Buckshotdad1960

Flysmallie, I don’t know how we lumped all the locals worth knowing in with the ones not worth knowing but I don’t think we’ll have any trouble telling who’s who when we meet them face to face. By all means try and keep your kids a safe distance from the idiots of the world. Where you are now in life I have already been having raised three kids of my own. I had the same problem with running into people who had no idea how to act in public. I won’t defend an idiot even if I understand why he’s an idiot. I hope I didn’t mislead anyone by anything that I said that might make them think that I would. Nor do I wish to offend or bother anyone on this forum by the things I post. If ever my rambling begin to bother you please simply ignore me as I do others when their talking about things I don’t care about. As you probably can tell from some of my post I don’t take things too seriously. I clown around a lot, not that I can’t be serious, it’s just that I don’t need to be. I have plenty of time to do the things I will do so why not have a little fun along the way. I like this forum, there are some good guys here, you being one, but if I pop in on someone’s thread and they tell me to get lost I go! No sense in hanging around where you’re not wanted right? On my threads I just try and get people talking in the direction that I want to go. It’s not a life and death situation to find fish and if I learn nothing about the rivers from anyone well no worries. I’ll learn it on my own. In fact I have already found all the crappie I’ll need in a farm pond just outside of Clever. I’ll find a fish or two in the rivers this summer and add them to the gene pool. The information you gave me was very helpful. Information like that times a few other people can give you a feel for where to start looking for crappie or concentrate your effort in the search. In the beginning I was hoping to find fish close because I was limited to how far I could travel and still keep them alive. But I soon figured out I may have to travel so I bought an aerator and am now set up to go where ever I may need to go in the spring. I don’t fish anymore in the fall or winter. I simply just don’t enjoy it any more. Like you I like to get away from the crowds and wade the creeks in the summer. And I’m not worried about your daughter! I could easily out fish her. Are you kidding me? Before warned with the inside scoop, knowing she’s 10 and already a pro staffer I would simply cheat by giving her a game boy, I-pod, and cell phone! If I only caught one fish I would win the day! LOL I know how to handle kids! Every time she would look away I would cut her line! LOL I’m old school and not above tipping the canoe over if desperate!

I know there are times when scent added to crappie jig can help to produce fish but I just wonder if it would help to motivate fish that follow your crank bait but never bite. It might be worth experimenting with?

Well Flysmallie, You make a very compelling argument. I don’t see a way to change your mind or your distaste for those less fortunate than you. I only know that some people grow a garden to feed them selves and some people grow a garden to feed others, and if more people grew gardens to feed people there would be less hunger in the world. Perhaps once a man has eaten from your garden he would be inspired to grow his own. I wish someone would have shared a few secretes with you so you wouldn’t have had to work so hard and spend so much of your hard earned money finding the fish. Let me make this clear, I don’t think you’re a jackass. I understand the way you feel and it’s hard to fault you on your beliefs. There’s no substitute for hard work. Even once you’ve inspired a man to plant his own garden and shown him the way it’s still up to him to do it. I’m no stranger to hard work. I’ve been paying my dues since I was a kid. I not only cut the path to get to where I was going but I cut it for others to follow me. I have settled into the niche I like when it comes to fishing. Its only now with my pond project that I break my routine. In the spring the hard work begins to make my dreams a reality but right here and right now is where I prepare to go to work. It would have been simple for me if I could have gathered up the brood stock I need from neighboring ponds or near by streams that I fish but there simple not there to draw from. My search begins closest to home. The less distance I have to go to find what I need is just that much better off for me wouldn’t you agree? I’ll start with the Finley and the James Rivers. I have purchased a kayak and will spend next summer getting to know these rivers. And whether someone makes my work short and points me in the right direction or not, these Rivers will not hide from me for long the things I am searching for. If you want to help me then help me, if not then I will continue on alone as I have always done. I enjoy the time wasting conversations with the guys here on the forum but hope to pick up a thing or two that I can use along the way and perhaps in return help someone else. Bad behavior, be it from those who just moved here or from those who have lived here their whole life is unacceptable and inexcusable. I share your concerns in this matter but there are a whole lot of good people out there who like you at one time were just starting out and need some hand holding from time to time. And I’ll bet that if the truth be known you have already helped someone out a time or two just by telling the experiences you have had, whether you knew it or not. . I’m glad to hear that you are a good father but I do have some concerns for your first born. Knowing you, he will be carrying tackle boxes, paddling boats, and swabbing the deck long before he see’s his first fishing pole! LOL Well, why should he learn what you know for free! LOL I’m just kidding!

