skeeter

We heard/saw flock after flock of Snow Geese migrating South the past few days with incredible numbers of huge flocks going over the house yesterday. I'd guesstimate upwards of 500-600 birds in some flocks that were flying together and spread over a large part of the sky. The Boss decided we had to do some early evening Christmas shopping just after dark and while on the parking lot, more large flocks were flying over so low that the parking lot lights were enough to see them by. In view of next week's weather forecast for the Ozarks, I'd say these guys are doing the right thing at the right time.

The negative opinions in response to this gentleman's proposal, especially the comments about financial impact on surrounding businesses, remind me of the exact, identical thing that happened back in the 70's when MDC installed the 15" black Bass limit on TR and other Missouri lakes. The Resort and Marina owners almost unanimously put thumbs down on the 15" limit and were worried that it would put them out of business or badly impact them. And you know what happened ? Just the opposite. And THAT is a proven fact! As the World is learning, a fishery is not an infinite resource. True, we don't have "factory ships" trawling for sport fish on TR but the Lake does experience incredible commercial tournament pressure every week-in and week-out. That pressure can only be sustained for just so long....then lookout. The one post read "First off it is the goal of tournament anglers to bring the fish to the scale alive or face penalties that in the pro-level can be worth 10’s of thousands of dollars. Hence now we have better live well systems and additives to help insure fish survival" and that is certainly true, but, many of us are concerned about what happens AFTER the weigh-in with the cameras rolling and the endlessly yapping commentators carrying on while Joe Pro holds his fish up for all to see and after all that sponsor-financed hoopla is over we are fed up with finding the water around release sites with numbers of dead, floating, quality Bass after large, commercial tournaments. If nothing else, my thoughts are to place a well-defined area of the lake into a so-called "Trophy Fishing only" area similar to what MDC has done on several streams and Rivers for Smallmouth and Trout. Like the gentleman who started this thread, I've been around a while too and am concerned about the future of the Lake and whether the same fishing opportunities will be available to my Grandchildren. My two cents.

Part of the solution to this mess would be to vote out Doofus Dooley, the incapable County Executive/Supervisor. His hiring of his political cronies, without interviews nor experience in their fields, cost County taxpayers over $170,000.00 annually in salaries and that excludes the cost of their benefits packages. How many seasonal County Park workers could be hired for that amount of money seeing as how they only earn $9.72/hour ? STL County voters may recall the last election for County Executive when Dooley was being soundly defeated but remained confident and happy at his election headquarters despite the vote count. The reason was, as well reported on local electronic media, the North County vote was late ( I wonder why ? ) and that's where his support comes from in the form of block voting. A recent Post Dsispatch article detailed the split in the Democratic party in STL County: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/democratic-unity-fractures-in-st-louis-county/article_544623c2-0de9-5891-b4c3-2a33f5842389.html#ixzz1czhvhRtw Apparently, Mr. Stenger would make a far more effective leader of the County if one insists on voting Democrat. Remember, Doofus Dooley also advocated the re-unification of ST. Louis County and St. Louis City and long-time residents know where that would lead. County Parks are a jewel to be treasured and enjoyed, not made a political football to extort more taxes. If you tow your boat with an SUV or a Pick-up, you are already a victim of higher Personal Property taxes due to the Dooley's assessor insisting that these vehicles are worth more than normal.

Bill, Three years ago this Month we were fishing the flats across the White from Baxter and watched the MDC pontoon boat dump load after load of brush in Flint Cove which is where the picture on page 16 of this Month's Conservationist magazine was taken. That's the first cove on the right headed downlake after you exit Baxter Marina. I can't speak for the other brush piles but can't figure out why MDC only shows two locations of brush in Flint. Granted, the two marked on their map are in deeper water but they added, and never marked, about 10 additional piles along the right hand bank going into Flint in very shallow water and they are easily visible at normal lake levels. Why they saw fit to dump the quantities of brush in the shallow water I can only guess would be to create spawn or fry habitat maybe ??? No one I know of has caught anything off the shallow brushpiles even during Bluegill bedding season. It would seem beneficial if there were some shore marker system developed to allow anglers who don't have GPS to more easily locate the brushpiles. It's a good program, certainly can't hurt, and I hope it continues.

