BilletHead

Sucking up lots of water, The Tomato plants in the self watering tubs are soaking up from one to two gallons a day, unreal. It is beginning to look like a jungle. I planted them from three to four foot apart. Trying to keep them tidy and tied up but seem to be loosing that battle. Some are getting too tall but there are tomatoes all the way to the top on some especially the cherry. Seven foot tall before the buzz cut and that is measured from where the plant meets the soil in the tub, Then there is the battle with the Japanese beetles. My koi, green sunfish and little bass are very happy with me today and with the bottom of this trap open I don't have to empty it , BilletHead

We feel your pain to the West of you Mopanfisher. Beetles going nuts here too. Visited out county extension office. The lady there said we have not seen the worst of them. After a few more years they should level out. So bad here we cut down some things they like. Crape Myrtle for one example. They are beginning to skeletonize my chestnuts and crabapple right now. I even want to cut down our old wisteria but the Mrs. asked me not to. I am about to go postal on it with spray. There will be thousands of beetles littering the ground under it, BilletHead

The BilletHeads were there Thursday close to the dam. It was 82 and then up a bit more as the morning progressed, BilletHead

Good Report Mike and thanks. Sounds like you were ready with every tactic for catching! BilletHead

That is a grass carp Scott and a big one to boot. Thanks for the report man, BilletHead

Well done Brian! Miss seeing you and your Mrs. Tell her hi from Pat and I, BilletHead

Thanks Bill.

Pretty fancy plating there John Boy, Guess I need to learn that trick , BilletHead

Grizzly bear

Grizzly Bear BilletHead

Yes I did know the bottom one was a turner. The larger size. Did lucky strike also use the shrink wrap? BilletHead

How far will the boss track your rental car? BilletHead

And we had elk, Gray wolf, Bison in all the Ozarks and in my part of the state Grizzly Bear before the Historic Calendar. That calendar resets at the time the white man crossed North America. Like this explanation. When we talk point types (they are not arrowheads they are points) Approximately 1750. Starting earlier on the East coast and heading West, BilletHead

We don't care if you fly fish it or not just don't let us catch you soaking your worm trying to catch micro fish , BilletHead

What are you trying to say TJM? There was ,many, many Turkeys, Otters and deer before greed killed them out. Now Armadillos are a different story. Climate change is to blame their progress north, BilletHead

One thing about Rockbridge fish. They are big in the C&R section. They don't fight like hatchery fish either. The Mrs. and i have done a half day C&R together and then when we had Reeling and Healing and Reel Recovery I did a half day Solo. Fun for sure. Ha if you only keep a very few. They watch you down there and if you land one it is SUPPOSED to go on a stringer to weigh and keep. Got a friend and you know him Gavin that goes and keeps a few then cuts the tip off of his fly. He says if you loose them you don't have to pay for them. Good practice on you hook set skills , BilletHead

Smallest size is the 1/2 inch and No problem casting for me. They are light, BilletHead

Ness and Flysmallie, Look up the air lock. No kink, removeable and made like the thingamabobbers. I guarantee you will both like them except for the price. A bit more expensive but worth the no frustration value. Travis Swift, Well done and it isn't so hard is it? We only make it a hard sport! BilletHead

Ok I shot off with my mouth and said you all could critique and beat me up my micro jig attempt, Our Forum member Jungle Jim had picked up on what I said and sent me a PM asking if I wanted a few small heads to play with. So in the post today I got an envelope from him. I opened it up in anticipation. All kinds of colors of itty bitty jig heads painted in all kinds of colors. Other than the larger ones with the sickle hooks (Which I like very much, more on this later) I really think these may be original Turner- Jones heads. Why I think this is because there was a small bit of heat shrink on one head. Let me know if you think they may be. I sent another PM to Jim asking but I could not wait to post. At the bottom of the attached photo are two jigs. My tie without heat shrink and one of the larger Turner-Jones jigs Mrs. BilletHead found at Bennett many moons ago. I know it was her because if I had found it I would of tossed it back not knowing what the heck it was. So I think it was one of the as Bill mentioned a 156 oz. and the Small heads Jim sent me are the 256 oz. I really don't know so I am asking again you all and Jim. The finest marabou I had is some grizzly chickabou so that is what I used. I am not sure my fat fingered clumsy old hands could wrestle marabou and heat shrink at the same time so my rendition used besides the marabou i used veevus 14/0 olive thread for the main tie and then some 6/0 red uni thread for the collar. (note to self get some veevus 14/0 in red) I than coated the tie area in with Solarez thin and gave it a zap with the UV light to finish. So beat me up and pick it apart and lets all get some tied up. i tied this up pretty tight and soaked the UV resin in real well working it in with a needle and kept it out of the feathers. I think it will hold up well. Final thoughts. I like larger hooks even on small body flys and jig tie ups. On my Harvester midges I tie on larger hooks but my midge itself is maybe a size 20. Fish go after the midge and pay less attention to the hook thus larger hook boosts hook up rate. (Thanks Kent C. ), BilletHead

Pretty neat John, Brings back many memories. I used to catch a couple every year standing on those rocks below Truman dam with crappie jigs. They can even get acrobatic while fighting , BilletHead

Thanks Harps! Oh and Ronnie where was the drone , BilletHead

More fishing, more getting that good hook set, more reeling in fish! Do it while you can Daryk. Mom constantly says to me wish dad and I would of and to do it while you can. I tell this to BilletHead Jr. Now I am telling you , BilletHead

Good story John, If I make it to 85 I will also eat what I want. In the mean time I tend to be careful what I shove into my pie hole. The nut doesn't fall far from the tree and my mom is 88 and suffers from dementia. Forgets to eat and cannot remember what she has eaten of if she even ate. A lot of the time her evening meal is ice cream and cookies. When my sisters and I voice our concern to her doctor the response was at least she is eating something and at her age she should be able to eat anything . I had a foreman that I worked for. Even at a young age at company picnics and dinners he always picked out dessert and ate it before his meal. I asked him once about it. He cocked his head and said I eat that first because I may get full and not be able to. We were required to carry our lunch and he put potato chips on every sandwich no matter what it was and put down a whole tube of ritz crackers every day. A few months ago he passed and I think of him often. Rest in peace "Crazy Bob" . His ashes were placed in a plastic tub he had bought himself at Wal Mart and he wanted to be buried in it . BilletHead

Great trip report and pictures Ronnie! The older I get the more I like the process of trips and not the catching. Catching is a bonus that we need but it doesn't make the trip. The cypress trees are neat and the knees they create are so cool. We have some in the yard we got from the MDC nursery. Some are beginning to produce knees but I blame the Mrs. for mowing them flat. We have them marked now and they are coming up. Thanks for the rode along, BilletHead

Said possible native in Florida. Cannot possess or transport it in Texas