Jacks Fork Trip Report May 17-19Th

[Al Agnew]

Mark, you're right, of course. But consider this...

I'm not a religious person, in fact, I'm one of the most un-religious and occasionally even anti-religious people you'll ever meet. But to me, the river is my church. Ozark streams like the Jacks Fork are some of the best parts of this state and the nation, and yes, they are sacred to me, and I don't mind admitting it. To see hordes of people descend upon them who have no concept of their true value and who look upon them simply as some kind of amusement ride or a place of uninhibited drinking, carousing, and being obnoxious is really no different to me than if a hundred or so people came into your church carrying coolers of beer, shouting, screaming, running up and down the aisle and over the pews, carrying boom boxes and playing rap music, stripping naked, and bothering and bullying any regular churchgoers who happened to be there. It hurts that much. And it's why I try to find stream stretches, and pick days to float them, when I have a chance to not be subjected to that kind of activity. But it's getting harder and harder to do so.

[Muddbugg]

There was a recent article in the MO Conservationist that talked about the smallmouth bass research project on the Jacks Fork. http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2013/05/tracking-river-smallmouth Hopefully it explained what the research was designed to do and how it was beneficial. Besides, I'm not sure why you would insult the work of researchers focused on improving smallmouth bass fishing in the Ozarks.

LOL!!!!!!! Eric now you sound like me......our rivers have been under assault for a long time now and the damage shows. Everywhere I have gone this year looks like someone had just been fishing there. We have river pimps that are big contibutors to this forum that destroy river all summer long. Overuse is going to crush every river that there are outfitters on. This forum also speeds up the process of destruction by giving newbs to river fishing vital info unearned. Then you have ignorant people who mean well, armed with knowledge they should have learned over time, prematurely destroying and compounding the problem. You might want to get some while the getiing is still okay. Those poor smallies on the Jacks have to be running scared between all the dweebs camping every weekend, even when it's cold and the University of Missouri performing half arse autopsys on smallies after they shocked them and implimented a homing device in their bellies....it's a wonder you guys catch anything down there....I know it's beautiful but come on.

The rivers are in peril for many reasons, the biggest is over use in my opinion.

[Smalliebigs]

see ya

[steve l]

ok smalliebigs, how about a little editing on that last post? the language is unnecessary.