jdmidwest

Finally got 1 1/2" of rain this afternoon and a little relief from the heat. Cucs, squash burned up this week even with extra water.

Lucky dog. You need a Satellite connection so you can post more regular.

The 2 in the middle and the lower one should get you some action in the Spring. From now till cold weather, top water rules.

Frequently Asked Questions and the real answers Isn’t eating fish good for your health? Fish absorb all the contamination from the water they live in, so fish flesh is laced with toxins such as mercury, lead, arsenic, PCBs, pesticides, and even industrial strength fire-retardant. Just two servings of fish per week can elevate your blood mercury levels by 700 percent, and study after study has linked fish consumption to fatigue, memory loss, and decreased mental function. Click here for the facts about fish flesh and your health. Just buy farm raised fish from China at Wally World that are marinated in raw sewage, catch and release local fish... So what does the fish industry have to say for itself? It ignores the fact that fish flesh is toxic (the breast milk of some Inuit tribes is so concentrated with poisons from their fish diet that it meets the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for toxic waste) and points to small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in fish. But you can get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids in nuts and leafy green vegetables … without losing your mind. Intuit Indians have WIC and get Free Formula so they don't have to Breast Feed, any way, what was the question, I seem to have forgot.... What’s wrong with catch-and-release fishing? Have you ever seen an injured dog who has been hit by a car or a cat who’s been seriously hurt in a fight? Unless they are treated by a veterinarian, these animals are likely to die from their injuries. Fish are no different: A hook through the mouth causes a serious and extremely painful injury that is often fatal without treatment. But anglers just toss injured fish back into the water—often without realizing what they’ve done. I shoot injured animals and put them out of their misery, the owners that let them run loose are not responsible pet owners so they don't deserve them. I carry liquid bandage to repair all hook injuries... In addition to the wounds that are caused by the hook, fish released after being caught can suffer from loss of their protective scale coating, dangerous build-up of lactic acid in their muscles, oxygen depletion, and damage to their delicate fins and mouths. Upon being returned to the water, these fish are easy targets for predators and other fishers. Researchers at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation found that as many as 43 percent of fish released after being caught died within six days. Catching fish is cruel and unnecessary, whether they are killed on the spot or thrown back into the water, injured and exhausted. Otters have to eat too... Didn’t Jesus eat fish? It’s an interesting question, but Biblical scholars agree that the appropriate question for Christians is, “What should we be eating?” The Bible clearly says that our bodies are temples and that we should take care of them. Yet it’s a fact that all fish flesh today is contaminated with heavy metals and other toxins. In fact, fish flesh is just about the most polluted thing that humans put into their bodies. On that basis alone, Christians should not be eating it. I would think most of them are atheists... So what would they know about Christians? Today’s fishing practices are also horribly cruel to God’s creatures. God cares for all His creatures, and the Bible counsels compassion for all beings. We all understand that it is immoral and contrary to Christian mercy to torture dogs and cats. It is equally unchristian to torture and kill (or pay others to torture and kill) fish and other animals. Although they may not be able to scream out in pain, fish have the same capacity for suffering and the same right to compassion as all living beings. I think God gave us control of the Beasts of the Field, the Fowl of the Air, and the Fish of the Streams... I have heard a catfish grunt a few times when I drive a nail thru its head... For more frequently asked questions about vegetarianism, click here. If you want to look pale and thin and stink like broccoli, press 1. If you want to join other freak kooks, press 2. For more frequently asked questions about other issues, click here. Blank Webpage, 404 not found..

Been there, done that. That horn is really loud in the morning....

I can agree with some of your observations. Orvis produces all of their rod blanks, it is entirely their own product, not outsourced. Probably the only thing they have ever done completely inhouse. Some of their low end rods are assembled elsewhere now, but they still stand behind them. The quality suffers in order to compete with their competitors. All the rest is usually made by another supplier and branded with their own name. I think the fly lines were made by SA at one time. Most materials are supplied by companies like Wapsi in bulk and branded with their own label. Waders are made by ? now. Reels were made by Hardy in England and branded Orvis. Now, probably made in China. Back to their rods, their most popular rods tend to be faster action graphite with fast action tips. Their Superfine medium action rods fit my casting style for the most part here in MO. I don't like the fast action rods, or what they call Tip Flex. You have to read their charts for the action types to get the right action for your casting style. You really need to cast a rod to see if it fits you and I think they give you a 30 day trial period to exchange. Most dealers have rods to try in shop. To sum it up, there are other great companies out there. But, I have never had a issue with any product I have purchased from the Orvis Co. that they did not resolve ASAP and usually to my best interest. I have broken rods by chinking the rod with a fly or lead and caused a failure, the rod was replaced each time with a upgraded rod. I have slammed one in a car door and broke a tip, they replaced the rod. Not many companies do that.

I was driving down 61 near Bloomsdale a few weeks back and noticed a guy dumping his grey water in a circle drive of a house. I doubt if it was his house......

There is a website dedicated to Warmwater Fly Tying. Warm Water Fly Tyer

"cides" could also be used to treat the algae growths or fungal diseases, algaecides, fungicides. The harsh chems could also be used to sterilize the runs when they move fish out of one area to another. Most hatchery managers and employees are more than happy to take the time to explain the operation to you and answer any questions you may have. If you are spending some time at a trout park during the week, visit the hatchery. Most have tours and feeding times allotted. Ask them any questions you may have, they know their jobs pretty well and are proud of what they do. Always remember, you are their "customer", and they are providing you a service. Your tax dollars and license fees keep them in business.

