ness

I built four raised beds last fall because I was tired of fighting the crappy soil I've got. I'm going back to the square foot method after a hiatus of several years too. Just want to get more out of less space with less work. Put hoops over two of the beds so I could get an earlier start, and keep cool-season crops going longer into the summer and fall. I had everything protected under plastic when we had a pretty good hail storm a few weeks ago. Started everything indoors from seed again this year, and have lettuce ready to pick now. Peas are off to a great start in the new environment. Garlic, onions, Swiss chard, spinach, radishes, are well on their way. Maters (4 heirlooms, two hybrids), chilies (Ancho, Anaheim) and herbs are in the cold frame and about ready to go in the ground. Strawberries are coming on too. Everything loves the great soil they've got this year in the new beds. It makes a helluva difference -- wish I'd done it years ago. Built a couple more raised beds on the other side of the yard this spring and put in asparagus and black raspberries. Added a couple more blueberries and another gooseberry to the ones I had. Bunch of landscape cleanup to do this weekend, then I'm kicking back for a while. Two small beds and hoops (early April): Raspberry and asparagus beds: Can't wait until next year!:

He said he had a meeting. Hardly sounds like an arrest. Perhaps I'm missing the joke -- it wouldn't be the first time. However, if he does end up in a room at the Graybar, I hereby pledge the sum of 5 (five) dollars to the Free Chief Fund.

I think if we all go at this with the "...harasses with a person" language in there, we're hurting the cause. I also think a cut-and-paste web forum thread is probably not as effective as either a letter or a phone call directly to the people that can make a difference in this. I think about 25 calls to the Newton County Sheriff's office asking about the floatability of the stream, the rumors of gun-toting landowners running off legal floaters, and a little humble 'what's a feller to do, I think this is legal' or, 'we were planning our family reunion there next month' act, would have a much greater impact. I think I'll give Sheriff Ken a call tomorrow and get the ball rolling. Maybe ask him where this Prater guy lives and ask if I should just stay away from there or pack some heat when I go down, just to even things out.

That right there is a good idea. So many times we hear the authorities defer to MDC - just like in this case. The reality is that actual jurisdiction is with law enforcement, but you'll never get every county sheriff and deputy seeing this the same way. But since CA are often involved in these cases, all of them being on the same page would be a good thing. Anybody heard from Chief? Hopefully he's not in 'the Box'.

A warrant? You just don't get a warrant out on somebody. You file a complaint, present your evidence and they call you up or visit. If there was a complaint filed it didn't come up in the conversation with the sheriff, right? This guy's a nut job. Screw the legal stuff. You need to work up a number 6 on him.

Nice that you had a positive discussion with the sheriff. If it was me, I'd drop him a note thanking him and all his deputies (hint) for their efforts. Did you guys ever figure out which one of you was the one that had been repeatedly warned?

Welp, I'd say that deputy either didn't know the law, or elected to fudge a little to avoid a confrontation. Possibly influenced by previous problems with problem floaters/trespassers, and/or those landowners. Hopefully you guys were able to put that behind you pretty quick and make something of the rest of the day. I think you're right in going to talk it over at the sheriff's office. It needs to be figgered out. Cricket -- why didn't you whip out your Dale Carnegie magic???? You coulda had them frying up some of those morels

Just curious about this: So, were you guys just floating through, wading in the stream, pulled up on the bank or what? What'd you do for the 45 minutes while you were waiting on the cops? When the deputy said you can't get out of the canoe did he mean onto the bank, or out in the water?

I think I'd call the sheriff's office (or go if you're close enough) and politely ask a few questions and let them know what happened. Did you guys happen to get the deputy's name? I don't think I'd go in there with a 'tude asking for the deputy's head or spouting the law though. I can see them wanting to avoid a confrontation, and maybe encouraging you to move along even though you had a right to be there. Depends on the overall situation. But a little discussion with the authorities may just get them to visit this guy and set him straight on the rules. And, threats (such as 'you'll be in a world of hurt') can sometimes be enough for a disorderly conduct charge.

