jdmidwest

Good ole Ozark Chicken Snake. Seen several squashed on the road this week, must be mating or migration season. They love eggs as much as they do rats and mice. Kept one as a pet in college at the dorm, it was good amusment watching it constrict white mice.

It is officially dry here. Another month is slipping by without any significant rainfall. I recorded one rain a few weeks back of 1 1/4 in. Monday, I had 2 tenths and watered the garden the next day. Streams are trickling down to nothing. Ponds are losing water fast. The upside may be a good fish spawn this year, bass and goggle eye in streams have had a good year to raise on beds without any scouring floods to wash away the spawn. My yard crunches as I walk across it. Squirrels have raided my June strawberries for a water source. I water my garden every other day to keep the moisture content up, I have been doing it almost ever since I planted it. Hay crops are thin and when the fields are cut, they turn brown. A second hay crop will probably not happen this year.

It is one of the best stretches of the river for the most part, nice trout and smallies. Long deep holes and fast runs. Plenty of camping spots. Nice scenic bluffs. Walleye, Goggle Eye, and Pickeral are abundant along with most any other Ozark fish species. The only downside is, there are probably more jet boats in this area than the upper areas. Below the pullout at Riverton, the trout ends and the 11pt returns to what it was originally, a fine Ozark bass stream.

Just a few points. Current River and Jacks Fork are Federally Protected lands controlled by the National Park System, MDC does not have jurisdiction regarding the decisions. For that matter, neither should the Missouri Congress for the most part, it should be a Federal matter. MDC does own lands adjoining the NPS Scenic Riverways. There has been no PRIVATE ownership of the land in the Scenic Riverway System except for a few rare cases. All of the lands were bought out from the owners by the Federal Government to protect the riparian areas and preserve them in the natural state, or in some cases, to return them to their natural state after years of abuse. Most of the land was privately owned previously before the Scenic Riverway System was put in place. It is better now than it was in the past when large timber companies clear cut all of the lands and used it to transport the timber to the mills. Commercializing the river system has hurt it more than the private ownership of it did. Years ago, a float camp along any of the rivers were full of families that were interested in the outdoors, floating for fishing and hunting purposes. Now days, it is a cheap vacation to kill a weekend. How many do you see fishing seriously? And the NPS makes a cut on ever floater. Meanwhile, MDC complains about the numbers of the present generation that does not buy licenses to hunt and fish, they work hard to promote license sales. Most of the lands that some have described are leased by concessionaires from the NPS, and are controlled by the NPS for law enforcement reasons. Laws are in place to restrict any motor vehicle in the stream other than an agricultural crossing, they are not being enforced. RE the upper 11pt River, that is out of the NPS Scenic Riverway System and is private lands. I have already beat that dead horse to deaf ears with the MDC. IF there was an evident Fish Kill, maybe something could be done. Otherwise, Federal Dept. of Natural Resourses is in charge of water quality issues. Same dead horse on the Big River below HWY 8. And your pig farm. Too many chiefs that don't care what the rest have to say.

I would not "move" anything out of a watershed into another. Look at all the hoopla about crawdads and rock snot in the last year. But, like OB said, it is usually the result of fertile stagnant water. It could have been fertilzed by the management of the lake also, or from septic tanks. Many MDC lakes are fertilized by dumping bags of fertilize into them to make an algae bloom for young fish.

I saw pet cemetary, sometimes they come back....

Looks good. Soil looks good and black. Now if we could get some rain.

Nature. There has been some recent studies that Birth Control hormones from waste water is making them both male and female in the same fish. Google it or contact someone in fishery management.

We had a pretty dry winter and fall last year, the summer was hot and dry here also. The last major rain events here were when the tornadoes hit around the first of March. Since then I have recorded only about 2 1/2 inches of rain. Ponds and streams are low. Most are too low to float in a yak around here. I have been watering the garden since I planted it to supplement the low rainfall. But it has rained north and south of me more, just a dry band for several hundred square miles.

I have noticed that too, many more birds than in the past. I had one in the yard the other day, came out of a local pasture. Several were whistling the other day when we were fishing a creek. I see more along the roads lately too. But they are singles and pairs, no coveys.