Well there is certainly some credibility behind your views. I think we can all recognize the picture you paint. We’ve all seen the local poor white trash ignorant beer drinking hillbillies do their thing. I don’t like it any more than you but before we become too self righteous and adopt the better than tho attitude, lets remember least we forget that they were here first and most people who now seek to enjoy these resources are outsiders. You’ll never convince the hillbillies that they should back off and let you have full run at it. In fact these same river trash people as they have been referred to are the very same people we need to be talking to. They know where these places are, they live here and a lot of what they know has been handed down to them. The one thing I love about the river is that it does change from year to year or every few years in certain places. However some places never change and seem timeless. Old tried and true tactics that produce fish never change either. One thing that has changed around here is the lack of solitude for the local. As big developers move in building homes for the rich outsiders along creeks known for their swimming and fishing holes. The local finds himself squeezed out. Then the rich have arrested anyone who doesn’t own a home in their little community for trespassing if they dare to venture back in. The courts are all to willing to milk a fine or two out of the already poor and displaced hillbilly. No wonder they trash the place up, they hate the rich and the law. Again, like i said those you exclude will feel left out, abandoned, denied, unwelcome and unwanted. In the very same places they use to call their’s! Duh! Does anyone else get that but me? I think your fears are justified but just over imagined. And I to would like to see more people post than what do but it could be that they don’t post for fear of rejection. Let’s face it some of these guys that are on here are in the top elite of their fields and that can be intimidating to some folks. Not everyone is as out going as you and I. I asked where people put out trotlines not because I want to put one out but because these are the types of places that will hold the kinds of fish I’m looking for. The channel, the flathead, the walleye and yes the crappie. Even the great smallmouth bass holds up in deep holes for the winter. It is not my point here to be the poster child for why you should post and share your spots. I only wish that more people would. Some people will not share their knowledge or their spot and they have their reasons why and that’s fine but those who will share should be encouraged to do so. After all, you never know, maybe even you will learn something. How can you get to know a river without spending a small fortune, with the time and effort that goes with that, if people are not willing to be honest and share their experiences of what they caught and where?

What months of the year do you do this? And do you think the pipe cleaner would be able to hold scent if you put some on.

Well eric I’m sorry you feel that way, even more , I’m sorry to say that you may be right on a few points. There are the unethical hand full of guys that seem hell bent on ruining everything they touch for everyone else. Common sense and the leave it like you found it attitude seems to be able to escape some people. Of course one might argue that a way to change that would be from the revenue created from more fishermen to increase more education and enforcement of the laws. Look around you. If only a hundred people lived in your town and 10 of them were fishermen fishing the river, next year those numbers would double. And the year after? Keep your best spots to yourself if you feel it makes you happy but be ready for someone else to find them anyway. Those that feel included in the gift strive to take care of it while those that feel left behind and excluded soon give little regard to the gift of nature as they develop a why should you be happy when I’m not attitude. Food for thought.

Thank you Daveinozark, See this is what I’m talking about people! Here’s a young guy trying to get out there. (I know he’s young because he’s not afraid to ask for help) Really? You never fished before you got here? Wow, that’s kind of like saying I never had sex before that hooker! LOL But that’s ok kid! We all have to start some where and I’d say you’re on your way! We all should get out there and explore on our own. I believe a man has the responsibility to pay his dues with trial and error. I know I’ve paid mine. But the learning starts with talking to others, reading magazines and books, watching videos and outdoor shows. There’s nothing wrong with knowing what you’re doing before you get there or knowing where you’re going. You’ll soon be able to fill in the blanks. What kind of knowledge are you seeking grasshopper?

