straw hat

No background check was performed on either of us. We didn't get that far.

No idea on the rule number. They were just concerned that the gun was for me and not her. They never asked me ANY questions, just explained their concern and the adios amigo. I did notice that people shopping together at Bass Pro had no problem until it came time for the purchase then the 'extra' parties were asked to leave. Strange.

That is what they were worried about.

Been meaning to post this for some time. A couple of years ago I went to Academy Sports to buy a gun for my wife for her protection at home when I am not there. We approached the counter and she explained to the clerk what she wanted. He asked her a couple of questions about the style and she asked me what I thought. As soon as I , started to answer a visiting ATF agent (who was there auditing) popped his head up and immediately escorted me and my wife out of the store, accompanied by the store manager. I was sternly but politely informed that someone can not aide is the purchase of a gun for someone else. We were booted out. We returned the next day and she went to the counter again to get the weapon she wanted. They of course recognized her and went looking for me . I was in the fishing department of course. lol. They immediately escorted us both out of the store and said we were banned from returning. We did try to go back about a year later to by some sporting cloths and was recognized by the store manager who, of course, he escorted us out of the store. And for those who know me I am not argumentative or belligerent in any way. Nor did I even exchange words with these people except to say "yes sir" and "I will leave immediately.". To complete the story, we went to Bass Pro and when we walked up to the gun counter the clerk asked who the gun was for and my wife answered "Me.". He then explained to me that under the new homeland security rules that I would not be allowed in the immediate vicinity while she bought the gum. I went to the fishing area, of course, and waited for her return. It still makes me feel like dirt every time I think about this. I did call the ATF afterward and had a nice conversation with an agent who calmly and politely explained that that was the rules and they were for the benefit of all Americans. Anyway, just wanted to vent.

Ditto Moguy.

The best in my book is the Northstar agm at Battery plus bulbs. I have some that are 14 years old. They run $200 to $350 each but are rated down tom -40 degrees F. They are a sealed battery, maintenance free. They sell both storage batteries great for a trolling motor and starting batteries.

Yes Dp we caught 2 whites. Nice ones too. Since they changed the law about the sources of the minnows (bait) having to be from the same river drainage that you are fishing that makes it a little difficult for me sometimes.

Started picking up channels cats running the channel bottoms with minnows, Caught 5 from 2 to 3 lbs each. Used shiners. I set my slip bobber around 1 foot off the bottom and just let it drift.

You know Knot Sure, I believe a bigger but not huge minnow helps. I have never done well on crappie minnows but the larger 2 -3" shiners do well.

Thanks so much guys. Doing better today. Getting old is tough but it beats the alternative. lol

Felt a little better today so talked my wife to going catfishing in the CC area this morning. we drifted minnows about a foot off the bottom out in the middle of the channel. We caught 5 keep cats (all channels). The smallest was just under 2 lbs and the biggest was about 3 lbs. Also manage to catch 6 crappie (same technique) with three being keepers. Also one nice white and a 17" walleye. Not to bad for warming a rock with my back side. I think I over did it though as I sure feel bad now but it was really great to get out.

Analyzed many hundreds of fishes stomachs over the years. A young bluegill. The key is the little dot of pigment behind the gills. It is very slow to digest and often os still present when the bones are half sticking out. Maybe too much info. Merry Christmas to all.

Thanks Daryk. when you get old things become more limiting. Enjoy the fishing when you can. There will be a day.......

Thanks guys. I am still riding high on her catch. She texted me from work and she is bragging around about the fish! lol I know I wouldn't do that. (NOT). Sweet medicine . dprice - I carried it for her but only far enough to weight it. I walked back down to the bank and turned it loose. Need to keep a fish like that in the gene pool.

Well as many of you are aware my wife has had major back surgery this year as well as some health issues for me as well which has really halted our fishing. Saturday she was feeling well enough that I took her for a drive around the lake (or what is left of the lake). I had picked up 2 dozen minnows and we made a quick atop along a steep rock bank not too far from the mile long bridge. I had brought her special fishing chair with her and she sat and took in everything around her. It was nice to see her relax. We were almost out of minnows when she caught a 5 lb (21 1/2") largemouth!!! Someone was sure looking out for her. I had the pleasure tp listen to her crow about this for the last 24 hours. lol Talk about good therapy. It was great.

