LWD

A few weeks ago (either Jan 27 or 28) a friend and I were drift fishing, and as we approached the boat ramp a little upstream from Short Creek we saw about 7 boats anchored down right next to each other, some tied to each other. They were laughing and having a good ole' time catching fish, it seemed odd and out of place to have so many fishermen and boats concentrated in such a small place. As we drifted further, and the boat ramp came into view, we could see the conservation department's fish stocking truck on the ramp and it became apparent they had just released some fish into the lake. There was a water patrol boat pulled up to the shore near the ramp, not sure if that is normal when stocking or he was there on other business. Anyway these "sportsmen" were having a ball tearing into just released fish. I realize the fishermen were not breaking any laws, but the whole spectacle was kind of pathetic. If they had young children with them it would have been a little more palatable. Is that a common occurrence?

Last Wednesday a friend and I saw the Chartered Waters guide boat out with some clients, as we went by one of his clients had a large trout on his fly line and was basically just waiting it out and trying to wear it down, he had been fighting it for 20 minutes at that point. The guide was working his butt off with the trolling motor, keeping the boat in the right spot to not lose or spook the fish, and being very patient for what may well be his clients catch of a lifetime. Many kudos to him. My friend and I went further upstream and fished for a while, on our way back the guy was still waiting out the trout and told us it had been an hour. Long story short, it turned out to be a 28" rainbow, which was released to fight another day. You can read the long story here... http://www.charteredwaters.com/fishingreport.html

What a shame, that will be a major eyeshore... eyesore, whatever......

As a frequenter of Mark Twain Lake in NE MO, the Corp gets cursed on a regular basis, but of course for a much different reason. As primarily a flood control lake, the primary time for controlling floods is in the spring, and guess what the money fish is on Twain. Crappie. All too often the floods coincide with the spring spawn, which needs a stable water level till the eggs hatch, and of course you know what wins out. Flood control. When we're fortunate, the corp can hold the lake level till the spawn is over, but if there's any significant rain, then a whole new generation of crappie gets wiped out. And of course about 3 years later, the crappie fishing isn't as good as it could have been. There's actually more consideration given to shad on Twain than any other fish, because it is the primary source of food for so many sport fish. I've talked to the corp people several times, and yes they are aware of the impact of the water level fluctating so much, they do try to maintain the lake level when they can in cooperation with the Mo Dept of Conservation, but they have to do what they have to do. There's a lot of good people working for the corp, even fishermen that are as frustrated with it as anyone else, unfortunately they're stuck by the rules of their system. It can be very frustrating, especially for the business owners, at least we do have the lake, it wouldn't even be there if it wasn't for flood control. Oh yeah, and when the corp is releasing water, they get cursed by the fishermen (especially bass fishermen), because the draw down turns the fish off. You just can't please everyone all the time...... Just for the record, I've done my share of cursing the corp for a variety of reasons.

tippet, I noticed the Cards and Mets will be playing a spring training game this coming Friday the 27th @ 1:05. If you have access to SportsNet New York (SNY) it will be televised.

Two little kids are in hospital, lying on stretchers next to each other outside the operating room, the first surgeries of the day. The first kid leans over and asks, 'What are you in here for? The second kid says, 'I'm in here to get my tonsils out and I'm a little nervous.' The first kid says, 'You've got nothing to worry about. I had that done when I was four. They put you to sleep, and when you wake up they give you lots of Jell-O and ice cream. It's a breeze.' The second kid then asks, 'What are you here for?' The first kid says, 'A circumcision.' 'WHOA!' the second kid replies. 'Good luck buddy. I had that done when I was born. Couldn't walk for a year!

I heard the ramps are not useable right now, the Cooper Creek public ramp is under 1 inch of ice and about 2 inches of sleet. What's the ramp report, are there any ramps public or private that are useable? What's the projection? Thanks for the update.