MDC does not do the monthly stock if an area has too high of a water temp. I know in the past Lane Spring got skipped several times because the water temp was too high. Fisheries will check stream conditions before they toss fish in a stressed stream. Has anyone dropped a thermometer in the water and seen what the temps of these streams really are now? What are the actual temps of the streams now?

My Yota is still running fine.

I have an 8' Creek Company ODC with the rocker pontoons. I fished the Norfork with 1+ generators no problems. I launched out of the boat ramp at the dam and the water came up shortly after. I took my time and fished the rising waters and had alot of fun. By the time I got to McLellan's, the water was dropping fast. By the time I got to the pullout that afternoon at the handicap access, it was low water. I had a blast and was never worried about the boat. Just pull back along the edges and stay out of the main flow to fish. As always, my only anchor was my feet. The ODC with the rocker pontoons is rated for class II. I doubt if it ever got over class I. Round or flat pontoons perform different in fast water, they are for flat water or lakes. I have been on the Spring River in falling flood stage. I run the waterfall above the Bayou on the East Side near the rocks and was sucked under to my waist, then popped back up. It was great. It would have swamped a yak without a skirt. As far as the rowing in swift water, you have to plan ahead if you intend to cross. Mine has the old cordura covers that "stick" to the water. Newer PVC covers are slicker and paddle easier.

Thats funny, my favorite poppers are a chartreuse Round Dinny and a Chartreuse Slider. I also use chartreuse in my blue gill flies, foam bugs, and trout eggs. I use white, gold, purple, yellow too with much success. I also toss a White/Chartreuse Rapala this time of year that works great too. You might want to dig it out and try some different colors locally, you might be surprised.

Most trout will stop feeding when the water temps reach 70 degrees. Given the shallow runs and low spring flows of those streams, the water temps should soar over that on the hot summer days we have had lately. Catching a trout should not even be an issue if this is the case. All fish are experiencing some stress this time of year. The lucky ones will drop off into deeper pools and shady spots. Feeding is best of a night or the hours close to it. The sun is not heating things up and the cool water source cools things back down.

It is like any other sport hobby, you get out more than what you put in to it by the personal satisfaction of making something yourself and catching a fish with it. You could compare it to reloading, making your own boat, building a kit gun to hunt with, etc. Or you could look at it another way, will you ever catch enough fish to pay for the fly rod and reel you bought? It is just another expense of fishing. The only way it will pay for itself is if you buy only the materials needed to tye the flies you actually use all of the time and use 100 percent of the materials you buy. In the long run, that would pay off. If you decide you have to have the premium tools and vices, then the payoff would be alot longer down the road. If you buy a hackle cape and only tye size 12 flies, then you will waste all of the feathers in the other sizes. In the long run, the cost is minimal if you enjoy the time you spend doing it.

Or if you wear glasses, a nice pair of clip on magnifiers work great. I am getting ready to mount them and tye a few tonight.

The trout are pretty tasty off those streams right now, kinda like boiled salmon..... Most streams here locally are like wading in bath water. But they are not spring fed and fast running.

Wild trout are not shoved into a concrete run packed like sardines, only fed a few times a day, eat each others fins and poop, stressed by all of this, and have a trout next to them get sick. Once one gets it, it spreads pretty quick. Wild trout get sick, usually by introduction of disease from hatchery trout.

Spent the day in the garden yesterday, tilling, cleaning and redoing. Planted beans AGAIN. Planted a few more squash, cucumbers, lettuce and spinach. Tore up a strawberry patch and moved some to the garden and replanted the rest in the patch I tilled up. They needed thinning out. Picked a couple of apples. Watered it morning and night, this heat and dry spell is not doing much good.

Yes, you will know it when you cross the first waterfall above the Bayou access. Riverside Campground is pretty easy to spot on the left and then you will have a series of long slow pools and runs to fish for the smallies. I have only been to Many Island once on a float, we usually pull out below the party rocks at Riversides Pullout. You should have a good float, most schools start around here that Monday. Most crowds should be gone on a Mon-Tues.

I'd rather see a little of that snow now....

Nice thing about the Spring River, it has a series of falls on almost every stretch of the river above Hardy, and maybe even below that, that prevents operation of a motorized boat. When I say "falls" I am referring to Rock Ledges 3 to 5 foot that water flows over. It is essentially a float stream only. There is Cold Springs access at Mammoth that lets you motor around in a lake created by Dam 3 at the fish hatchery. I have floated and fished it, caught some large mouth and goggle eye in that stretch. Otherwise, I would check out the lower river around Imboden Ark for motorized fishing, it would probably be your best shot to run a boat, although I have never been there,

I have started picking them up above the first set of big falls above the Bayou Access. They really get good below Riverside on down as do the goggle eye and walleye. I even pick up a few largemouths. Go on the weekday, weekends are crap till schools get back in session. We have a trip planned the weekend of the 20th.

The Lodge used to be ok, don't know now as it has changed hands and have not tried it this year. My suggestion would be to go to Licking one night. Follow the road out of the park, make a left at Old Cahills store, follow it out, make another left at the next intersection and eat at the Olig's BBQ on the left. We hit that back in the winter and the food is great. There is another place on south of Licking on the left that is pretty good too. Great breakfast. If you want to travel a little more, Houston or Rolla is a good option too.

I assumed it was probably one big ranch. I will contact the MDC in the area, maybe they can send out a landowner liasion that could work with them to stop alot of the stream bank damage and help the water quality. Locally, most cattle farmers that have to use our rivers for water just fence in a gap for access. They also fence in fields away from river banks and leave trees along the river to prevent erosion and keep the stream in its banks. I did notice alot of erosion of banks and cutting away of fields. Trees along the river were few and far between, fields came all the way to the river.