joeD

MDC : "In the sections of the following streams, smallmouth bass are protected due to their sporting and fishing value, so all smallmouth bass must be released. There will be no gigging allowed in these sections." Fish possession and gigging can occur elswhere on other streams. Would be nice.

Catch and release smallmouth bass in streams. Period. Harms no one or no stream All these studies amount to nothing but more studies and no conclusions. 12" here, 15" there, 18" for special streams. Nonsense. Treat smallmouth bass as a sport fish that cannot be harvested. Bingo. Case closed.

Gavin, you're on vacation, you don't count rascal.

It's a tostada panfisher! Not a bologna sandwich.

Your welcome. Let's finish. Underworld "Rez"

The Resonars "Places Have You Have Been"

The Fresh and Onlys "Fascinated"

Crystal Stilts "The Dazzled"

Translator "You're Everywhere Than I'm Not"

Brave Belt "Another Way Out"

Joy Division - Dead Souls

IAMDYNAMITE - Stereo

Correct. I love food and cooking. My job is to poke a stick at people who say "fish monger" and post every living thing they do in a kitchen. Food culture and its acolytes are getting a little too self satisfied and misinterpret their constant postings to societal importance. "If you don't like it Joe, then just don't look at it and leave us alone!!!" True. Yeah, but you're an itch I have to scratch.

Quit saying "fish monger" you dill rods. This isn't turn of the 20 th century New York Lower East side where wooden carts are pushed by mustachioed men hawking the latest catch to the tenement melting pot . Good grief. You go to a store and buy fish from a teenager you wankers. Fish mongers. As if. Gawd. Get over yourselves. Fish monger. Tally Ho!

Alright fellas! Who says reading for pleasure is a dying pastime? You better get on it jtram. A bounty of options await for you to enjoy. It's satisfying to know others share the love of reading with you (us), regardless of author or genre.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/justinabarca/types-of-people-who-take-photos-of-their-food-instead-of#.qxBMgYVB7

You're floating with 10 people. Drop the competitiveness and expectations, you'll be happier. Just bring one rod and a bag of white flukes and 4/0 hooks. Bring alcohol and cigars and lots of ice and sunscreen. Then fish the day after.

There is validity to all comments. I daresay most make sense and are sensible for Missouri anglers. Change will happen due to political pressure on someone who can get things done. Who and how and when is any ones guess. But it won't happen in our lifetime, unfortunately. Missouri right now is just too divided on too many issues, with no clear leadership or state identity. To wit: 1. St Louis is still a dying and dysfunctional metro area due to a mostly city vs county partisanship and lack of a cohesive effort to bring the city into the 21st century. 2. East St Louis is in Illinois 3. Kansas City can be considered a Missouri City. 4. There is no consensus on the correct pronunciation of our state name. 5. There are entrenched rural traditions that are banned in most other states and are, due to political cowardice, allowed to continue and flourish. 5a. Mumps made a comeback due to the stupidity of people who didn't trust smart people and so, didn't get their children vaccinated. Now look. Childhood sicknesses easily vanquished making a comeback, despite all evidence supporting vaccinations. 6. Point being, until Missouri wakes up and realizes that it is OK to be smart and ambitious, and that, despite the protestations of a mulish rural (and self serving urban) constituency , smallmouth regulations that benefit the smallies, the anglers, and the state, won't happen until other state pathologies are resolved, or at least mitigated. 7. Arkansas is more advanced than us when it comes to the outdoors. 8. See #7 9. The fear offending anyone hamstrings decision making, thereby passing the buck to others. Paper shuffling bureaucracy at work. 10. I don't know, geez. Kind of all over the place. Anyhow, hmmh. Where was I....? A passive public gets what others decide for them. Don't be passive if you want things to change.

"What the River Knows: An Angler in Midstream" by Wayne Fields, an English professor at Wash U when he wrote and published this. A rumination of his mid life fly fishing pilgrimage to Michigan and WHAT HE LEARNED (capitals are mine). Worth reading. I should read it again, as I am in a different place in life. (Jim HARRISON) I edited first post. Although Jim Thompson is awesome if you like crime and noir and thrillers. He wrote "The Getaway" and "The Grifters" to name two, which became movies.

Might try John Gierach. "Trout Bum" or "Sex Death and Flyfishing." Simple, somewhat humorous, easy, enjoyable reading. They are essay collections, not a how-to or a novel or non fiction "educational" publications. I have more, but that comes to mind now, not knowing what you like. Anything by Jim Harrison. "Brown Dog" is excellent.

Let's not forget. One must go fishing to catch fish. And do it over and over and over again, many times, each year, all year, over the years. It's the only way to become a good angler.

Doing what he does best. Ach, sad news indeed.

"They seem to simply be afraid to do anything meaningful or try anything experimental." Bingo. Remember folks, MDC is a governmental organization, and will behave as such. And we live in a state with two pronunciations, as I like to insert in many of my comments. Their fishing mindset seems to be still stuck in the 50s and 60s , in order to accommodate erstwhile Andy Griffiths and Opies to go to their fishin' hole and catch a mess o' fish.