MaxDrown

GREAT report. Thanks for taking the time to share. I'm heading down to celebrate my 40th birthday trout-style on Thur.

What's a "swamp donkey"?

Great stuff, guys. Keep it coming.

Our Boy Scout troop with much assistance from Brian Sloss at Eleven Point Canoe Rental is planning a trip to the Eleven Point River from July 30 - Aug 4. We will be taking about 28 scouts and leaders. The Scouts will be earning the 50-Miler award. We are planning to camp each nite on the river bank. Have any of you all ever done a float trip of that magnitude on this river or done a trip of this magnitude on any river with Scouts or young people? If so, I am looking for ideas to help this trip be fun and safe and memorable for the scouts. Some of the concerns I have already are water purification, cleaning dishes, nutrition menu to span 6 days without refrigeration, proper hydration, etc. These young men are on a tight budget, too, so any money-saving tips would be appreciated.

We're coming down this weekend, too. For a 2-day float and camping riverside. You guys are making me nervous about the trip. It's a LONG way from Columbia, MO ...

I have a #5 Hardy Zenith. It's an incredible rod. No regrets whatsoever with the purchase.

Make sure you let the rod do the work. Let the line fully unload behind you and fully unload in front of you before dropping the tip.

I'm running a half-marathon on April 4th in Kansas City. This is my first race. I thought it'd be fun to wear a hat or t-shirt sponsoring fishing-related services. If you own a shop or service and would be interested in sponsoring me, please shoot me an email (maxdrown AT gmail DOT com) or PM.

Can you explain why, please?

We just started gardening last year and have a lot to learn. This year I'd like to focus on bell peppers which didn't grow well for us last year. Any suggestions?

My buddy and I have been wanting to learn the Gasconade River north of Hwy 44 because we live in Columbia, MO. How's the smallmouth fishing in the Gasconade north of Hwy 44? Can you recommend some access points for us?

I'd like to see a photo of a fish with one of these it its mouth. :-D

For the iPhone there is an app called "River Reader".

I use Motion-X GPS.

Because we want the bass to be BIG.

The regulation doesn't start until March I believe.

In my opinion, the Cardinals should have matched or exceeded that offer and done it a long time ago. They have two world series with Pujlos and look at his incredible numbers. I appreciate more a team with players who stick around. Like Chipper Jones of the Braves for example. So now we have Lance Berkman at 1st base ...

I had two and hated them. They bend real easy, drag breaks, etc. Not a good reel at all.

One of the nice things about that kind of rig is it may reduce the chance of spooking the fish. Maybe.

We had a great time camping and fishing on this trip. We fished in the park on Monday because there wasn't another soul there and caught quite a few fish. I enjoyed site casting to them with dry flies. The fishing was tough on Tues and Wed. I'm thinking we just don't know how to fish that river properly yet. Also, we discovered how many vicious thorn bushes there are near the river!

Does anyone have contact info or website address for the Ozark Mountain Ranch Campground?

I just found out that Eagles Park is closed for the winter. Is there another place to camp near by other than the state park?

Do you have contact info or website for Sam Potter?

We're not looking for anything right now. We're looking to plan a trip next year. No timeline or dates have been set.

Thanks for all the tips and info so far! Just to be clear, we are definitely looking for a professional guide to hire for a day on one of these streams. We also will do lots of exploring and practicing on our own using the tips here and from other sources.