I like CRP. And that's all I've got to say about that.

CO has got hundreds of options. Hell, about 1/3 of the state is public land. I think it depends a lot on what kind of fishing and/or vacation you're looking for. It's CO. It's great. We've been to Estes/RMNP numerous times. It's a beautiful national park, with tons of wildlife to see, hiking trails, etc. There's small-stream, medium-stream, tail water (kinda), lake and Alpine lake fishing opportunities. It's about an hour from Denver, and an easy 1-day drive for me. Estes is a pretty cool town with enough shops around to keep my wife happy and touristy stuff for the kids. Lodging opportunities range from back country camping to luxury stuff. There are two very rare subspecies of cutthroat trout in the park, if you're into that. Otherwise it's feral rainbows, browns and brookies. There are decent-sized fish in the Big Thompson below the dam. Good-sized, very wary fish in the slower water of Fall River and Big T meadows down low in the park, and lots of other meadow opportunities around. As you move higher up you'll encounter a lot of pocket water and smaller fish. They'll readily take about any dry fly you toss on the water, because they only get to eat a couple months out of the year. They're not stupid though -- they're looking up, and a shadow, flash or crummy cast will put them down. You'll have to pass on 50-percent or more of the good places because you either can't get there, can't cast to it or you'll be seen. For the rest, you'll be doing just about anything BUT long, graceful casts. If you play it right, and if they take, it will be lightening quick. You'll find yourself saying 'he missed the fly'! But it's YOU that missed him. I love this kind of fishing more than any other, so that's where I'd go. I've fished a few other places out there too -- Michigan River up in North Park, Blue River near Breck, etc. I've never fished any of the big-name streams, and don't really have much desire too either.

Naw -- this girl just wasn't gonna let some city slicker come in and mispronounce the daily special, which I think is kinda funny. Get it now? I've also had really good fried chicken there.

I have et at Cookin from Scratch, and it's powerful good. I remember I ordered 'chicken and dumplinGs', and the waitress corrected me and said it's 'chicken and dumplins' (no 'G'). Anyhoo -- good stop if you're in the area.

I suppose I can trust you guys to keep a secret. There are multiple, big fish at N37° 27.0058' W91° 39.6599'

I agree with Exiledguide. Coldwater -- you sound stupid and don't appreciate what you've got and quit complaining and it's all public water and go buy a place and pick your vacations better and work harder and trout are stocked anyway and just shut up.

Thanks for sharing, Justin. It's a great place and I want to get back there someday soon too. We passed through there a couple summers ago, and stayed in Townsend. Fished one day and a couple hours another day. First day was high water and lots of heavy showers. Did ok -- caught a nice brown, but we spent more time driving around trying to dodge the rain. The morning we were leaving I went up high toward Newfound looking to get a brookie, but got skunked.

I say we give Gavin a pass on this, and his other tirade about mishandling fish. He's clearly suffering from TSAD (tax season affective disorder). I get it too, but I've only got one return to file.

I've had Gavin's gumbo and it was pretty tasty stuff. I even bought a copy of the Commander's Kitchen book, used off Amazon, based on that stuff. One trick I learned from my brother (who's a trained chef) is to do the roux in the oven ahead of time. Mix equal parts flour and vegetable oil, pour into a baking dish and bake in the oven at 350 for 1 to 2 hours, depending on how dark you want it (Light for seafood, dark for meat). Stir it occasionally. Dump off any excess oil when it's done. I make big batches and store it in the ridge for up to a couple months. No more slaving over a hot skillet for roux, and it speeds things up quite a bit by having it ready ahead of time. No great Cajun in KC that I know of. Jazz is acceptable, but not great. BB's Lawnside BBQ has some decent Cajun stuff too, but the coup de grace there is the bread pudding with vanilla-bourbon sauce. I believe I just decided on a lunch location for today.

