jdmidwest

Irondale float.

Unless it is an Orvis rod still under warranty, then it only costs you $25. No questions asked warranty. Years ago it used to be a free fix or replacement. They would even upgrade sometimes. But times have changed. I have replaced a high end rod twice, it failed by a nick in the graphite made by a chuck and duck weighted fly in Alaska. They finally upgraded it to an even higher end rod the second time. Another time, the tip was rolled up in a power window of a car. It was repaired like new but an inch shorter.

I am thinking viper too, but the pic is hard to tell. I have only seen them in the zoo laid out and semi concealed in natural veg. But it is rather large for one. The pic seems to show that there may have been some alcohol consumed before the shot.

From the original pic, it really could have been anything. It was a juvenile snake just shedding out. Hard to tell what it was.

Dang ole spread head, a Missouri Cobra. I have not seen one since I was a kid, but I don't remember much color on them.

I really can't say I have ever lost a fish due to a hook failure. I have had some nice fish and never straightened or broke one on a fish trying to land. But the largest fish I target are less than 20 lbs. I have broke hooks and straightened them on snags. I tend to fish only Trilene mono, medium to ultralight action rods, and fish for bass, bream, and trout. As far as fly fishing, again, lighter 4 and 5wt rods and never more than 6 lb test. Even with salmon I use a 7 wt with 6 or 8 lb tippets. If I have a failure it is usually a knot or line issue. I have never really gotten into the flourocarbon or braided lines, that may be an issue since they have less give.

He pretty well knocked it in the head. I have only fished Lower Taum Sauk once since it reopened and it was still silted from the washout. I am sure it will settle back down. Years ago there was some good fishing there. They stocked stripers there for a while back in the 60's, long gone now. Bismark Lake is shallow and has a few fish. Council Bluff has its moments.

Dawn broke this morning with me standing knee deep along the edge of a lake in the St. Francois Mountains in a makeshift willow blind. We had the lake to ourselves and all was calm and peaceful. We had a few woodies buzz us early but they did not dump into the decoys to give us some live motion. 20 minutes after shooting hour, my buddy decided the flappy wings were in the wrong spot and went out to adjust. Then came the sound of a low flying jet and a flock of teal dropped in to say hello, with my buddy out of the blind and out of my sight. His son knew where his dad was and he took a shot, missed. I held back for safety reasons. Back in the blind and sun came up over the hill. Another loud roar, one dumps into the dekes, the rest of the flock lands long in a cove behind us. The son takes the one in the dekes, the flock gets up and circles out into the lake. A few calls brings them back straight at us, out of the sun and fog. We managed to pull one out and sailed another into the densely wooded hillside about 200 yds out. Then it was over. We had a few woodies come and go, a shoveler hen, and 3 grebes. A marsh hawk tried to grab one of them. A bald eagle paid us a visit. We finally left out at 11 and called it a season. Last weekend sucked, Sat. morning brought a few big ducks that had spent the night on the lake passing thru. No teal that day. Sunday morning there was another party of six set up about 100 yds down the bank from us. About 30 minutes BEFORE sunrise, they blasted off 4 rounds and we watched 2 woodies fly out. There had been 4 woodies using that cove the day before. They must have been shooting at snipe or rails and flushed out the woodies, since Teal does not start till sunrise. Nothing else that day.

Better to be busting ice in Alaska than busting skeeters and snakes down here.

I spray mine with flat enamel and it holds pretty well. I usually start with a black paddle and make tan stripes on it. Krylon makes a special camo paint that I use on all of my stuff. One of my paddles was leaking last duck season, running down the shaft and leaking out of the center joint into the crotch of my pants. I drilled out the rivets for the blades and filled the blade and handle with some expanding foam. Pop riveted back together and it is dry as a bone now.

Nice skunk. Pretty strong front just went thru last night. Might had something to do with it.

I turkey hunted with a friend years back in Perry County. New country to me, full of sinkholes and caves. We split and I was told to stay along the log road and I would be fine. I fumbled along in the dark and sit up by a tree to wait for daylight listening to the gobbling. When it came daylight, there was a 40' wide sink across the road from me and I was staring at the tops of some pretty good trees that had roots at the bottom of the sink. There was another hole at the bottom about 5' across that led to who knows where. I sit up on a gobbler later on that morning in a holler, but I could not get him to come in. He was hung up about 50yds out for an hour and never came in. I walked out to a ledge that was about a 15' drop running down the holler. It was part of an old cave system that had collapsed years ago. The old bird was not going to fly up and look for me. Interesting countryside in the Perry county area, lots of Karst, Caves, and Springs. Sinkholes abound and many steep hollers formed where cave systems have collapsed.

It does not look like a copperhead pattern or coloration. There is just something about the scale design on the snake that keeps me leaning toward a rattler. Copperheads are a smooth scale snake, this one is rougher and more defined.

Young snakes have different colors than adults. Temps don't really bother rattlesnakes, they will move any time they have too. Like you said, he was hiding under a spot you created and decided to move when he sensed your presence. That copper in the pattern looks like maybe a pygmy rattler. Not many around and that one would be about full grown.

We catch most of our cats during the day.

Water looks good.

The Crappie are overpopulated and stunted and I fill the livewell and toss them into the local pond. The bluegill are great in the spring, catfish have been good lately. There are striped bass, few and far between. Largemouth are there but you need to go deep to get them. This time of year and without any rains for the last month, it has been stagnant and fishing poor. You seldom see many people there, even on a holiday weekend. But the fish are there. Be extremely careful running a motor in the lake. You can be running in 22 ft of water and nail a tree hiding in what looks like open water. Loads of standing timber, shallow flats, and the MDC aerates the lake.

Put a life jacket on him and make him wear it at all times and you should be fine. Keep one handy or on yourself in case you spill and have to go get him. I don't know what you are capable of in a canoe, but with you sitting in back controlling the boat, you should not have any problems on that stretch. Halls Bay after Boze Mill is the real tricky spot along with a few bends. Should be a nice weekend for a trip.

There are fishermen and then there are those that just fish. I guess that is why they stock it so much to even up the fishing for all.

Looks like a little front coming thru Thurs that is dropping the temps next week. It might bring a few down.

If they don't like the rules, fish for fun.

Our Poor Folk's have it made. Food Stamps, Welfare, Housing, Transportation, Medical Care, Cell Phones, and they are rewarded every time they bring another child into the world by Earned Income Tax Credits. They should really see how others like this have to struggle.

The water in the livewell was so stained that you could not see the cats in the bottom. I had to drain it out to count them while on the lake. That lake has alot of timber and the water is stained and stagnant. They have an aeration system installed, but it never really helps. Fishing is good there, but all the fish seem to be tainted from the water quality.

Where are you at?

If you are ever in TN, this is the place with some good catfish. http://www.topotheriverrestaurant.com/ Looking at the menu, I am thinking they may pluck them out of the water young for better taste. Fiddlers are what we call them. I suppose filleted they may taste the same. Nothing like the 2-5 lb ones I was catching yesterday. Front came in today, shut everything off. I came back today with zilch. Only a few small bass early.