eric1978

You don't need to remove the largemouth from the streams...they pose no threat to smallmouth. I have no problem with you doing that with the spots, but you should know it's actually illegal in MO to "waste the edible portion of a fish."

I'm not talking about the legalities. I'm talking about your absolute claim that it does not have any effect on fish populations, and I'm asking you to provide us with any evidence that supports that claim. I don't pretend to know definitively either way, although I have my opinions. But you seem to have some info the rest of us don't, so please enlighten us...or do you just like to say dumb things? I know you're in the habit of making unsubstantiated assertions - that's pretty obvious by now - but how about a couple provable facts from you for a change?

That's a K in that middle pic...nice one, too.

I'm sure you have a link to some kind of evidence that supports that claim. I look forward to reading it.

I can't believe it, but I actually knew what every one of those initials stand for (except ccks). I think it's all finally starting to sink in.

LOL! The funniest part is you probably actually think that. I have to concede, however, he's done a terrible job of tending to the problem.

If I lived in the Gulf, I have a feeling I wouldn't give a rat's butt what the smallmouth population was like in the Ozarks. I'm not saying the oil spill doesn't bother me, it really, really does. But let's be honest...we don't live down there, we live here, and this is where our recreation is.

That's a fantastic idea Sam.

LOL You crack me up man. You're a funny dude.

I've got a piece of string and some belly button lint. That work for ya?

I use a Bending Branches 56" Arrow with my OT 119. Seems about the perfect length to me...I'm just shy of 5'9". It's a palm grip, which some people don't like, but I do. I got an REI sale thingy in the mail today and they have Bending Branches paddles 25% off from May 21-31. I'm sure they have them online if you're nowhere near a store. Might be a good time to grab one up. http://www.rei.com/category/4501466

Respectfully, I have to disagree Gary. Fishing has been around much longer than tournaments, and innovative and passionate anglers would find a way to the water regardless of access, and would be out fishing with handmade rods and baits if they couldn't find them at a store. No doubt tournament fishing has ballooned interest and participation in the sport, and there are some arguments to be made about conservation awareness that has been borne out of its popularity, and that of course is a good thing. But as a whole I think we'd be better off without it. I've never fished a tournament and I've never owned a boat with an outboard, and I'm just as passionate about angling as most guys that do. I was fishing before I knew tournaments even existed, and all it took to turn interest into obsession was a low-water bridge, a riffle and pool, and a fiesty smallmouth. It's human nature to turn everything into a competition that involves money (and don't get me wrong, I enjoy a gamble as well...I love playing poker). But to me, tournaments are more about man vs. man than man vs. fish, which is all I really care about. And there are enough other people who feel the same way with enough entrepreneurial spirit who would have made equipment accessible to like-minded individuals, even if it wasn't a multi-billion dollar industry.

Me too. I was just bored and a little troll slipped out.

Drive down to Fork...you'll feel it there.

I can. It's the comprehending incoherence I'm having trouble with. Sorry to keep revisiting an old argument that has nothing to do with the thread, but just for trainwreck's sake I have to keep this going...I'm bored with it, too, but I can't let it go. I'm really trying to understand. Take the following comments: You put them together and you get -- Okay, you advocate pure smallmouth C&R regulations for your SW MO streams, where you say that "growth rates are not the same as the fish in the rest of the Ozarks," which obviously means slower. So you could then deduce, based on your growth rate estimates, that there are fewer fish over 15" in your areas compared to others in the state. Yet you have a problem with a statewide increase in MLL to 15", which would logically have a greater benefit for the smaller, slower growing fish of SW MO than it would the rest of the Ozarks. I'm sorry, but I just can't figure out this rationale, and until it's clarified, I'll have to keep asking. The study mentioned was done on spawning bass, and thus, has bearing on spawning bass. LM and SM spawn in similar, if not identical ways...some in lakes, some in rivers. The study is applicable, though certainly not conclusive or the final word on anything.

Yeah, we know...raising the MLL won't do any good because you want total C&R for smallies, which you say will never happen, and you still aren't making any sense. Someone: Hey Drew, you want this 50 dollar bill? Drew: Can I have 100 instead? Someone: Sorry, can't give you 100. Drew: Then I don't want the 50 either.

I prefer the single blade paddle simply because it's easier to use while fishing. I keep it on my lap at all times, and I'll pick it up constantly to make single-handed correction strokes without having to put down my rod...just can't do that with a double. If I was planning to paddle upstream then float back down I would bring a double...but I'm too lazy to do that so I never have a need for one. The only real benefit to a wood paddle IMO is that they are ligher, but it sure is nice using one. I got my Bending Branches on sale for only $50 or so.

The point they were gracelessly making SJ, is that there are lots of species of fish you can eat, many of which taste better and are less sporty than black bass. No, it's not a crime, and no, it's not unethical or immoral to keep a creel of bass, but if everyone did it on a regular basis, the sport wouldn't be what it is today. Most serious anglers prefer catching over eating anyway, so they get touchy when they see their favorite pastime sizzling in someone's fryer. And my neighbor is a disgusting pig. It is not possible to love him.

I'll tell you what...that PC is one classy dude!

One night playing poker I was dealt pocket jacks three hands in a row. Does that count?

Two 4 pounders in three casts, huh? Think ol' boy may be stretching the truth a little, but you never know. I was down about a month ago and hit a slow weekend. Only came out of it with one decent fish and a number of dinks. All the usuals: Warts, SBs, Sammies, flukes, slow stuff on the bottom...GD had some luck with Senkos I believe a couple weeks ago. Remember JF is a Smallmouth Management Area...1 smallie a day over 18", and they're all illegal right now. Careful of those spawning fish and release those smallies! Good luck and let us know how you do. Fantastic river.

I dont' think the rubber legs qualify the fly as a "soft plastic" bait. Could be wrong, but I doubt it.

Nice piece! The Amish can really work some wood. Just bought an Amish rocker for the coming baby. Obviously I have no need for a horse cart like that...you know, with the advent of combustion engines and all, but I surely appreciate the craftsmanship.

Hypocrisy and Christianity? Nooo, never! You must live a pretty boring life being so perfect, Champ. Leave the poor guy alone. So he kept some bass. I don't, you don't, some do. Some batter fish to death in tournaments. You act like he filleted your dog.

I guess I just draw a distinction between perpetually occurring, natural processes and "order." I see the world in a constant state of flux, especially on a long-term scale, even though we continue to have 365 days in a year, 24 hours in a day, sunrise in the east, sunset in the west, tectonic activity that creates mountains, erosion that washes them away, evaporation, precipitation...et cetera. Those things may all be consistent, but they also cause random events like earthquakes, tornadoes, mudslides, typhoons, floods, volcanoes, and so on, and I wouldn't call them orderly. Didn't mean to get off on a philosophical tangent. "Order" just strikes me as one of those slippery slope words that leads down the path to...you know...magical thinking. No matter, carry on.