ness

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?"

Oh, come on Eric. I think it makes sense to be able to settle disagreements, quickly and cleanly, without having to resort to reasoned discussion. Now that I think of it, I wish they would have passed a law requiring all congressmen to pack heat in the chamber.

This forum member seems to know a lot about the company http://ozarkanglers.com/forums/index.php?showuser=9947

I'm pretty sure most just want folks to follow the rules. If you're taking fish legally on your rare fishing trips, you won't find too many folks that have a problem with that. Who's looking down on you? If you wanna 'look down' on somebody who practices C&R within the rules, go ahead. But that's a dead end. If you wanna argue C&R, feel free.

Where's all the $%^&? I heard that place was a $%^&hole (Sorry -- this place has been a little tame lately)

Hey Ken -- sorry I missed you too. This is the closest we've come in all these years. Dallas pointed out your car in the lot at Baptist, so it was a near miss. Dang! To clarify -- the red Old Town was trapped pretty bad. I ran into the owners above Parker and they were going to hike in and try to get it out. We didn't mess with it -- just took some pics. The Wenonah belongs to some knucklehead who can't drive a canoe. Gavin helped rescue it, and the wet and dejected skipper, and he's thinking it may end up on Craigslist. And he may just be right

You may have already heard, but Dallas, Hoffmeyer and I ran into the owner of the red one just above Parker. They had lost it a couple weeks before, and had hiked down the trail Saturday to try and retrieve it. They refused Hoff's chain saw, saying they had ropes and pulleys, and got some directions from Dallas to where we saw it.

I've checked out several of the books mentioned --lots of interesting stuff. Fishgypsy: I'm gonna put "Inventing Montana- Dispatches from the Madison Valley" on the wish list. I've never read Leeson, that I remember. He's also got another one called "Jerusalem Creek" that sounds good too.

I'm gonna weigh the fly in the decision -- a little. I'm gonna take pretty darn good care of the fish first though. There's not too many flies I can't live without. Alright, somebody mentioned pictures. You really gonna take a picture of a snagged fish? Are you gonna attach a disclaimer to it wherever it goes? Tim: I've used your 'holding your breath' analogy before -- I think it's a good rule of thumb. It chaps my arse when I see folks kill, or darn-near kill, a fish by fumbling around for the picture, just to feed their ego. (Pot stirred?)

I've purchased a lot of old and out-of-print books on Amazon through their used-book dealer network. Finished up "Trinity" by Leon Uris a few weeks ago -- it's a historical novel about Ireland from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, covering a lot of older history along the way. Amazing what the native, mostly Catholic, Irish have dealt with over the centuries. Kinda puts some perspective on where they're coming from. Whizzed through "Pheasants of the Mind" by Datus Proper after that. Pretty good read, but a little too deep and difficult at spots. Just started "The Virginian" by Owen Wister. It's considered the grandaddy of Western and cowboy literature, and the TV series and movie were loosly based on it. Wister was a friend of Teddy Roosevelt and dedicated the book to him. It was written in 1902, so the language is a bit different. Also, he uses a lot of very long sentences, and the writing isn't very fluid at times. But, I think I'm gonna like it, just won't fly through it. So, that's what ness is reading this winter. How about you?

Way to make it personal, Chief. It's one thing to knock a stream, but you have, again, turned it into a personal attack. Like when you called me dick weed because you didn't like something I said. Time to act like an adult.

GOt the flies today. Ronnie -- thanks for putting all this together. Man, seeing all these really gives me the itch for spring fishing. Won't belong, I suppose. Good looking stuff. That crawdad is amazing looking, and love it on the bent hook.

Got the pack yesterday, Tim -- thanks for the quick turn-around. That's an awful nice pack. I have been looking for something kinda scaled down; something that I can throw a couple fly boxes in when I'm fishing warmwater locally, in the parks, whatever; when I don't need a full-sized pack. I hate to think what happened to the poor dude that sewed those patches on wrong.

