joeD

Mizzou had a good win versus an undervalued Alabama team. A "conference" foe. But, I would be lying if I said that I couldn't help but look with bittersweet regret at games played at OK State, Kansas, and Texas. It's as if I'm a jilted lover peering in on a past paramour. We agreed to part ways, but...

yes

by the way. did anyone mention your vehicle of choice? hmmm? canoe? kayak? jonboat? it absolutely makes a difference. so does your choice of stream section.

fellas. I know. trust me. I wouldn't tell anybody anything if i found a good spot. yes, part of it is giving al the business, but, he knows i'm harmless and on his side, no big whup. as my good friend jethro tull mused, i'm just "wonderin' aloud." No offense to anybody. Angry joe is now conciliatory joe. alcohol is replaced with green bud. peace.

Make sure your line and rod and reel and leader are beefy enough for this "fly." The action in the water depends on it. You must "work" it. It has nothing to do with delicate presentations and precise drifts. This is chuck and duck at its finest. Keep it in the water. Absolutely bounce it off of logs and rocks and tires and old cars. You will not make it on the cover of FLYFISHING magazine. You are not going for numbers either. This is a big fish bait. Maybe one or two a day. Sorry. Stick with it though, and one or two of them will be big, trophy size. For smallies, I don't fish anything else.

10-4

No, we need generation, period. I've been going down there long enough to know when the big browns hit. And it's not in flat water. But, the lake level is so low, I'm not sure the SWPA will run water even if the temps are low, or power demands are up. Selfish? Yes. Trust me, I would love for the southern Ozarks to get a ton of rain or snow. I don't see it happening though, unfortunately. On the other hand, look it how many fly fisherman have gone bonkers due to the low flow. Their waders are stiff with semen due to the constant low flow... Nature..ying and yang.. Ooops. Did I say "semen?" Sorry. I meant "ejaculate."

I prefer Walgreens Flushable Adult Wipes. Flushable is the operative word. Keeps your bunghole relatively non-offensive. BTW: I have two daughters, 15 and 17 years old. And a 19 year old son at Mizzou. PS: Did I mention my son... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.... PSS: I love my daughters

OOOF! Retirement plan!? Goldurnit, Gavin, that's just it! My cabin in the woods by an Ozark stream versus her...her...her..whatever. Oy. Sorry. Lemme just shuffle off here and get some firewood and I'll be quiet. And another thing...

I didn't realize how bad it is in KC. Tebow? You're kidding right? With any luck, the Chiefs will hire Andy Reid. That will make you better. Forget about your quarterback pipedreams.

I've heard Bull Shoals is 12 feet below power pool. Or below normal. Whatever. I've spoken to a couple of guides. They are concerned. In fact, they are quite worried. We have had the coldest weather of the season, yet, Bull Shoals dam has not been running water the last few days. Being a selfish prick, my concern is for myself (and friends) and my (our) annual January trip to the White to jerkbait fish for big browns. (Regrettably for you low water flailers, I also flyfish. So I will be at the riffly water also, slapping the water with egg patterns and various nymphs, hoping for something bigger than 14 inches). Regardless, what do you fellas think? PS: I live in Missouri. I know you're in a drought. So are we. I get it. This is about fishing.

OUCH!!! In my defense: ...hmmm...having a hard time defending myself.... Ahem...basically, my point was, as usual, IRONY. You know, this is a modern convention (fishing forum), in a digital age (everything recorded), yet.. (sigh) Nevermind. I'm an old, overweight , no account drunk. What do I know?

Playboy. Penthouse. Field and Stream. Sports Afield. You mean, it wasn't about the writing???! AAARRRRgggghghhh!

As I said, don't lose heart fans... this was a tough loss, no doubt..but, no joke, it will make them better in the long run. March is all that counts.

Some of you fart sniffers missed my point (not that I had one). I'm tired of stories with epic numbers of fish caught without visual context. I'm tired of stories with epic size of fish caught without a watershed being named. I mean, why post? ("Hey fellas, I had an absolute spectacular day on my favorite stream! No, no, no I won't tell you where, you silly boys! Your job is to admire my fish catching moxie and guess where I fish!"). Yes, I realize there are many fishing blogs out there for our perusal. Most are NOT interesting. (Just as most random people you meet at a party are NOT interesting). Good grief. It's a forum. About fishing. About us. For us. No one will take your ball away. Mineral Fork. Mineral Fork. Mineral Fork.

I was at the game also. On the floor directly across from the Illinois bench. The speed, skill, and athleticism displayed by both teams was incredible. Really. Call me a sports snob, and you would be correct, but I only go to sporting events if my seats are close to the action. But, nevermind. The point is: Mizzou beat Illinois! Regardless of your frustration with Phil Pressey, Mizzou found a way to come back from a late second half deficit and win the game. Despite grumblings to the contrary, Frank Haith is a good coach. Please do not judge his effectiveness by the lack of national coverage from ESPN. They know nothing. (Example: 24/7 coverage of Tim Tebow. who doesn't even play.) Frank Haith and Mizzou are good. They will get even better as the conference season progresses. Don't get dismayed or sidetracked by occasional losses. It happens. Trust me, they're good. Jabari Brown makes them better. M-I-Z....

