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Gawd, KC appealing. Truth be told, it is. That city is more progressive and committed to improving the welfare of its denizens than St, Louis. We are falling behind KC, Indianapolis, Memphis, and others in most social and economic areas. OOps. Sorry. Debbie Downer alert! Hopefully we can watch American (male, sorry) soccer in a stadium instead of a bar. Skol! Note: Appreciate the good wishes On The Fly 6.

OOpsy. Sorry. Debbie Downer taking over. I LOVE FISHING FOR SMALLMOUTH BASS IN OUR SPECIAL OZARK STREAMS! Also, I am quite addicted to spending money on lures, lines, rods, reels, sunglassess, canoes, canoe seats, magazines, etc et al. blah blah blah. And I vote! Now, back to your regular scheduled programming..

Are we better fishermen from our counterparts, say, 50 years ago? I am beginning to think we are just chasing our tails looking for that special lure. Technology aside, fish are fish, and have been chasing human trickery forever.

Jodie. Funny, Clever, mmm, slightly. But you are correct Flysmallie. Sir, I do lack intelligence, and I am quite aware of my "Debbie Downer" tendencies. Rachel Dratch has nothing on me. Still. I stand by my opinion. And, despite my inadequacies, I don't call people names.

You cannot judge the viability and economics of a "major" league based on exhibition numbers. What needs to happen, is, the European Soccer League collapses due to Russian ownership "problems" and then the league moves to America. Then, and only then, we can import passionate Brazilian referees and players and fans who will spill blood for their sport. Maybe Busch Stadium will see a severed head impaled on a stick in centerfield. Truth be told Ollie,obviously, I am not thinking. Shoot first, then aim. Although, basically, we are on the same page.I would like soccer to thrive in a bigger way in the US. Skeptical that's all. And crabby. That's me. And Jim Beam.

Twaddle. Fish have a brain the size of a pea, We have no idea what they "think." They live in water and have eyes on opposite sides of their head, Ascribing human reactions or functions to a scaly animal that lives under water is ridiculous. Ooops. Sorry. I forgot. Some of you KNOW what our friendly smallmouth are "thinking," Fluke. Spinnerbait, Topwater, Crankbait, Nightcrawlers, Minnows, Crawdads, Blue. White, Fast retrieve. Slow retrieve. Green. One foot of water. Ten foot of water. Flourcarbon. Spinning reel. Baitcasting reel. Five foot rod. Six foot rod. Canoe. Kayak. Wading. Black. Skirt, Cigars. Cigarettes. Bass Pro, Cabelas. Ford, Chevy, Honda, Yakima. Thule. Wal Mart, Shuttles. Beer. Liquor. Ice. Gas, Nylon. Cotton. Sunglasses. Hats, Caps. Shorts, Shirts. Sunscreen. Shoes. Drugs. Friends. Cars, Outfitters. Highways.Watermelon green. Fast water. Slow water, Wading boots. Waiting on rides, Loading gear. Unloading gear. Anticipation. Fishing. Fishing...

Mexicans,

As I wrote, you miss my point. I am not "dissing" soccer. Good grief. I am saying that, despite our passions, a professional soccer league in the US cannot compete with the NFL, NBA, NHL, PGA and baseball in terms of viewership and advertising dollars. Also, and I repeat, if the American public wanted to watch, and support, a professional soccer league, in the US, it would have already happened. Your statistics say so, right? As it stands, we watch the European Soccer League. Note: My wife and daughter are on a road trip visiting colleges that want my daughter to play soccer for them.Bragging? Yes. Point being, my opinions are not made in a vacuum.

Ollie, If stats prove me wrong, then why doesn't the US have a viable professional soccer league? A league that people want to watch in person, and watch on TV? You guys miss my point. Look at the last few or so posts. Nothing to do with professional soccer in the US. Football. Baseball, Basketball. Hockey. Soccer is an afterthought in pro sports in America.. Passion is there. Just not enough to move the public money needle.