Alright, I'm probably talking to myself, but I have to follow up this topic with a situation at 3rd base for the cardinals. It concerns prospects. The sudden and unexpected surgery on Troy Glaus' shoulder has changed the infield at 3rd base for at least 5 weeks into the season and possibly more. Losing him at 3rd is a big loss for the Cards, but at least it will be at the beginning of the season, and fortunately the Cards have a lot of depth there. Granted the depth is largely inexperienced, however it should give a couple of our prized prospects a chance to show what they can do. While not an ideal situation, it should be fun to keep an eye on how this turns out. My 1st vote goes with David Freeze, with Brett Wallace being a close second. Hopefully both will excel, and possibly give the Cards some trade bait for a more needed spot, perhaps a top tier starting pitcher. From the STLToday.com web site, about David Freese; "The Cardinals coveted him when they traded Edmonds to San Diego last winter; they agreed to pay $1 million more of Jimmy Baseball’s salary so they could get Freese instead of another, lesser prospect being dangled by the Padres. And Freese, the hometowner, responded to his move to the Cardinals organization by making the jump from high Class A to Class AAA and batting .306 with 26 homers and 91 RBIs for Memphis. He made only 10 errors at 3B and impressed the Cardinals with his defense." And about Brett Wallace from STLToday.com; "Brett Wallace, the Cardinals’ No. 1 draft pick in the 2008 MLB draft. Many evaluators touted Wallace as perhaps the best pure hitter available in the draft. And Walrus didn’t disappoint. He started out at Class A Quad Cities, then was quickly moved to AA Springfield. And in 202 ABs over those two levels, he stroked a .337 batting average with a .429 OBP and .530 slugging percentage." A couple others could fill in, namely Brian Barden or Joe Mather, but I hope to see either Freese or Wallace get their chance. Just think, spring training starts in about 3 weeks......

The St. Louis Cardinals farm prospects are in great shape, ranked #8. Some of these kids are the future of the Cardinals and some will probably be traded off, hopefully most of the top ranked players will have a very good future ahead of them. I am anxious to see the much hyped Colby Rasmus get a shot at playing, and we'll probably see him in Spring Training, along with some of the others on the list. I'm also anxious to see Brett Wallace and his batting skills get some playing time, along with Jess Todd on the mound. A couple of guy's that could potentially be a big part of this years bullpen, and possibly our closers, are Chris Perez, who's been clocked at 99 mph, and Jason Motte, the catcher turned pitcher with the fireballing strikeout pitch. Although not a rookie, one player that I'm really anxious to see come back this year will be Josh Kinney. He did a good job in the 2006 World Series, I just hope he has fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery. I think the future looks very bright for the Cards, I'm anxious for baseball season!

Of course, I was just kidding about the shuffle..... those are nice fish. And it's obvious the answer to my original question is to just man up and deal with it.....

For reel? You're backpeddling! Me thinks I smell something fishy ...... or else it's some sneaky way to shuffle.....

Dang DD, you're good! That takes care of the casting part, how 'bout the reeling in part?

Sounds like a great trip, the solitude had to be great. I usually manage to keep pretty warm, at least warm enough under most conditions, however one problem I have is keeping my hands and fingers in good working condition during freezing temps. And obviously the more fun you're having the more your fingers are exposed to wet and cold. I use gloves with the finger tips that fold back, and use hand warmers on the back of my hands, but I still have my limits. Are there any good tips or tricks to help keep from freezing? Larry

Brian/ aka soggyfeet, good one…… That Orvis deal sounds like one that can’t be beat. I haven’t reviewed the Orvis guarantee, but I’m sure it’s reputable. I’m thinking a couple pairs would be the way to go, one for winter use, and one for summer use. What is the usual fitting recommendation for oversizing a pair of waders, taking into account thick socks, and wearing coveralls underneath? Perhaps one size larger that you would normally wear? I hate buying things like this online, unless I can try it out first in a retail store, otherwise it’s almost like a crap shoot on how they fit. For instance, not all size 9’s are the same.

I stopped by Cabela's tonight, unfortunately I didn't have much time to look around. It was a bonus stop for me, my wife and I entered through Cabela's on our way to the movie theater...... I'm in no hurry at this point, which gives me time to think about it. I don't mind spending a little money for good reliable equipment that will hold up for a good five years or more. Concerning the felt on the soles, I would imgine the felt eventually wears out, is it easily replaceable? Or is it more durable than I'm giving it credit for? PC, how long have you had your Toggs, are they holding up ok? Larry