skeeter

Where's a good source for those ProGuides please ? My Interstates are four years old and getting suspect. I read big c's story about Optima's and had the Batteries Plus people in Sprgfld. warn me off of them. Seems they quit selling them before last year due to too many warranty returns and the manager told me they had moved their production out of the U.S. Batteries Plus recommended Northstar AGM which are made in Sprgfld. but the cost is $300+ per battery. Yikes ! Thanks.

Correct, some are sensitive to contrarian, deliberately obnoxious, accusatory, contradictory and deriding comments on a totally innocent posting. Always someone (you) out there ready to pounce-on, complain-about and belittle some total stranger's thoughts and information. If you can't say anything positive just shut up ! You should have learned that by the time you were 12 yrs old but didn't. FYI, Mr. Wonderful hydrology expert, lower water levels on the lower Miss. DO give the COE the "CHOICE" whether or not to release water from the Tri-Lakes chain. Prior to the subsiding of the Miss. levels, there was no "choice", the high lake waters were held back to protect the Farmers in the Arkansas Grand Prairie area as well as further downstream on the White and the Miss..

Took that word "choice" the wrong way didn't you ? typical Kansas confrontational attitude. Try a little non-accusatory courtesy in your next post, if possible.

According to news reports, the high water conditions on the lower Mississippi are greatly reduced so the COE should now be able to lower the Tri-Lakes levels much faster.....if they choose to.

And a big Amen to the "silent" part, especially in super-clear water conditions. All depends on what they want that day but IMHO, on TR anyway, silent outdoes rattling. Not many baitfish have rocks in their guts that rattle :-) !

I'm well aware of the flat lands in Arkansas' "Grand Prarie" and how the slightest flood stage spreads out for miles but wasn't aware of the White and Arkansas still being close to flood stage. Must be a lot of "back-up" from the Mississippi not letting them drain faster. Marina owner told me the COE plan/forecast was for 917 by Labor Day barring any more widespread heavy rains.

Keeping my fingers and toes crossed it's not the LMBV again ! Maybe someone with better understanding of water conditions than me can explain why the water isn't clearing up ? Only thing I can think of is a continued algae bloom from all the nutrients that got washed in ?

Megabass bait looked good until discovery of the rattle in it. This year with the dingy water that might be OK but I avoid rattles in the normally clear water. Just sayin'.

As many of you know, the underwater Baxter ramp and access road require you to back thru the trees and adjacent rocks but the upper lot is still available for parking. Surely by now, the COE should be able to lower the Tri-Lakes at a faster rate than what we are seeing ?

Yeppers, and that was when the water was only about 918 and some change. This afternoon, the same highly intelligent person wouldn't have had any problem....she's on the way up at 920.5 and rising pretty fast. At least this time around all four turbines are operational at the dam so they will be making a lot of clean Hydropower. I still can't figure how he got that trailer over or under those parking lot cables but he did. The "Baxter Springs" inlet at the rear corner of the parking lot sounds like a Rocky Mountain Creek during Spring Snowmelt.

Media is reporting an evacuation of Roaring River Park and a four foot "wave" of water moving thru it. Kinda' doubt that came in the form of an actual "wave" but the water level did rise. Shell Knob reporting 5" this morning and we have 2.20" at Baxter....so far at 11:47 with more coming indicated on Radar.

Baxter ramp was the usual Funnyfarm over the weekend. Then, some highly intelligent individual decided to launch off the Marina parking lot. Don't know how he got past those steel cables strung at the lower extent of the lot but his prop managed to hit two dock-anchor cables on his way out.

Gosh darn, you recall that too huh ? Never forget being out in a boat with Dad and his buddy, a German bricklayer name of Henry Schumacher, back in a quiet cove on LOZ in about '55 or '56. Idiot pulling a skier buzzed Henry's boat about three times between us and the nearby bank while we were anchored close to a marked Crappie bed (remember those red on white heart markers on the shoreline trees ? ) and the third time, Henry pulled a lever-action 30-30 out from under the windshield somewhere and shook it at the clown. Bozo made the mistake of coming back for a fourth time and Henry pumped about three rounds from the 30-30 at the ski-boat's waterline. Certainly not recommended and way prior to having to have Registration numbers on boats. I always thought that was an isolated incident but you must have heard of others.

Saw their new docks....incredible !! New Marina office is a full size, two-story house floating on the water... very nice but is it really needed ? Instead of vindictive, unreasonable "shoreline management plans" the COE needs to limit boat sizes. NOW, before it's too late.

What did I miss ? I couldn't find the DJ spoons I just ordered as being available with the Stars and Bars on them....shucks ! :-) !!

