jdmidwest

For your enjoyment

Just had to dig this one up. Chrome is getting closer to tracking than ever. I ditched it as soon as I downloaded the first version. Now they are on the brink of creating a OS that could replace Microsoft, with some invasion of privacy issues. A few months ago, they were caught tracking wireless computer signals and realistically could have been monitoring your connection. Now this, they can show where you are. Don't look now, but Google is following you.

We do the Spring River Float as a bunch of guys 3 times a year for a little beer and scenery. Not much fishing, but we do manage to catch a few here and there. One of the bunch was the one that floated with me yesterday and we both talked about how burned out we were getting on the party floats. Seriously, how many young kinis can one stand to look at anyway? Most hardbodies are trashed with tattos now anyway. Its like going into Ryan's when you are on a diet.... I have suggested others, but the bulk of the bunch like to rent cabins and have all the luxuries of home while there and are not really serious fishermen. Most are married and it is fun for them. But if some of the stuff we do shows up on facebook like it did last month, some of their wives may put a stop to it. Next weekend is the second of the trio of parties, usually the wildest float of the summer. I will follow it up with a couple of days with another bunch of family and friends from Texas and STL at Jack's Fork. It will be mid week and should be a good time with some good fishing.

I just had to read this one, I thought it had something to do with Midgets, short people, or something like that.

Most places that sell fishing equip will usually carry a few poppers. My favorites are Sneaky Pete and Round Dinny. You could even find them at a Wally World, Target, or Kmart if you have one close.

I think it is an Alaskan Mosquito. Now you are hooked. Try some poppers.

My superior brain controls the breathing, my hand eye coordination, and monitors the surrounding area for safety while I gently squeeze the trigger removing a dangerous critter that did not have sense enough to realize the danger he was in. Anybody want some snakes?? I do have a catch stick and can relocate some for you. Great for mice problems. Did you know that most snakebites happen when idiots try to handle them?

If I did, it would probably look like this next time. No thanks. Besides, I am getting old and starting to have Alzheimers, I have already forgotten.

It really works. Just running over them does not do much to them, you have to tap the brake. Comparing the removal of a poisonous snake from an area where it can harm a human or livestock to the strip mining of forests that causes excessive erosion and gravelization of streams have nothing in common. For the record, I don't go out in the WILD and look for snakes to kill. But there are some states that hunt them and eat them and have big festivals doing so. And guess what, next year, they still have snakes to hunt, eat, and have festivals for. Its a renewable resource.

Put it online as a pdf file and I will read it. Save a few trees in the process.

If you tap the brakes as you pass over a snake on the road, it almost turns them inside out. It is great sport on a blacktop road on a late summer night.....

Got out and took a little float today. Unknown River, floated point a to point b. River was up some due to the rain this week and crystal clear. Did not get in till about 11 so we fished the toughest part of the day. Smallies all day, a few longears, nothing else, no largemouth, no gar, no carp. Hot lures of the day were F7 Gold and Black Rapalas, Sonic Roostertails, and Yum Crayfish. Several fish over 12". Best one of the day on the Rapala was 16". Best thing about the day, only 2 on the river. Peace, quiet. We saw several deer, big softshell turtles, red tail hawks, and woodies. If all the float streams were like this on the weekend, how nice things would be. It was hot in the sun, but nice in the shade. And, for some reason, no snakes at all. It must be shedding season.

OK Chief, try this scenario. 5' Timber Rattler coiled up in flower bed alongside house. It has crawled thru over a dozen horses and a few dogs to get there, any of which are worth more than than a good pair of rattlesnake boots. It is definitely on your property and poses a danger to humans and young kids running thru the yard. What do you do? You are going into the feedhouse, its dark, and you feel something brush your leg as you enter. You turn the light on and realize you were just missed by a Copperhead. Granted it was only looking for a mouse, but. What do you do?

Poor little fishy choked on a yellow hunk of nylon rope before you let him go. Looks kinda pale like a fish out of water.

The river has been high for a long time this summer and is forecasted to stay up for a while. This gives them more opportunities to run up streams that are not accessible under normal conditions. I wonder how long it be before they run up the Castor and the Whitewater rivers out of the Diversion Channel? The Saline, Apple Creek and other tribs here in SEMO are at risk too.

I had a customer bitten by a copperhead about 5 inches long, he had it in alcohol on the counter of his business. It bit his finger when he was turning a hose off. 2 weeks later, his hand looked like a latex glove that you blow up due to the swelling and fluid. He had to take the antivenom. It caused alot of damage for such a little bite. If it poison, it usually gets relocated when I see them. Relocated to wherever snakes go when they die.

White along the lower cheek, dull, faint markings, boxy head, thick body throughout. Pretty good signs from a distance. Black Rat snake, head about same size as neck, symmetrical tapered body, usually glossy scales, faint markings on close inspection, white underneath. When in doubt, stay away from it. Duhh!

If you click and expand the pics, you will see the answer.

Going upstream in one of the pontoons is always a chore, they create too much drag. But a 40lb troller should make it stand on end. What is the rating on the mount?

Inflatable one man pontoon?? If so, how big are the floats and what material are they made of?

Some folks sportfish for big cats, and they practice catch and release too. Probably because they know that they caught him once, next time he will be bigger. I can't imagine anything out of the cesspool the Mississippi River has become being very tasty. There is an advisory against eating very much of any fish out of ole Muddy because of contamination. Who knows how many turds, cigarette butts, and human bodies he has munched on in his long life. In Alaska, we caught and released Rainbow Trout in the 29-36 inch range all day because they grew that big with the water and the nutrients. I would not have hesitated to smoke one on the campfire if we needed a fish to eat, they were that plentiful. In MO, I have not even came close to that in size of a Rainbow Trout. Habitat will not allow one to grow that big. Same goes for the catfish in the big rivers.

Careful Bob, you will probably get fried like a big old fat smallie by admitting you keep one or two now and then on this forum. Not too many on here understand the nature of the streams they fish or the fish they fish for. Your response was well put, every stream has its own different problems and its own uses. I personally quit keeping smallies and other bass in streams when they become loaded up with the little white flukes in the muscle tissue. I know they fry up and don't hurt you, but it is kind of like killing a squirrel with a warble worm, yuk. Now days, if I keep fish, they come out of impoundments where this fluke problem is not as great. By the way, welcome to the forum. You might find this interesting. I have read the Traveller for years and have always enjoyed it.

5 squirrels and counting now, they are going into the traps using the corn I cut off for bait. I have noticed a few new rabbits in the past few days and the beans are just starting to put on. Now the heat and dry weather is killing me. I was mowing the other day and noticed a few japanese beetles and wondered where they were coming from. The neighbor had a grapevine covered with them and had just about stripped it clean. I got out the sevin and sprayed it for him to keep them out of my yard. I have never had a problem with deer, coons are easy to trap, I have caught 5 around here in the past few years. Groundhogs have allways been a pain. If you have cobs with the ends eaten out of them, it is squirrels. If the stalks are broken, its coons or groundhogs.

I too was unable to vote. When we came to Taney, we stayed at the State Park Campground, cooked most of our own meals, and fish. What little time we did not spend on the river was hitting the fly shops and Bass Pro. We did hit the strip one night for a meal, saw all of the places crowded, went to a store and bought some steaks to grill at the camp. I don't like crowds, shows, country music, or amusement parks. I don't golf, and I don't wait long lines to eat at a restaurant. Denjac, the freak show is already there, they already have a Walmart....

I did not see a Strip Club last time down. I was disappointed when I went in to something called a Dance Hall and found them fully clothed......