The reason they will not generate this weekend is do to the flood watch that has been issued. They don't generate in potential flood situations as it can make flooding downstream of the dam very severe.

This is all I could find from the MODot website. http://www.modot.org/southwest/major_projects/RouteHSouthDrySacCreek.htm

Take care of yourself and heal well. God Bless.

I am an entropy man myself. lol entropy /ˈɛn trə pinoun 1. Thermodynamics. (on a macroscopic scale) a function of thermodynamic variables, as temperature, pressure, or composition, that is a measure of the energy that is not available for work during a thermodynamic process. A closed system evolves toward a state of maximum entropy.

I have to go along with fishingwrench on that. One thing to remember is that power inverters are notoriously inefficient. They eat up about 30% of the power being sent to them for inverting. Overloading them is not the best idea.

Gotta go with Zarra on this. No comparison to the AGM. Battery Plus Bulbs sells the top of the line Northstar batteries (AGM), The basic X2 power battery (NSB 3100002) is 100 amphours and sells for $380. The best one is the High Rate AGM (NSB 125) at 128 amphours. They sell for $420. I have used these exclusively for 12 years now and still have some of my original purchase from that time. There is several things to make your batteries last longer. Don't run them below 11 Volts (they precipitate sulfur (called sulfonation)) Don't let them go below 45 F and don't ever charge at over 14 Volts. All three of these cause sulfonation and decreased battery function. I rum 2 in series so I don't have to worry about the 11 Volt issue, in winter I wrap the batteries with heat tape and then insulation and I charge at 2 or 10 amp. I would recommend what ever you buy invest on a good charger with a desulfonation cycle. I have found it will bring back about 80% of the bad batteries. Well worth the money. I hear the lithiums are great but that they can get too hot during the summer charge and I have seen what lithium battery explosions look like. Many time worse than a regular battery. Much has been done to make them safer in recent years though. Any time I think about buying one my wallet threatens to divorce me.

Last entry!! Control Methods http://www.anstaskforce.gov/Documents/Carps_Management_Plan.pdf Official US Policy http://mdc.mo.gov/your-property/problem-plants-and-animals/invasive-animals/asian-carp-control Mo official Policy. Typical policy by the states. Probably not very effective. http://www.asiancarp.org/ http://www.nwf.org/What-We-Do/Protect-Wildlife/Invasive-Species/Asian-Carp.aspx http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/asiancarp.shtml

I think these maps will surprise you and demonstrate that the populations may have already spread beyond our control. Next subject is control methods. Maps.odt

