the insecticide. Suggest you backtrack where the little buggers are coming from and attack them where they're coming off the ground. My problem this year has been the House Finches. Smart little devils figured out the nectar was good stuff when I used to leave one bee-guard out so the Baltimore Orioles could get to it. Had to replace the bee-guard due to first one and now six House finches slurping at the hummingbird feeder. Darn finches are notoriously aggressive at feeders and don't want them running off the hummers ( if they ever return from wherever ! ). Next thing they'll learn how to yank out the bee-guard and then it's gonna' be BB gun time !

Ha ! Saw one in front of Harter House in Kimberling City about four weeks ago. Neat bird ! Almost looked tropical with that long tail and swooping flight pattern. According to the map in my bird I.D book we are at the extreme Eastern limit of their range. Now if we could just persuade the danged Coyotes that Armadillers taste good !! Anybody else feed the Hummingbirds ? My neighbors and I have been trying to figure out where they all went suddenly. No one has seen a bird at their feeders in about two weeks and they aren't on the garden flowers either ????

Suggest you check first wherever you decide to go and see if they have necessary equipment and training to work on Optimax. Not every Merc shop has the capability.

Thanks for the replies folks. Guess they are making it through the gates/generators at Beaver. Don't know what effect they would have on TR if MDC stocked them since they're mules and can't reproduce but according to my Son they can really put a bend in your pole and that ain't all bad !

Ummm.... I think in the case of those Texas towns there was a pretty easy way around them, in STL they will be somewhat trapped between Missouri and Mississippi Rivers which methinks are far larger than the Rivers they have crossed so far. So they will kind of be squeezed into the Metropolitan area and it's traffic patterns, SPLAT...CRUNCH. So when the little buggers start digging up my lawn like they do at the lake house I'll leave the Mastiff outside at night like I do at the lake, he loves to chase them. I think he likes them because they remind him of the soccer balls he loves to play with with the Grandkids. You never saw a more hilarious sight than this 185 lb. pooch batting an Armadiller around with his paws. Keeps him amused for a long time and gives me a chance to get the .22 out.

Last weekend my Son caught this monster of ( what he thought was ) a white on a spook over in Red Barn and brought it into the dock in the livewell for admiration, pictures and weighing. He pulled the fish out of the well thinking he had some sort of MO State record and darned if it wasn't a wiper or hybrid that weighed 6 pounds and was a really beautiful fish. Now I have never heard of or read about MDC stocking hybrids in TR but am wondering if this fish could have come through the dam at Beaver by some magic ? I know AR stocks Beaver with Stripers, do they stock hybrids too ? Any of you Arkansas residents know ? We set her/him free and it's swimming in the Baxter area.

Dead Armadillers spotted on Hwy 109 in Eureka MO and on Hwy 141 in Manchester MO. so they've made it to the Big City ! Prediction....crossing major Interstates in and around metropolitan areas will prove much tougher than swimming across little old Rivers...... SPLAT !!!

TR and other lakes on the White River chain is the one place ( according to MO conservationist magazine )in the U. S. that you will find the "long-pincered" crayfish and yes, some of the really big ones look like little lobsters. Local bait shops and Wally World(sometimes)carry the vinyl-coated wire crawfish traps and they work pretty good. Try the bait shop just North of Kimberling City on Hwy. 13, which used to be and maybe still is called Tri-Lakes. We use cheap chicken parts, backs, necks etc. and like to get the traps that have a hanging "bait-cage" if you can find them. Remainders of cleaned fish like catfish, perch etc. work great too. The bait cage keeps freeloaders from reaching in without entering the trap and feeding on your bait without being caught. We like to drop the traps under the boat dock in about 15-25 feet of water on the bottom and the roof and shade from the dock helps a lot as most crawfish don't like to come out in the open in direct sun. Like others have posted, good Cajun spice, red potatoes and corn make a great "boil". Many folks like to leave the "dads" in a bucket of water for 24 hours before cooking as they "purge" themselves this way and you don't have the dark vein (alimentary canal) to deal with when shelling them.

After taking a ride in a friend's river jon on the Mississippi and Missouri just above St. Louis I can tell you that these guys were very brave sitting with their backs to the front of the boat. MDC has installed protective gear in front of steering location in their river boats due to flying 30+ lb. carp. When they hit you or jump into your boat they leave this unbelievable slime behind, if you are going fast enough and hit one they can actually knock you out of the boat or break noses etc. Not joking ! Archers were incredible shots but next time I would suggest hand grenades, dynamite or maybe shotguns would be fun. Anything to get rid of these darn things. Illinois installed some sort of electric fence on the upper Illinois River to try and prevent these critters from entering the Great Lakes. Biologists claim they will really do just fine in cold water. Kind of surprised guides floating the White below Bull Shoals have not seen them in trout waters yet.