eric1978

I'm talking game fish...as in for sport. The vast majority of people fish for cats to throw them in the fryer. And carp? The carp on the fly thing is picking up steam...but still, you can hardly call those ugly bastards game fish...yet. Largemouth is surely the most targeted species, but they grow plenty fast and they're super-abundant in our state because of all the reservoirs. They're hardly special. Just greener, stinkier and slower versions of the real deal.

Problem with that is there's no way to prove someone is targeting smallies. They could just say they're fishing for largemouth or anything else. I'm not suggesting that a regular license for everyone be $100...I'm suggesting your license should be $100 if you want to keep smallmouth. No one's got a gun to your head...you don't wanna pay for it, then don't. Your cost is eleven or twelve bucks or whatever it is, and you can still keep all the other fish you want within your limits...there's plenty of other species to choose from. But the one species is off limits. One. Unless you pay for it. If eating smallmouth means that much to you, then a hundred bucks is no big deal. Surely you can catch over the course of a year what would have cost you the same amount at the grocery store. Really it was a joke, but now that I got all these feathers ruffled, I'm starting to like the idea. And F&F...you asked if there's anything special about smallmouth, then you answered yourself by saying: "no there isn't." You're right and wrong. They are just fish, just like all the other fish. But they're the most coveted native game fish in the Ozarks, and they grow more slowly than just about any other game fish I can think of...at least around here. I'd say those are two qualifiers for "special."

French Chick Guides Pro-BONE-o...NUDE...and she shaves her pits.

When does your off-season officially start, Justin?

LMAO That's turrible. Just turrible. That cast is going nowhere.

Looks like a cool little place. Congrats.

Crane should be C&R, along with the rest of the Blue Ribbon sections in the state, along with statewide smallmouth C&R. Good luck with any of that.

I've wondered that before, too, but I decided not to find out. You gotta think on a long enough timeline, just about any material is going to have some memory.

Not all of us have Gavin Lagasse with gourmet cooking skills to prepare our meals. Nope, I've never eaten a big brown...the meat sure looks like it wouldn't be that great, though...and most people say it's not as good. I'm not that crazy about trout in general.

For me it's not so much about taking fish, but which fish you're taking. Leave that brown in the river and take a few silver bullets. They're better eating, more abundant, and not such a thrill to catch. That brown would make sub-par table fare, and it's too small for a mount...keeping it is all about ego and bragging rights...and I'm not that impressed, personally.

Heavier tippet?

It's not a purse...it's European.

Your fishing license should cost $100 per year if you want to keep smallmouth. There's some revenue...or less dead smallies. I'll take either one.

You can see humpbacks, finbacks and minke whales up there. Also dolphins. We saw all three whales when we were there a few years ago. A night at Fenway is awesome if you can swing it. Coolest ballpark I've been to. You can taste the history in that place. Don't wear your Cards hat...those boneheads take it way too seriously...seriously. The other thing is Lexington/Concord. Take a tour if you can. Super cool stuff there.

Floated about 25 miles upstream of there a week ago. River was low, fishing was slow. You'll see more jetboats than canoers down there.

Dude. That's awesome. Temperate bass are the shnit. Try it on a fly rod! Sorry about your pooch.

http://youtu.be/q_R6YpLpV90

But it doesn't just dissipate out into neverending space...it gets trapped in our atmosphere, and in turn the CO2 and other greenhouse gasses trap thermal radiation. Hence the temp increase. It's not that complicated, and it's been thoroughly studied, the data has been collected scientifically and objectively, and it has been proven to be true. We're obviously grappling with solutions to the energy problem. It's gonna take time, patience, lots of money, and many, many failures before we find a path to clean, sustainable energy. We're only in the infancy stages. But to speed up the process, it's critical that people pull their heads out of the sand and support the research and development that is required to get there. The misinformation and flat out lies from the oil industry is a huge hurdle and is the only reason people deny climate change in the first place...they put politics over science and reason, and ultimately corporations over the environment...in order to tow the party line...in order to keep the oil pumping and the money flowing to those companies. Why average Joe nobodies fight tooth and nail for corporations that screw them every day...I have no idea. All I know is we can't fix this problem in denial. Let's face the facts and get to work. Maybe natural gas can be a small part of a transitional fix to the problem. But it's still a finite resource, and we already know what kind of damage it can do just getting the stuff out of the earth. It's not a permanent solution. We need big money invested in big ideas to solve this problem, and since big business has decided to sit on their asses and not do anything with their two trillion dollars, the government has to step in and make some investments. Some will fail...that's part of progress. It's better than doing nothing. I haven't heard any ideas out of anyone else.

Why is it so hard to believe? We pump millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, and at the same time we remove vast numbers of the organisms that help remove CO2. That doesn't strike you as a problem, given what we KNOW about the greenhouse effect? It's a logical conclusion to me...I really don't get the skepticism.

Good job, Leonard...keep it up! I tried the Chantix but it made me want to kill myself. Spent that month basically on the couch totally depressed. I'd rather die from the cigs than go through that again. It's so hard...

I'm with Al...none of them are perfect. I have a Simms hip pack but I mostly carry it as a sling unless I'm bushwhacking or wading tricky water. It doesn't ride any lower than if it were strapped 'round my waist. Yes it slides around a little. Had a chest pack for a while...hated it. Never wore a vest but I'm positive I'd hate that, too.

Relax, Tim. It's a valiant effort you make, but I fear it's fruitless. Kick back and crack a beer. http://youtu.be/iZhLDo09D68

Oh stop groveling. I hate it when people grovel. LOL

LOL As far as the agents...people are always screaming for budget cuts. They got 'em. Lots of acres to patrol and not that many agents.

Have a great time, KC. It's an awesome river!