DADAKOTA

I concur with your thoughts Bill. We always check the board to see if we have enough to weigh. If we don't have enough we dump them back in the lake asap. I don't mind if a kid goes up and weighs so they can get that experience. I know of several anglers in our local derby that weigh their fish regardless. They want to let folks know they caught a limit even though they are no where near the check line. Ego often times over rules common sense with some folks..

Tournaments will never be shut down by the State of Missouri. Way too much money being spent by tourney anglers in the lake areas they frequent. Probably factored into tourism dollars. MO likes their sales tax $$$$. I have seen 2 boats show, pay, and fish in a local tournament. Tournament fishing is fun and some folks can make money at it. If I didn't make money I would not fish tourneys. However, the number that actually make money at it is very small. If you don't finish first or second, chances are you will lose money. Entry fees, lodging, food, fuel, are the biggest expenses but there are others such as insurance, tow vehicle/boat/trailer maintenance/repair, registrations, etc. I do not see how most folks justify tourney fishing when they just lose money. Sure seems to be no shortage of tourneys and folks that will pay to play.

After cleaning the bearing I put it on a small screw driver and hit it with a can of compressed air to dry the bearing. Then I put a small drop of rocket fuel on it and spin to spread the oil.

I always clean bearings with lighter fluid for a cigarette lighter. Works well. Sure does not take much rocket fuel to lube the bearings once cleaned.

might as well add FFS to the list of harmful things to the bass population.

Sounds like an awesome trip

Money can get you things others can never even think about. What she did is a feat, but money put her in the location to do it. In reality I could care less about billfish records as most billfishing is an elitist sport.

Instead of Ubering and all that just have fishndoug take the vehicle in, get the paperwork, and go get it registered for her. He is retired and has nothing better to do. Doug I need a guide replaced.

Those problems are on the dealership. They should have provided all the documents at the time of sale. She should be raising heck with them.

Not sure why the cops aren't ticketing the expired plates and the long expired paper temp tags. Really irritates me.

There is a boat out in front of Station 46 (Old Johnson Bros. Marina) a couple hundred yards.

Attended a couple derbies out of Robin's Resort and stayed there as well

Watched a guy back his drag type glass boat with the big shiny super loud engine into the Missouri river. He spent a long time yelling at his GF as to what she needed to do when the boat started floating to get it off the trailer. He backed her in a little deep and the boat started floating off the trailer. Her first mistake was putting it in forward. As she headed back toward the trailer he started yelling at her to stop. Apparently she thought the Hot Foot was a brake and punched it. She stopped when the nose of the boat went through the rear window of his pickup. Then the yelling really got going. Same ramp dame day saw a cruiser on a trailer with small wheels start down the ramp with the outdrive down. The skeg scratched a nice line halfway down the ramp and finally bound the entire process up. Ended up going back up the ramp till the tilt could finally tip the motor up. Dropped my FIL's 22 foot Sea Ray into Stockton one day. After parking I was walking down the ramp and a guy hands me a bunk board. Said he watched it fall off the trailer as I went up the hill. Finally got back to join the family after I left to complete some trailer maintenance. A buddy (RIP Ron) had fished at Lake Jacomo one morning and went up to get his trailer. Jumped in his truck and headed for the ramp, but the trailer stayed in the parking spot. Someone had unbuttoned his trailer and took his insert. Lowlives. Was tossing a jerkbait one spring across from the Jacomo ramp. All of a sudden there were emergency vehicles everywhere. A guy was taking his boat out and put his 3 year old in his car seat. Backed the trailer in and went to load the boat. Car came out of gear and into the lake it went, child an all. Luckily someone had a crowbar and the guy managed to break out the rear window and save the child before he drowned. Never saw that yellow boat on the lake again. Never leave children in the vehicle while you load/unload the boat.

Are the glass lenses shatterproof?

Term limits is the key to it all

Any derby longer than 3 hours in the heat of the summer is irresponsible.

Caught one about 3 pounds on a buzzbait during a Lake Jacomo tourney. Definitely not what I expected.

Dealt with plenty of folks out there as well. The rental boat captains may be the worst.

Apparently common courtesy has gone the way of reasonably priced gasoline.

Circle hooks

Brought back memories of a similar fish landing. Back in the early 80s a buddy and I jumped into the Little Piney ad fished our way down to the RR bridge above where it meets the Gasconade. Figured we'd cross the bridge and walk the tracks back to a road and back to the truck. Stated across and noticed a nice smallie on the backside of the concrete bridge support. Quite a distance down to the water. I stepped out on the support and worked my jig into the strike zone. Hooked up and can't say what happened next other than I was airborne. Pitched the rod toward the bank and tried to grab the top of the concrete on the way down. Scraped forearms was all I got as gravity worked its magic. Landed in some brush that had accumulated behind the support in about 3.5 feet of water. My buddy watched it all and figured it was going to be bad. A little dazed with some cuts and bruises but no major damage. Once I got my senses back I asked him if he saw where my rod landed. H told me where it splashed and I managed to find it. The smallie pushing 3 pounds was still attached and was landed.

Greenies are an attack fish. They'll eat anything from a 1/2 ounce bass jig to a popping bug. For some reason I never here of folks keeping/eating them like bluegill or redears. How are they as table fare?

Needed more time. Once I got the depth and speed down we caught 6 in the last 30 minutes we fished. Also had 2 whites and a short walleye.

Went to Stockton on the 24th in the rain. Never put in. Had a brief window on the afternoon of the 25th and managed 8 nice crappie in the 2.5 hours we fished. Pulling Bandit 300s in 18-22 feet of water in a cove. Pretty consistent bite once I got them dialed in. Would have liked to fish till dark but dinner plans voided that. Thursday was a complete washout with rain all day.

Go past any restaurant in the evening and they are jam packed. If gas prices were limiting spending you'd think folks would eat at home. Doesn't anyone cook anymore. Heck, breakfast for 2 at the local cafe will cost over 30 bucks.