I've got two versions of portable fly tying setups: The Rubbermaid tub that fits everything I've got, and the no-name nylon bag thingy with a few compartments that carries a little stuff. If I'm heading out for a few days, have room and am staying in a motel, I'll drag the big one. If I wade/camp I might bring the small one with enough materials to tie a few flies. If I float/camp I don't carry anything. Never really cared for any of the pre-made ones I've seen. Either too small, too large, too gimicky, not laid out well or too expensive. Other people's ideas of how to store stuff usually don't work for me anyhow. So, I'd suggest spec out what you want, and get creative to find something that fits your needs at Wal-Mart.

Hey Sapp, welcome to the forum. I feel your pain -- with the long drives from KC to trout fish. It's just part of the deal, and I've gotten used to it. You can sure flyfish for bass and panfish too -- so don't overlook that. I've got a float tube, and I love to use it on small lakes or ponds -- you could take it around the edges of Lotawana, but I wouldn't venture out too far (but, I'm a chicken). I haven't looked at them in years, but here's what I'd look for: definitely go for a u-shaped tube. They're more comfortable and safe than a round one. I wouldn't scrimp on this purchase either. Get a good-quality one with a sturdy bladder and valve. Some of them have dual bladders now -- that would be something I'd want with my next purchase (so if one deflates you're not in such bad shape). I've never been interested in the pontoons: they're a more trouble to assemble and inflate, more involved to transport and cost more. If I had a truck and more room in the garage, I'd be more inclined to consider one.

Welcome to Ozark Arguers. Yep, there's a lot of good info out here. Feel free to ask away, or post up your own ideas or adventures. Have you got your boy fly fishing yet? A lot of the guys with younger kids and/or shorter drives take them down to Dry Run in AR.

Right now I see about 26. That's a little more than I usually see (anywhere from a couple to about 15) but I haven't been on much the last day or so. Does that answer your question? It does look like it's working to me.

I've never fished with Kyle, but I've known Brian for several years and he is a class act. Used him as a paid guide for the first time last fall with my two sons, and he did a great job with them. Good shore lunch too. He definitely knows the river, and can help you with your technique. It's a pretty tough river to fish, especially if you're mainly a trout park guy. You've got the right idea getting a guide for it.

I really like my Smith photochromic copper ones. They're not too dark, and lighten up some when you're in the shade -- which is a lot of the time when I'm trout fishing. Agree with Gavin -- the glass ones are extremely crisp and scratch resistant. I've had them about 10 years, and even had the frame replaced once (no charge). Since I got them (they're prescription) I've had to go to bifocals, so at some point I'll pop for a new pair. Big head here too.

Hey Andy, Welcome back. I'll try to catch you up on everything you've missed. There was lively debate on ***al **rming, and we are forbidden to talk about it now. **litics too. We got the didymo thing all figured out. Everybody is gonna quit stepping in the water, which should help. JDMidwest shot a cat for crapping in his garden -- then found out it wasn't the right cat. Speaking of cats, the big ones -- yes, I mean mountain lions are everywhere. And crap and tracks too. Shoot first, ask questions later if you see one. If the MDC comes sniffing around, it might help to claim you're Amish (I'm assuming you're not, since you got a computer and a Bronco, which I'm assuming is not the horse kind). Speaking of shooting, Eric1978 threatened to shoot somebody less liberal than him and almost got kicked off the forum, but Phil's giving him a tenth chance. Al Agnew went a bunch of cool places, saw some cool stuff and wrote a couple books and painted some pictures. Chuck Tryon, Dick Talleur and Virgil Ward all died. Mic coughed up the GPS coordinates of a 24-inch fish on Blue Springs Creek and got called on the carpet for it. A bunch of guys who have never posted before jumped out of the shadows and told him they enjoyed his reports. Turns out Coldwaterfsher is not Paul Dallas, but bears a striking resemblance to him. Chief's still around, seems to have mellowed some -- somebody said he was getting more fiber in his diet. If I missed anything, please help Andy out guys.