Finally got around to tilling the main garden today for the planting season. For the first time in 12 years, I had it plowed with a tractor and plow to give it a good turning over. I started the plot with a tiller and it had never been plowed. I had been putting off planting in the main garden this season till the time was right. i had planted beans, cucs, and squash in a raised bed a few weeks ago about the time it turned off dry and then cold. The seeds never sprouted. There was frost Tues. here in low lying spots, but I think the danger has past now. I am moving things around this year. I moved the corn down to the lower end to make it easier for the squirrels to eat it. I am putting the tomato patch in the middle of the garden away from the area that I have used in the past. The rest will be scattered about. Does anyone have any certain order about placement of veggies in the garden? Do you avoid planting certain stuff next to the tomatoes? Do you switch things out every year or plant everything in the same place?

Its been a few weeks since the last morel. They were a part of the first batch. 1 site had morels this year, the other 4 good producers did not make a one. Another part in a farther away county did the same, only 1 batch. We went for 3 weeks without any rain and had temps in the 80's. This week has been more normal, but no morels. Any one having any luck finding them lately?

I hope you did not waste the liver on those fishy things.

o Open carry of a large handgun works for me! If I can't carry a gun, wild flycasting of a streamer.

I think Native Americans declined because Europeans had more firepower, diseases that they had not encountered, and a loss of resources that the Europeans exploited instead of managing.

Looking at the reasons that they are having to revamp the reg on the craws is that the MDC could not enforce the old regs and the bait shops There was still illegal craws showing up in bait shops..

There are laws in place to prevent pollution of streams, but it still happens. There was a huge fish kill on a creek near Columbia, MO this week.

I finally had a good report for a change. Friday at Lake Girardeau, fishing was horrible. Front came thru, wind from the east, only a few dinks. 2 weeks ago at Terre Du Lac lakes for 2 weekend days on Shane and several of the other smaller ponds and lakes, same story, a few dinks. Otherwise, not much fishing going on.

I think there is a problem with the Rusty Craw out competing the locals where they are introduced somewhere, it has been going on for a few years. What I wonder, with all of the government regulations and watchdogs, why are they just now "checking" a few bait shops and finding the culprit for sale? Why not outlaw the sale and restrict the bait shops and bait providers from carrying the craw in the first place. Lets look at the stats on this one. SUPPORTING RESEARCH FINDINGS 40% of anglers surveyed by MDC continue to release live bait in waters where they fish. More like 100%, we have all dropped live bait while trying to get it on the hook. An MDC study of Missouri’s bait industry conducted from 2002 to 2007 found that current approaches to crayfish bait regulation, regulation enforcement and regulation management have not adequately protected Missouri’s fisheries from non-native crayfish invasions. And, even with the old laws we could not enforce, lets make it more confusing by making more laws. · 27% of shops were selling illegal species of crayfish, including the highly invasive rusty crayfish. · More than 50% of shops were selling species of crayfish not native to regions where they were being sold. Was it legal to collect and SELL native crawfish? · 97% of bait shop owners admitted or demonstrated that they didn’t know what species of crayfish they sold. I bet they did not know the species of minnow, cricket, or worm either. · MDC inspections of bait shops found that many were unable to produce legally-required transaction receipts, many crayfish were being obtained from outside of Missouri and some shops were illegally selling crayfish collected from the wild. But now we want them to sell native craws? A study that took 5 years to complete, found a problem, did not correct it until 2012. Why did it take 5 more years??? MDC surveys conducted during the summers of 2010 and 2011 found: · Based on a survey of all Missouri’s bait shops registered as crayfish sellers, about 30% derive an average of 7% of their annual income from live crayfish sales, with 1% being the most commonly reported value. Don't look like they sell alot of them. · Based on a survey of all registered Missouri aquaculturists, about 29% derive an average of 4% of their annual income from live crayfish sales, with 0 to 2% being the most commonly reported values. Don't look like they raise many of them for Bait. · Based on responses from a survey of 188 Missouri pet shops, about 10% reported selling live crayfish with those sales amounting to an average of 1% of their total annual income. I always seine minnows and pick up crawfish out of the creek to feed my bass when I kept a few in an aquarium. I never bought any live food for them. · About 70% of all 70 Missouri commercial fishers who use bait were either strongly or somewhat supportive of proposed regulation language that would prohibit live crayfish bait sales and purchase, but still allow for anglers and commercial fishermen to catch and use their own live crayfish bait wherever they choose. About 17% were either strongly or somewhat opposed to the proposed regulation language. About 91% of written comments supported the proposed regulation language. Alot of 7's there. Most commercial fishermen I know use nets or seines. But at least they support the regs as long as it does not affect them. · About 12% of 2,612 high school science teachers surveyed and 40% of 58 college and university natural resources, biology and environmental science departments surveyed reported using live crayfish for educational purposes. About 72% of high school teachers and 54% of college instructors obtained their live crayfish from the wild. About 12% of high school teachers and 7% of college instructors got live crayfish from five biological supply companies. Sixty-four (64) % of educators admitted releasing live crayfish to the wild after use, although several regulations already prohibit such release. Flushing down the drain after dissection does not constitute a stream release. MDC staff have also received reports from pond owners, fisheries managers and fisheries consultants that crayfish are being stocked into outdoor ponds in regions of the state where they are not native. I stock some from time to time in a big silver pot on the stove, then I release the leftovers into my underground sewer stream.....

