jdmidwest

If he owns both sides and has livestock, he has the right. Fences like that usually don't last long. First flood takes them out. I have run across them on the Castor and Big River also locally. When I brought them up to the MDC agent, they seem to be legal. They are not a big issue with the yaks, but would pose a bigger problem with a canoe. I float right thru them.

Man brought them back into the wild and now Man has to control them. But the problem is, there are not enough Men left that have the time and confirmation to trap and control the critters. Fur prices are the smallest part of the equation, breaking even would be nice. Hunting is falling off, trapping is at an all time low. I have been signed up for a cable restraint class for over 6 months now and there are not enough interested to hold a class. Season is fast approaching. The Alpha Predator is anxious to go out and control the varmits that ravage the crops and animals that I like to protect.

Meramec has always been a place for the slobs to waller in, its a shame, it could be a nice park. Most that fish there throw cheese and I have heard the Mexicans have invaded it. Probably why they raised the cover charge to enter the park. Was there last winter for a drive thru, did not cost anything at all. Concessionares came up for bids last year, may have a new shop owner. Call them and gripe or do not go there and choke them out of existence.

Define Navigable... State Water and State Fish are for the public, not the land in most cases.

Otters were native to MO, then they were eliminated. Now MAN has reintroduced them, playing God and mucking with the balance of nature. Man introduced Trout into many nice smallmouth streams and have changed the balance of natural order there too. I noticed this week that they are trying to reintroduce Elk again. Last time they suggested it, it was shot down by landowners that do not want to deal with the destruction of fences and possible introduction of disease like CWD into the deer herd. I say, they were gone, why bother to reintroduce them? Why waste my taxpayer dollars on a troublesome animal like the otter? Many species have gone the way of the Dodo in MO. Saber tooth tigers, Mammoths, Elk, Bison, and the various species of dinosaurs. Do we bring them all back. What about the Native American Indian that thrived here, do we give up our land and let them have it too?

Its not only the fish that they take, it is the frogs and crayfish they devour. Frog populations and Crayfish have been on the decline lately also, some are thinking the Otters and Herons are to blame for this also. Before, there were larger predators that kept them in check. Whether they were hunted out of existence or man fished them out of existence I am really not sure, but they were gone. And Stream Ecology did not suffer. Now they are back and are causing problems on alot of streams and ponds in certain areas. Could they fish out the Mississippi, no. Could they fish out the Castor, Jacks Fork, or other smaller streams, possibly. I don't think that they are all that cute either, kinda like fat furry snakes in the water. As far as couldn't hack it, they did not adapt to evade the predator, man, so they become extinct. What makes you think their prey species will be able to adapt to the new form of predation?

I really don't know what the aversion is towards the Orvis Company is on here. I have had an association with them since the early 90's when the shop I worked for was an Orvis Dealer. I have been a member of the Orvis Guide Program ever since and still have friends that are dealers. I do a tying class for one of them from time to time. They have always had excellent products and excellent customer service. If you have a problem, they will go to the extreme to make it better. Is a product issue or a dealership issue? As far as the rod goes, I would go with the Orvis rod over the Sage based on my experience. I currently own over 10 of them in various sizes and designs, from the low end to the high end. I have fished and sold twice that amount over the years for various reasons. I have not bought a Helios yet but have not heard anything bad about them. Friends have been buying the Streamline series and have no complaints. I currently fish the Trout Bum 4 pc 5 wt for the most part and love it. Orvis has been making rods longer than anyone and they fish great, designed well, and come with a 25 year no questions asked warranty. Orvis makes quality reels like the CFO and Battenkill Bar Stock, but it is hard to beat the craftmanship of a Ross Reel.

I like the finesse of the Light rod for fishing 1/8 th ounce lures and 4 lb test. For heavier plugs and lures, I use heavier lines and rods.

Look for something that has the word "GoreTex" on it or Hydrofleece if you really want to bet your comfort on it. Fleece is nice, but in a rain it will build up bulk. You may want to find a slicker fabric with a goretex liner. Goretex is windproof and waterproof, and breathable.

Phil should kill the flower spammer..... Lets add a few keywords. NObama, Palin, Politics, Shuffling

It amazes me when people "wish" they had a garden. It only takes a little corner of the yard or a section to grow alot of good eatable food. I have had many friends that plant squash, peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes in pots on patios and enjoyed the fruits of their labors. I am lucky, I have an acre to play with. The main garden is 30' x 40' and grows lots of veggies. The strawberry patches are 8' circles and produce quarts of berries. My corner garden produces peppers, cucs, tomatoes, lettuce, and spinach and is 20' x 5'. The rest is devoted to trees. Nice work.

