eric1978

Apparently the COE doesn't directly receive any revenue from the hydro-power, it goes to the Southwestern Power Administration, a division of the US Dept of Energy. They in turn market the energy and sell it to electric companies throughout the region. Either way, it's still federally owned at the production stage, and funding for the federal cold-water stocking program shouldn't be on the chopping block since they decided to ruin one of the best natural warm-water fisheries in the country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwestern_Power_Administration

Bought a Renzetti Traveler this winter. Love it. Very affordable, rotary, great jaws.

I'm envisioning something like this...

I would be fine with that, and I wouldn't mind paying the daily fee, either. It'd surely be better than seeing Walmart get into the trout business.

Privatizing the hatcheries would be a slippery slope to making fishing unaffordable to a lot of people. Lodge owners, guides, and others in the business aren't going to just foot the bill for it. They're gonna pass the cost on to us...and since this is the 21st Century, I guarantee they won't just be looking to sustain their industry, they'll be looking to make substantial profits directly from the hatcheries. I seriously doubt it would be a $3 a day charge like at the parks...hitting the Norfork Tailwater to catch privately raised trout would be tantamount to taking the family to Six Flags for the day and coming home broke. The hatcheries must remain publicly run if we want Ozarks trout fishing to stay affordable for people of all financial means. Just sayin'.

"Crazies?" You shouldn't bash people like that.

I'm about to pull the trigger on some Smith's...going with the poly lenses because I beat the heck out of glasses on the river. I'll let you know how they work out.

ness' recap coulda been even better if he woulda thrown in a little exaggeration. Welcome back Drew.

That's gold LOL!

My top three... Good vise Good scissors Good bobbins (bobbin holders, technically) Everything else is less critical, IMO. Maybe a quality stacker if you're planning on spinning lots of deer hair.

Only in all the wrong places...trust me.

Yep, and the SM and LM have reached a fine equilibrium and pose no threat to each other, especially considering they both occupy rather different niches on the same river. The spots thrive in the same places the SM thrive, so they compete directly. And the spots never get very big but reproduce in great numbers.

They're talking about removing the limits on spots in rivers only where they're non-native, not state-wide. I agree with those who've already posted...ID problems are surely the reason. I've also wondered why they don't remove the 12 fish limit, and also think they should amend the law (only for spots) that you can't "waste the edible portion of a fish" so that you can just toss the worm-infested fish on the bank and leave 'em, instead of having to drag them around in your canoe all day just to pitch them in the trash when you get home. Changing those rules would be nice for when MSA or other groups do a spotted bass roundup...they could really go to town then and make a big dent on the right day.

Geez, little sensitive there? I'M negative? I think we've just confirmed that at least 1 out of every 20 posts YOU make is negative and quite nasty on top of it. I didn't TELL anyone what to do, I just made the SUGGESTION that it's POSSIBLE that extra attention drawn to a tiny wild rainbow stream MIGHT not be a great idea. So don't go twisting reality around and act like I made some kind of ridiculous demand. I know for a fact that I'm not the only one who feels this way, but so far no one on this side has chimed in, and that's fine, but you all need to stop pretending I committed some kind of moral felony by raising a legitemate question. I don't expect everyone to like me personally, but to blow my comment out of proportion just to dogpile on me is disingenuous. I have the feeling that if you posted more often I would find a bunch of reasons to dislike you, too, but I wouldn't pretend it was because you suggested to someone not to sight fish a spawning smallie off a bed. Get it? THIS is why there's so much bickering here...because every opinion offered that's not agreed with is taken as a personal assault instead of just conversation. I've been making a point lately to stay out of the more controversial threads because I know I draw a lot of heat when I'm in the ring, even though it always takes at least two to tango. But I'm not going to stop pointing out what I consider to be valid points on this topic or that. Besides, what's the point of a forum whose members in toto just nod their heads in agreement? A forum is for discussion, not for stroking egos or tenderly caressing the delicate balance of those who can't handle a little adversity. Go to the forum at insecurityissues.com if that's what you're looking for. So lighten up, Francis...go have a doobie or something. You're wound a little tight.

Well it may have proven to be resiliant, but it's still certainly overfished for its size. It would be a much healthier fishery if the number of its annual anglers was cut in half, or if anglers would only visit once a year or so instead of 2 or 3 or 10 times...and if leaving out the name of a creek has a tiny impact by not reminding someone else they need to go fish there again soon, that's a good thing if you ask me. It may be a drop in the bucket compared to other problems a small stream faces, but it's something. Humans are great at screwing up anything they get near, so IMO, the fewer humans messing with a little creek like that, the better.

Not trying to start a whole big thing here... But why advertise it even more? You can post an entertaining fishing report without mentioning a location. An anecdote about your day and a couple pictures is much more interesting than "went here, used this fly, caught x number of fish." It's not about "greed" or "jealousy" as someone mentioned earlier...it's only about recognizing the fact that certain small streams simply don't need any more pressure. That's all. Obviously people have the right to mention names and say whatever they want...I just question the wisdom of doing so. The world is getting hotter, flatter and more crowded by the minute. No point in exacerbating the problem. I said before, I like mic's reports...they're good ones and he usually adds a pic or two which doubles their value, and I hope he continues to post them...it just wouldn't break my heart if I didn't see the names of fragile fisheries in the titles of threads... ...and I'd hardly call that "bashing."

Yeah, well, I had never even heard of Crane Creek until I started reading this forum, and since then I have fished there and I guarantee I caused the death of at least one of those fish just by the law of averages...so, one more guy who found out about a tiny little gem of a fragile creek, and one more fish dead out of it. Just sayin.

Don't take it the wrong way mic. I'm not "a needle in the seat" and I don't want to "stick you in the butt." It's just that we've been over this and over this...the people that post here regular you don't have to worry about, but there are buttloads of "lurkers" who are scoping out new territory on a daily basis...you can count on it. And you talk about a creek long enough, they're gonna show up there and screw up your favorite place...you can count on that, too. Seriously. I'm just sayin', do yourself the favor of keeping it under your hat. Keep up the reports, but you don't have to say exactly where you've been. Y'knaw'ta'mean? I'm not riding your butt man, I just worry about the litte gems, especially the ones so close to St. Louis that any hoosier in the county can come down and beat the hell out of it as soon as he finds out how close it is. That's all folks. It's not stupid to keep it a little quiet. I feel the same thing about Crane...there shouldn't be any reports about that place, either. Some creeks just shouldn't be mentioned.

Mic, I like your reports, but honesly I think you might give that tiny little creek too much press. Just sayin'.

Redbud, dude, that Mustang is a bad mofro! Awesome.

I usually split my tent up...tent and half the poles in one bag; rainfly, half the poles and the stakes in the other...and share the load with your partner. Um, that sounds wrong. But you know what I mean. Also I usually strap the tent outside the pack right next to the Thermarest to leave more room inside the pack. Get a couple good water-resistant stuff sacks to keep it dry.

Umm...fly box, couple leaders, tippet, indies, nippers, floatant, foreceps...I might be forgetting a couple things. I'll PM you my address. Thanks buddy!

And Stoneroller, he's not nearly as big of a PITA in person as he is on the foru...well, strike that. He's a real PITA, but a hell of a good guy. He just likes to ruffle feathers. Go fishing with him, you'll learn stuff.

Sometimes fish is food, and sometime fish is sport...depends on where you're fishing and what you're fishing for. Not all fish are created equal, and ocassionally their value as entertainment exceeds their value as protein.

And I'll buy JD a cup, since apparently we don't disagree on everything.