The fat in crawdad tails may make a great alternative fuel. Good idea fishinwrench.

I noticed that also. I was reading the article after I posted and noticed it. It used to have a link to a person in charge of the feral hog elimination, that is gone also. One thing I have noticed, locals in Wayne, Iron, Washington counties are actually promoting the hog business and are having guided hunts. But that kind of management leads to more hogs. More hogs are bad. Like Oneshot stated, it is a tough hunt. They are nocturnal for the most part, MDC does not allow spotlighting or night vision. They never seem to stay in one place long and travel alot. A friend along the Castor River has seen problems twice in a hayfield. But, they came, damaged the field, and left.

Monday. Coming off a 3 day weekend, arrived at work to find that over half of the office staff decided to make it a 4 day weekend. Pounded by impatient customers all day, 4 o'clock arrived and visions of morels on a friends farm was calling me. A fellow worker exclaimed that he wanted to go fishing at his Grandfather's farm near town. Luck be on my side, I had a fly rod and a box of flies. It has been too dry for mushrooms, lots of hunting and no finding. We arrived at the farm and pulled up along side the big lake, about 6 acres. He had a spinning rig rigged and cast out a jig. He hooked up on a nice bass about 16". Fishing was on and it only got better. I had my Trout Bum 5wt 8' rod and tied on a yellow bead head wooly with a peacock herl stripe and brown tail. I walked around the lake and started fishing a corner. Lots of bluegill came to hand, most were stunted, little on the small side for a frying pan. I hopped up on a floating dock and noticed a swirl near the bank. I cast to it and my line started sideways. A nice little 20" largemouth came to hand. Several bluegills later and another bass 18". My buddy was pulling crappie out of the other side about every cast. I decided to search for them. I found a bed of them in the fading sunset and started having the best crappie fishing of my life. My first crappie on the fly. I caught over a dozen medium size, kept 6 in the 10-11" range and had several smaller ones. Along with a mix of bass and bluegill in between. Rough estimate of over 50 fish to hand in less that 3 hours of fishing with the same fly. A deer walked up behind me and watched. Turkeys flew up to roost in an oak tree nearby at sunset. A pair of Canada Geese made several flyby's trying to get in during that time. A perfect end to a rotten day.

Your best bet is to contact the MDC and find out where there are concentrations of them they want to target. Many call in to report them and they are more than happy to share the info with you. I think if you search the MDC web, you will find contact info. Corps of Engineer lands, MDC lands, and Federal Forests in SE MO are all free for the taking and have populations. Mules and dogs are helpful. Best time is in the winter months of Jan thru March. There is no season in MO. They are feral and need to be eliminated. No licenses needed other than hunting license unless you are hunting during a firearms deer or turkey season. http://mdc.mo.gov/landwater-care/invasive-species/invasive-animal-management/feral-hog-control

Just some thoughts on the matter. Are they gonna fine a gooney bird if it transports from a pond to a stream? How many persons use real crawdads as bait? I personally do not know of any for sale at a bait shop near here. Of course, if we outlaw bait fishing, the whole waterway system will be protected. Artificial baits and flies only statewide. How many crawdads fit on the new A-rig?

Better late than never. I did not realize it was a problem to own an alligator in this state. I remember when pet stores carried them. I was even nicked on the finger by a little feller, the teeth on the small ones are like a snake, but a stronger bite. I really don't know what the scare is, even if let go, they would not survive one winter here. If they could, they would have already populated naturally from Ark in the south.