eric1978

I'm saying watch the gages and call first, because they will stop putting in up there if it gets too low. And a weekend in July will be a circus from 17 down.

No, they'll service the whole river until at least July, and as long as there's enough rain they'll go all summer. Keep an eye on the gages, and if it gets really low, be sure to call the rental before you go. The fishing will be more consistent during the summer months...but that doesn't mean you can't catch 'em any time of year. Good luck.

Every issue is a party dividing issue these days. It's election year again, and as much as I hear the "all politicians are idiots" and "they're all the same" mantras (which is true to an extent), there ARE some distinct differences between the two parties. I think it's important to point out and remember who is concerned with conservation and who isn't, and I have to assume that my fellow sportsmen and outdoorsmen would agree. Another mantra: "Elections don't matter." Well, sometimes it feels that way, but the fact is that elections DO have some real world consequences...and this bill is a case in point. Maybe Gavin and SB are right, but it's still a good reminder of what kind of person I don't want sitting in office, proposing legislation, and casting votes on "my behalf."

Given the fact that it's a state senate bill proposal, I'd argue it started off political.

Because the hillbillies will use that as an excuse to shoot anything that moves. And who's gonna prove otherwise when they do?

June is a great month for JF if you can float weekdays and avoid the crowds. The liveries will stop servicing above Alley Spring when the water gets to normal (low) summer flows. You can still float from 17, but be prepared for a ton of work and you'll need your own canoes because the rentals don't want theirs scraped to hell and their customers to complain about all the dragging they just did. The Prongs to 17 will be as much dragging as floating by July on a normal year. So yeah, June is perfect if you don't mind being on the river with a bunch of drunk idiots. Be aware of flash floods on that river and release the smallmouth!

Shocking.

This winter is unreal. That's not exactly typical for the first week of February. Wow. Well kudos to you for striking while the iron's hot.

He's down in Joplin...no need to fry 'em down there. Not a bad little fish there! What'd he eat?

Yeah if all the streams were as gravelly as Taney I wouldn't worry about the felt ban a wit. I still need boots. Pretty brown, BTW.

LOL Mitch. Little confusion on the water yesterday? You could always post your bro's fish...that one was pretty nice too.

Drone hobbyist.

You sure it's not neoprene? Never heard of what you're describing. Why would there be felt on anything but the soles of boots?

Welcome aboard. My white bass guru has his pupils getting ready for the spring run already with the "clouser marathon" as he calls it. What are you tying?

I'm so jealous of you guys who can just jump on the water and take advantage of beautiful weather. Looks like a fine day!

Okay, I'll add mine just to confuse things. Top: Sammy or buzzbait Mid: 3/16 spinnerbait or 4" fluke Bottom: 1/4 jig or slider (I hate the bottom and only go there when forced to...yawn) That's for late spring through early fall. March, April, late October and November it changes some...mostly the addition of a Wart and a Pointer. December through February is fly only.

Maybe the new records should have asterisks.

You won't need the studs at Taney. You'd be better off in snowshoes.

Traveler for me, too. Nice vise, totally unnecessary for the casual tyer like me.

Good to hear you give some away to needy families! I think after about duck #100 or so, I might not wanna eat any more duck.

What in the hell are you gonna do with all that poultry?

You're bound to get an avalanche of advice with a post like this, and if you take all the advice you'll go broke following it. Pick three lures you like...one topwater, one mid-column, and one to work the bottom. Go from there. If you start out trying to fill a tackle box before you hit the water, you'll inevitably never use most of what's in there and waste a ton of money. So I say start off with a small collection and let your box slowly evolve. PS...If you've done any largemouth fishing you're already 90% there. Good luck!

Exactly Justin. It's crystal clear...I truly don't understand the confusion. At the very least, any stream that's in the MDC Paddler's Guide is unambiguously legal to float from headwaters to confluence as long as they are accessed legally and the provisions in E v. D are met. The landowners need to understand...they own the LAND, not the water or the air. And as far as noisemakers on the rivers go, yeah, I don't like it either. And I don't like when I hear some idiot's subwoofer driving past my house in the middle of the night. But I don't jump up and call the cops. I deal with it. If it really bothered me I'd move away from roads.

And in my rudimentary legal understanding, it wouldn't be a binding precedent unless it were decided by a higher court, so a decision made by a "clown court," as hoglaw puts it, would be quite worthless anyway.

In the grand scale of public access rights within the entire state, it's still a relatively minor issue. Resolving this problem with Prater does nothing to prevent the next ordeal with the landowner down the river, or the next river over, or an entirely different river system on the other side of the state. Without clearly established and understood rules, and support from law enforcement, it will continue to be one harassed fisherman after the next.