http://newmdcgis.mdc.mo.gov/tablerock/

The "Devil's Backbone" is an old name for that long rocky point or formation that extends out underwater that the warning buoy is in place for across Big Indian from Kanakuk and pt. 18. My reference to Chamber of Commerce was in admiration of the cinematic quality of the video you posted. It means the Chamber of Commerce could use that in a promotional ad for TR. Baxter dock typically closes (gas and office) Oct. 31 and re-opens April 1. However, their Marine shop 417-779-4244 is open year round and is just up the hill from the Marina. Sometimes if you call 417-779-4301 ahead of time they will come down and sell you gas if they have the personnel available.

Did you shoot that video of the Devil's Backbone area for the Chamber of Commerce ? Nice job and perfect weather for it on a calm evening just before sunset. Wouldn't want to be out there today ! Also noticed you pointing out the direction of the Baxter Marina....assume you know they are now closed for the Winter ?

I'm with you guys on the excessive numbers of tournaments on TR. Coupled with the "rough handling" of the fish it makes me glad the patterns are tough to figure out right now. Saw a couple of small club weigh-ins taking place on Saturday afternoon at two different launch ramps and "dumping the fish" was the norm at both only they did it from shore in about 6" of water about as far out as their arms could reach without getting their precious "tootsies" wet ! Bags were upended at waist height and the fish plopped into the skinny water and surely hit the bottom on the way down. Are these people stupid or just ignorant of how to properly handle, respect and release fish or do they even give a dam(n) ?

You're welcome. After I found out about STREN not being involved I tried to get a handle on how to contact EVERSTART and since it's a Wally World brand you have to contact them via the Wal Mart website. That's kind of like peeing in the Ocean and expecting to see the water level rise. If you guys that follow these tournaments closely could alert the rest of us the next time FLW is coming to TR, I'm thinking there are a few of us locals who would like to observe and comment, in person, on their fish handling at the weigh-in. If the FLW "officials" were approached politely at the actual site by more than one concerned angler I think it would go further than just one old curmudgeon like yours truly . I was able to contact Dan Akin from MDC Friday morning about this issue but didn't see him there Friday afternoon....not saying he didn't get over there, just didn't notice him.

Heard back quickly from the Stren folks. They were quick to point out they were no longer affiliated with the FLW tournaments and directed me to the current Everstart sponsors. After watching the weigh-in on Friday I could see why. To date, have not heard a peep from the FLW people....!

Bill, thanks for the "heads-up" on the disgusting fish handling/abuse at the weigh-in. I see the weigh-in is at 3:00 P.M. at Port of Kimberling City Marina today. I'm planning on going there and getting a little vocal if this nonsense continues. Yet another sad case of tournament officials/organizers putting on a show for the cameras and sponsors to rake in yet more $$$$ and to heck with the health of the fish. This isn't the first, nor probably the last time the FLW has been a bunch of jerks at TR. Stren is one of the sponsors ? It's the "Everstart" series which is Wally World's battery line. If you're ticked-off about this suggest you send an email to their Corporate Headquarters complaining about it. www.stren.com and www.flwoutdoors.com Use the contact us menu at the bottom of the screen. Follow the money ! Tell them what is wrong and that you aren't purchasing their products anymore because of this and you're spreading the word (true) via the Internet.

Billfo, Almost positive those are both "Long Pincered" crawfish in your pic and we trap them and pretty much no other species in the Baxter area. You might be interested in reading http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2005/05/table-rock-crawdads which is kind of a locally famous MDC Conservationist article about these crawfish in the Lampe/Baxter area published in the May 2005 issue. You mention using hot dogs for trap bait. We find the best success in our traps with any remains left over after fish cleaning. (No, I'm not talking about Bass...relax you guys) Many of the traps we used to find for sale in the area included little "bait cages" in them where the bait could be placed sort of suspended and protected from the crawfish. You'll find that if you toss a whole dead fish carcass in the trap these little scavengers will clean it off right down to the bones in an amazingly short time.

