jdmidwest

Several fishing regulations changes are now in effect Several fishing regulations changes are now in effect LITTLE ROCK – A number of changes in fishing regulations for Arkansas anglers went into effect Jan. 1. Most are minor or local rules, but a couple apply statewide. One new rule will “allow the use of wood or cane poles anchored in the substrate of AGFC-owned lakes to support yo-yos and limblines.” Substrate means the lake bottom. What this rule means is that a fisherman can drive a wooden stake or push a cane pole into the bottom of an AGFC lake to hold yo-yos or limblines. What the rule does not mention, meaning it is not legal to do it, is to use rebar of other metal rods for these anchoring purposes. You can’t use a steel T-post. Metal posts and rods in the water can be hazards to boats. Wood or cane poles aren’t, as boats can bump over them or push them out of the way. The wooden or cane poles must be removed when the angler is done fishing the yo-yo. Another statewide rule is on on how to measure a fish. It received the additional words “on its side.” You measure a fish’s length from the top of the nose to the tip of the tail with the tail’s lobes pressed together. And you do it with the fish lying on its side, not upright. Other new rules in condensed form: * Live wild-caught bait can be used on Lake Norfork if the bait was caught “from the watershed above Lake Norfolk” as well as from the lake itself. * A 14-inch minimum length limit was placed on largemouth bass on the Ouachita River from Tate’s Bluff near Camden to Felsenthal Dam and on the lower Saline River from Stillion Bridge to its mouth. * A 20-inch minimum length limit was placed on flathead catfish in the lower Ouachita River between the mouth of the Little Missouri River and Camden. The rule is for both commercial and recreational fishing. * The boundary was clarified for the Narrows Tailwater Trout Area of the Little Missouri River below Lake Greeson. The boundary is now the Muddy Fork Road bridge at Murfreesboro. * A 15-inch minimum length limit on largemouth bass on Lake Jack Nolen near Greenwood was removed, and the daily limit recorded from 10 to six. Several fishing regulations changes are now in effect * Snaglines must be checked daily. The term was added to the rule on daily checks of trotlines. * Regulations on trout fishing boundaries on the White River below Bull Shoals Dam and Little Red River below Greers Ferry Dam were changed to read :”as indicated by signs.” * A 24-inch minimum length limit and a daily limit of one was put on brown trout on the white River below Bull Shoals Dam and on the North Fork River below Norfolk Dam. * Entergy Park Pond at Hot Springs was added to the AGFC’s Family and Community Fishing Program. * Fish farmers must keep records of sales and shipments for at least three years. * Shovelnose sturgeon were added to the list of Arkansas sport fish. There is no daily limit on them. * The boundary of the White River Border Lake area was changed to Houseman Access. * Hogging and noodling of fish (catching them by hand) will be allowed on Lake Charles and the Strawberry River below U.S. Highway 167. * Ten blue catfish may be taken on Lake Millwood in southwest Arkansas in addition to the daily limit of 10 catfish of all species, due to an overpopulation of blues in the lake. * Mobility impaired anglers must have an AGFC mobility impaired card on them when they fish Dry Run Creek in Baxter County near Norfolk Dam.

"Political Correctness-- a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end..."

"Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end..."

Actually, fishing has declined in my lifetime. Many of the streams I fished when I was younger are now drying up or the fishing quality has decreased. More private land management and timber management would help alot of the watersheds. Gravel buildup by over harvest of timber and loss of forest near streams has really choked out alot of my old stomping grounds. Big River, Big Creek, Upper St Francois, Castor, Whitewater, Saline, Bear Creek, Hurricane Creek, Frederick Creek, Upper 11 pt, Warm Fork of the Spring River, Upper Current River, etc have all gotten shallower due to gravel and changes in the water tables or water shed. Fishing has declined in all of these streams in my lifetime of the last 40 years. One section of Frederick Creek and Hurricane Creek has disappeared completely from time to time due to droughts, gravel, and clear cuts. I second the motion that more needs to be done for enforcement, but alot needs to be done about Private Land Management also. MDC needs to work with the private landowners to manage all of the private land also.

