jdmidwest

I received the MDC walleye survey in the mail regarding management of the SE MO streams of Current, Black, 11 Pt, and St. Francois. A few pages of questions regarding walleye fishing on these areas. Anyone else gotten them? Anyone on here bother to fish for walleye on these streams? Fishing has declined tremendously over the past 20 years. As a kid, we called them Jack Salmon. I have made many a cold trip to troll the Black River for them. I have fished the 11 Pt for them. I even tried the upper St. Francois for them after they started trying to get them going again there. But I never really caught the numbers like I do in TN below Pickwick (sauger). It would be great if they make these streams better fisheries.

Is that the same memorial that some have left mementos the past few years about halfway between the lower campsite parking lot and the wire? I always wondered what the story behind that was.

The net has so many pattern sites now that most books are obsolete. Most have great step by step tying instructions or videos. You should have a good source of saddle hackles in Korea, I think they used to import alot of them many years ago along with China. Decent stuff for streamers, larger dry flies. Thread, hooks, lead wire, dumbell eyes, a few hackle colors, dubbing selection or 2, bead head beads, copper and gold wire, chenille, buck tail, deer and elk hair patch, and gold chain for eyes would all be on my list to make a travel kit. Be careful over there.

Now if this goofy weather will just straighten out.

But some are a little worse for the wear. I have wintered 6 hives of bees with minimal intervention. This time last year, I had one hive and 2 on the way. I was able to build and split and make 6 sucessful colonies to make it thru the winter, a rather cold one at that. I went thru my hives the past 2 days. The 2 at the farm survived the winter on minimal stores of honey and are building up fine for the spring flows. One of the 4 hives at the house lost the queen this spring. She may have just run out of eggs or died of old age. I know she was at least 2 seasons old. It was the original hive that struggled from day one that I started with it. I put a frame of fresh eggs today from another hive and they should start making a new queen soon. They came from a good strong hive, so that one will have the same genetics and traits by a few months from now. 2 of the other hives were in great shape and all I had to do was inspect and do some house keeping. The last hive was a surprise. They clustered this winter in the lower box and have been busy drawing out fresh comb and honey in the top box. I had 2 frames of fresh white capped honey today in that hive. We just had a inch of snow Sunday and not much blooming, everything dead and brown. But they must have worked on the maples and made the honey from them. Hopefully by the end of May I can make more splits and maybe get a little honey to boot. My goal is 12 hives by the end of this year.

It takes alot of snow to make an inch of rain. And it soaked in. Things are actually coming up around here, creeks and rivers are flushed and full. Most of the precip we have gotten in the past few months is thawing out of the ground now and coming down the hillsides as runoff. The Montauk gage was showing below average discharge.

Have you looked at the price of Spam lately? Ounce for ounce, it is almost as expensive as steak. Spam and crackers were a staple in my brown bag lunch when I was a kid. School burned down and lunch was on a shuttle bus trip 15 mile ride one way to the gym for PE class. I picked up a few cans this duck season for something different and was shocked how expensive it was.

Looking at the river gauge, it is lower than a normal avg. year, even with a little push of rain this weekend. We have had some snow this year, but avg rainfall is really down for the winter. It just looks soggy because of the ground being frozen underneath and water standing on top. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mo/nwis/uv?site_no=07064440 I would check with a few of the float camps around to arrange a shuttle. Akers or Pulltite may be up and running now for a shuttle.

How do they expect to find one woodpecker? The whole world has been looking for a jet over a week and cant find it.

The mountain lions learned to climb trees, that is what got the last one.

Thats so pretty. Just when I was seeing a hint of green around here. Maples are blooming and Bradfords are about to. Easter flowers were blooming, they popped up and bloomed this week in the warm weather. Bees were bringing in pollen all week. I almost added some more boxes to a couple of hives, but waiting till later in the week. Lettuce is up. Looks like we are going to get an inch here, wind is blowing it away as fast as it hits the ground.

Seventy ish here yesterday. T Shirt and a hint of sunburn. We just hit the snow line here at noon today, rather chunks of ice in the raindrops. What a difference a day makes here in good ole MO.

I really don't have a dog in the hunt anyway. I have never really cared much for the Riverways anyway. Too many people, poor fishing, and poorly managed campgrounds. On an average year, I may only spend a few days there. I could easily enjoy myself somewhere else. What amazes me is that everyone seems to think it is such a money pit, a huge expense that someone else needs to spend money on. But nobody seems to think about where that money comes from that is being wasted. Nobody seems to think that it needs to be managed more efficiently. It still comes out of our pockets. That is, if you are a taxpayer.

That is the point, I have not seen any data on what revenue the Riverway generates, but I do know for a fact it does. The land and timber are a major resource along with the concessions. Everyone is quick to assume that it will be a big burden to take it over, but I have not seen any data that shows it will be. Just because there is a budgeted amount for improvements on the agenda does not necessarily mean there will not be money generated to pay for it. Nor does it mean the improvements are needed. What I fail to see in the arguement is why it would be bad for the State of Missouri to take it over. There has been no data produced that shows it will be a big debt liability if they do so. Pittman Roberts money should still come in on it. Revenues generated will stay in state. Missouri has a great State Park system and does a better job of managing them in my opinion than the NFS does. I can only see benefits and improvements it the state takes it over.

What makes you think the state could not afford it? The Riverways is a money maker. Thousands of acres of forest to be managed for a profit. Floater fees. Concessionaire fees paid by vendors at the campgrounds. Camping fees. Systems are in place now, it would just be a transfer of who funds them and where the income will be shifted. It should not cost the state any more to run the Riverways than the Feds, should it? Unless you are stating that the Riverways is a money losing waste of our tax dollars and only the Feds know how to run losing propositions.

They may just wear booties now and kick it down a trough.

Get used to them, Otter fur fell to about half of what it was last year. Demand is lower. Less trappers. This year was a crappy year for them anyway trapping wise. Most of the state was froze up all season and not much water trapping.

Ham's almost looks like a horny head.

Take one of Phil's Alaska trips and have some fun.

Creek Chub. They love flies too. They leave a fishy stink on your fingers when you handle them. I always try to shake them off.

Currently they maintain most of the ramps and parks along the Current and Jacks Fork (Feds). And they have their own law enforcement division. All of the campground buildings, toilets, probably the ferry at Akers, the mill at Alley, road system within the area and parks. Just think of all of the stuff they closed last fall. But, they collect fees from floaters and campers. They profit from the sale of timber and land sales. The Riverways is more about Missouri's Heritage than just being a big tourist playground. It should be managed by Missourians. Next, we can take back the rivers dammed by the Corps of Engineers.

Why? The state seems to manage its other public lands pretty well. And they don't close them when someone throws a little temper tantrum. The monies that go to the Feds now will stay instate instead of going to Washington to be distributed to all of the NPS. Has there been a study that shows the amount the Feds get from the Riverways system?

Crappie were biting at Kentucky Lake this weekend, 20 ft of water and on spider rigs. Not for me, but for my friends. I thought about getting out Sat, but there was a huge pile of snow in front of the boat and it started raining at 10. Did not feel like moving the snow again, it was froze pretty hard.

Not a gig, dam Heron missed.

And time changes tonight, don't be late. Actually, if you don't change the clock, you will be an hour early.