jdmidwest

It was pretty big and cloudy Sunday when I drove over it on 142. If you are going for trout, try a crawdad crankbait with some red or orange in it.

Funny place where he bit himself, just about as close to his head as he could get. I started to jump out and cut the rattles, but thought about the venom that had coursed thru his body and the open holes on my finger tips. Left them for the buzzards. The spot where he was is a know breeding ground. There is a TV broadcast station on top of the hill near there. I have done work there in the past and have been told stories about the rattlers that gather there. Most are taking advantage of the heat put off by the transmission lines coming out of the building and going up the tower. But i have always wondered if the TV waves may be an attractor too. There is another tower nearby, within 5 miles, for a different station and they have the same problems. Owners give me a warning to beware and keep a watch out. I have a powder plant in Illinois near a place called snake road across the river that has the same problems. It is a hibernation place for snakes of all kinds, but many are poison. They close the road in the spring and fall during the migrations.

Yep. Or my friends special pair of hook pulling scissor things. Pushing thru was not an option. My Dr buddy says the worst thing most people do is cut the hook shank off flush at the skin or as close as possible. I hesitated to cut the hooks apart in the field thinking they may try the string trick at the Dr. office. So I rode to town locked up.

A victim on Trumps new war on predatory species. Came across this little feller today and noticed something odd. Musta heard news about the war on predatory species and decided to take his own way out. Jumped in front of a truck to end it, not mine, and failed. Finished himself off with a good bite of ole rattler.

Berries don't look right, but leaf pattern matches. My name berries are smaller in size on the tame ones this year. But the plants come from root stock, not seeds, so it can't be crossbreeding.

On little fish... Those have a special bend too, make bigger hole coming out.

Spinach had thumb size leaves then bolted. I pulled it last week and composted. Gardens look so pretty this time of year, too bad it does not last.

The berries are red like a strawberry, but don't look like them up close. But the leaf pattern on the plant resembles commercial berries. The blooms are yellow and not white. Looked around and found this, Mock Strawberry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_strawberry

You need to get a job and quit watching tail at the yoga class. Your old joints will probably be better off not folding your legs over the top of your head. You have to work hard to get to play hard, a motto that I have always lived by. Or you could just find a hose and a tank and take a walk...... Just spit the extra and don't swallow too much ethanol, you might catch a buzz.

I have watched a large part of a river near me go the same way. That bedrock does not go away, but the gravel and other stuff can go in one rise. Interesting to see how this one plays out, hopefully we all live to see it get back to fishable again.

Sad thing was, completely sober till I got back to the river. No numbing except the lidocane shots to the fingers, and they hurt worse than bee stings when they went in. At least 5 in each finger. I dunked the fingers in river water and ice to numb them. The left one hit a nerve and I have nerve damage to that one. Killed the feeling to my tip of that finger, hope it comes back. Kudos to the river lot owner that loaned us his truck to go to town. We have spoken to him on several floats, but he did not know us from Adam. The news is full of evil people doing bad things, you never see the real samirtans. I have cut out many hooks, but this one had me stumped. I tried to push the left one thru, but the nerve and the tough skin on the finger tip kept me from getting it thru. Yanking it out was out. First thing back to town was a purchase of several pairs of small side cutters. All of our tools were too big to get in tight and cut the lure off my finger. My buddy had a hook removal kit and tool in the first aid, it failed. My hands were tied, so I could not operate or use pliers. That helpless feeling from a year ago started creeping back on me, but as always, friends pulled me thru.

I have noticed in past years something I have never seen until I started raising strawberries. Wild strawberries growing in the yard. They have formed a mat around the area where I am growing the berries now. My berries are smaller than normal this year and I am wondering if some cross breeding is going on.

Spring rains has things blooming around here. Bees are doing good too.

