jdmidwest

Unfortunately, that is not always the case. The little creek I grew up on is now filled with gravel and almost fishless in its upper parts. The deep holes are not just ankle deep. There was never a superfund site nearby. In stream cattle watering and cattle farms have disappeared. So has the row cropping to the edge of the stream and there is a nice ripearian corridor along it. I really draw a blank as to what is causing it. When I was growing up, all of the things we blame today were happening to the creek and it was in good shape. Now it is just a trickle except in flash flood stage.

Nice thing about being retired, you can weed the garden in the cool morning instead of the heat of the afternoon like the peasants that have to work do.

Looking on the VA Game and Fish website, you have a redbreast that looks like our longear with the long gill flap. The color of the photos is somewhat muted. You can barely make out the blue. The barring in the top fish may have just been because it has been caught for a while. http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/fish/details.asp?fish=010180

Smallmouth could prosper again on the rivers if the competition from the introduced trout would go away. Sure, close to the dams would be too cold, but farther down the native smallmouth would gain ground again. They thrive in Canada in colder streams than the tailwaters of the White and Norfork. I went and toured the new Federal Conservation Center at Mammoth Springs Federal Hatchery this weekend. Pretty impressive display of taxpayer dollars spent. I especially like the mounted immature bald eagle that looked like it was involved in a stickup. His wings were held high in a surrender mode, poor taxidermy. Ground was broke in 2011 and completed this spring. It does not say what they spent on it, but would have kept other hatcheries going for a while I suspect. https://www.facebook.com/MammothSpringNFH The NFH needs to spend more on hatcheries and less on showcase buildings like this. Their websites tout how much revenue is generated in tourism and recreation dollars by stocking the fish. More fish mean a better economy. http://www.fws.gov/mammothspring/

http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/longear-sunfish Ear flap gives it away.

Dang Billet, those deer are just nasty. Try mixing some antibiotic with that feed and some Ivermectin for the ticks and other crap that is on her. Maybe a little Frontline too.

I think that is for a higher end garden, not just a family plot. But if the free cheese is there, might as well make a stab for it. It is only tax payers dollars that pay for it.

Longear sunfish. Probably brighter when you first caught them.

Warm Fork of the Spring River is mostly in MO and joins below the dam at Mammoth. I have fished it around town and did ok, nothing spectacular. The South Fork in Ark. is a better river to fish. Bigger water, bigger fish.

Them there fishes should be good eating, with all of that nice clear moutain fresh water. They will probably taste like they were marinated in Coors Beer.

I have always wondered why they have not come up with a Frontline for humans yet. It can't be all that bad, most people take a higher regard to their pets than their own kids nowdays. If it does not hurt a pet, why not try it on a human? Ticks have been around for as long as I can remember. I used to get loaded with seed ticks during the summer when I was a kid. Mom would dab fingernail polish on them to smother them. Dad blames the horses for the ticks all around the farm now. We raised cows and pigs when I was a kid and did not notice the ticks on them. Pigs always had lice, cows had flies. Chiggers are something that have never been a problem to me. I did get some wade fishing one time, I must have hit a nest of them at knee high level. My knee started swelling and itching a few hours later, full of many tiny little red bumps with a red spot in center.

There has been that scare tactic before, I think it was the Clinton Administration. The Federal Cool Water Hatchery was shut down for a while in Mammoth by them. It is back up somewhat and there is a brand new multi million dollar visitor center there. The money is there, they just have to allocate it properly. They are repairing the dam at Spring River hatchery this summer so they can ramp back up to normal production. Maybe they will pick up the slack of the Feds if they shut down, The flood of 2009 damaged the dam and water flows to the hatchery. This renovation will help restore the flows and production. If trout stocking stops, maybe the streams will return to its world class status of a smallmouth fishery?

Used too, tick diseases were rare. Now I hear about several people getting something each year now it seems. Rocky Mountain, Lymes, and now the Heartland disease. And tick bites seem to fester up more now than before. I will have to try the Vicks.

I am already missing the freezing weather and cold. Hot humid days full of things that like to bite and pester. Buffalo gnats bloomed the last few weeks from all of the rain, there were times I wished I was wearing my bee gear when I was on the lake fishing. In my nose, ears, and mouth all day. They have been bad around the house also. Mosquitos have been hiding in my strawberries waiting for me to pick them. Swarms of them come buzzing out when I start picking. Deer flies have been nailing me too. A big horse fly nailed me on the back while I was replacing the battery in the mower tonight. Then the ticks. I was surprised that I was able to work the bees for a whole morning Monday at the farm without picking a few off of me. I switched to shorts, and was soon picking them off of me while helping Dad in the garden and just sitting outside watching the thunderstorms roll thru. Then last night something was itching and sure enough, there was a yearling chewing on me. Of course, there was a bee sting to the inner thigh, but that was my fault. Swelled up and itching all over.

I used a wad of hi temp grease on the poles that held the feeders and it worked really well, Did not wash off in the rain.

The bees have put a stop to the feeders. They don't bother them during a honey flow, but when the dearth comes in late summer, they swarm the feeders. I still enjoy them flying around. Once they get accustomed to a feeder, the hummers will keep coming back. I have several buzz my head where the feeders used to be.

17' Grumman canoe, 15' Budwiser plastic canoe, 2) 12' kayaks, 12' Otter fiberglass duck boat and trailer, 14' Monark jon boat, trailer, 9.5 Evinrude, 17' BassTracker with a 35 Mercury and trailer, and a 8' Creek Company pontoon. I am also looking for a nice, light 10' kayak. I am boat poor now too.

I think Horton Heard a Who, not a smoo. Al Capp created the Shmoo back in the late 40's. FYI, you google smoo and it come up with smelly women parts, so you might be chummin with that bait.

Nice fish and nice flies. That pond looks almost like a lake. Whats that little pavillion for?

The yuppers and city folk have come up with a few good ideas like the raised beds and square foot garden. On the farm, we just laid aside about an acre near the house for the garden. Cellar for the taters and onions, all of the canned goods. Deep freeze for the other veggies like corn. Orchard for fruit and jellies, grape vines for grape juice. Those were the days, hard work and better living.

How fast was you going when it slid off the truck? I have a Creek Company that is 13 years old and still going fine. They bought out Buck's Bags in the 90's but kept the same designs. Great boats.

Topix helped nail a murderer here a few years ago. They pinched him for threatening his sister in law on Topix. About a year later, they sweated him out for the place he buried the estranged wife he slaughtered and buried in a sandbar along the Mississippi. He received 5 years for internet threat, and pleaded for 15 in a cold blooded, pre-meditated murder of his wife, Jackie Waller.

Plus, it is the in vogue thing to do. I saw a target commercial last night where they donated money to an inner city garden to promote better nutrition. I grow a garden because it takes up space in the yard and I have less grass to mow. Mowing grass is a total waste of productive time each week.

I have been fishing a Yum Craw and one made by River to Sea, both are pretty realistic and effective. I use a 1/8 oz jig with the Yum, the River to Sea is prerigged. Tube jigs work too. Bass Pro Tender Tubes are the best, nice and soft unlike alot of other tubes.

i am sure the armadillo will catch up with you soon in Milwaukee. Give it a few years. Where is the little Timber Rattler? Nice pics,