eric1978

After school special. They became popular after old farts like you retired from the sport.

I bet you've been drunk since 8:30 this morning.

You'd be surprised KC. It's some of the finest unit you'll find this side of the Mississi...wait...you're talking about...uh, nevermind.

I enjoy the trips when I catch lots of fish more than the trips I don't. I can have a good time without it, but it's always better when the fishing is good. It's not really numbers I care about, but my goal is always at least one fish over 15 inches, and if I don't catch one, I consider the trip a failure. That doesn't mean I'd rather be working.

I wasn't the first one to mention alcohol, but I added it to the list of possibilities of what could have happened to the kayaker. I later stated it was pointless to speculate. Sidenote: I don't think the involvement of alcohol would necessarily reflect that poorly on the floater. So what if he had a few drinks on the river? Most people do, including me. If he was falling over plastered that would have been another story...anyway, the point is, it's not like anyone was accusing him of being a crackhead. I haven't said anything disparaging about either one of these poor guys. You should pick a fight with someone who has.

LOL! You have a real knack for imagery Cricket. No wonder you like poetry.

It wasn't my intention to be insensitive, so if it came off that way, my apologies. I see no reason why a local FOX affiliate would make up a claim like the victim couldn't swim...that doesn't mean the reporting was necessarily accurate, as Wrench proved two posts ago. I wouldn't have mentioned it if I was given the information by some random person, but since I only repeated what was reported by a "legitimate" news source, I'm only as guilty as they are for being insensitive. It is news, after all. Sometimes the details of a story are ironically unfortunate...does that mean they shouldn't be told?

I "heard" he couldn't swim on FOX news, so you be the judge. They do most of their lying on their cable network, but perhaps a little bit has trickled down to the local stations, too.

I was 16. A buddy and I spent our last scraps of money on a tank of gas and a dime bag, and we headed to a creek. We were so hungry by the end of the day that we decided we'd either have to dine and dash or eat the 14 incher I was holding. We caught a largemouth to go with it and cooked them on a fire. They did not taste like sewage, but it was the last time I ate a smallmouth.

Ha ha, very funny. But if you guys don't think broadcasting the names of smalls streams and creeks can potentially create a problem...well, I'll just quote Demosthenes: "A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true, he generally believes to be true."

It would definitely be a good choice for Ozark streams. If you're going to pay that much, though, you may want to look closer at the Vagabond, which is a pound lighter and a foot and a half longer. The Vagabond will track a little better. http://www.wenonah.c...tail.php?IID=34 And if you want to get something not quite as snazzy but plenty serviceable for less than half the cost of the Fusion, look at an Old Town Guide (Discovery) 119. They are a little less than 12' long, about 43 pounds, tough as nails and they get the job done without breaking the bank. http://www.oldtownca...covery_119.html You can usually find them at Dick's for $400.

Google Earth just took care of one and two, and common sense generally gives me number three. You just tipped me off to a creek I've never heard of. Thanks! Next time I'm down that way I'll definitely spend some time there and hopefully bring home a nice cooler full of smallie fillets. Dramatization It is that easy, though, and given the relatively small size of that creek, it wouldn't take much to clean it out. Beware, my friend...seriously, beware.

Very, very nice work. It's beautiful man. I want your shop! I think 65 pounds is very reasonable for a tandem kayak...the problem I'd have is taking the thing on the water lest that nice finish gets scratched.

It's actually pretty comical, and it's good for some laughs and shakes of the head. I'm always entertained by the amount of misinformation people have been spoon-fed, and happily regurgitate without even thinking. The only thing there is to be nervous about is the fact that their vote counts the same as yours. This thread is a trainwreck.

If you're as worried about your rods being broken on the stream as I am, a kayak isn't going to be the best choice for you. Some guys swear they never break rods in their kayaks even though they stick out every which-way...I don't know how they do it. My rods are worth far more than my canoe is, so I make protecting them a priority. Your rods are perfectly safe tucked under the bow cap on a canoe. A canoe works better for me for many reasons that I won't bother going into for the millionth time...you can read through the threads I'll give you links to. This debate comes up every few months, and ultimately you just have to do your research and figure out what's most practical for YOU. I will say one thing...If you're wanting to do 2-3 day trips, a canoe is a much better choice for those kinds of trips, unless you're a minimalist...forget about bringing a big cooler full of 72 hours worth of goodies in a kayak. You probably won't be standing in a solo canoe, but I personally never encounter the need to stand up anyway. If I'm fly fishing, I'll get out and wade. Read through these threads, then check out the Riversmallies threads saluki mentioned. There should be plenty of info there to help you decide. There are a lot more threads to read than just these...do a little searching. http://ozarkanglers....oe&fromsearch=1 http://ozarkanglers....8&hl=solo+canoe http://ozarkanglers....oe&fromsearch=1 http://ozarkanglers....ak&fromsearch=1

Nice pics saluki. Did you do that float solo?

At this point I don't think I can commit 100% to anything. I'll just have to show up last minute if it's okay with bobber. The new baby kinda makes it hard to plan stuff weeks in advance.

And another one over the weekend... http://www.ksdk.com/...2YZXiO2G5Q7E%3D Florissant teen drowns in Meramec River (Stanton, MO) KSDK--"A Florissant teenager is dead. He drowned Sunday afternoon in the Meramec River in Stanton. The Missouri Water Patrol says Joseph Barnes, 17, was trying to swim across the river to a rope around 3:30 p.m. when he called out for help, went under and did not resurface. Divers recovered his body about an hour later near Meramec Caverns." I also heard it reported that this kid couldn't swim...I mean c'mon.

I think a lot of it is just the law of averages. The Meramec gets a buttload of floaters, so there's gonna be more accidents. I don't find it to be a particularly dangerous river...no moreso than the others anyway.

I've never taken the chainsaw, but ocassionally I'll carry a bow saw if I'm floating a stretch that is rarely floated and I think I might encounter some problems. I can count on one hand the times I've actually used it, but it has come in handy. My chainsaw is too expensive to risk losing, otherwise I might consider it, depending on the float...especially an extended trip where it might be nice to have for firewood, too.

It could have been something as simple as him falling out of his kayak and his feet getting tangled in some cordage...or something like that. But we'll probably never know and I guess there's no reason to speculate.

I'm still in smallmouth mode, but as soon as the weather turns cold, I'll be tying a bunch of essentials...hare's ears, soft hackles, scuds, copper johns and other nymphs. I've been buying bits of material here and there all summer in preparation, and I plan to spend a lot of time at the bench this winter to get my tying skills up to par. I've got a lot to learn.

Yeah, it's gotta be some combination of alcohol, nighttime, a bump on the head, or some kind of sweeper, strainer or logjam. Without a PFD, two of those variables put together can be a real problem. I've encountered some logjams that I wouldn't want to fight my way out of under normal water levels and stone-cold sober...they freak me out the most.

I have to admit...I don't wear a PFD. Stupid, I know. I heard these guys were floating at night, and that's when he drowned. I'm pretty sure I'd be wearing one then, or when the water is cold or if I'm floating solo. I need to invest in a nice comfortable one so I'm more inclined to put it on. I have that "it won't happen to me" attitude, which is just idiot rationale.

Nymph Dun Spinner