That’s for sure eric1978, You should see a picture my father in law has of a limit of crappie. You don’t see that any more. My own grandpa used to tell me stories of fish caught on the Gasconade and Little Piney. I never knew for sure if they where just stories or the truth. He did however before he died, took me fishing and helped me get my first true 5lb bass at the age of 9. After that I don’t know who got hooked worst. The bass on my hook or me on fishing but we both wanted back in the water real bad! LOL I’ve been chasing the dream ever since. Indeed I believe your right wayne sw/mo, A limb line is the way to go instead of a trotline but I’m not looking to do either. I’m just trying to locate the areas where you would run a trotline (or limb line) if you were going to. There’s a reason for that but I can tell you because it’s so top secrete, so highly classified that not even the President of the United States is cleared to know this information! Well, at least according to most of the posters on this forum anyway! LOL You know I find it funny that people can be so greedy and selfish in thinking they have found the secrete honey hole and won’t tell anyone else where it is. Let me ask you something. Have you ever floated a stream or river and been so alone it made you feel as you were the only one who has ever seen that stretch of the river before? I bet it has and I bet you a million bucks that it’s just an illusion. Someone could have floated through there an hour before you did! A day, a week, a month, a decade ago but someone has already been there ahead of you. It’s the same for all these fishing spots. You might fish the same spot every evening all summer long and never see a soul. In your mind you’re the only one who knows about this spot. However reality might be a little different if you were to change your routine and go fishing in the mourning one time and catch the guy who’s been coming there every mourning all summer long, who thought he was the only one who knew about this spot. Get the picture? There are people you don’t even know that know about your spots and still there seems to be enough fish to satisfy everyone. Some people are just preprogrammed to be greedy, selfish, and stingy. There have been countless times in my life where I have come up to a spot right behind someone else leaving and caught fish. Now that means one of two things. Either there were more fish than they could catch or I was just a better fisher man than them. Maybe they were just using the wrong bait, lure, presentation, left just before the fish moved in or a thousand other variations from what I did. I get the impression that people feel that if they told others where they caught fish that the very next day there would be a hundred people standing there and the place would be so fished out that not even the birds would come anymore! LOL People think this way because of places I like to call dead zones. We’ve all seen these places. Usually at a park or easy to get to spots at the lake where a billion million people go everyday. The spot is well worn down, bait tub and hook packages litter the ground with bobbers and fishing line hanging from the trees. Surly if everyone that stood there caught at least one fish there can’t be anything left! Right? Well maybe you didn’t use the right bait, the right lure, the right presentation, or just got there at the right time. And then again maybe you did and you’re right, there is nothing there, maybe there never was. These spots are formed by people of opportunity. Their there so they fish. The majority do so because they have no where else to go, they know no other spots to try! I wonder what’s the point of teaching our children to fish if all their going to find is the dead zone spots. Surly they won’t want to fish for long. WE need to share the resources we have with others. Remember their fee’s for licenses help to pay the way for better fishing for all of us. They help keep the bait stores and tackle shops we like to shop at open. Bottom line is there are no guaranties in fishing. Just because you tell me where there is a good fishing spot doesn’t mean I’m going to catch anything. But the opportunity to try stirs me on and it will others too. Let’s spread the dead zone crowd out and give them a chance to appreciate what we take for granted. Some of you guys are maniacs and fish everyday, (Some people like Fishingcricket need to seek professional help LOL) but most people only get to fish now and then. If we share our knowledge and spots with them they will learn to appreciate the environment and help keep it clean and their dollars will help support us all.

It’s too bad that we’ll never meet the real guys with the true knowledge of the river. I’m talking about the guys born and raised around here that are old now. Men like our grandfathers who fished for food and not just so much for fun. These old timers not only knew the river they had a feel for her rhythms. But I doubt men like that would be on a forum like this or would even know how to use a computer.

It’s too bad that we’ll never meet the real guys with the true knowledge of the river. I’m talking about the guys born and raised around here that are old now. Men like our grandfathers who fished for food and not just so much for fun. These old timers not only knew the river they had a feel for her rhythms. But I doubt men like that would be on a forum like this or would even know how to use a computer.

Hey smallmouthjoe, Where is Borders located, and is it open on the weekend? Hey, did you get to hit that spot yet on bull creek? Also, I just fixed my computer, every since I’ve been on here I have had trouble posting on this forum. Every time I tried to post IE would kick off. I never knew if my PM’s were received. Did you get the one about where to get a county road map?

Thanks Ozark Trout Fish…, That is a great start! I want to gather as many maps and info as I can on the two rivers but if this is all I end up with then I’m happy! Not that I’m easy to please but one good map hast to be better than nothing! LOL This web site will help a lot of people. Now, if I could just read! LOL

Here’s a link given to me by a good friend Ozark trout fish on another thread. This may be what eric1978 is talking about but I don’t know yet. It’s a good general map but I know there has to be other maps that might show a little more detail out there. Post them if you have them. You also can pick and look at other rivers and streams on this link. http://www.missouricanoe.org/river-maps/jamesfinley.html

Thanks eric1978, I’d like to gather up as many maps and info leads as I can. I’ll definitely look into that. Thank you. You may have just helped a lot of other people as well.

Does anyone know where I can obtain a good map of the James or Finley River that would show their entire length? A web site perhaps? Also, who knows the river good enough to point out its deepest hole’s? Or holes that contain a lot of wood usually. And what access point would I use to fish these areas by canoe? What have you seen caught there? Where are good places to run a trotline?

Does anyone know where I can obtain a good map of the James or Finley River that would show their entire length? A web site perhaps? Also, who knows the river good enough to point out its deepest hole's? Or holes that contain a lot of wood usually. And what access point would I use to fish these areas by canoe? What have you seen caught there? Where are good places to run a trotline?

