jdmidwest

And marketing has resulted in more people outdoors to sell more licenses.

It will never match the "dead zone" in Washington DC right now...

Met up with some friends and floated from Whitten to Riverton on Wed. River was up and flowing good. Whitten access was over run with campers and tents. Upper parking lot was full of tents and the lower one had several campers. River was up and dingy, I really would like to see this all year round, if I was in the jet boat. In the yak, I ended up blasting thru most good runs and had to struggle to wade back thru them to fish. Most were too deep to wade. Fishing was horrible until about 2. Front rolled thru the night before, river was tailing out from recent rains. Crowds were heavy for a weekday in the middle of June. I caught my first fish right above Greenbriar. Others in the group had only picked up one each. After I broke the skunk, things starting popping and the fishing picked up. Not spectacular, but on the tail end before the next stocking, I think we did well. Halls Bay was fun with some great standing waves that cooled us down before the end of a hot day.

There was a crowd on the 11 pt yesterday all day. Middle of the week, middle of June, no holidays anywhere near. Way more people on the water than ever before. I am converting back to lake fishing.

Nice tye.

Sounds like that river is getting pounded pretty hard. Those are going to leave some ugly scars. Is that one of the streams the MDC put a bounty on by tagging a few fish with reward tags? Local reports around here are the Black River and Castor River have been hit pretty hard by the ones that are out to collect the tags and some meat. Bringing alot of attention to small streams with a reward tag system seems to have a detrimental effect on the fishing on this side of the state.

It should be in great shape this time of year. Plenty of rain has the river flowing good.

Till you get pulled over when they catch the golden stuff. Do teenage boys still drink the golden stuff before they turn 21?

Glass is good unless you are in the Scenic Riverways as far as I know. As a rule, I don't carry glass on any stream and never really thought about the old glass traps. I use the wire ones and have for years.

I have worried about the snakes in the grass for many years now. It is not a fear, it is just looking out for one's own self. Always being aware of any dangers and removing the known ones when possible before they create a problem. Poison snakes do have their own built in defenses. I also kill wasps and yellow jackets too.

Cheif, I am from the "stompin tribe".

You are not planning on restoring the waterworks portion of the mill are you? That would be a major chore.

So you really believe that insurances companies would require you to break the law by killing the snakes? They really can't hold you accountable for acts of nature. Don't get me wrong. I also feel a snake in its place in the wild not disturbing me has the right to go his merry way. But a snake in my space is a threat to my family that has to be dealt with. An attempt to relocate a poison snake would just increase my odds of getting bit, so it gets dealt the other penalty. You do have a right in this state to protect yourself, your family, and your livestock from all threats.

Not something you see every day. Poor little jon boat.

Either that or you are about to die and go to heaven

Shot the dung out of it, good one..... It must be Black Rat mating season, I have seen a crapload of them on the road this week. Probably 10 a day out running my routes.

Sounds like a good idea, wish I lived a little closer to help. How far gone is the mill now? I have not been to it since the late 80's.

The Pilot House is off Rt W north of Cape Girardeau by the Jaycee Golf Course. It is a local little bar and grill with some daily specials. Most are cooked in a little kitchen the size of my master bath. Beware, it is a Conservative hangout, an autographed pic of Rush Limbaugh graces the walls behind the bar of glued on pennies. Bluegill fishing petered out this weekend. Went out Sat and only picked up 5. Have to wait till next full moon.

They water down the low grade with ethanol so it goes farther. That is why there is more of it. And why it costs more.

Holy crap, I have not fished twin spins for years. Come to think of it they were pretty deadly, but they just moved to the back of the tackle box somewhere. I have some twin spin spinners that you simply attach the jig to and some bucktail ones that were molded with the twin spinners. I have a jig and tools somewhere with all the fixins. There was a time I made rooster tails and panther martins. It was how I actually started fly tying, making the skirted trebles for them. One thing led to another and the original use went to the back burner. I have not made a spinner in 20 years.

Buy some land and build a house near a lake. Then build a dam and make your own private lake. Chances are, for what you spend on lakefront property, you can build somewhere more private and enjoy life better. Hook up the boat and drive it to the bigger lakes just minutes away or more. Or step out and fish your own privately managed honey hole.

Define "wakebait"? I typically fish the floating rapalas when fish are hitting topwater in this way. I cast and let it settle till the ripples move away, then jerk in small jerking motions. That creates a wake. The jointed one are a little more deadly as the back end droops down and creates a little more enticement. I do this about halfway to the boat then start cranking it in. I do this with the J7 on creeks an the J13 on rivers and lakes. During the spring, I tend to cast them and reel them in as a subsurface bait as fish are usually striking subsurface.

Looks like a water snake to me. Some of those guys can be cheeky fellows. Too much barring to be a cottonmouth.

Nothing beats Pilot House BBQ. I need to eat some of that tomorrow. Thanks for the reminder.

That really did the trick. Motor will pull the boat up on plane now. No jerky motion. Foot pedal is centered and you don't have to fight it. Works great now.