Not really, they don't "deserve" to be there. They were extinct because they could not hack it, and man decided to reintroduce them. Now, the MDC is relying on trappers to control them. Unfortunately, fur prices dropped and there is less of a demand for them, and less trappers than before. They are a predator that is high on the food chain, not much really keeps them in check other than the Alpha Predator, Man. In a perfect world, nature would balance itself out, but in this case, fishing suffers because of them. I really should have not seen any of them on this trip as they are mostly nocturnal and rare, but they outnumbered deer and turkeys on this float by a long shot Think about that trophy smallie released ending up in the paws of this furry little critter. Maybe they will open a gigging season on them.

Hey, thats a sweet boat. Does the guy build them for sale?? If I run across that boat on a river I will hold him at gunpoint, I might even take it from him. That boat will stick out like a turd in a punch bowl. Watch out on Ebay and Craigslist, the thief may try to sell it.

I spent the first part of the week fishing and floating 3 sections of the ONSR. Sunday it was Eminence to 2 Rivers, Monday was Akers to Pulltite, and Tuesday was Alley to Eminence. Granted I was floating with a big group, but we always managed to catch several fish in the past floats. The Akers to Pulltite float was the worst, nobody did very well that day. We did manage to see plenty of OTTERS. One hole in the Sunday float produced 3 at once, one was chomping on a fresh caught smallie. I tried to get over and get a pic, but it dived under the weeds. Same hole produced the pic of the one on the rock that scratched itself for several minutes till one of the bird dogs bailed out of the canoe and started barking at it. We saw a few in several holes on the Current float also. I wonder how many there are really if we saw that many on a day time float among a lot of other floaters.

Must have been the UL action on the rod that protected your line. I floated from Eminence to 2 Rivers Sunday and from Alley to Eminence Tuesday. Both mornings started with a nice thunderstorm and I floated with a group of 8 canoes and 4 yaks that were all flailing the water. Fishing was slow. I did pester the pickerel in the back waters for a little topwater action.

You will need a good 12' Sit on Top. You sit higher on the water, usually more stable, and can carry alot of stuff. Wilderness System makes the Tarpon 120 that paddles and handles well.

I fish all the time with an UL Berkley AMP rod, Shimano 1000 with 4lb green Trilene or a Light Berkley Amp rod, Shimano 2000 and 6 lb Green Trilene. Unless I am trolling or tossing larger plugs I don't carry anything more. I have caught 16 lb channel cat, 5-6 lb Bass, and 10 lb Trout on the UL setup with a 4 lb test without problems breaking off fish.

Most of them have a lot of extra skin to show..... I always wonder, if they get a tattoo when they are young and they get larger, do they have to go back and connect the dots????

That will be some good eating.

As long as we got off topic and having a little fun with this, here are a few more. Wipeouts, tatts, and well, very nice kini. Can't post some on here, I have to keep them in the private stash. We spent several hours on that rock watching the fiasco. All of our troop made it thru that day on top of our boats. Not many did. I am going to suffer thru it again Saturday. Its all good for a laugh.

Next time down, try out Flossie's Apple Barrel in Winona, it is good food. Never had a bad meal there yet. There was a decent buffet on the square in Eminence, can't remember the name of it. I will look for it this weekend probably.

Wasn't that just funny, at first I thought it was a dude when she floated into the curve. Then I just had to snap a pic. She may be the ugliest woman I have ever saw in the wild.

Wouldn't that be like putting an adult rubber glove on a kids hand if you were not excited about something? Or you could always step out and pee on a tree. Missouri streams have their dangers too as far as parasites. Leeches are my worst annoyance and are becoming quite common on the Spring River in Ark. E Coli from cattle and septic tanks, Salmonella, Girardia and others can get you while swimming or fishing with an open cut.

That pic was from a few years ago. I did not waste bytes on the tats. Here is one that was not a hardbody.....

Actually, it is just the opposite. Most of the St Francis and Big Creek are a series of large holes and shallow runs. It is best floated in canoes. They rent canoes at the park and shuttle you if you bring your own. Popular floats are from the park to 34 bridge or Big Creek above the park to the park. You could even have a pretty good float from the upper end of the park to the lower boat ramp. Otherwise, wade fish the Big Creek, several points of access in the park or hike above to Mudlick Hollow. River should be in good shape to float with the rains this week and last. We floated the Big Creek from Brunot to the park around Easter and I posted a report. Big Creek Spring Float