jdmidwest

I did not mean to toot my own horn, just reminisce about why I even found this site in the first place. I may have been a lifetime member for years, but I noticed it tonight. Which led to looking at my profile, which I have not done in a long time. Weird that I happened to do it on a 9 year anniversary and a day I have been searching the net to try to find what to target on Pickwick this weekend. The main point of the post is that there is alot of info on here that does not exist in other areas.

How about a "For Sale Sign" and park it by a road. That is how I found the last 2 boats I bought.

I just posted a response and noticed my Avatar has been upgraded to OAF Lifetime Member. I remember the days when it read "speckled frog" or "crusty chum", some silly little moniker. I looked at my profile and realized I have been online here and a member for 9 years this week, 4,883 posts, almost 19k views to my profile. Time sure rolls on. I was searching the net this morning prepping for a trip to Pickwick Lake this weekend and found one fishing report that was 2 weeks old. Funny, there is not a website in that area that gives up free fishing info like we do on here. I think that was how I stumbled on here 9 years ago, I was planning a weekend trip to Taneycomo and Phil's site popped up. I was able to prep and plan based on info from this site. And was able to catch fish in a strange location without finding a guide. It would really be nice to see more of this on the net. Maybe there is on Facebook, never even tried to look there. Thanks again for all you do Phil.

I don't know if it is "ageing out", but it does not seem like it is going away. Everytime I get time to go do something, I seem to run into more and more "afield" in places that I always considered remote and quiet. I used to be able to wade a small stream and not see a soul, but now I see more doing the same. Rivers are swelled to the brim with floaters on the weekends that I used to be able to float and catch fish. Camping areas have no vacancy signs where you used to be able to pull in any time and get a spot. What I have noticed is certain agencies promoting the "hugger" side of conservation, instead making better hunting and fishing opportunities. No new lakes, no added ramps, fewer land acquisitions, less access to areas. More natural areas, blocked access, closed camping areas.

I bought an old ranger and a nice trailer a few months back. The old boat had a rotted transom and severe sunburn, so I junked it. When I stripped all of the stuff out of the boat, I noticed what a mess the livewells were. My Tracker is so much simpler. Intake pipe to the aerator, pipe to the spray head. Nice little flex hose to keep water level. Pop it out to drain. Livewell stays full on plane. Both boats were 1986, my Tracker is in better shape because of the aluminum hull. The trailer I got with the boat was worth alot more than the whole deal, it was a nice Ramlin C channel steel trailer with fiberglass fenders. Just put the finishing touches on it tonight.

I have little grays like that come up in the yard each spring, they never get much bigger or different than what you have there. I have watched them for a few days and they just seem to dry out. In other parts of the yard, they grow and turn in to yellow mushrooms which are larger. The only difference is the first is an open hillside exposed to sun almost all day, the other is shady and near the branch. The later has more moisture along with the shade.

I was looking for a mint Model 61.

It is still pretty early for maters in the wild. Our last frost date averages mid April here in SEMO. I think I saw 34 on Sat morning coming up here. I have tried maters early in mid to late April here, they usually just sit there and not grow until it warms up and we get more sunlight. They are a warm weather plant.

Winchester Pump 22?

Nice.

Stranded? You are only a few miles from Nowhere in MO.

I had the conversation with a neighbor on the back porch before I came in and read this post, don't eat them. He was going out to pick some Wed. His buddy likes them and eats them all of the time. But I have not read anything good about them or tried one. I would rather ride the tram thru St Louis without any firepower than eat one.

I have read that the Red Morel contains hydrazine, a chemical normally found in rocket fuel. Others say there is another toxin in the red morel that builds up in your system. Some say if you cook them good enough, the chemical burns off mostly and you will not have any side effects. But I don't really risk it, when in doubt, toss it out. They have caused death. http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/may2002.html http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/big-red-false-morel http://morelmushroomhunting.com/redmorel.htm http://thegreatmorel.com/falsemorel.html http://www.ncsu.edu/project/bio183de/Black/protista/protista_news/poisonous.htm

Around here, Wally and all the other box stores buy from Bonnie Plants. I have had some issues with them. Mostly because of stress in shipping and handling by the Waltards. Shipped on a truck from Alabama I think, temperature shocked, rattled around, bruised. Then they get hosed down, exposed to frost sometimes, and picked thru. Labels get mixed around and you might end up with something totally different than what you wanted a month later when it starts to fruit. You get what you pay for. I buy from a local greenhouse that starts his own from seed and they turn out pretty good. And his prices are just as good or better. Has a nice selection of Hybrids and Heirlooms that Big Boxes don't carry. And he stands behind them. If I had the space or a nice greenhouse, I would start my own. I find it alot easier to stop by the greenhouse and pick them up. I usually only buy maters and peppers as plants. I start the rest from seeds direct in the garden.

I heard several reports that the reds are up. I went out today at the farm for a while, Mayapples are just poking up thru the ground under the leaves. Danderlions are starting to show. But no mushrooms. Another week at least.

Kinda looks like my favorite Rapala.

Second week of April should be pretty safe on the Jet Boats. They don't kick in force till Memorial Day. Keep an eye on river gauges, April is flood season and that part of the river will probably be blowed out at that time and running full. Van Buren down to Doniphan or any float in the Doniphan area can produce some nice smallies in the bigger part of the Current River. It just takes a little work.

Its a good possiblilty that one may be sprouting around here. But probably all little grays under the leaves. No trilliums, danderlions, fiddleheads, or other forest indicators yet.

The first decoy I used was with my Dad in HS. We had a tame turkey hen that was caught by a coon and killed one night on the nest. We skinned her and salted the hide. Made a styrofoam body and crudely mounted her to make a decoy. We used that thing for a few years, worked pretty well. Feathers came out and got pretty shabby after a while. I have a whole flock of the inflatables, some foam ones, and a plastic one. I hardly ever use them unless I sit them out in the field to lure them out into the open. I don't think they make much difference one way or the other.

Sometimes I think just to feed the pests... I think we are here to learn.

Too many people crowding the land is the problem.

I would love to find their overwinter hiding spot and nuke it. Ice has not been off the ponds long enough for them to hatch and mature into the beast that stabbed me yesterday. She overwintered somewhere. There is just something about the pests that bug us and carry disease that I have always wondered about. My philosophy is everything in life has a purpose and a reason. What are ticks for? At least skeeters feed fish and birds. I have not found any purpose for a tick, none, nada, zilch.

I felt something stabbing my shoulder this afternoon while priming my new boat trailer. Looked over my shoulder to see a nice big mosquito swelling up her belly with my juices. Its going to be a long summer.

What I have noticed on Pork Ribs the past few years is they have more fat on them then they used too. Farmers are fattening out hogs too much. I love to eat ribs cold as leftovers, but too much fat makes them nasty and greasy. Looks like a good summer for pork, prices and feed cost have dropped alot from last year.

Temps are dropping back down tomorrow. Ground is still pretty cold. Still too early.