Annual Pre Memorial Day trip to the Spring River in Arkansas last weekend. Been a tradition now for many years. Last year I had to miss it because I was in full blown radiation treatment and too messed up to try. Left out Thursday nite after work in a full blown thunderstorm. It had hovered over my path to the river all day. But my buddies assured me all was dry and fine there. Storms, wrecks, irrigation systems tossed over, hydroplaning, and just miserable driving for a few hours till I run out of the worst on the other side of Doniphan. Friday morning was a good one and fishing was good. Slow at first then I switched over to a Flicker Shad and started hammering them. They did not look like stockers, most I was catching were brightly colored and finned out. At the first bluff hole, I switched over to a Ned Rig with a twist. It was a Ned worm with a flicker fin tail in Pumpkinseed red gold flake. Second cast, bam. Nice walleye nailed it and was dragged around for a while. The tail hung off the net when I banked it and the scale on the grippers showed 3.5 lbs. My best walleye out of the river so far. The rest of the day had many more rainbows, but the smallies and goggle eyes eluded me. Saturday rolled around and the party was pretty slow for a weekend. Fishing started off good. First hole, my friend fought a nice big brown for a good fight before he pulled off after several minutes. We both got a good look. I had landed several small trout until this one 10 incher took the lure. When I went to let the trout off the lure, it sunk on into my right index finger past the barb, straight in. I went to get the fish off with my left hand and the trout flopped, sinking another barb of the same hook into my left index finger. At that point I was screwed, tied together at the fingers with a flopping trout. The left hook was on a nerve and painful. My buddy got the trout off, then cut the lure off. One of the landowners loaned us his truck and we went to town to get it cut out. Tetenaus shot and a pair of latex gloves, I was back in the water to continue the float. The pain wore off 12 ounces at a time.

Deep and clear. Stocked regularly. Can be tough to fish if you are there for first time. I have fished Shayne, Capri, Marseilles, and several of the ponds. Its ok but not great. Weekends on big lakes will have tubes and skiers going round and round. Only owner boats allowed. Second the Big River.

That is simple enough. Tomatoes are putting on soon. My raised beds are doing well. Lettuce, strawberries, and spinach now. Snow peas blooming and 4'tall. Tomatoes in and about 12" high. Cucumbers, Zuchinni, and Jade beans up. Green peppers are foundering, stunted by cold. Tilled the main garden yesterday and planted a row of sweet corn, more cucumbers, squash, green beans, okra, and some flowers. Need a shower now to get them going. Bees are strong this year. Started with 3 hold over hives at the farm, bought 2 new hives, and made 3 hives from splits at the farm. Clover starting to bloom now and added new boxes this week because they are filling them up so fast. Gonna check and add more at the farm on Sunday on way back from Spring River float.

Looks like Korea changed mind too. Guess I misread the signs. I need to go fishing

That is a stack for a little car. But it is a Yoda, it can handle it. I remember a time when the truck went in to the shop because a garbage truck hit it while picking up trash and the only rental was a Dodge 2 door Shadow mini car. Foam blocks and 17' Grumman on top, roped off good front and back. Almost a weekend of firewood in back seat and camp gear in trunk. I drove it with overdrive off and used cruise control to control speed. I was peeved that it was all they had to offer as a rental. Garbage company had to pay a little extra in the long run. I was nice and warned them, I have a truck.

Crap, that was 2 years ago. Thats Liberal media for ya.

First, Lava spewing out of the earth in paradise. North Korea wants Peace. Massive hail storms in NE Missouri. Now, 2 headed deer in Minnesota. https://www.livescience.com/62571-two-headed-deer-minnesota.html What is the world doing, its going to end soon. The news.

If that copperhead is 4' 5", then the guy holding it is only 3' tall. Or something is way off on the perspective on it.

That is a pretty big swarm, rent a lift to get it. Or try to follow them when they lift off

One thing I always noticed about 303, it never really felt greasy, just slick. I just went to Google and looked it up, no petro, mineral oil, silicone, or alcohol. Water based. Worked good on fly lines. Last time I saw it around here was in a box of wipes and I used them all on my yaks. Gonna have to look for more. 303 Product Page

I did not realize Bullheads were rough fish. I considered them quite the sport in my younger years fishing with Grandpa.

My thoughts on the matter at the retreat seemed to hit home on some. It is what it is, nothing we could do to stop it or prevent it. Fight it and win but face death because it will all get us sometime. Its the one thing we all have in common, death gets us in the end. Live every day while you can because some day it will end for all of us. I watched a cheesy movie, A Million Ways to Die in the West, during this time. It was full of people getting whacked by stupid stuff. On the way to St Louis with my daughter to the meeting with the docs, we came across a wreck site on the interstate, a fire and rollover was evident by the mess on the road. I later found out it was a friend of mine that probably wasted his life drunk and at hi speed texting at 3 am in the morning acting like some teenager in heat not like the adult he was at 47. He left behind kids and died pretty stupidly, for no reason. He never even saw it coming I am guessing and I pray he never felt it. During those weeks of treatment and recovery, I lost a few more friends, but none of them knew it was coming. I now know mine is coming but will never know when. But I am ready as I can be. My life has new viewing.