eric1978

Okay, sure. You're pretty new, so I should tell you Phil hates political debates on this forum. I regret participating in this one, and I'm bowing out (un)gracefully before it gets worse. But one side-note...check out the "multiquote" function at the bottom right of your screen. And Al, I know you're reasonable enough to recognize that all animal rights advocates shouldn't be lumped together...it just bothers me when they (ostensibly) are. There are some appalling animal abuses that are commonplace, and I think those who work to stop it should be supported and not consolidated with the "idiots."

LOL Yes, I have to, for without the monkey, the Amazon Rainforest cannot make billions of dollars. People come from far and near and pay big bucks to see the jungle and the monkey, banana murderer or not.

And that's how you feel about stem cell research, too, RIGHT? Propaganda? No. Painful reality.

That's an awfully broad brush you're painting with there, Al. Some of them are idiots, like the ones who want to take the steak off your table, and others are just trying to stop horrors like this:

You need a dust collector! http://www.clearvuecyclones.com/cv1800-series/23-cv1800-rh-system-3-phase-with-filters.html

That is awesome! I always wondered what it looked like down there. How cool!

Nice pics and a cool blog, Tim. Now keep that spinning rod at home ya rube...it's about as appropriate out there as a streamside Starbucks. Kidding of course. Not really. It still frustrates me, too, but ultimately it's worth it.

"I think I killed 'er good." LOL classic! Well done.

gorgeous

No, but I hear the herpabump is rampant among middle-aged women in the lake area. I go when I can. I've all but given up on day trips since I'm about two hours from any river worth visiting, so I get a weekend every couple months and make the most of it. If it means driving across the state, so be it. Quality over quantity has become my mantra. I don't mind the driving, but the cost of gas is certainly prohibitive.

It doesn't bother me one iota that BPS sucks...truth be told I was never enamored with that store the way others were (are). If I need some wiggle warts or some wool socks quickly, I know where to go. If I'm looking for quality products at a decent price, I go somewhere else. It'd be like going to Walmart to shop for fine china. I'm actually happy to see them move in another direction. That'll open more doors for the small local and online fly shops. I think BPS will probably keep the gear guys' and the "casual angler's" business locked up for a while, though. It's tough to compete with 10 aisles of plastics. And they even carry Lucky Craft. If they added Megabass I don't think there's a piece of conventional tackle on the planet they don't have.

What about the rest of the streams without trout that are roundly neglected? Every time I float a smallmouth stream I see plenty of work MDC could be doing, but it seems the bulk of the money goes to other projects, more often than not to a stream that has trout in it. MDC seems to prioritize according to what potentially brings in more revenue or what's easier to "justify" to the powers that be, instead of making decisions based purely upon ecological need. Is a river visited by only a dozen anglers a year less important to conserve than a river visited by a million? Not in my book, and since they are the department of conservation, and not the department of recreational revenue, they should pay more attention to the needs of the rivers instead of the desires of the anglers and the opinions of the bureaucrats. Of course this conversation is now in the wrong thread since the Taney project was privately funded, but I still think it's a good one to have.

In that case I'm all for it. You can understand the confusion since MDC is doing the work. Should be a nice change.

I guess I've just had enough of stupid things being done because it's politically convenient. MDC is supposed to be responsible for conservation, not fundraising. I'm not naive and realize that they are forced to somewhat sacrifice the former for the latter in this economic environment. But still...let Taney County raise some taxes if they want more tourists. Leave the MDC funds for conservation instead of amusement parks. JMO.

I'm almost always for habitat improvements, but I can think of about a dozen other projects on freestone rivers that the money would have been better spent on. Let's be honest...Taney is a fish bowl. All the boulders in the world won't make it look natural. But people enjoy it still in all its artificiality, so I say leave good enough alone and focus on more needed and beneficial habitat improvements on other streams. Yet another example of MDC confusing "what people will like" with conservation. That said, good for Taney...should make your drifts a little more interesting.

It's all online for me now. Everything is so inflated and overpriced that my loyalty to mom & pops' went out the window years ago. I'll check with Hargroves and FC first and buy from them if their prices are competitive and I'm in the area, but it's just too easy to sit at home and order stuff heavily discounted and shipped free. I go to the big boxes rarely anymore. I'll run up there to look at something I'm interested in if they have it...then usually come home and order it online for much less. Some people sing unwavering praises of capitalism in one breath, and in the next they cry about the small shops getting shut out of business. To them I say make up your mind. If a company that's in the retail business is not selling globally, in bulk, for good prices, they're on the road to failure. But that's our perfect, holy, free-market system, right? Survival of the biggest.

That's the prettiest rainbow I've seen in a long time. Wow, very nice.

The top of the head and the back are just too brownish to be pure spot. I vote hybrid. Could be wrong. Doesn't matter either way, it's a nice river fish!

Yep, that's a meanmouth...spot X smallie. Nice one, too. Looks more spot than smallie, but there's definitely smallie in there.

I hiked most of the Buffalo National River Trail once, and it crosses the river several times...easily wadeable water. That's the best and most beautiful hike you can take in the Ozark region, IMO. Check out Hemmed-In Hollow and Big Bluff (which is the tallest bluff between the Rockies and Appalachians, BTW), and do some fishing when you cross the river. It's a bit of a drive for us StL folks, and it's a pretty tough hike, but well worth it. The view from Big Bluff will be spectacular in the next couple weeks. For something closer, Mudlick Trail in Sam A. Baker State Park runs along the St. Francois for a stretch, but I don't know how easy it is to access or wade the river there. It's a decent hike, though.

I floated a section well above the spring a couple Octobers ago and did pretty well. No monsters but a number of 15-16 inchers. With the weather we've had they should still be somewhat active. Call Skip at Greene's and he'll shuttle you anywhere you wanna go.

Yeah, like I said, I'd just moved into that area when I took that pic. Never again will it look that clean...all downhill from here.

Nope, it's been nearly 10 months in fact. Got lots of other projects going right now...just been too busy. I wouldn't have the time to go fishing even if my boxes were full. I'll be back this winter. Yeah Gavin, I just set up the cave this summer, so the place still isn't broken in completely. I'm not a huge fan of oriental rugs, either. But it's either that or concrete floor, so it stays. The bench looks small, but it's more than sufficient if I keep it tidy. Oh, and lately I play that Martin about as often as I tie flies.

Considering the cost of lumber these days, his prices aren't that bad. I plan to build my own fancy custom bench one day, but for now my basement mancave will do.

What are "other specific trout waters?" Obviously felt will be banned in the parks...but where else? Rubber cement...yeah.