Quillback

Thankfully there are football playoff games to watch Sunday. I tell you, if I didn't have an elderly mother I need to stay in the area for, I'd find a place to stay in south Florida for the next 2 weeks.

That's a nasty critter for sure. Looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Way to go Les! That's some good fishing!

Casting those light jigs is where it's useful, but the guys fished with at Taney that used 2 lb. leader used braided mainline, but I think I remember them saying it was 3 lb. braid. Fished with Milo in the trophy section, he was mainly throwing jerk baits, but picked up his jig outfit with that light line and caught 5 trout on 5 casts, I was throwing 1/8 oz jigs and catching one just every once in a while. Maybe it was coincidence, or a fluke, but in that short time frame the light line and 1/16th oz jig was king. Later that day we fished below the catch and release area where we found concentrations of fresh off the truck rainbows. They did not care about weight of jig or size of line. I'm in the camp of it's not the visibility but the castability and presentation of lighter line that makes a difference. 4 lb. test is my threshold, I go no lighter than that. If people are whacking them with 2 lb. test and I'm not, then I will be happy to be their net boy.

I believe Phil sells it in his tackle shop.

I had one bad CA sea lion encounter while salmon fishing in Puget Sound. Brought a sub-legal chinook to the side of the boat, was reaching over to unhook it and let it go when out of nowhere a sea lion BLEW UP on that salmon, maybe 3 feet away from my hand. Just about gave me a heart attack, I had no idea that thing was in the area, and BOOM! He did not grab the salmon, I'm guessing he wanted it but didn't want to get too close to the human.

Nice, congrats!

Not a fan of them for sure.

Save them from the pikeminnows and then they get eaten by birds. There is also bird management (see link below). There is so much money spent - about billion dollars per year, and so much research and management that goes into the Columbia river steelhead and salmon runs. Employs a lot of lawyers too. Annual update on avian predation in the basin highlights emerging challenges

Thanks - it's a neat looking plant.

They started that program when I lived there, I don't know if it has had any effect at all as far as helping salmon.

There have been a bunch of trails built here in Bella Vista and around NW Arkansas. Read about this one in the local paper so took a walk this afternoon. Trailhead is right off HWY 71 in front of the TH Rogers HW store. Trail goes underneath HWY 71 1/4 mile walk through the timber to this bridge over the creek. Trail goes along the bluff Little Sugar Creek - it has smallmouth, next time I am bringing a rod. Trail runs by a cave entrance, goes back about 50 feet then it is gated off, so I reckon it goes back further. You can also mountain bike this trail, but it is rugged for biking, not bad for walking, but for a bike:

Some of these were growing in the moss on a steep hillside. I'll send up the bat signal for Marty, but maybe one of you knows what this is? @BilletHead

Cold front moving through, 10 degrees tomorrow night! Doesn't look like any snow however which is find by me.

How about tyre instead of tire. And thankfully we don't call trucks lorries.