eric1978

I'd rather have the Argosy than my OT 119, and I love my 119. 'Course I paid $400 for it compared to the $1,000+ for a new Wenonah. Probably a wise choice getting a used one. Good luck and let us know how you like it.

We were up to about 3 years ago. My family had a house atop a bluff overlooking the Huzzah. I could literally bend over the rail of our back deck and see little smallies darting around 50 feet below. We had a gate about a mile up our driveway, so anyone looking for access must have always turned around. We never had trespassers. We were fortunate enough to be higher upstream than the liveries serviced, but we did have occasional floaters that put in at Hwy V, Red Bluff, or the low-water bridge just below, and floated down to Hwy Z. Almost all the folks that floated past us we would wave to and say howdy-do, and they'd move on without a trace. We had far more problems with meth-head locals who broke into barns and rode their 4 wheelers all over town, including through the river at all hours of day and night. There was a gravel bar opposite the bluff our house was perched on, and never had campers...don't know if they decided it was a bad spot because our home was there, or because it wasn't really a stretch long enough for overnights. But we really didn't have many problems. I sure miss that place. I can understand your frustration though, Redbud. That would piss me off, too. Another example of a few bad apples spoiling the batch. Makes it harder for guys like me to get access to streams even though I leave them cleaner than I found them and never make a sound. Maybe you should get rid of the picnic table and plant some blackberry bushes. You shouldn't have to sacrifice your comfort or enjoyment on your private property, but it might help curb the amount of visitors and trouble you're attracting.

That's what I meant...basically. But I would still hesitate to call it order. Order implies some kind of other-worldly force that drives the patterns and rhythms that are naturally in place. Geological, hydrological and atmospheric systems are a result of gravitational forces, rotation and orbit, elemental composition of the earth, and our distance from the sun. The culmination of these factors coincidentally made for the perfect environment for the phenomena we call life, and the evolutionary path and current profile of every species we know of is nothing more than the random and accidental necessity to adapt to gradually and naturally changing environs. Calling that order, to me, makes the leap that there is some reason for any of this, which I am, as of yet, unwilling to make for lack of evidence. Beautiful, breathtaking, astonishing, awe-inspiring...yes. Even magical to the extent that it's still not fully comprehensible in its complexity. Perhaps it's semantics and I'm splitting hairs, but I just have trouble with the word "order" when characterizing nature.

I hear what you're saying Sam, but these guys weren't just hapless idiots who thought they struck fish fry gold. It said in the report that they were observed "making two or three fishing trips a day, bringing back a daily limit of bass each time." That was obvious poaching and I have no sympathy for them. As far as swooping down immediately and stopping the violations, I totally agree. But to look at it optimistically, the attention the headline got will end up being a net gain because more oblivious people will now know the regs, and poachers will now be more hesitant. And those are people that may have remained oblivious or bold had the CAs not set these other guys up...It's a good way to spin it anyway.

Very similar canoes. The Argosy will be slightly slower but more maneuverable, and won't track quite as nicely as the Vagabond. I'd go Vagabond for Ozark streams. Al should chime in on this one...he knows Wenonahs.

I don't know how you floated that without taking a rod. I'd have been pulling my hair out. Nice looking river.

A dock, a worm, and a bobber should do the trick.

There have been mixed opinions about the amount of fish at Bennett. I haven't been down there so I don't know, but if there is a shortage, I'd rather see money spent on improving the fishing rather than technological advances that I couldn't care less about...wherever that money comes from. I like the C&R idea. And no, I don't care for hordes of people, and if I want to avoid them, I won't go to a trout park.

Don't take this the wrong way, but you guys should be spending that money on stocking more fish. I don't think most people go down there to sip lattes and browse the net...maybe I'm wrong.

It always depends for me, but in my experience, stopping the bait is usually the worst thing you can do. I've always had more luck with followers if I give a couple of fast, erratic twitches that just turns a bass' brain into a knotted pile of confused goo, and they can't help but attack even if they don't want to. Slowing down and stopping gives them more time to decide it's not what they want.

Yeah, it doesn't help he was driving like a complete lunatic. He got what he was asking for.

I was there a week ago and olive leeches tore 'em up in the morning. Couldn't get much of anything to work the rest of the day.

I'm getting there, too.

Wrench has a point though. If the park is trending downward, fewer fishermen mean fewer fish mean fewer fishermen mean fewer fish. They need to jack the numbers of stockers back up (including more browns ) to draw people back...It's not going to work the other way around.

Good point OB. But like you said, the headline...in the long run the publicity of the crime and punishment will probably be a net gain.

I just give them the darn number. They've never called and I haven't been murdered yet.

Just don't target fish on beds and you'll have a clear conscience. You can't hang up the rods all spring lest you'll catch a spawner.

You'd have to assume there'd be some liability issues there. What if those fillets sat out in the sun and you end up with a few hundred puking bums? One of them will have the sense to file a suit. I'd say the fish wound up either in the garbage or in the agents' freezers.

Selfish bastards. Hope they get what they deserve.

I know Ham caught a 10+ LM down there earlier this spring. There ain't no 9 pound smallies in there though...at least it isn't likely. Don't know what the actual records are.

Nice report GD. The great thing about JF is that even if you're not catching fish, there's still plenty to be happy about just floating down through all that scenery. But hey, that 18.5 would have been good enough for me. Yep, that Prongs section is a little hairy when the water is up some...sure is fun though if you don't crack your canoe like I did. The trout...I guess it's not impossible that a couple would make that trip over a winter, but I wouldn't bet any money on it.

I like my Launch 5wt, especially for the price. Never casted a 7.

Cool man! Looks like fun. What kind of flies do you use?

Well, it's his right. You'd think most anglers would rather catch them than eat them, though. Some fish are just too cool and scarce to be filleted. From what I hear the bigguns don't taste as good anyway.

Montauk to Cedar Grove...1 brown over 18" Below Cedar Grove...15" No one should be keeping the browns...period. Eat stupid rainbows.