Silver Carp It is cultivated in China. More silver carp are produced worldwide in aquaculture than any other species by weight. They are usually farmed in polyculture with other Asian carp, or sometimes Indian carp or other species. The species has been introduced to, or spread by connected waterways, into at least 88 countries around the world. The reason for importation was generally for use in aquaculture, but enhancement of wild fisheries and water quality control have also been intended on occasion. The silver carp reaches an average length of 60–100 cm (24–39 in) with a maximum length of 140 cm (55 in) and weight of 45 kg (99 lb). The silver carp is a filter feeder and possesses a specialized feeding apparatus capable of filtering particles as small as 4 µm. The gill rakers are fused into a sponge-like filter, and an epibranchial organ secretes mucus which assists in trapping small particles. A strong buccal pump forces water through this filter. Silver carp, like all Hypophthalmichthys species, have no stomachs; they are thought to feed more or less constantly, largely on phytoplankton. They also consume zooplankton and detritus. Because of their plankton-feeding habits, they are thought to compete with native planktivorous fishes, which in North America include paddlefish (Polyodon spathula), gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), and young fish of almost all species. Because they feed on plankton, they are sometimes successfully used for controlling water quality, especially in the control of noxious blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). Certain species of blue-green algae, notably the often toxic Microcystis, can pass through the gut of silver carp unharmed, picking up nutrients in the process. Thus, in some cases, blue-green algae blooms have been exacerbated by silver carp. Microcystis has also been shown to produce more toxins in the presence of silver carp. These carp, which have natural defenses to their toxins, sometimes can contain enough algal toxins in their systems to become hazardous to eat. The silver carp in its natural range migrates upstream for spawning; eggs and larvae then drift downstream, and young fish hatch in the floodplain zone. Larvae and small juveniles feed on zooplankton, switching to phytoplankton once a certain size is reached. The species is somewhat sensitive to low oxygen conditions. Silver carp are filter feeders, thus are difficult to catch on typical hook-and-line gear. Special methods have been developed for these fish, the most important being the "suspension method", usually consisting of a large dough ball that disintegrates slowly, surrounded by a nest of tiny hooks embedded in the bait.[4] The entire apparatus is suspended below a large bobber. The fish feed on the small particles released from the dough ball and bump against the dough ball, with the intention of breaking off more small particles that can be filtered from the water, eventually becoming hooked on the tiny hooks.[citation needed] In some areas, it is also legal to use "snagging gear", in which large, weighted treble hooks are jerked through the water, to snag the fish. In the United States, silver carp are also popular targets for bowfishermen; they are shot both in the water and in the air. In the latter case, boats are used to scare the fish and entice them to jump, and the fish are shot when they jump. By 2003, silver carp had spread into the Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio, and Missouri Rivers and many of their tributaries in the United States. By August 2009, they had become abundant in the Mississippi River watershed from Louisiana to South Dakota and Illinois, and had grown close to invading the Great Lakes via the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Navigation dams seem to have slowed their advance up the Mississippi River, and until late November 2008, silver carp had not been captured north of central Iowa on the Mississippi. Dams that do not have navigation locks are complete barriers to upstream natural movement of silver carp, and it is important for fishermen not to unintentionally assist this movement by the use of silver carp as bait. Boaters traveling in uncovered high-speed watercraft have been reported to be injured by running into the fish while at speed. In 2003, a woman jet-skiing broke her nose and a vertebra by colliding with a silver carp, and nearly drowned In another example, a leaping silver carp broke the jaw of a teenager being pulled on an inner tube. Water skiing in areas where silver carp are present is extremely dangerous 　 Missouri (Courtenay et al. 1991; Robinson 1995; Pflieger 1997; Rasmussen 1998; Lien 2003), the Little River Ditches, Upper Mississippi-Cape Girardeau, and The Sny drainages (Southern Illinois University), the Lower Missouri-Moreau, Lower Grand, Lamine, Lower Osage drainages (Chapman, pers. comm.) In their native range, silver carp reach maturity at between 4 and 8 years old but are noted in North America to mature as early as just 2 years old. They can live to 20 years. Spawning occurs at temperatures greater than 18oC. A mature female can lay up to 5 million eggs per year. Eggs require current to stay suspended, with a minimum length of spawning river estimated at 100km and a current speed of 70cm/s. Pflieger (1997) considered the impact of this species difficult to predict because of its place in the food web. In numbers, the silver carp has the potential to cause enormous damage to native species because it feeds on plankton required by larval fish and native mussels (Laird and Page 1996). This species would also be a potential competitor with adults of some native fishes, for instance, gizzard shad, that also rely on plankton for food (Pflieger 1997). A study by Sampson et al. (2009) found that Asian carp (silver and bighead carps) had dietary overlap with gizzard shad and bigmouth buffalo, but not much of one with paddlefish. Freedman et al. (2012) showed that resource use and trophic levels of the fish community change when Asian carps are present. They also demonstrated an impact on Bigmouth Buffalo and found isotopic values similar to Bluegill, Gizzard Shad, and Emerald Shiner. Irons et al. (2007) showed significant declines in body condition of Gizzard Shad and Bigmouth Buffalo following invasion by Silver and Bighead carps. They state that ultimately, declines in body condition may decrease fecundity. Distribution in Missouri: Large rivers and lakes throughout Missouri. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10530-015-0964-6 http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Hypophthalmichthys_molitrix/en http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02850518 http://www.fao.org/fishery/affris/profil-des-especes/silver-carp/references/fr/ http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00028487.2015.1069211 http://afs.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1577/M08-081.1?journalCode=fima And many more... Next - Distribution maps and pitures of each. 　 　 　