We support our children in soccer. But that doesn't mean we'll support a pro team. I wouldn't. Thing is, professional soccer in the US is a dead issue. Americans just don't want it enough. We go through this over and over. If we wanted soccer, we would have it already.

Since we can't talk to fish, and ask how they are feeling and what they want (they're fish after all), then anything we say and/or believe is complete guesswork. Why do you think the lure selection at Bass Pro is so huge? The ONLY thing that matters is that you go fishing when you can. Everything else is background noise. Look, it's summer. The fronts that come through here don't change things that much. Maybe a little cooler, or more humid, or warmer, or sunny, or cloudy. Who cares? It's summer in Missouri. Fronts are the LAST thing you should be concerned about.

This debauched behavior occurs all the time during major college football and NFL games. It's called "tailgating." So, it is not a "river" issue. Basically, we can all agree that we don't want to be around loutish drunks misbehaving. The setting is not relevant. Heck, look at the Spaniards, They get drunk and let bulls loose in the middle of a town. Then try to get in front of the herd and try to outrun them. Then drink summore. They've been doing this for ages. However, please be careful for what you wish for. Our lives are regulated enough.

I throw this when I ff for smallies. I prefer big over small. Bigger flies for bigger fish.

Control over ones actions? Pretty easy? As I have always known,.from a young age, I am a complete failure at that. ( Which obviously explains my innate negativity and the desire to inflict my sourness on others). Selfish too (It's about ME!) (I should stop) (But I can't)

Yes, unfortunate. But, common. Yet we spend no time or effort discussing it. Drownings can be prevented. Getting shot in the head on a river can't. It's a completely rare occurrence. Yet, look at all the energy expended expostulating on the Meramec river shooting. One would think that we would concentrate on the 99% of things within our control, instead of the 1% that's not. The facts are in direct opposition to the level of public outrage. A man drowned. Yawn. A man shot and killed. Let's go!

Amazing. I lose count after 10. I would find counting every 3 minutes for 4 hours straight boring and mind-numbing. Sounds like a great day of catching fish in any event. Cheers.

Ooof! Whatta a great fish! Well done.

Why is it assumed that global climate change is a bad thing?

I second Glory's point about freezing gallon water jugs. They have a dual purpose of keeping things cold without the ice sloshing, and then can be used as drinking water. Further, I put an absolute premium on having things cold and having viable ice for the duration of an August multi-day float. There is nothing worse than having lukewarm drinks in the middle of a hot trip. You cannot get refreshed adequately. and it starts to wear on you after awhile. Not good. Ice and good coolers to preserve it are essential.

I'm going to write again. Some unstable person shot an innocent person on a popular floating stream. There are no "larger " issues at stake. There is no need to extrapolate "what this all means" and all these mental gymnastics trying to come up with a reason or solution. Because there is none. Some poor guy got shot and killed on a river. This type of tragedy happens every day, all over the world. Every day. So take it as it is. A random event. There is no need to convene a panel of experts to interpret the "bigger" picture for us. All

Good grief. I don't get it. Some nut killed somebody on a popular stream. And that's it. Period. This isn't a gun issue. Or a landowner issue. Or a public safety issue. Or an alcohol issue. Or a political issue. Or a business responsibility issue. Or a river etiquette issue. Or how you swinging dicks would have successfully avoided t his event. Some nut decided to murder someone on a gravel bar. That's it. Now, its about a wake, a funeral, a burial, and a trial. Life is random and follows no rules. This is a stark example. Distressing, yet unsurprising.

It sucks when people don't behave in the manner we want. Especially when we are in the right. One of the downfalls of living in a relatively open, free and democratic society.

If you are in the area, it's worth a look, but I wouldn't consider it a "destination" stream.

11 miles in 7 hours? Oy. That's not floating. That's not fishing. That's paddling! Whew. Makes my arms hurt just thinking about it. Well, you got out and about anyway, always a good thing.