It has been a few years since I have been to Lane Springs, used to hit it quite often. I know they were having alot of problems with campground damage and it was getting to be one of the Trolling hotspots for the local gays. 10 Years ago, you could fish and camp during the winter and the park was a change of pace. You can hit Mill Creek, Spring Creek, and Roubidoux all in one weekend.

Neoprene cushions the foot more than a layer of Goretex so it is more comfy and warm. It is also more resiliant than a layer of Goretex and takes more abuse. But, it does not breath. Actually, with the breathable waders, most of my moisture is build up around the back of the legs near the knees for some reason. I wore my Pro-Guides to the duck blind the other day, after busting ice and setting decoys, I had built up quite a bit of heat and moisture. I was sitting in the blind and watching the waders transpire the moisture thru the material at my knees and upper thighs, it was coming off like steam. The stuff really works. All of the new hi tech materials like Goretex and Under Armour make the outdoors so much more comfy than we had it 20 years ago.

I think a Fraidy Hole would be the last place to be in a major earthquake. I would want to be above ground. I started a thread on Earthquakes a few months ago. There was a swarm around Hot Springs this fall and one in Central Ill. this spring. Of course, we always have a swarm here in SE MO, several hundred a year on the New Madrid Fault. Recent Earthquakes in Central US

Which Game Camera are you using? Pretty good pics for a fixed lens.

It depends on the felt, some is glued on and some is stitched. Normally the boot wears out before the felt. Boots usually wear out before the waders.

Pics?? I don't have a solo canoe in my armada, at that price I may need one.

Don't forget to back up your pictures to DVD or CD in case of hard drive failure. I have done several laptops in the past year where the hard drive failed and it had a ton of pics on it. The last one I was able to recover 12 GB of pics, only the MBR was damaged and not the platters. I back up to a USB Drive and disconnect from computer in case of a viral attack along with the CD's. There used to be a day when people were concerned about documents and other personal stuff on the computer, now it is only the pics they don't have copies of. And always make a set of recovery disks when you buy a new computer and keep them where you can find them if you have a crash.

I love a good 1911 and had always disliked the Black Auto's, no style, no class, no customization. Last trip to Alaska, the friend I went with is a lefty and I wanted to supply a firearm for him also to carry when we fished apart. It would have been hard for him to sweep the safety on my 1911, so I bought my first Glock 21. Simply pull the trigger and it goes bang, short learning curve, and surprisingly it hit where it is pointed. Then came the M&P full size and the compact and my 1911 has not seen daylight for a few years. I have owned and shot many 1911's. They can be finicky with ammo, they can jam, stovepipe, and get loose and sloppy. The dreaded Black Autos are fairly consistant, shoot anything you feed them in reason, and shoot the same way every time. I am still looking for a good deal on a Para Ordinance or a Colt Combat Commander. I have seen a few 38 supers coming around again and might have to latch on to one.

Used X-police turn ins can be found in the $300 range, regular used in good shape $400-$450 depending on model. Used guns are scarce now. Every one is in buy mode, not trade mode.

Is Lane Spring completely closed as in gated off or is the water and restrooms just shut off and locked up? Used to you could stay there, just no facilities. Montauk is not far, don't know where you are coming from. Licking has a nice, cheap motel at the 4 way for about $40 a night. Then there is Rolla.

From the amount of use, you will probably want to go with a midrange pair of Goretex waders. I have a pair of Orvis Silver Labels I bought in 2000 that I have used to fish, kayak, and duck hunt. They have been drug thru brush, over the edges of boats and duck blinds, busted ice, and kneeled in gravel and have not been patched. They get worn an average of 40 times per year. I have a pair of Hodgeman Breathables, not goretex, their own version, that are leaking after about 20 uses while duck hunting. I have a heavier pair of Orvis Goretex waders, the Pro Guide series I use in the winter, I have worn them probably 50 times over the past 3 seasons including a week in Alaska where they got more use than the jeans I wore. They are still in fine shape. Goretex is lightweight, packs down easy for travel, lets sweat escape, and keeps you cooler/warmer in the summer/winter. You can layer thermals or fleece under them to suit the water temp you are going to be wading in. You can roll them down and use them as waist high waders in shallow water. When the goretex stockingfoot waders get dirty, put them in the washer on the gentle cycle and was them. Stockingfoot waders let you choose the boot needed for the type of water you are wading. I have a cleated sole for hunting and wading mud, felt soles or felt soles with studs for rocks. The chest waders with a belt actually trap air and give you some floatation if you take a swim. Neoprenes give you some floatation also, as well as warmth. They are usually hot in summer. Hippers fill up if you take a swim and drag you down.

