jdmidwest

Just stand still and let the pass on thru. There are no resident carnivores in MO..... Black Bears are Omnivores.

Felt soles are fine in streams other than trout water.

I wear muck boots with the pants legs tucked in. I have had several ticks on me, but none have latched on. When I get home, I dump the clothes in the white tub in the master bath till washed. Ticks that crawl off are easy to spot and can't negoiate the slick surface to the rest of the house. I have gotten away from Deet, it is burning the skin. I use a Coleman Product called Skin Smart and it has 3-[N-Butyl-N-acetyl]-aminopropionic acid, ethyl ester as an active ingredient. It seems to get the job done without the smell and the burn.

Finally found some today, about a dozen in a usual spot. Another spot did not produce a one yet. Dad called in a find of more than a dozen at the farm when he started mowing the yard. Today's find was getting dryed out. Temps are high and no rain since Thurs here. Left a beer can size yeller out for seed, too far gone. Cloudy, rainy days are coming this week. It should get them going.

Morels are a popping now.

Canoe in the bed of the truck, angled with the back to the inside passenger side out the back so it does not stick out in traffic, with the tailgate down and a red flag on it if it extends past 3 ft. It is not he best solution, and it will break down the canoe in the hinge point if done too much. Fill the bed portion with coolers and stuff to keep weight in it to keep from bouncing. Tie it in good at the cab and at both points where it sits on the tailgate. I did this method many years when I owned a pickup, it served me fine. Be careful when you cross dips and make sure you don't drag the back off. If you are expecting a trip with a lot of rain, turn it upside down and transport the same way. Racks, carriers, trailers are all better options. But the canoe can be carried this way too.

What is the best small stream boat anyway, solo canoe or a kayak. I am still on the fence about that one. Oh, to heck with it, I am going to gig a few smallies tonite for supper.

Its getting dark so late, I have not noticed.

Like Al said, the OP never reads the thread after he vents. That A rig is a cluster, what a mess.

So far, hunted Wayne, Cape Girardeau, and St. Francois Counties at known spots, nothing. Spent the weekend in St. Francois County this weekend, dog woods are blooming there. Things are really greening up there. Maybe this week.

I don't know how it happens, but we are pretty religious about it.

Went out again today in a place that has been good early in the past. Found a few toad stools and some old oysters and fantails. Looks like the mushrooms are going to be lost in the foilage this year, things are really green around here already. Plum and redbud are blooming, trilliiams and mayapples are out. Ash are making seeds, all about 3 weeks early.

Went out Tuesday and did not see any. Things are looking good though,

I think it passed.

All manner of plain clothes law enforcement carry daily without the display of a badge in plain sight, nobody calls the law on them. I really don't think open carry makes you a target or draws any questions. Most CCW I know tend to stick to mini 380's which I really don't consider much of a self defense weapon, even with the best of ammo. I would rather open carry a full size handgun and feel like it would get the job done instead of an underpowered one hiding on my person. Open carry gives you better access to your weapon also. On the other hand, I tend to be discrete when carrying guns in and out of the house. And I really don't make a point to let others know that I have anything other than the one I carry. I don't wish to be the target of a thief when I am away.

Chuck Tryon's Trout book had information on insects and hatches. I think there are drawings also. I think someone else did one, but can't remember who. Probably MDC website would be a good place for online info.

I have always seen them float point down with the bead slightly higher than the shank of the hook. The tippet and current seems to make them do that. Maybe in still water it would be the other way around. I usually put a few wraps of lead wire on the hook and tuck it under the larger side of the bead and hold it in place. Straight eye or down bend, the hook point rides down.

This thread is going like Kurt Cobain at a gun shop......

Could be possible. MO has a nice population of them now. http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-sightings/bears

Looks like the Spring River Died on Feb. 9.

I would go with an ultralight and a rooster tail with gold blades and yellow, white, or black tail. Or tube jigs.

Al, lets try South Fork of the Spring River this summer. I have never really floated thru, just put in near Salem and paddled up and down.

Phil is out of town and the internet cops are not looking. This political season has been a bigger joke than the last one.

I saw them chop the feet of some poor bait slinger wearing a pair of wally world felts. Of course, he was limping off of the handicap bridge after he slipped on the slime and busted his wrists and a nice Zebco rod. It was like some Islamic nightmare.

But this thread should have focused on the POACHERS that are gigging illegal fish, not all giggers in general. Giggers gigging suckers are not harming any resource. Gigging is limited to rough fish that are not usually targets to sport fishermen. Gigging in the olden days included sport fish, then it became regulated to protect the game fish. Gigging has been around long before the advent of the halogen bulb and jet motor. Many old jon boats with a pine log fire in the middle and no motor floated along with a couple of giggers. With the advent of the carbide light, gigging improved somewhat. Then it evolved into what it is today.