jdmidwest

Thats odd, I have always noticed a Ranger drive thru after quiet hours on the weekends in most parks, even a deputy sheriff or two. I had a deputy escort me to the office to pay my tab on one occaision at BSSP. We had left to go to Springfield that afternoon and returned after the time the office had closed. There wasn't anyone in the shack. We originally intended to leave that day but stayed longer in town, so we extended our stay another night. We went back up to the site and was fixing supper when Barney came by. You would have thought I had just robbed the store or something. A little too Gung Ho for $8 and the shack was still closed, but the lodge was open. It was on the second time we had camped there, other places will let you pay the next day, the Ranger stops and collects on his morning rounds. Now days, I only get off on the weekends, I arrive at camp late on Friday night, sometimes after 10, make camp, then usually stay up later catching up with friends after. Saturdays we go to bed a little earlier. I usually tolerate a little more noise on Fridays, I was young once too. Usually there are a few drive thrus looking for troubles, at least there was last year. Maybe with gas so high there has been cutbacks.

Stocking of ponds with legal caught fish from other locations is a good practice. We have a pond on the farm that has been stocked with Bluegills and Channel Cats from the feed store and Largemouth Bass from creeks and other ponds. I was fishing it a few years back and caught a nice Crappie, 18". Then I caught another, and another till I release about 20 of them. Come to find out, a lady we used to let fish for the catfish had dumped 8 of the Crappie in a few years back. They really took hold and prospered. I read a while back that the MDC had a goal of adding x-amt of new fishable trout waters by some date. If it is a stream that has had trout in the past and still meets the habitat requirements to sustain a population, they may start stocking it again. As for stocking it yourself, the trout are a non-native fish to MO. and stocking it in a public stream may be a violation. Transporting trout from another location that you have legally caught would probably not survive the journey. Of course, if it were not for trains passing thru MO in early times stocking fish, we may not have even had a trout program or trout in streams.

Lead is selling for $1.20 lb. in its raw state. Probably had to ship it to China, melt it, form it, then ship it back. Diesel prices are higher than lead. Manufacturing costs.

Scour out the deeper holes and create new structures for the walleye to hang out in. Something has been missing the last few years and the biologist has been trying to figure it out. 11 pt has always been a great place to catch a nice walleye, then they crashed. I don't really know if it will help, but consistant flooding will help the stream return to normal patterns of 15-20 years ago. Fish will stay put and hold in breaks in the current or migrate around, probably upstream. Smaller ones will wash down. Some will die.

Back in the good ole days, you would see floods like this every other year. Not quite as big as this one, but ones that would go over the roads. It would move stuff around and change channels. The last 5 years, it has been really dry and no big floods. Fishing has not been as good as it used to be. And the walleye have all but disappeared in the past few years and this may help them.

Brian, I noticed that when I upload pics on dialup, it doesn't show them till you preview or post, and then they are there. I always shrink down to 640x480 before posting. Talk to Lilley and see what the problem is. It should definately help the river and the gravel bars that have been disappearing on it. It has been a while since the bridges were closed at Greer and 142. I know it needs it over here too, alot of streams were choked by trees that have caved in to the rivers and blocked the streams. I bet most have been straightened out or washed out with this one. Of course there may be some nasty log jams in bends now. The gauges around here ended up with around 12 inches in the 24 hour period.

What year is the motor, trailer, boat? Any better pics of motor or inside of boat?

4 to 6 inches easy.

Pamlico 120 by Wilderness System. Gun straps to bow in float case, dekes go in back hatch, decoy bag goes on top of hatch, any extras get towed behind. Depending on how and where I am hunting, I can safely carry over a dozen standard mallards in the hatch and between my legs and keep the boat lite and trim for waves. If it is still water, I can carry on the back hatch and tow a bag also. I attach leafy camo sheets and some burlap and disappear for a blind. Pack a blind bag, motion decoy, cooler, and am comfortable all day.

I agree with Brian, if you have to go that direction, Fourche lake or McCormack would be your best choice. Looks like all Ozark rivers are going to be a wash out for the next few days. Fourche Lake is a nice place, primitave camping and good fishing. McCormack has been good for pickeral and bass with some big gills too. Some kind of small boat would make things better at either place. Check with MODOT website, lots of flooded roads down in the Ozarks..

Anybody know of a good little stream that has enough water to float a kayak in on Friday? I think I can launch a yak in the stream that feeds the sinkhole in my backyard now. Cape Girardeau area has broken a record for rainfall today, 8.53 inches today till 4 pm. and it was raining cats and dogs at 4. Coworkers were stranded and could not return home due road closures. I live on a ridge and have a back way home. All usual roads have been closed all day. I was planning a float Friday on the St. Francis above Wappappello Lake, but the crest is expected to top out at 34 feet at almost a record crest, up from around 5 feet this weekend. I was really wanting to catch a few white bass out of the yak. Anybody else have any rain yet?