Wow -- what a day! I need to rethink how I spend my winter days.

pssst. Brian. You think you could score me some waders?

Neoprene is far too hot for me. In winter, I just put on some heavier fleece under my breathables. I think if you go with neoprene, you'll have a big gap between wet-wading temperatures and very cold, where those neoprenes are gonna be uncomfortable -- especially if you're walking a lot. Sweat + airtight + crotch = ouch.

I got yer syllabus right there in post #174.

Nicely done gentlemen. I'd like to thank everybody for their participation in this. I hereby declare this thread closed. That includes closed to people who want to know how I can close a thread. Violators will be persecuted.

Cricket -- you out there??? I think somebody here needs to borrow your Carnegie book.

I've got the mid-range breathable stocking-foot LLBeans, and really like them. I don't know what they cost off the top of my head -- but I think around $150. Everything they sell is no-questions-asked guaranteed, like Orvis. They're paired with Simms Freestone boots that cost about $80. The boots are awfully durable, and can be resoled if needed. Concerning boot-foot v. stocking-foot: If you can swing it cost-wise, I'd suggest stocking-foot -- especially if you're out covering a lot of ground. The separate boot can be fitted better and laced properly, and a good-fitting boot means good-feeling feet at the end of the day. Cabela's probably has something that will fit within your budget, but you might be sacrificing quality. Boot-foot would be fine if you're fishing the parks, or staying pretty close to the accesses.

Put me down for one, Tim. I've got a PayPal verification in process, and will send $49 that way. I've had some glitches with their verification process before, but hopefully they'll get it right this time. If not, I'll call you at the shop Friday and settle up.

Tim -- I think I'll take one of those then. I'll PM you to get instructions on how to proceed.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss education. I'd agree you're not going to educate the bad guys into being good. But, educating people about the problem is surely a good thing. I, for one, had never given it much thought. Sure, I was aware that gigging was going on, and since I'm more a trout fisherman, I knew of the limitations in Blue Ribbon areas and assumed the reasons for that. But, I had never heard of the type of situation you described in your first post. So, we're educating folks just by discussing it right here. As for solving the problem -- if the measure of success is immediately stopping all illegal gigging, we're gonna fail. But, lets chop that elephant into little pieces before we cook it. The flow of ideas here has lead to some things we can do: - be more diligent in reporting illegally-gigged fish; document with pictures of the fish, cars, license plates, dates/times, etc; don't let lack of cell coverage or other impediments prevent you from filing a report -- just do it as soon as you can and have solid facts when you do it; - consider joining the MSA or getting involved with organizing a SW Missouri chapter; work with them to educate people through their website, signage, or whatever else they cook up; - attend MDC public meetings, or figure out other ways to steer the existing MDC resources toward this issue. We know it's tough to police, but it's not impossible; - a couple people mentioned policing the accesses. I think that could have some merit, if handled properly, but it could also lead to (big) problems if it was not. Letting people know, politely, what the rules are and that big brother is watching could be both educational and a deterrent; - I think it could make sense to contact landowners near the hot-spotted areas to (i) make them aware of the problem, and (ii) inform them that people are about, and that illegal giggers are being watched. This could lead to their help (like, naming names), or could put them on alert (and serve as a deterrent) if they're one of the bad guys; - someone suggested posting reports and/or pictures here, and I think that's a great idea. This place has a very large number of visitors, and there's power in those numbers. Also, collecting information, pictures, etc. all in one easily-accessible place could assist in building a case for the MDC. Anyhoo -- just some thoughts. I'm not as pessimistic about the situation as some folks seem to be. There are things we can do to improve it, the framework is in place, and there are people right here reading this that could get the ball rolling.

Can you describe what's wrong with the label? I'm assuming it's crooked or something -- and doesn't effect the functioning of the pockets or anything.

Has the Swapmeister received my flies yet?