jdmidwest

This weekend looks great, severe thunderstorms Sat., thunderstorms and 30mph winds Sun. Rain every day next week thru Thurs. A nice calm gentle rain would be great if fishing on a lake. But around here, everytime I try to get out there is wind and thunder with it. I don't like to swing a rod in an aluminum boat on an open lake during a thunderstorm with lightening.

Maybe for some of us..... For the good ones, heavenly weather.

What a year so far, hot, cold, hot, cold, rain, rain, rain, blowing wind. Every weekend, the same old crap, big storm comes in and weather changes on Friday and lasts all weekend. Flooding, ramps at lake closed, 30+ mph winds, etc. All spring, I have only pulled off 2 decent fishing days. Once in Feb. on the Spring River and another in early April also on the Spring River. Bought a tube of crickets last Friday on the way home from work, backed up to the boat, and got ready to fish Sat. morning at local lake. Got up next morning, it was raining hard and wind was gusting at 25 mph, no way was I getting out on that lake by myself in the jon boat. Sunday was full doing other stuff. Got out today after work to fish local pond for gills. Original plan was to take a friends kids out to drown those crickets at the local lake, but rain and a forgotten practice made him cancel. I made it to the pond instead and started to line up. Black gnats were pestering the hell out of me, flying into my eyes, ears, and nose. It made me feel like Alaska on a bad windless day. Just got ready to cast the first cast, phone rang. It was the other half, car would not start. Back to the truck, off to the shop, pick up the grandkid, and out to the house with all of them. I just don't seem to be able to catch a break. Sat. May 21 2011 may come as a welcome relief, since I have been thru fishing hell all season. Maybe the end of the world will bring some relief and I can finally go fishing. But they are calling for rain and wind.

I have enjoyed Crown Valley Brewery brews all winter. They have a Bison Ale that kicks like a buffalo, best served at near room temp. There are a few good pale ale there too. But the carbs were starting to build up, got to get back to floating weight. It sucks getting in and out of a yak with a gut.

That Man's beer is giving me a beer belly. I have switched over to the light stuff for the summer. Sipping season is over, back to mass quantities.

They peaked out around here last time around Memorial Day thru July 4. I remember camping at Twin Bridges and friends complaining that the dying ones falling like rain on the tent. Not much activity around here yet, but we uncovered lots of them Easter Weekend moving rocks around. Still underground.

Does it matter what kind of beer you use? Does Lite beer have any effect on the rise? Looks good and simple, may give it a whirl.

There is a new bunch of people managing it this year. It should get a little better. It is a great little creek, I stop there alot when I am in the area. Perryville Couple Take Over Management of Marble Creek.

Sorry, looks like there is a season for them. But looking at the other post, the season was open when he got ticketed. MO Non Game Fish Methods

Although you don't "need" a permit, why not go and buy one anyway? The money goes to the specific management of the fish you are targeting. That is the reasoning behind all of the areas that require a trout permit even if you don't keep any. The catch and release persons still demand the quality trout fishing, but were not required to purchase a license, resulting in a loss of funding for the trout program. States countered with the requirement of a trout stamp on many areas while fishing for any species.

Sorry there Tim, did not know what you were fishing for exactly on the other thread. A quick search of the MDC website brings up the seasons for snagging, bow fishing, and atlatls methods of fishing. Since I have not pursued rough fish in 30 some years other than pole and line, I was not up on the regs. Here is a link. MO Non Game Fishing Regs

Gar are a "rough fish" so anything goes with them. The only one that has some protection is the Alligator Gar in some areas. You can snag them, gig them, bow fish for them, and use hook and line. I don't think, in MO, there is a limited method or closed season for them. I target them in the summer on streams when bass fishing slows down on a hot day, they have invaded some of my clear smallmouth streams over the past decade. They are fun to shoot with a bow also, but they usually die from the encounter.

Snagging for gar is a method of snagging their teeth with a fly or lure. When I fly fish for them on a local stream, I use a streamer pattern that invokes a strike. The streamer material tangles their teeth long enough for the hook to be set. I usually sight fish for them in hot weather when they spend most of their time "porpoising" to the surface. The strike is usually a sideways bite/slash at the minnow streamer imitation. I use synthetic materials on the streamer that make it durable and enhances the tangling of the fly. As a bonus, it works good on smallies and largemouth, so I catch some "non target" fish in the process. Many use a rope fly or lure, I have a spool of brightly colored twine that I have tied on hooks also. The twine tends to tangle the teeth, the hook never sinks in. Years ago, I used a minnow with a "stinger". Most of the gar were caught on the stinger, they would hit the minnow and release it when they felt the pressure of the line, the trailing stinger treble would snag the jaw. Gar are not for eating in my case, but they put up a good fight. They are plentiful and grow to 36 to 48 inches in many of the streams around here.

The Pioneer Spirit is alive, carry a gun and shoot them...

Apple Creek looked really good yesterday. May try to squeeze in a float Sat. if it is not raining. Otherwise, it is still lake fishing. Went to Duck Creek for the first time on Sun. on way back from turkey hunting. Water has been over all of the roads on the place. Main pool is bank full and crystal clear. Small pads are still covering about a third of the pool and everything is covered from the bridge up. I was in the bass boat by myself and fished for 3 hours without a strike on a jig, worm, or crankbait. I was having a tough time controlling the boat and fishing in the wind and could not get good coverage. Small ponds are great now for bass and bluegill. Gills are starting to bed.

I caught my first fish on a fly rod of a cousin I found in a shed full of his stuff as a kid years 30 some years ago, it was a green sunfish on a popper. I have caught tons of them since. Inch for inch, they will outfight any trout.

Current is definitely the issue for the most part. If there is any generation going on, it would be tough near the dam. Maybe further downstream, in a cove or backwater. Same issue with the pontoons, they go downstream great, paddling back against the current is hard to impossible.

Funny you mention this, that is where I have been getting the old fishing fix too lately. Last weekend, after chasing turkeys, I hit the pond on the farm and caught over a dozen nice bluegill and 9 bass on a white woolie. This week, city lake and a bead head nymph have been producing bluegill out of the chocolate waters. Hopefully the creek at the farm will be down this weekend and I will get some stream fishing in. Duck Creek on Sunday, wind and weather permitting.

Normally, that is probably not an issue, except maybe in Carter County where the Sheriff just got arrested for Meth. Most druggie don't get the local law involved.

You forgot each post, even mine that was deleted, started with the phrase "I believe" from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. That gave it all the creditability it needed in his neck of the woods. Next petition should start "Hold my beer and watch this" to seal the deal of legal precedence.

Do you not have any ponds or small lakes in your area? Bluegill are moving up on bedding areas here.

Ain't it nice to see more of the real picture?

Upon closer inspection, the blood looks a little fake. Good thing I kept the originals of Leon and the goat, and a signed confession from the goat stating after the 4th or 5th hazing incident, the goat actually enjoyed it.

From the angle of attack, it looks as if he is leaning to the left, so it could be considered the left eye. It really depends on which story you want to go with lately. He used a human shield, no, he had a bomb vest. Nope, he was unarmed, but wait a minute, there were guns at arms reach. He does look surprised we found him though. I put this in General Angling Discussion as something is fishy.......

Being the one not to believe anything the Government tells me and half of what I see them do, I just had to see the final pic of bin Laden. I called a friend in the CIA and called in a favor. I had to trade Leon a photo I took at a frat party with him and a goat getting friendly, but he finally emailed me a pic. I feel closure now. Why would I have ever doubted the reports. Looks like he was shot in the library, and he was armed. I was half expecting something photoshop altered, but it looks real to me.