Ha-Bob's in Lampe at Hwy 13 and "H". Rapid Robert's in Kimberling City. Phillips66/Conoco at old Hwy 13 and 76 in Branson West among others. Most smart station owners advertize the lack of dreaded Ethanol on their marquee or on the Premium pump. ALSO, all the gas sold at "on-the-water" Marinas is Ethanol free, even the 89 octane stuff....if you can afford their prices.... They are exempt from having to add Ethanol to their deliveries since it is not meant to be used on Highways. Keep in mind that the out-of-control E.P.A. just this year approved 15% alcohol content in gasoline supposedly for cars/truck built after model year 2001.

Smallie, Are you ditching that nice aluminum rig and giving up on the Rivers ? I'm thinking you could find Phoenix' website and then locate a dealer with one in stock to see firsthand what the big deal is about "taking waves" and just tried it myself but they want your phone number and email address for some reason. Lord only knows with the plethora of Wake Boats down here you need something like that if you're out when they are.

With tongue firmly in cheek.....well...why not eat them ?...after all, you are paying for them.

Could also be something as simple as dirt on the top surface of your battery allowing current to feed from positive to negative posts. Try wiping the battery clean first if you find it dirty and then the other excellent suggestions on this board. Also could be that if the battery is getting old and weak, most modern Outboards will constantly draw a few microvolts from their starter battery to feed the on-board computer they are all equipped with. Over time, that constant drain can mess up a weak battery. Only way to avoid it is a master shut off. Perko makes them.

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it...best thing for tournaments after water exceeds 65 degrees is to measure, photograph and release at the side of the boat. One of the local Bass clubs does this and it works just fine. Avoids high Bass mortality and stops the removal of fish from their "home" waters where they never return. Mortality such as Bill describes is unavoidable and you can tell how it disturbed him but this continued business of trying to keep fish alive with chemicals, ice, aerated live-wells etc. and then hauling them miles and miles away from the catch area in the heat has got to stop. You guys are only giving yourselves really bad reputations and leading yourselves down the road to much stricter Government regulation of derbys if you don't start realizing how the non-tournament anglers and boating public resents and comments on the floating dead Bass. The rest of you who feel the same way( and there are plenty out there )should start speaking up. I am fed-up with this waste...and for what? Bragging rights or a check ? If a check is involved maybe the MDC and Water Patrol should begin charging $10,000 minimum or $1000 per boat fee for regatta/tournament permits since the promoters are using a public resource to line their pockets !!!

Before you decide, check into their coverage on thefts of fishing and electronic equipment. That alone, not just cost, made my decision to part with the former Company I had and sign up with Progressive. Not fond of their ads on TV nor their owner's extreme liberal views but couldn't find another carrier that offered their level of coverage. My two cents.

Cable lock your boat to the dock...Cabela's has a couple of different models that should work for you. Propeller locks will slow down lower unit thieves and are about $50 at BassPro. If your gas tank filler necks/caps are made by PERKO, that Company has locks available that fit down into the filler neck. Then, there are lower unit anti-theft bolts I found from http://www.lowerunitlock.com/ and http://www.captmikesstopthief.com/. Disgusting to have to do all this crap but if you got it, the scum want it.

Just a suggestion but there are claims that towing with the cover on will cost 2 miles per gallon plus it beats the heck out of the cover. Many I know never cover their boat on the road unless there is foul weather.

Yep, St. Gen. was re-located quite a ways away from the Big River. I have my Great-Grandmother's X2 journal of her journey via flatboat from Pittsburgh to STL in 1803 where she wrote about St. Gen's original cemetery being washed away by the Mississippi and seeing the ends of coffins sticking out of the eroding riverbank. Pierre Laclede supposedly chose the site of St. Louis because of the protection from flooding the original riverbluffs there offered that were gradually graded down over decades so the draft horse teams could pull loaded wagons up from the steamboats on the levee. The old-timers knew all about living and building in floodplains and what to do and not do. Never could figure out what the French settlers were thinking of placing the first St. Gen. where they did. Must have had something to do with ease of loading the Lead they mined.

