jdmidwest

+1 Greybear, you just had to bring politics into it! Way to go Dylan, it was a great idea. How many other states have a State Waterway? Interesting to see the stats on that.

Oops, forgot one, the NRA does not sell guns, it is a watchdog organization for gun owners and their rights. Firearms dealers registered with the ATF sell guns.

OK, time to rant. There are those out there that attack our rights to own firearms, hunt, fish, and enjoy the outdoors. They go under names like Brady, Peta, Humane Society, and the US Congress. Biden helped to write the Assault Rifle bill under the Clinton Admin. Most of the current administration were the same bunch that caused problems under Clinton. Therefore, there is an anticipation that there will be something coming down the pipes for some sort of gun control in the next 4 years. Bills have already been introduced last year to regulate ammo, the new Atty General wants to ban Assault Rifle sales to curb druglords in Mexico, etc. I am not attacking any political party, just the culprits. Glen Beck is a whacko, there is no need for revolution yet, although our forefathers revolted against the British for less taxation than what we suffer from today. Rush is leading the Conservative movement and trying to pull the Republican parties head out of its butt, he is not calling for revolution. He has good points. As far as the Police not being able to protect us, they are essentially a traffic control and crime investigation unit. They do not protect us from the everyday assault, rapes, murder, car jacking, and other violent crimes. The do investigate and bring culprits to justice, but are rarely on the scene of a violent crime when it happens and you can not depend on them for protection. Most crime is one on one, you and the criminal. You are responsible for your own defense of life, property, and family. Lucky for us, we have a means of protecting ourselves now with the CCW laws that were enacted during the Blunt Admin. Now for the reason of the mass gun sales and ammo sales, people are concerned and are buying now before that right is taken away again. It is not a panic, I have not seen any beating down the doors of the gunshop or fighting over the last Glock. It is systemized and organized purchasing of legal firearms and ammunition. Some of it is hoarding but alot of it is the introduction of alot of new shooters to the handgun sport. More people are taking CCW courses, and they are purchasing handguns and ammo to carry and practice with. Most have seen what has happened in the past and are buying guns for their collection a little sooner anticipating that they may not have the right to buy them in the future. Illinois has a system for tracking everything except what the State Politicians are doing!! It took the FBI to track them. The FOID card is a joke. I was in Carbondale at Dicks Sporting Goods and picked up a few boxes of 50 cal round lead balls for the muzzleloader just in case I have to resort to black powder after my ammo runs out. They asked for my FOID card, I informed the cashier that I was from the Free State of MO, she laughed and took my money. They only use it to track the residents of the state of IL. What part of the country do you live in that is so bad that you have to produce ID to buy gas? Have they started huffing gas fumes in your location?

The stockers usually run 6-9 inches. What you may have run into was a supplemental stock from excess fish from somewhere. Or they may have grew better this year.

I really don't know for sure. It used to be about 1000 fish per mile in the trophy area from Montauk to Cedargrove. The stocking varies from year to year and MDC is usually pretty closed mouth about it till after it happens. Tom at the Montauk office would be the contact person to find out any details. The increased competition for food that follows the stock for several weeks makes for good fishing. Of course, meat fishers take advantage of it too. Rainbow stocking should have already taken place and will continue thru Oct below Cedargrove, another good area that is an easy drive from the park.

A bonus fishing situation is about to occur. Sometime in March or April, the area will receive the annual stocking of browns. You will catch alot of small browns and the competition for food brings out the big ones to feed in the daylight more.

That would have been a hornyhead chub. Did he have bumps on his head? I need to fish the Piney this summer, I have not been there in years.

Walk out the old road on the left as you come down the hill and you will come out in the river further down. You will see a horse trail that crosses the river. Its a nice scenic walk, esp in a snow. Park at the upper lot, first on right as you come down hill and walk upstream. Be sure to hit the undercuts along the bluff good.

Its political so I can't really say too much. Bills in certain states have been put in motion that would require serial numbers on individual bullets or casings, 500 percent increases on taxes for the ammo, and others. Current administration has a track record of anti-gun history in the past. Other reasons. I think with the economy being so bad, people are stocking up on ammo for the time that they will have to start hunting for food, defending themselves when police forces are cut back, and they are bored and out of work and have nothing better to do except sit around and target practice. It could also be that all that ammo is going to feed all the increase in firearms purchased since November. There are a whole bunch of new firearms owners since Nov, record sales as a matter of fact.

I don't think FW meant that in a bad way. In your first post you state that Dylan had the idea, but if his teacher was not the son of a State Rep., the idea would have never gotten passed along. You stated that you were unable to get the idea going any further in a halfhearted attempt. The Missouri River is a good choice. It has been a part of Missouri history for a long time.

CDC allows the fly to float lower in the water film allowing more of the body to rest on the film giving the trout a better view in my opinion. It is easier to tye and since I duck hunt, I have bags of the natural color stuff. Downside, first fish usually slimes it and you have to retire it to the box till it dries out again. But, hackle gets slimed also. On rough water, the extra flotation of hackle is preferred. I hope we did not scare Pastor off with all of the percentages.

