Violations

[Wayne SW/MO]

Here is a thought for increased enforcement on Tany. Here on the Eleven Point, our Oregon County sherrifs deputies can enforce game laws and do give out tickets on the river everything from underage drinking to fishing violations. How about meeting with the county officials over there to hire someone to enforce those rules on a local level and thereby raise money for the Branson schools, since game violations go to the schools. You might be able to sell it to them that way.

I wasn't aware of that and its a good idea, but I doubt that Branson would go for it for fear of alienating a tourist.

I think an agent dedicated to Taney, and maybe also spending some time at Roaring River and Crane would best protect the unique resource. Maybe it would start a trend and and Bennett and the Niangua could be next. The Brown fishing should be outstanding on the Niangua, but for some mysterious reason its not.

[Ämp]

niangua has so many drunks spilling beer in the water and falling out of their canoes I'm surprised there is a fish living there..

[bigredbirdfan]

With a budget of $145 million dollars it is absolutley unacceptable that people aren't being "educated" or "enforced" to the degree with which a budget of this size should accomodate. I wish I had the time to look up the details but I would guess that the number of agents has remained constant while the popultion continued to explod.

And Bill is correct that the focus of what little enforcement time is available is on deer and turkey. The turkey has helped to wipeout the bobwhite. And when asked if I would rather have an agent spend his day watcihng a mechanical deer to see if some guy does or doesn't go into a gate before he shoots or spends the day protecting Smallmouth I would choose the later. IMHO of course.

[snagged in outlet 3]

How do turkey wipe out Quail? I've never heard that before.

SIO3

[Gavin]

Guess nobody has been fishing.....me neither, so here's my .02...

I dont think that more enforcement or regulation will do much (if anything) to benefit the fish on Taney. Taney is well managed from a regulation standpoint. The catching is fantasic, and big fish to...But I do think that increased enforcement and regulation could do a lot to improve the "experience" of fishing on Taney.

IMO, the upper end on Taney is often too crowded and the scenery is nothing to write home about. Add a few shufflers and assorted rule breakers to the mix and it quickly drops off the list of places that I want to fish. I'm sure that I'm not the only one.

I think Taney's fishery has an image problem...and I dont think that it will rise above it's hillbilly trout park image until the local culture does all it can to keep anglers on the up and up down there.

On the bright side....Taney doesnt have Arkansas's problems; severely declining tailwater fisheries due to gross mismanagement, a corrupt fish & game commission, and a kill everything no-limit culture. It could be much worse. Cheers.

[fishinwrench]

How do turkey wipe out Quail? I've never heard that before.

SIO3

Turkeys love quail eggs, and turtle eggs, and baby snakes. They are like a big chicken (you won't find anything in a chicken pin except for chickens and CS)

[CS Huntley]

niangua has so many drunks spilling beer in the water and falling out of their canoes I'm surprised there is a fish living there..

I think they have Water Patrol dedicated to the Niangua (at least I always see them there), but they usually have their hands full with people treating the river like it's Bourbon St, New Orleans. That whole river is just ridiculous during the summer.

[fishinwrench]

niangua has so many drunks spilling beer in the water and falling out of their canoes I'm surprised there is a fish living there..

Ouch, that hurt. Seriously though, 3 months worth of party floaters are the LEAST.... of the Niangua's issues.

[fishinwrench]

I think they have Water Patrol dedicated to the Niangua (at least I always see them there), but they usually have their hands full with people treating the river like it's Bourbon St, New Orleans. That whole river is just ridiculous during the summer.

You only see them there when the possibility for revenue is high. And it's the county boys moreso than WP. A visit from the WP is merely a 2 or 3 day per year occurance on the Niangua, unless there is a bigtime tragedy and they are specifically called in.

[bigredbirdfan]

Turkeys love quail eggs, and turtle eggs, and baby snakes. They are like a big chicken (you won't find anything in a chicken pin except for chickens and CS)

They will eat baby turkeys, baby quail, anything they can chase down and slide down their gullet.