225 Horsepower

[Goggle-Eyed]

I get it wrench... However, I wouldn't debate on how hard JM has "worked" to get where he is... I can only imagine the hours/days he worked in the 70's and 80's while he was growing this business, did he also have fun, of course!!!! For me its a "walk a mile in his shoes" type of thing. I can't imagine the stress involved....

[fishinwrench]

I get it wrench... However, I wouldn't debate on how hard JM has "worked" to get where he is... I can only imagine the hours/days he worked in the 70's and 80's while he was growing this business, did he also have fun, of course!!!! For me its a "walk a mile in his shoes" type of thing. I can't imagine the stress involved....

No doubt he had moments of stress, but we all pulled him through.

Us fishing types are a loyal and dependable bunch. Had most of us gotten sick and tired of jackin' with boats, picking out backlashes, getting sunburned in the Summer, frostbit in the Winter, and lying to our wives almost every day.....We would have taken up pitchin' horse shoes, shootin' pool and playing poker, and left him for bankrupt.

If I'm gonna give anybody besides myself more than equal credit ..... it's gotta be our very own starving artist, Al. He's the only reason that most of those catalogs stayed on our coffee tables so long that we eventually had to buy something from it.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Just for the record, he has gotten probably less than $500 of my money over the years.

To me, his stores are great tourist attractions much like Steal Your Dollar City. I visit about once a year.

Anytime you go in there, you can bet that 90%+ of the people are not from Springfield. And that is great for the City as cash will be dropped at other merchants too mainly food joints.

[Goggle-Eyed]

He's the only reason that most of those catalogs stayed on our coffee tables so long that we eventually had to buy something from it.

Agree 100%... However, the signed limited edition print I am looking at on my wall came from BPS... LOL.

[REDSOXWSCHAMP]

While i agree that BPS is a tourist trap, johnny has paid his dues, and is reaping the benefits of it. Before i worked for bps, i would have agreed with most of you on your feeling about johnny morris, now after having worked for him and have had the opportunity to meet him several times, you would be hard-pressed to find an owner of a company as big as bass pro, who cares more.

[John Andrews]

How can this even be an arguement? They are trying to have a lake small boat people can enjoy without a LOZ wake problem, if you have a boat with a 7 or bigger go elsewhere, pretty cut and dried, unless you are somebody who has to question everything. It doesn't matter why it is the law.

At last someone understands it It's the LAW SIMPLE There are a LOT of laws I dont agree with but I live by them because its the LAW. But opinions, values, points of view, etc. differ by miles not inches. Some choose to take the " well I am close enough" angle. Others the "if BPS and others can than I can" angle. If its wrong it's WRONG for everyone BPS, search and rescue, you, me, and everyone else. Twisting it around to make it feel right dont make it so. To aarchdale, thank you for the kind words and I enjoyed our short visit. Hope to talk again soon.

[ckjacks]

I'm way late to this party. I see what both sides are saying. Right now I only have a jon with a tm, it does kind of irk me when I see a 20' bass boat out there but, I will have a nicer boat someday and would like to be able to fish after work some evenings.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned fellows or McD. Don't even ask to put anything over 40 on Fellows without them flipping open the ticket book. The lake is plenty big enough for the bigger boats, but it is much more enforced than Lake Springfield. McD would be perfect for kayakers etc. And you can only fish off of two bridges? Yeah, I know it's our water supply and it's different....bull.

All this said, both the lakes on the north side have huge earth dams. Lake Springfield has a 80 year old spillway. I don't want some idiot putting in their tri hull, running it too close to the dam (only one or two buoys), flipping over the side and shutting down the power plant for a couple months.

I'm good with a six horse restriction (10 would be better). All these scenarios given are harmless but what about the guy in the big boat that decides no one else is on the lake so he can idle fast and comes around the corner and swamps me? Or it's about to rain so you want to get back to the ramp with the big motor. Or your trolling motor craps out because it's a long way from 65 to the dam? Yeah, in a world where everyone was honest this wouldn't be a problem. Four Rivers let's any sized motor on, but anything over 10 is idle only. Every year someone gets swamped in pool 4. Schell is the same and the biggest pool can have four boats max and people still get swamped.

[Flysmallie]

Yeah, I know it's our water supply and it's different....bull.

So is Fellows. Actually I thinks it's the homeowners around McDaniel that get to keep the public off of it. If you have a home on the lake you are allowed to use a small boat. Have a buddy that's went with a homeowner a couple of times and yes the fishing was great.

[ckjacks]

So is Fellows.

I know.

No boats allowed on McD. It's owned by the city. Probably wasn't in sight of the bridge and didn't have much to worry about. Just because they butt up to the lake doesn't give them anymore privelage to a city owned property. Not that I wouldn't do the same if I lived on the lake.

[Pepe]

I honestly believe in following posted rules, laws, etc. Like them or not. Now dont get me wrong here. In my younger days, I broke laws. When caught, I paid the piper so to speak.

When I was coming up the college kids were calling the prior generation hypocrites for telling us what to do and sending us to war.

"Live and let live" was often heard. "Teacher leave those kids alone" was sung along to by millions while Pink Floyd played through the speakers. " Mind your own business" was something decent people were expected to do. Mischief was not synonymous with criminal activity and we cut people some slack because they are our neighbors and we hope they return the courtesy.

And men dealt with each other face to face when necessary

Now we have 5 times more rules and regulations and the new mantra is "zero tolerance". Are we now a nation only full of lawbreakers, or rats using smartphones to call Daddy Law on the bad man? If someone is pissing on your Cheerios can't you just calmly talk to him, and listen?

You will feel a whole lot better.

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