To All My Valued Employees, There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however,is the changing political landscape in this country.* However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests. First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life. However, what you don't see is the back story. I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you. My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had. So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... you never realize the back story and the sacrifices I've made. Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for. Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why: I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch. The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country. The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy. Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now. When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep. Signed, Your boss

Let me get my slide rule out. If you add a trailing shuck, you probably should be casting an emerger. The antennae look a little thick. The proportions of the fly are a little off, the hair wing extends a little far past the back of the hook and the body continues a little far past the curve of the hook. But that is if you want to be critical of the fly in the most critical sense. If you can catch a fish with it, then it works. It is a pretty good looking fly overall. In caddis, as well as other flies, the thorax of the fly seems to be the most critical. Trout seem to concentrate on that color when they decide it is food or fly. Match the hatch to the color of the body and you should do well. The other parts are just fluff. They will pay attention as to how they ride in the water film as far as dry flies, emergers, or nymphs. I personally use CDC feathers instead of hackle for most on my Caddis, easier to tye and floats good too.

Toyota gets knocked around about being "Foreign Made" but mine was made in the same country as most GM Trucks, Canada. At least Toyota is not standing at Congress's doorstep looking for some free cheese to make it thru tough times. I bought it used and contacted Toyota for an Owners Manual, they shipped me one for free. When you call for a part, the dealer needs your VIN number to get the correct part and to track what you needed. They have excellent customer service, if you need it. I have owned Mazda's in the past without problems, both were purchased new. I have owned a Chevy truck new, it was bought back by GM and replaced by my current one within the first 3 months because of all the problems I had with it. The one I own now had several factory throw out bearings replaced under warranty till they replaced the last one and they thought I was paying for it. I reminded the dealer that it had been only 6 months since the last one was replaced and they warrantied it instead with slightly over 36k. That one lasted another 200000+ miles. Other than the early problems, it was a good truck and performed well. The 2 Blazers were disasters, once they passed 100000 miles everything fell apart. Transmissions, ball joints, digital dashes, injection units, radiators, and fuel pumps all failed with major repair bills. They were purchased used.

The stinger is just a short dropper. And the silicone legs would need a chemist to prove it is not rubber. Rule of thumb, if you don't think it will be legal, don't fish it till you get approval from the governing authority of the water you are fishing. Nice fly. I bet the smallies will like it too. Thanks Jeremy.

You know, I never really thought about it either. We have a state flower, fossil, and mineral, but no waterway. Not many states have the abundance of streams as MO. does. Way to go!

If you change it to a 30 day graph, you can really see the fluctuations.

Great trip, reminds me of my younger days. How did the solo canoe do? Did you get to try it out? Great pics, what camera are you using? It takes a sharp, clear pic.

Its transmission fluid, there is a red tinge to it. No burnt smell, just dirty. I bought a 94 Blazer a few years back and started going thru it, replacing all the fluids, filters, etc. I changed out the differential and transfer case fluids along with the brake and power steering. It had 130000 on it. 2 weeks later the tranny started slipping and I ended up with a transmission rebuild. Some have told me that the detergents in the fresh fluid loosened up parts that made it shoot craps. I bought a 96 Blazer 4 years ago with 114000 on it and the transmission went out on it at 130000 also without fresh fluid. I think maint. schedules are drawn up for a reason. Other fluids break down over time and need to be replaced just like the motor oil. Funny thing is, most stop at changing the oil and forget about the rest. This guy was the third owner of this vehicle and he supplied me with the maint. records on it for the last 2 years he owned it. Oil changes every 3000 like clockwork, nothing else except for a brake job and no other maint. But the rig is clean and tight, drives like it just came off the showroom floor. Everything works and the body is straight. Interior in good shape. I have been getting 20+ mpg and it has not had a tune up in 30k for sure. I pulled out the air filter and choked on the dust that fell out of it. Replacing it gained 2 mpg so far.

I recently purchased a used 99 4 Runner with 190000 miles for my daily driver. Everything is tight and it runs great. No fluid leaks. Transmission shifts smooth. When I pulled the dipstick on the tranny yesterday, the oil looks like used motor oil. Should I leave it alone as everything is shifting smooth or should I change it and risk the fresh fluid causing damage and resulting in a transmission repair. Nice feature on the Toyota is that they have a transmission drain plug, it is a shame no former owner took advantage of it.

Its great. Leave it alone. Plenty of content already. Have you done any research as to the demographics of the users on here? Seems like most are covered with the OK, KS, MO, IL, AR, and TN areas. A state by state for the rivers and lakes in the states touching MO might be enough. I thought you already had a regional division to break stuff up. Put up a poll and see where everyone is from or what the interests are. How about a P o l i t i c a l F o r u m or one covering current events other than fishing or hunting? It seems to get traffic moving.

I have used them for years, I swim like a rock. I have an old Browning vest that had one built in and later transferred it to an Orvis vest. I plan to purchase one that wears like a waist belt. All are the ones that you have to pull a cord to inflate. If you are knocked out for some reason it will not inflate without your pulling the cord. Probably not the best to use when boating. They are lightweight and serve a purpose. I still wear a real PFD when Kayaking or boating on rough water.

If I was PC, my vote would have turned the election. I tire of paying for others mistakes. Maybe she will take the Million dollar offer from Vivid and make a porn and pay off her hospital bill and come out even. She can not even feed herself, much less 14 kids.......

Remember Nadya Suleman? The mother of the octuplets...with 6 kids already at home....her parents' home. 14 kids, no job, no husband, no medical coverage, her parents are 10 months behind on their house payments and are facing forclosure. Well, Denny's is offering the Suleman Breakfast. 14 eggs, no sausage and the guy next to you has to pay for it.

In the pools below Whitten down past Riverton, we usually troll crawdad plugs like shad raps or rebel craws. We are usually in the jet boat when we do it. We have in the past used the square stern canoe and a 3 hp motor to the same effect. It works well for a trout, smallie, or a walleye.