ozark trout fisher

I think he's just kidding you.

Yes JD, that is what it is all about. I couldn't have said it better.

I think maybe I was. I do get your point about the ethics of us trying to manipulate nature for our own uses, and I agree with you to an extent.

Chief, like I said I've just been down this road too many times....I'm a bit tempted to do it again, but I don't think I will. Trout management is really just not a priority in my mind, considering some of the other things that are facing our rivers and streams. Same goes for smallmouth regs or antler point restrictions. All small potatoes, when you look at what is happening to so many of our resources on a larger scale.

Oh goodness gracious, I shouldn't have gotten started on this. Basically there are about 10,000 conservation issues that I care about a lot more than trout regulations. So I'm just not going to argue it again. You probably won't end up changing my opinion anyway, and I certainly won't change yours

Well, they're not due anymore management restrictions. If we're really going to make the right ecological decision, we should stop stocking all trout, and get rid of the wild populations where they occur. But until that happens (never) we might as well manage them in a way where we can have good opportunities to catch trophy sized fish. That's all I'm gonna say about it. I've been down this road a few too many times anyway.

Interesting analysis. Though I do hope that those of use who live in rural areas are not just more civil and less confrontational because most of us have guns. I think it has more with having a bit of a slower pace of going through life, so there's not as much of a need to be in such a danged hurry all the time. Or at least that's what I'd like to think it is. Anyone else notice a concealed carry ad at the bottom of this page? Kind of funny....

Let the games begin...

I don't know. But I still say no conservation agent is going to write a ticket for someone wearing tennis shoes in a river. If they did, any judge would just laugh in their face, or at least you'd hope so. Anyway I'm not going to worry about it.

I don't think any conservation agent in his right mind is going to try to write a ticket for someone wading in tennis shoes, even if it's illegal by the letter of the law. There are few exceptions out there I'm sure, but the CAs I've met are pretty reasonable people, and I don't think they're going to split hairs on this. Clearly the point is to ban felt soles. To go beyond that would just be a good way to get the public angry for no good reason, and the MDC doesn't have a history of doing that.

I'm planning on trying to fly fish for carp in some of the local creeks around here as soon as spring comes. The streams around where I now live in central MO are mediocre at best for smallmouth, spotted bass etc, but I always see big schools of carp...Would like to try to catch a few.

That is a good one. Another of his books, "The Lost Continent" is worth a read also, although less outdoors-related.

The game at Kansas will be a major challenge for sure, probably the toughest Missouri has faced so far.There aren't many places where it's tougher to come out with a win than Lawrence. I'd also like to see Missouri get some separation from Kansas in the standings, but there is a part of me that would be pretty excited about the Big 12 Title coming down to that game, it being maybe the last time we play each KU for who knows how long.

These are fairly serious charges...Where is the evidence? I need to see something more than stories or rumors before I'm putting any stock in what Larry Dabblemont says, who consistently seems to have a vendetta against the MDC. The fact is, the MDC makes mistakes, but they do overall a great job protecting our resources. I don't understand all the efforts to demonize them. If there's proof of serious corruption and wrong-doing then I'll come around, but I'd bet there's more smoke than fire here.

I know...The guard play was just outstanding. The fact that we can get out-rebounded as bad as we did and still win by 15 is incredible.Phil Pressey was definitely the x-factor today, both offensively and defensively. Baylor did help us out by missing so many point blank shots. What I love about this team is that there seems to be someone different that stands out every night...Denmon, Dixon, English, Radcliffe, the Presseys, any of them are capable of scoring 15-20+ points on any given night. Moore can be really good at times too. He may not put a whole lot of points on the board, but he's a great defender and takes a lot of charges, which has been key lately. It makes it hard to lose when you have that many weapons.

Well maybe...I don't think for me it has anything to do with the Bible either way. I just have difficulty with things that can crawl right up to me and bite me without even knowing it's there before-hand. That said I've never killed a snake. As I said, I actually like them, but they I can't help that they also freak me out.

Interesting stuff. From a distance, I really do appreciate and admire snakes...But up close they scare the heck out of me, and I'd be lying if I said otherwise. In my time in the mountains, I've been close, sometimes uncomfortably so, to a mountain lion, black bears (multiple times), a grizzly bear, moose, etc, and I'm fine in those situations. Actually, I usually come away thinking it was pretty cool, especially with the Grizzly bear as they are pretty rare in the part of Montana where I came across it. But if a harmless water snake sneaks within a few yards of me when I'm wading a stream, I'm headed to the bank, double quick. I realize this isn't particularly rational. If it's big and I can always see it, like a bear or a mountain lion, it doesn't bother me, but small, subtle things like spiders and snakes really get at me. It's weird the way the human mind works sometimes.

Nope. But it was still good to get out there.

Trust me, if I delete some of my posts it isn't cheating...It's just a service to mankind:) I just got out and went fishing these evening (did I ever need it), so my crappy attitude is gone for now. If I don't fish, people on this forum pay I guess...

Well okay, you're probably right...I'm capable of my share of stupid posts, no shock to anyone. I have deleted the ones in this thread because they were in fact totally useless, even more so than usual for me. Anyway, I'm off to do something productive for a little while.

I can see where KU is coming from. I know it's all about money to the people making these deals, but we're setting a lot more aside than most Missouri fans want to admit. I was at the KU game last weekend, and that kind of atmosphere is not worth giving up for some paycheck. It's just not like anything else you see in college sports, short of maybe the Duke/UNC rivalry. I was very disappointed to hear we were going to the SEC. Our rivalries not only with Kansas, but also with Oklahoma, Texas, and the others are all more than likely going to be gone now. And we'll be going into a conference that just isn't a good fit for Mizzou, geographically or otherwise. Do you think we have more in common with KU, Iowa State, and Oklahoma, or with Alabama, South Carolina, LSU, and Florida? Who is going to be our new conference rival? At least I love to hate KU. I can't even say that much about any SEC team. And with West Virginia and TCU coming in fill out the conference next year, I don't see the Big 12 ceasing to be a top-level conference anytime soon. So far they've been able to replace the schools that have left with programs of at least roughly equal and arguably better quality. Meanwhile, we'll be stuck in a soulless conference with no good rivals. We should have stayed, I'm telling you.

Nothing wrong with setting modest goals! I find it's the easiest way to be a happy fisherman. I mean, after all, what does fishing really have to do with goals? Fishing for me isn't about success or failure. It's more about enjoying whatever the river gives you on any given day. There are plenty of other things in life we can try to be wildly successful at, but when I'm on the river, I want to get away from all that and just relax.

I'll be laughing about that one for the forseeable future...

Well, I do see the reasons that some people carry guns.There have been a few times, especially on one certain Ozark stream that I like to float that for whatever reason seems to attract a worse than usual crowd, where I've been more than a little uncomfortable...But no more threatening than the possibility of drowning, or getting struck by lightning, or (and I have to add this one) getting eaten by a great big mountain lion. In other words, if any of those things happen, which they probably and hopefully won't I guess those are just the breaks. Especially if it's just me out on the river alone. I respect your right to see it otherwise. Not a happy topic, and hopefully something that won't ever become important for any of us! Back to fishing talk, at least as far as I'm concerned.

You can oversimplify this by saying that I'm someone who demonizes guns, or you can realize that I'm a hunter, and as far as sporting matters go I consider my 20 gauge or my 30-30 to be as important as my fly rod...I just choose to leave it at that, as something that I use for hunting and target shooting but not something I carry around all the time. . I'm not saying it should be illegal to do that, I'm just saying it seems awful silly to me.