LOL I’m just trying to keep it real! Why single me out? LOL And i did stick it where the sun don't shine..........in Minnesotas *ss! LOL

See, Buckshotdad1960 would have handled that differently! Being this happened in Minnesota I would have gotten out of the truck in my underwear, tied on my cape and grabbed my sword and shield out of the back. Then I would have marched right down the hill and just stood there glaring at them with a mean stare. When they asked me what the hell I wanted I would have yelled out “THIS IS SPARTA” and kicked there boat back into the ice hole of death! LOL I’m sorry, but Buckshotdad1960 has a bit of a temper! At least people tell me I do because it’s always flaring up like a pack of hemorrhoids! I start pushing people around, kicking them off their boats, jumping in the water biting them; I always end up drowning someone! LOL Yeah and I don’t even own a boat! LOL Remember this is Minnesota; it’s not like the rest of the country where we enjoy boating year round. Up there you only have a week or two before the lakes freeze back over so anyone found lacking in their mariner skills deserves to die! LOL Disclaimer: I’m not trying to condone Crappiemagnets actions at all. In fact I find them inexcusable! I mean I can understand it being so cold you don’t want to get out of the truck but what a wussy! Come on! At least man up and invest in a long shot riffle! LOL

There you go Don. Sometimes when you try and rewrite a song you have to let a couple of days go by then go give it a second look to see if it still says what you wanted it too. I made a couple of changes, I hope you’ll like. Thanks for being a good sport!

Hello Don! Even though I’ve never met you, I’m convinced that if Lilly likes you then you have to be an ok dude. So I wrote you a birthday song to the tune of that old 70’s song WELCOME BACK CARTER. What else can you give to a man who has every thing? I hope you enjoy it. Happy birthday! Welcome Back For the one thing you’ll wish you never had See we got you on the spot And we'll tease you a lot So kick back and smoke a little pot Cause things are gonna get hot Welcome Back Don't look Back You think your young but your not that's a fact Your 46 with a shaggin’nut sac So you buy Viagra by the pack Then fall asleep before she gets back Welcome Back To the friends you'd like to deny of But we sing for you out of love Even though you’re hung like a dove And leave a ring around the tub Welcome Back Don't look Back Welcome Back Say good bye to all the things your dreaming of You’re not just big boned your F’N fat And you’re headin’ for a heart attack So stop smokin’ that F'N crack Welcome Back Don't look Back Welcome Back And I’ll give odds on a bet That your so broke and in debt All you can afford is sex with your pet But you haven’t caught him yet Welcome Back Don't look Back Welcome Back So grab your Ben gay At 46 Death is already on the way Even though you old and grey Try and have a great birthday Don't look Back

LOL You guys crack me up…

LOL I raised three good kids and each one wanted to be loved more than the others. So when I was asked by one who was my favorite child I would always say “why you are of course.” Or “ who do you love more?” And I would say why you of course, I adopted the other two! ( this was usually asked by the one that out worked the others that day or made a better grade or did something they were proud of) In turn I told each child this. When they did well I praised them in front of the others and said “you’re the best child I have, the one with the good head.” Meaning the others were retarded. LOL In turn I told each child this and to this day they have no idea for sure who I think my best child is. Even though each child is different I love each one the same but there’s no way they will understand this until they have kids of their own. I am blessed with a family where there is a lot of love and of course humor. By raising my kids this way, each tried hard to rise above the other’s and stand out in my eyes. Never knowing if they succeeded or not is why they still love each other and there is no animosity between them as in thinking I love one more than the other. We‘re a very close family and that’s a rare thing to have now a days. And it is for this very reason that you - yes you, will always be, my only friend!

(eyes tear up) Thanks Ozark trout fish. You’re my only friend! LOL I always wanted my very own Nessy. I will love her and squeeze her and feed her all the crappies she wants. With all this out pouring of love and support I feel like rewriting the song, “The twelve days of Christmas.” If I do it will go something like this. LOL On the first day of Christmas my only friend gave to me; some Pirhanna/crappie in a steel drum. On the second day of Christmas my only friend gave to me; two massive Blue Whales with big tails. And some Pirhanna/Crappie in a steel drum. On the third day of Christmas my only friend gave to me; a Lock Ness Monster. Two massive Blue Whales with big tails. And some Pirhanna/Crappie in a steel drum.

Thanks Fishincrieket, You’re my only friend! Make it two 55 gallon drums full of stunted/retarded piranha/crappie and I’ll buy lunch. I need all the help I can get! Man, as hard as it is to find a crappie around here I should just start a crappie pond and charge people to fish it. They already do that in some places with trout, catfish and carp! A crappie pond would be a gold mine! I’d call it Slabgrabbersville, home of the black gold! I would only release mature black female crappies in it and charge by the pound. I wonder if the DNR would let me do that. Probably not though, they would want me to share with the public or something dumb like that! Can’t make any money that way! But hey, I’d compromise and make it free to kids three and under! LOL I’m a nice guy, right? LOL

LOL I wish I could use that excuse for my behavior but unfortunately the truth is I’m just retarded! LOL Maybe someday before I die I’ll pluck some of those weeds and see what I’ve been missing!