Bighead Carp This is a very large species, with a record size of 77.5 kg (170 lb) and a total length of 150 cm (59 in). But most places in the Mississippi River basin, a fish over 40 lb (18 kg) and 43 inches (110 cm) is considered very large. The average length is 24-32 inches (60-82 cm). Bighead carp are popular quarry for bowfishers; the bowfishing record, captured in the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois, in May 2008, is 92.5 lb (42 kg). The bighead carp has a tremendous growth rate, making it a lucrative aquaculture fish. Bighead carp are primarily filter feeders. They are preferentially consumers of zooplankton, but also consume phytoplankton and detritus. Its value as a food fish has caused it to be exported from its native China to more than 70 other countries, where it has invariably escaped or been intentionally released to the wild. Stocking bighead carp or silver carp usually increases the total biomass of fish available for harvest, but can decrease the catch of native and sometimes more valuable fish. Bighead carp and the closely related silver carp (H. molitrix) were imported to the United States to remove excess or undesirable plankton, thus improve water quality in sewage treatment plants and aquaculture facilities. However, some fish escaped into the Mississippi River basin, where they are now firmly established. A national plan for the control of Asian carps, including bighead carp, was finalized in late 2007. In the United States, a limited market has developed for bighead carp, particularly in ethnic communities, and they are farmed in ponds for this purpose. The live or very freshly killed market is most lucrative. Because of this, bighead carp are often transported live, and may be a high risk factor for the eventual spread of the fish, either through release by the end purchaser, or through escape during transport. Another potential avenue for unintentional spread of bighead carp is through use as fishing bait. Communities are attempting to contain the spread of the extremely invasive bighead carp. New York has banned the import and possession of live bighead carp, with the exception of New York City, where they still may be legally sold in live food markets (but they must be killed before they leave the premises). Possession of live bighead carp has been illegal in Illinois since 2005. Since February 2007, using bighead carp as fishing bait has been illegal in Missouri. In December 2010, the U.S. Congress banned the importation of bighead carp. 　 Missouri, including the Mississippi River mainstem, the Missouri, Chariton, Osage, and Salt rivers, among others (Bennett 1988; Robinson 1995; Tucker et al. 1996; Pflieger 1997; Rasmussen 1998; Southern Illinois University; Chapman, pers. comm.; Etnier, pers. comm.) collected in Brick House Slough [vicinity of Alton, IL] (Illinois Natural History Survey 2004); In its native range, Bighead Carp has a fecundity ranging from 280,000-1.1 million eggs. In North America, fecundity ranged from 4,792-1.6 million eggs (Kipp et al. 2011). Bighead carp produce eggs that are semi-buoyant and require current to keep them from sinking to the bottom (Soin and Sukhanova 1972; Pflieger 1997). The eggs float for 40-60 hours before hatching. The impact of this species in the United States is not adequately known. Because bighead carp are planktivorous and attain a large size, Laird and Page (1996) suggested these carp have the potential to deplete zooplankton populations. As Laird and Page pointed out, a decline in the availability of plankton can lead to reductions in populations of native species (like shad) that rely on plankton for food, including all larval fishes, some adult fishes, and native mussels. Adult fishes most at risk from such competition in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers are paddlefish Polyodon spathula, bigmouth buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus, and gizzard shad Dorosoma petenense (Burr et al. 1996; Pflieger 1997; Whitmore 1997; Tucker et al. 1998; Schrank et al. 2003). A study by Sampson et al. (2009) found that Asian carp (silver and bighead carps) had dietary overlap with gizzard shad and bigmouth buffalo, but not much of one with paddlefish. Asian carps have been shown to affect zooplankton communities (Burke et al. 1986, Lu et al. 2002, Cooke et al 2009; Calkins et al. 2012; Freedman et al. 2012; Sass et al. 2014). Freedman et al. (2012) showed that resource use and trophic levels of the fish community change when Asian carps are present. They also demonstrated an impact on Bigmouth Buffalo and found isotopic values similar to Bluegill, Gizzard Shad, and Emerald Shiner. Irons et al. (2007) showed significant declines in body condition of Gizzard Shad and Bigmouth Buffalo following invasion by Silver and Bighead carps. They state that ultimately, declines in body condition may decrease fecundity. High growth rates, reaching 0.75 to 1.5 kg (1.65-3.3 lb) in their second year and 3 to 4 kg (6.6-8.8 lb) in their third year http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0073829 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02705060.1996.9663484 http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70155982 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02850518 http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/areas/greatlakes/explore/mapping-the-spread-of-bighead-and-silver-carp.xml Must see the link above. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A%3A1009277012959 http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/ohio/newsroom/prestigious-journal-validates-asian-carp-research.xml http://afs.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1577/M08-081.1?journalCode=fima And many more.... Next - The Silver Carp