Since We Can't Fish.....

[Smalliebigs]

Ahh children.

So what are you selling? Boats, rods, reels, what????

Hey it only lasts like 15 years and you'll be back at it.

Pete

Thanks for he words of wisdom Pete.....15 years is all it's going to take???? I agree with FT57, the food bill and education are going to be the end of my money as I know it. I just didn't think the fishing was going to come to an abrubt end........here is an image of the two girls in my life sucking me dry of my last ounce of manhood

it's not fish porn but I wanted you guys see who is killing independent Scott softly

[snagged in outlet 3]

Both are beauties. I expected no less.

Independent Scott is dead my friend.

Enjoy!!!!

My youngest, 12 years old, cleans her own bathroom and does laundry, vacuums, dishes and is starting to cut grass.

I'm old school. The neighbors think I'm nuts for putting the kids to work.

You know, it's kind of a bonding experience when you teach them to take of themselves.

Pete

[Smalliebigs]

Both are beauties. I expected no less.

Independent Scott is dead my friend.

Enjoy!!!!

My youngest, 12 years old, cleans her own bathroom and does laundry, vacuums, dishes and is starting to cut grass.

I'm old school. The neighbors think I'm nuts for putting the kids to work.

You know, it's kind of a bonding experience when you teach them to take of themselves.

Pete

Pete, I agree with you 100%, I gave Emily a broom Sunday and was showing her how to use it, while my wife is showing her how to access my money market account online and how to get funds out

all joking aside I love them both dearly but, my fishing had been curtailed to say the least.I'm in serious need of a babysitter or a new set of balls to put them both in their places......just kidding honey if you somehow access this site thru our favorites and read this.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Just wait till you get to teach them to light firecrackers and other essential life skills. Like skipping soft plastics, knocking down a nine iron, when to press and double hauling a fly rod.

Pete

[Al Agnew]

Here are some old big smallie photos. This first one is me with my longest Missouri smallmouth ever, the 22 incher that Mitch wanted to see. It was caught on Big River in the 1970s.

Here's the other one of the same weight, five pounds, but a half inch shorter, caught in the late 70s on my first trip to the stretch of the Meramec that would have been dammed.

These next two were caught during the 12 day float a buddy and I made on the Meramec from Short Bend to Times Beach, 163 miles.

And here are a few other old photos...the reason there is wording on some of these photos is because I use them in talks I give to various groups.

All of these are 20 inch plus fish. Note the older rods and reels in some of them. All were taken either on the Meramec or on Big River.

[Guest P. owensby]

Too cool !!!!!

[Mitch f]

You guys came thru like champs!!! that's exactly what I wanted to see! although I was expecting to see some white mans afros and disco pants though. Great pics smallie, beautiful family! Al, those are some nice pics, thanks for the 22" photo. I was hoping you would say you caught it 3 years ago to give us some hope!!

"

Here's my family with some nice fish pics mixed in ( one 20", one 21", and one 21.5") not in that order...(notice the lamprey marks in the lower fin, I always catch and release attached lampreys too, after I cut off their heads with pliers!)

[Smalliebigs]

Al, I truly love the old school pics thank you for sharing.Your float from Short Bend to Times Beach must have been truly epic????? I can only imagine what a cool time that would have been. I would love to do a very long extended float down a waterway....very cool Al.

Mitch, the ladies are beautiful, I already told you this, you're a lucky man

MORE OLD SCHOOL PICS PLEASE!!!!!!!!! I love them

[Tim Smith]

I suppose I'm past the first wave of posts here but since most of you apparently don't believe I fish, I thought I would go ahead and dispell that rumor.

These are from Illinois. 20, 19, 18. The Japanese kid is Takauki, an exchange student I taught to river fish when he lived with us. These came from a river in Central Illinois that had 3 species of fish in it during the 50s-70s. Now it has 30 and it's a trophy smallmouth fishery thanks to improvements at a sewage treatment plant and the Clean Water Act.

And here's one to proove there are still smallmouth in the White River.

And here's the biggest one my son caught before I lost him to video games and dating

Had a great time catching 13-17 inch spotted bass in a particular river over the last 5 years.

0.9 pound warmouth. Closest to a record I ever came.

First fish caught out of my kayak. 13 pounds on a John Graham jig. Towed me around quite a while.

We were just talking about stocker trout. This year they got crazy in Illinois and dumped the brood stock...ragged fins and all.

And a few Belize fish. This snook was over 20 pounds. Not sure I want to admit how I caught it. But it was fair chase and I did catch it.

4' barracuda. Biggest fish in a long, long time.

....and the biggest thing I ever helped pull out of the water. Antillean Manatee. Around 400 pounds (not super big). Helped out with a tagging project with Mote Marine Lab.

[Al Agnew]

Yeah, I love all the pictures as well. Smalliebigs, you did a good job of making those fish look as impressive as they were. I don't hold the fish out far in front of myself like some people do because you can overdo it and make it look too obvious, but your photos are great.

Mitch, love the photos even though I remember some of them. Zipstick with the big one in your last post, great fish. And I remember Dan's fish...truly a monster.

The float from Short Bend to Times Beach WAS epic. 12 days, and it rained on us 8 out of the 12 days, mostly heavy thunderstorms. River got muddy below Dry Fork and didn't clear up enough to fish for a day and a half, finally getting good again well below Steelville. Then it muddied up again the night we camped just above the mouth of the Bourbeuse. Instead of carrying all the food we'd need, we hiked up to the store at Maramec Spring to buy some beverages and snacks, hiked into Steelville from the Highway 19 bridge to replenish supplies, bought some stuff at Meramec Caverns, and my buddy's uncle who lived in St. Clair delivered us a Pizza Hut pizza and some groceries and beer.

Those two in the photo were the biggest ones we caught, but we caught a bunch of 17-18 inchers, especially above Maramec Spring, and some more nice ones below Meramec State Park.

Ever since that trip I've wanted to do the whole Gasconade in one trip. 250 miles and more than three weeks.