jdmidwest

Panfish are on beds. Redear and male bluegills good on cricket in 2 to 3 ft of water in SE MO. New boat fishing well, and the arm is too.

Cabela's was king of the mail order business. Bought out Gander Mountain's mailorder many moons ago. Gander Mountain came back with store fronts, something they did not have in the past. Cabela's has lingered in the store fronts. Bass Pro has built up in store fronts. I think a purchase of Cabela's will strengthen the Bass Pro name and company as a whole. Go Bass Pro.

I have seen one collared lizard back in the 80' s. It was on a granite glade in a shutin's area of the upper Castor River.

We need to start a new market. Light action rods and bait casting reels with spools tempered for 6 - 8 lb lines. Most rods I have tried work better with heavy lines. Reels need better damping systems and rods need lighter actions.

What about a good baitcaster combo to fish light line in the 6-8 lb with 1/8 to 1/4 oz lures. I use bait casters for my heavy stuff now, it puts the work off on my left arm and saves straining my right arm that has damage. I just can't seem to find a combo that works well for the lighter stuff.

A bag with a gerbil in it would work even better. Cancer is a bitch, but we all die sometime. Probably what will kill me, just waiting for it to rear its ugly little snake head some where else in my body.

We were sitting at camp on Spring River last fall enjoying a beverage. All of the sudden we heard a crack, out of the sky above us falls this big ole male fox squirrel, splat on the ground all spread legged with a loud thump. He kinda shook it off a little and did this bow legged limp off back in the woods. All the while we were laughing our butts off. Its one of those campgrounds that if you leave anything out, they will raid it. I had some fun with cajun peanuts a few years back, apparently they don't like spicy food.

Every man should be afraid of squirrels, they always go for the nuts.

Funny, I am watching the Lone Survivor on FX now as I read this. Story about a Seal Team in Afganastan.

Colonoscopy exam? There must be a story.

Not a copperhead. Round eyes, not cat eye pupils. Pattern shows that it may be a number of non poisonous snakes in their youth. Pic is bad but I am guessing a young black rat snake. With that color and pattern, I would be more worried about a rattlesnake. It looks like one of those more than a copperhead.

It was an unexpected pleasure. I could have tossed them in the livewell and had a good feed. But after a weekend of being beaten up bass fishing, it was nice to feel something on the end of the rod. I love catching pickerels, anywhere. That lake was the last place I expected to find one. I had caught one on Sat. in 3' swells fishing some shallow flats for spawning bass. It was unexpected, but a welcome fight.

First ever for me this weekend, a yellow perch. Caught them in TN on Pickwick Lake, 15 or 20 of them. And a Chain Pickerel in TN, my first in that state. Tough weekend, wind and waves. Bass were either worried about mating or lost somewhere. But we found a place and had fun with light gear catching the perch, pickerel, and some yellow bass. Found a couple of TN morels too.

Skinning them is the best. Not enough fat on them to roast them anyway. Did not get back from Pickwick till 10pm last nite. Was not going to dig turkey stuff out and drive an hour this morning. Heading out in the morning for a trial run before the monsoon sets in. My only worry is that it is too dam warm. I hate walking thru woods in dark in temps warm enough for copperheads and rattlers to be active of a nite.

I have heard stories about horse traders taking a trailer load of horses down to Texas and bringing back a load of hogs and letting them loose. Probably brought some meth back from Mexico too. I am sure the MDC is well aware of what is going on. That is why they have decided "hunting hogs" is not a good idea. There were guided hunting programs that were feeding the hogs, therefore expanding the problems. It was more than just interference with their trapping efforts. http://www.trophywildboarhunt.com/missouri.html http://www.dakelhoghunts.net/ http://www.huntwildpig.com/state-specifics/missouri/ http://www.biggamehunt.net/forum/bad-hog-hunting-mo I know some are tired of seeing the hog hunting on this thread, but. I have seen it first hand hunting mushrooms the damage that the hogs can do. In Europe, they train hogs to hunt truffles, a mushroom. I have seen them raze a good morel patch, I am sure they like them as much as I do. And turkeys are nesting at this time. Hogs will ruin turkey nests and eggs, not to mention their forage foods like acorns. We need to eliminate the hogs, not proliferate them for hunting purposes.

Not to mention that the hog hunters are bringing more in and releasing them to become wild. I have seen guided hunts and the whole 9 yards in some counties. They need to be gone, period. It should be pretty simple. Back in the days of the open range, hogs run wild. Farmers would herd them up and butcher once a year. Fence laws came about and wild hogs disappeared. Then in the 90's, someone let some wild Russians loose in Iron County, supposedly a failed hunting preserve. Now, they are everywhere. And they make a mess, ruin property, carry disease, and destroy wild game habitat. Kill them all on site, eliminate them completely. Don't proliferate hog hunting in MO as a sport. That is the solution.

You can still kill pigs on sight. MDC is trying to discourage organized hunting as it is leading to a growing population. Trapping is the only effective way to get rid of them, hunting them keeps them moving making them hard to trap.

V is closed, no access to river. DD has campgrounds on north and south side of bridge, private now. Stay up near Amidon on Conservation land and you will be safe.

They bite all year long in the Castor River. Head upstream to the headwaters above HWY 72, water warms up quick there and its easy wading.

Its safe for canoe. No walleye. Just the usual bass, panfish, catfish. Pretty clear lake with good depth and standing timber. Forest all around except for campground.

What about all the number 2 in the water?

Use the rope and make a stirrup on the front of the boat to step up on.

They are here. Today's rain and this weeks temps will get them rising to top.

I just drive to TN for the nice big river and lake smallies. 3 to 4 pounders are common there. And I take my Tracker boat with me.

I had been launching with a rope like Al and have not had many issues. But I like Wrench's method, I'll have to try it next time. It would surely be better in a wind or current.