I had to wash off the mud on the duck boat kayak this weekend. We floated the Whitewater River above Sedgewickville for a 5 hour float. The water was lower than expected and running clear. There were several pullovers, but fish were in the deeper holes as expected. One deep run had a school of 50 goggle eyes running around in a cluster. They did not pay much attention to any lures. Several single goggle eyes hiding out around rocks were fair game and took white twintail jigs fairly easy. My buddy caught several of the goggle eyes, largemouths, and a few smallies. I was keyed in on largemouths, I landed around 20, the largest was 18" on a white twintail. We had cool weather and cloudy day except for a short sunny period when the fishing turned off. I was trying out a new lip gripper from BPS, worked like a charm, I can hold the fish and stay away from the trebles on a shad rap. Kept my fingers dry and warm also. I have a few pics, one is of a unique balance rock on the side of a bluff.

The west coast fishery from Calif to Wash has been bad for years. This will probably put more pressure on the Alaska fish as commercial fisherman move north. I know some of the areas in Alaska had poor runs of silvers last season. Kings have been off too.

You should be able to scare up someone around the accesses at Centerville, Lesterville, or K Bridge. Each has float outfitters, I think someone should be at the ones in Lesterville or Centerville. Floating should be good this time of year, water is flowing good. I am heading out in the morning to float the upper Whitewater River in the yaks. Check the river gauges at USGS website for river stage.

You should be just fine. The only way I have is backroads, 72>21>72>B>K>E>119 to the park, it takes 3 hours from Jackson. It winds thru Fredricktown, Arcadia, Glover, Lesterville, Centerville, Bunker, then to the park. The scenic route. The other route 72>21>32>F>E>119 has steeper hills pulling a camper.

BTW, I like the way the new forum inserts linked urls, you just have to copy and paste.

http://www.missouritrout.com/events.html Calendar of events for Bennett, Montauk, and Meramec. Plan your trips around the tourneys for the best fishing. Weekdays are best if possible.

http://www.missouritrout.com/events.html Lilley, here is the events calendar off MissouriTrout.com. Ladies tourny is March 29. We have reservations for the storytellin weekend, it may be a hoot. It is also Youth Turkey season and me and the daughter may have to find an ole bird around there for camp food.

Kick me when I do something stupid would wear the soles on my boots out too fast, maybe in one day if it is a weekend. I almost planned a trip up this weekend and realized it was Men's Tournament Sat. I can only imagine the kicking going on with all of those "professional" guys looking for the trophy....

Cedargrove is fields and bottoms with a pit toilet above and below the low water bridge. I think most camp above the bridge except during the busy season when they camp out in the field below. The bridges is the boundary between the trophy water and the put and take water. I have been by a few of the others but have never paid them much attention. I assume they are like the other NFS sites, pit toilet above high water line and a few clearings with firepits.

I always take a whole trout without the head, spray it with butter flavor pam on the skin and the inside cavity. I sprinkle liberally Lemon Pepper seasoning inside the cavity and on the outside skin and cook on the charcoal grill over low coals. When the insides are white the trout is done. Peel the skin off and pick meat off the bones. Whole trout with the skin on seems to steam the inside meat and its nice and moist. You can stuff with mushrooms or onion. This is the way I cook them at camp. At home, fillet and place on top rack of smoker with lemon pepper. I have a 2 tier charcoal smoker and usually do meat for a week when I fire it up. Chicken and butts first and towards the end a rack of trout fillets as it cools off.

Local streams are up and muddy. Not much around for local ponds that I can do any good at in just an hour. It just messes up the Acacian Cycle..

Okay, first year for the new daylight saving law put into effect by the wonderful government that has to regulate every aspect of our lives. I awake as usual this week at 5:45 am and its pitch black dark. Excitement kicks in, I must be going fishing or hunting if alarm goes off before some sort of daylight. Then depression sets in, its Tuesday and senses realize "Its a workday". Come home and look outside, its 7:30 and its still daylight. Man, I could be doing something in the yard or the garden. Then depression sets in, its the second week of March and nothings growing except for mud. I can't even plant taters till St. Pattys. What to do, its a shame to waste daylight indoors when the sun is shining. What is the reasoning for this time change anyway? Last fall it prolonged the summer activities for a little while longer, but the early spring sucks. Any thoughts......

Yeah, and did you hear the one about you only need one rod, one reel, and one fly line......... OH THE MADNESSS....

DAng, off to the store to buy more beers. I hate that when that happens...