Off the subject but we had spotted about a 60' to 65' long Cabin Cruiser going down the White River channel around 2 weeks ago throwing at least a 2 & 1/2 ' wake at medium speed. The boat (ship ? ) appeared to be a "Displacement Hull" design and we watched that wake hit two unfortunate fishermen's boat that were trying to fish a point about 50 yards from this Battleship's path. Thankfully, the angler running the trolling motor saw the wake approaching and probably heard it too because it was so high the top of the wake was "breaking" and curling over. He turned the bow of the boat into the wake and we could see the two of them bouncing up and down like they were on a see-saw in a playground as their boat rode the Cruiser's wake. It certainly would have broken over the gunwale of their boat and filled it with water had they not turned into it. ANYWAY, that "Queen Mary" was observed docked at Campbell Point Marina and belongs on the Great Lakes or the Ocean, not Table Rock.

Be careful there. The "Village Mart" on the corner of Business 13 (old 2 lane hwy 13 ) and 76 in Branson West no longer has Ethanol free premium. "Fast Freddies" about 1/4 mile South of that 13/76 intersection on the West side of Business 13 (towards Sonic ) does still sell Ethanol free premium. Last year, I asked the counter attendant at Village Mart why they stopped selling Ethanol free gas and he had no answer but admitted they had lost a lot of business because of it. Ha-Bob's at 13 and Hwy "H" in Lampe still sells Ethanol free 91 Octane. Ethanol truly does suck and did, and may still have, a very well-funded lobbyist group. At least the U.S. Congress cancelled the corn growers Ethanol sub$idy a couple of years ago....finally. What I have been unable to find an explanation for is that I've heard from anglers in neighboring States like AR, KS, NB that they can buy Ethanol free 87 Octane but in MO, it's gotta' be 91 Octane or above. Why is that ? www.pure-gas.org

WD-40 has a new rust eliminator product out that just sprays on. Other than that, wire-brush, sandpaper and then put a good coating of marine grease on it and, when not in use, cover it with one of those trailer-ball covers.

I'm certainly no expert but after battling a 2.25 Ram mount for my Hummingbird 1197c (just a bit larger than the HDS9 I think) for several years I am ordering the Balzout unit. I even called RAM and they were very courteous and actually sent out a new mount plus a wrench-type tool they have developed in response to similar complaints. That tool is meant to give the user more leverage beyond what the human hand can exert on the friction/tightening knob on the base of the 2.25 RAM. There just isn't enough surface area for one of those large units on that ball mount to keep the 1197 from "blowing over" at any speed over 50 and especially in rough water. After speaking with the gent who manufactures the Balzout mount http://balzoutllc.com/ (Old Monroe, MO ) I found out their adjusting knobs have holes drilled thru them for tool access in case your fingers can't get a good enough grip on the "knurled" surfaces.

Little guy needs his anal glands cleaned out. His actions are a classic sign of it. Common doggy problem and very foul smell !

Clearly and laughingly remember "trolling" on LOZ uplake from Grand Glaize Bridge in 1956 with my Dad and his Sis. She got a hit on an old "Pico Perch" and reeled it up to the side of the rental boat. When she saw the 3 foot Eel that was on the hooks, she let out a whoop and darn near threw the Rod, Reel and Eel into the Lake thinking she had hooked a snake. Dad was able to grab the outfit from her before she tossed it and it was a lengthy struggle unhooking that wriggling, thrashing, extremely slimey Eel to throw it back. After we returned to the old Antler's resort, the owner back then, John Tillman Sr., told us they were very good eating. That catch was made about 20 years after LOZ was impounded so it makes you appreciate how life will find a way.

Awesome Burgers at W.F. Cody's !! A very nice guy I happened to become "chemo-buddies" with last year who is an avid paddler/kayaker/rafter happens to have been the former owner/operator. He still owns the Real Estate but has moved on from operating/running the place. A definite must whenever we visit Springfield. Never have worked up the courage to try the one-pound burger...gotta' save room, after all, for the mushrooms. Too bad about Hillbilly Bowl but reports have said the Restaurant is to remain.

Found two of the endangered Ozark Hellbenders in our Crawdad trap a few years back. On a guess, after having read the article in the MDC "Conservationist" magazine, we took several close-up pictures of them and called first then forwarded the pics to the MDC biologist doing the Hellbender study and he verified they were the endangered species. Said up until then he hadn't considered looking for them in reservoirs. Glad you were able to release them. Thanks for the pictures. Recall the Biologist saying the true Hellbender does not have exterior gills at the back of the head.

Hope no one needs gas on the water this weekend in the Baxter area. Baxter Marina closed early (supposed to be open thru 10/31 and last weekend in Oct.). Saw a few disappointed slip renters down there early this morning.

Amazing annual journey by a seemingly fragile insect. Banding efforts have proven that the annual Southwesterly bound Monarchs are the 2nd, 3rd or even 4th generation offspring of the Springtime Northbound migrators. Some kind of little understood genetically transmitted memory tells the descendants where and when to head to Mexico for Wintering. I hope their numbers rebound as I've read where the numbers of Monarchs in the small area they stay for Wintertime was only 10% of normal last year.