Finally got on the water at 9:00 after shuttle boat ride out to the Marina dock. Access road well under water as is the parking lot at Baxter so no choice but to wait. With the rapid rise we tried the trick worm or Senko back behind the Sycamore tree line and had two nice fish, one nice 18" LM with a massive "V" shaped lower jaw and one 16" SM.... bang, bang when we first got the boat in behind the Sycamores. Shallow fish ( those two anyway ) seem to be holding on open bottom areas adjacent to live Cedars that are in the high water. After the first two fish we struck out until just one more on PB&J Jewel jig after we moved out to 20 feet on clean bottom. Again, suspect it was a late bedding fish. Water 65 to 66 back in the creek and visibility of roughly 2 ft. Amazing number of play/ski boats out (Kanakuk boats were everywhere !) in the Sunshine throwing wakes making it tough back in the bushes. Gonna' try Bill's SM pattern today but hate these late starts waiting for the dock to open.

Out this morning for about three-four hours before the latest storm rolled in. Started out comfortable then the temperature dropped quickly and heavy dew fell soaking us and the boat. Lake is navigable with exercise of due caution for newly floating debris that was deposited by previous high water on the banks but being re-floated by the resumed rising water. Gates at dam are open again and if you are on a channel bank, as we were on the main lake, you can really notice the current the release at the dam is causing. I let the boat drift with it several times just for the heck of it and the GPS measured between .1 and .3 mph and we were well out of the negligible wind that was blowing. If you pulled in close to the shoreline trees in the water you could see debris caught around the tree limbs waving in the current. Fishing was slow at best with just three on PB&J jig and wake bait but that was probably just me. Big problem is finding somewhere to launch your boat or accessing a dock. The road to the Marina parking lot (what there is of it) at Baxter is about to go under again.

1.65 inches since Noon Friday in the Baxter area. Ground is saturated again. Off and on rain predicted thru next Wed. The key to any releases here is the lower Mississippi where both the Old River Control project and the Morganza Floodway are being severely tested by the record flooding.

COE is ruled by Politics. Politics are ruled by money. Them that has get's what they want, them that don't get squat. More money comes to politics from Urban areas than from Rural. Bear in mind the Morganza Spillway project can also be termed the Morganza Diversion project. It was authorized by Congress back in 1928 as part of the "Mississippi River and Tributaries Project" after the floods of 1927 when the River measured 80 miles across in places. The Project was also built, and this is important, to prevent the Mississippi cutting a new channel via "Avulsion" to the Gulf down the Atchafalaya River basin. The Morganza is tied into (not physically) the "Old River Control Structure" which also has the purpose of stopping/preventing the Missisippi from flowing down the Atchafalaya basin and entering the Gulf at Morgan City. That route to the Gulf is much steeper than the present day route. Studies have shown this channel change has occured about every 1000 years in the past and some researchers believe that despite the COE's best efforts it will happen again. Due, in part, to the available soils used in construction of these two structures, merely opening the floodgates puts both projects at risk and the flood of 2011 will be a severe test. Failure of these projects would be a severe blow to the U.S. economy. Bird's Point-New Madrid Floodway, in Missouri, was part of the same 1928 "Mississippi River and Tributaries Project" bill authorizing COE to build projects attempting to control the Mississippi. It was designed to be blown up to relieve flooding pressure if it wasn't over-topped first, and it was previously dynamited in 1937 and was then re-built, the latest in 1983 when the COE installed 11,000 feet of pipe to enable pumping of liquid explosive to open the floodway. Was this a good decision to "save" Cairo, IL ? Depends on your point of view. Cairo is literally surrounded by levees, it's the lowest place in the State of Illinois and saving it cost MO farmers untold millions of dollars that the Feds. have promised to re-pay them !!! ? On the other hand, those farmers and residents knew fully that some day, the floodway could and would be opened again so here is another case of there is no " GOOD" decision.