eric1978

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/state-and-regional/4882256e-b178-11df-b594-00127992bc8b.html Kayaker drowns in Meramec River Posted: Thursday, August 26, 2010 8:05 pm CRAWFORD COUNTY -- A Sainte Genevieve man drowned Wednesday in the Meramec River while kayaking with friends, according to the Missouri Water Patrol. Jonathan Kern, 52, disappeared in a section of the river south of Leasburg where the water is about eight feet deep. His body was recovered by the water patrol after a three-hour search. Kern was not wearing a personal flotation device, according to the highway patrol.

Most sculpin recipes should be close enough, no?

I stated in post #2 of this thread: So what's the problem? We seem to agree.

Wow! You gots some clown feet brother! I think most high-end brands carry sizes that could accommodate you. I'm pretty sure Simms makes waders in your size, but you might have to buy a more expensive model to find the special sizes. I had to spend more than I wanted because I couldn't find a Med Short in the cheaper lines. I would suggest going for stockingfoot and finding boots that fit you well...buying bootfoot waders is just going to make it that much harder to find a pair that is comfortable from shoulders to toes. Good luck big boy.

And that's a wrap. Well said Gary.

You Okies better start calling those numbers en masse.

Absolutely fair! I probably won't be able to make it if it's on the Elk, James or Finley. (Please don't even consider changing it to the Gasconade on my behalf, because there's still a good chance I couldn't come then.) Let us know when you decide for sure.

It is some kind of sculpin. They're neither invasive nor protected as far as I know. And yes, they are part alien.

I'll need to know on which river you're planning to hold the class before I can even give you a maybe. Things are kinda day to day for me right now. I'd love to join you for some lessons, though. What will the costs be?

I personally enjoy seeing pics of people's trips, even if I don't know where it was. I like seeing shots of fish and other interesting stuff you might bump into. I think reports that don't contain pictures are basically boring unless there's an entertaining anectode involved, and I'd rather see a few images without information than information without images. Trip reports that read like a manual put me to sleep...went to this river, threw this lure, caught this many fish, plus a huge one, oh, sorry, no pictures...no thanks.

I don't really eat watermelons that much. They kind of make my throat itch like some other fruits do...bananers and apples do it, too. And I don't grow any in my garden. Anyway, the point was that seedless watermelons were a creation of man and they don't hurt anything. Regular watermelons will continue to produce seeds, so if we run out of seedless ones, no big deal...we still have the same ol' seedy ones people have been eating for millenia. I do agree, however, that man is the scourge of the planet and we are our own worst enemy and will ultimately wipe ourselves clean off the earth with all our "technological advancements." I just felt like being difficult. I'm sure I could come up with a few other examples that are slightly less carcinogenic than Joe's.

Seedless watermelons.

That's exactly what I do as often as I can, and when I find a great little productive stream, it's rewarding as hell because I wasn't led there by the hand...I found it on my own, and it makes a successful day that much sweeter. That's not to say I don't do research...I do. And I've learned a great deal from certain members of this and other forums, but I've acquired the most useful information through private conversations with people I've built some kind of relationship with over time. And since you're so hung up on "skill level," do you not appreciate the great amount of discovery and knowledge that is gained from exploring new water? A vast amount of angling aptitude and skill is earned through grinding out hours and days in unfamiliar territory, whether you are catching fish or not. Or are you just hung up on the kill, and don't pay attention to the hunt? There are many, many anglers far more skilled than I am, including a great number on this forum, and every single one of them would prefer to fish unpressured streams over those that are pounded every year. So your argument makes little sense and has no bearing on anything except your own rationale of this issue. Skilled anglers are going to have better success than unskilled anglers on any body of water, but it's more fun for every fisherman to catch more fish, regardless of skill level. If you want to keep volunteering gratuitous information about where you fish, fine...I looked forward to picking up tidbits of info from anyone who drops them, including you. But don't get your panties in a twist because I choose not to broadcast the names of small streams that I fish.

And that's probably why you have a more relaxed attitude about it. Blue Ribbon areas aside, the trout streams are not going to be largely impacted by an influx of new anglers. The fish they catch will be replaced in a matter of days, weeks or months. And the Blue Ribbon areas have very tight regulations to protect the fish from overharvest or other practices that are detrimental to the fish (no bait, single hooks, etc). For smallmouth anglers, an 18-20 inch fish taken from a stream means a wait of up to a decade or more for that fish to be replaced. It's only natural to be protective of something you love. Call it selfish, I don't really care. If I found a vein of gold somewhere, I wouldn't post that location on a forum, either.

I'd rather be the guy who's the only one in the creek fishing.

That was my first instinct, too, but after looking closer, I don't think it was. And my math says more like 48 hours.

Thousands. If my inability to keep my mouth shut leads to just one smallmouth being taken from a stream that I fish, then I'm just shooting myself in the foot. I'd rather catch that fish and release it than assist in someone else catching and eating it...wouldn't you? I don't understand why which stream you fish is an essential part of a report. They're all basically the same...water, rocks, logjams, fish...it's just that some are more fragile than others, as Wayne pointed out, and can't handle any more meat anglers stocking their freezers from it when they otherwise would have gone elsewhere, had they not been tipped off lurking around on a forum. I know they're already there, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna ring the dinnerbell for more of them to hear.

Keep talking about it and that could change. Think I might head down there for a weekend since you say it's so good. I'll be keeping a limit every day, too.

It is a pretty nice area with some good hiking. We did an overnight once in August several years ago, amidst a heat wave much like the one we had earlier this month. We started at Pickle Spring and hiked some loop, and it was so hot I didn't bring a sleeping bag, just a light sweatshirt I figured I wouldn't need. We camped near the base of Evan's Knob by a little creek, and I absolutely froze my butt off. I woke up shivering and it was a miserable night. I've never gone without a sleeping bag since, August or not.

I encountered some stuff earlier this summer wading the Huzzah near Red Bluff...I wouldn't call it legit quicksand, but kind of a combo of sand and mud. I was crossing the mouth of a small feeder creek, and I stepped off a log jam into about a foot of water and ended up about thigh-high in muck. I didn't sink any further as I struggled out of it, but it had quite a grip on me, and it was a real mess to get out of. Pretty scary, really, since I was by myself and a good mile or so from the truck.

Don't be naive. That's simply not true. Finding quality stretches of water takes work and it is part of the joy of the angling experience, at least for me. I, for one, will not be blathering about my hotspots on a public forum, but I gladly share my knowledge with friends and other trustworthy people that want to trade info. I don't have a problem mentioning a bigger river, but I won't be naming any small streams or creeks. I'll make vague hints to which streams I fish, and I'll post pics of my trips, and if someone recognizes it, then it's no secret to them anyway...and if you don't recognize it, I urge you to go out and find it and have a great time exploring in the process.

I think I've tried every combination of sock and shoe that can be thought of. They all sucked. I want a good wading shoe dammit, and one day I'll get it.

They look pretty nice JDC, but I don't really see all that much advantage over the wading boots I already have. Still looking for a lightweight low-top shoe. Thanks though.

Yep, that's basically how I took it, too.