Zone is a defense one might play in basketball, as opposed to man-to-man. With regard to fishing, being in the "zone' is ridiculous. Fish bite because THEY want to bite. It has nothing to do with what you are throwing. Get over it. The mistake you make is thinking that YOU are catching fish due to your skill and knowledge. Insulted? Big deal. I can catch a big brown trout with a stupid glittery salt water fly on the Current River. I can catch pompano in Destin Florida with a Bass Assassin or a Rooster tail. Skill? Hardly. Put something on and chuck it. Bass Pro and Cabelas are counting on you to be in the "zone." Really. Have you seen the absolute myriad of choices one can make? The rod/reel/line/lure permutations are endless. Except for you. YOU know what you're doing. Remember, a supple tree branch, string, safety pin, worm, and a patient 8 year old child can be in the zone too.

It amazes me why, in this digital age, where taking a picture is so easy and automatic, and instantaneously posting the picture (s) to social media outlets, that there are so few images and/or pictures of us, on this forum, on our fishing forays? Have we come to the point where only BIG fish pictures will suffice? Thereby cementing our "reputations" as accomplished anglers? I mean, who doesn't take pictures in this day and age? Or, is the opposite true? Where, if we took pictures of our trips (warts and all), we would look pedestrian to the rest of the world, thereby diminishing our so-called "expert" status as smallmouth fishermen? I like stories. Picture books are even better.

It amazes me why, in this digital age, where taking a picture is so easy and automatic, and instantaneously posting the picture (s) to social media outlets, that there are so few images and/or pictures of us, on this forum, on our fishing forays? Have we come to the point where only BIG fish pictures will suffice? Thereby cementing our "reputations" as accomplished anglers? I mean, who doesn't take pictures in this day and age? Or, is the opposite true? Where, if we took pictures of our trips (warts and all), we would look pedestrian to the rest of the world, thereby diminishing our so-called "expert" status as smallmouth fishermen? I like stories. Picture books are even better.

It amazes me why, in this digital age, where taking a picture is so easy and automatic, and instantaneously posting the picture (s) to social media outlets, that there are so few images and/or pictures of us, on this forum,] on our fishing forays? Have we come to the point where only BIG fish pictures will suffice? Thereby cementing our "reputations" as accomplished anglers? I mean, who doesn't take pictures in this day and age? Or, is the opposite true? Where, if we took pictures of our trips (warts and all), we would look pedestrian to the rest of the world, thereby diminishing our so-called "expert" status as smallmouth fishermen? I like stories. Picture books are even better.

I believe the quality of trout fishing on the Current River between the park and Cedar Grove is declining at an accelerating, and quite alarming, rate. I think this is due to the constant, and increasing, fishing pressure, coupled with the historic low water conditions. What's funny, and ironic in the extreme, is that we have created this situation ourselves, at least the human part. I mean, we, as fishermen, have been exhorting the public with our battle cries of bringing awareness to our great sport ("take a kid fishing" for god's sake, pat yourself on the back and perpetuate our beloved sport!). Guess what? People are fishing. They are fishing where "we" fish. And the results aren't pretty. Bless our governmental agencies. They are doing a great and thankless job. But they can only do so much. Look at this forum. How many anglers (and their friends) have been turned on to the miracle miles of the Current between ...you know. And therefore see how many of your (our) angling days have turned out, ah, less than expected. Mediocre. Or worse. Yes, I get it. It's great to get out. Nature and everything. Not work. But seriously, don't you want to catch fish? Look at all the money you have spent on rods and reels and lines and lures and flies and vises and nippers and hemos and jerkbaits and vests and waders and sunglasses and gas. Let's not forget gas. Nor should we forget the contortions we go through to get the TIME to go fishing. With work. With wives. Girlfriends. Boyfriends. Whatever. And then we get to the Current. Low water. Generally, quite a few people where you want to fish. Limited success. If that. (Yes, I know the occasional big fish is caught. But that is the exception, not the rule). You happy with that? The Current River in the "main" trout areas is being loved to death. (Again and again and again: "Joe I'm happy just to get out and fish. Catching one is icing on the cake. You don't get it. Settle down and enjoy life!) Nah. I wanna catch fish. Lots. And big. Is the Current done for awhile?

The BCS Championship will be played on January 7, 2013. That is over a month away. What a joke. But. Not really. Remember. The NCAA and the colleges and universities it oversees, dwell in an alternate universe where common sense, decency, and above all, student welfare, are mere ephemeral and inconsequential "goals" to be trampled over on their (the NCAA) way to financial success and bureaucratic power. Nothing changes.

Loved reading your report Al. Really. Take a step back and see what you did. Three days on a beautiful stream in your home state, with friends. Doing what you love. We are lucky beyond belief to be able to do these things. But really. 7:30 or 8:00 pm? Lights out? Oh how the mighty have fallen. Youth is wasted on the young.

Oh yeah. Tube or jig and pig. I've had success with both. I've had less than success with both too. Time of year is immaterial. There is no advantage in throwing one over the other. Not to be deliberately churlish, but, Mitch, I believe your premise is incorrect. I don't think one "needs" to throw some sort of jig in the winter to be successful. I've had a number of good days on the water using good looking fish (regardless of genus, or color, or upbringing) taken from my daughters' fish tank, threaded with a simple hook and weight, and tossed into the deeper holes. Magic! Come to think of it, Mizzou is no slouch in the cheerleader department. Those boys absolutely rock their white leggings.