Doctors vs. Gun owners Doctors (A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000. ( Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000. © Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171. Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Now think about this: Guns (A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000. (Yes, that's 80 million) ( The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500. © The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .000188. Statistics courtesy of FBI >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Remember, 'Guns don't kill people, doctors do.' >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!!!! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Out of concern for the public at large, I withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention!

I have used Photoshop Elements for years and it works great. I still use an older version, 3.5. If you want something simple and free try Gimp, Faststone Image Viewer, and the software that come with most cameras will edit, crop, fix redeye, etc. Google Gimp Image Edit or Faststone Image Viewer to get download pages.

How often do you wear a pair of waders and how do you store them? Hip waders are worthless unless you are going to be in knee deep water, any deeper than that and they end up becoming 2 lead weights to anchor you to the bottom. Most trout streams exceed the limits of a hip wader. You Any modern chest waders will serve you well as long as you care for them. Dry them by hanging by boots or feet then fold them up and store in temperature controlled environment. There is no "treatments". Goretex or Breathables are the best out there and can be had for less than $150. Neoprene or other materials will be cheaper.

Nice glass lens, AA battery capable, large viewfinder, SD memory cards are all what you really need to look at. Avoid rechargables that require a dock. Waterproof or water resistant is nice. Quick startup time really helps

Slim- Snake, same as Herbie No Shoulders Herp Alert- Snake in a tree you are about to float under. WTF- Wheres the Fish? Banking- Passing up a hole with a fisherman to get to the next one up or down stream. Submarine- Canoe floating by mostly submerged or flipped over.

Was it the Faststone Image Viewer?

You really can't discourage someone from breaking the laws. Some buy deer or turkey tags after they kill a deer or turkey. I am sure some do the same with trout. My point is that there is a Blue Ribbon Trout Stream that is also a Smallmouth Management Stream I fish. There have been times I fished it primarily for Smallmouth and was not targeting the trout in the stream. Why should a person have to purchase a trout stamp if they don't fish for the trout? Spring River in Arkansas also comes to mind, it is a trout stream with all 4 species of trout, but the state record Muskie came out of it. I also fish it for Smallies, Largemouth, and Goggle Eye. It is one of the trout streams in Ark where it is not required to have a trout stamp to fish the waters.

Another wrinkle here. If you buy a tag at a Trout Park, catch and keep your daily limit of trout in a park, then go to another area to fish. Do you think you can catch and keep 4 more fish per state regulations? You paid extra for a special daily tag to catch special fish in a special area separate from Statewide regulations. You have in your possession a State Trout Stamp that allows you to possess 4 trout under state regs. Any thoughts on that one? Probably not. The reason, all fish are either property of the state or raised with tax dollars of the state. This would not apply to Private fisheries like Westover, etc.

Possession in Trout Parks is limited to the TROUT only as far as I know. I have seen some walking around with a sucker or a bass on a stringer but I think they were tempting a ticket. I had this conversation with an agent one time and only Trout are allowed to be possessed in a Trout Park. You have to buy a special TAG that allows you to fish the Trout Parks which binds you to the regulations pertaining to that tag. The land surrounding the stream and the regulations for the streams flowing thru the park covers the regulations. I think it was designed to eliminate the possibility of someone reaching the possession limit of trout from claiming he was fishing for another species. Streams outside of Trout Parks go back to State Regulations. There is no regulation stopping you from fishing for/or catching a Smallie in BSSP, just possession or retention. Technically, once you retain 4 fish in a park, you have to quit all fishing in the park. Even if you take the fish to camp or eat them for lunch, 4 per day only. I have never had a problem with this because all you have to do is go outside the Park and fish all you want, you are on Statewide regulations then.

The signature series has been around for a long time also. I assume the traditional tyers are migrating away from the Classics. I use a few of the Mustad hooks from time to time but prefer the Daiichi and Orvis hooks for their thin wire strength, quality, coating, and sharpness.