Families With Children Stay Away

[ozark trout fisher]

Let's be honest, the real party at blame here is the outfitter putting them on the river. That river is what they live off of, and clearly, they don't respect it enough to pass up a payday in order to avoid single-handedly turning the stream they rely on into party cove.

Next time I want a shuttle on the Meramec, I can sure say I won't be using Ozark Outdoors. Not ever.

[moguy1973]

The problem of people that say "Oh the river is a public place," and "looks like it's a perfectly legal thing to do," I want to see what happens if any one of those lewd and crude people on those floatillas try to act the way they are act on a public street or any other public place for that matter. They would be arrested in an instant.

Just because you are out on a raft or canoe in a river in the middle of no where doesn't make it right for people act like a bunch of fools.

[Riverwhy]

I put in at 6:45 A:M at a public access on my favorite ozark stream last Sunday. Around 2:00 P:M a family of 4 floated by drinking sodas. I took out at 6:00 P:M without seeing another sole except for this nice family. Smallmouth fishing was a little slow on numbers but pretty decent on average size. Goggle eye fishing was very good and I even landed one just shy of 11 inches. My point is that you can still find a little peace in this world but some streams have been lost to the party crowd.

[Blazerman]

I actually did a float this past weekend which I haven’t done in years. Started at Birds Nest on the Meramec and took the bus upstream and floating back to our vehicles. I was in a canoe but there were plenty of others in rafts. And there was plenty of drunks and debauchery and I forgot how much fun it was. Brought back a lot of past memories. Guess that makes me a John too. I did bring a rod and did catch some fish too.

Funny thing is, based on the crowds you see, I think there is a lot more of people looking to float and have fun then people looking to float and fish.

I have always been amazed at how many people on here would like to limit what people can and can’t do on our water ways. It would seem most on here would be perfectly happy if the powers that be said no more floating on Ozark streams. From now on only people looking to float and fish are allowed.

It is the same with all the whining about Table Rock now. Stupid boats with their tubes and wake boats messing up our fishing. These clowns have no respect for others and think they own the lake.

Once again there are more of them then people who want to fish in the middle of the summer.

That said, and seeing how we live in a democracy, the majority will rule usually and money talks. Which means whatever makes the majority of people happy and also makes the most money will rule. It is the American way.

And Moguy, your right you won’t normally see this behavior on a city street but you will at party cove or most college campuses on a football weekend. Or anywhere else people are drinking and getting stupid outdoors. It is the feeling of freedom that comes with being outdoors and the party atmosphere that gets people going.

[ozark trout fisher]

And Moguy, your right you won’t normally see this behavior on a city street but you will at party cove or most college campuses on a football weekend. Or anywhere else people are drinking and getting stupid outdoors. It is the feeling of freedom that comes with being outdoors and the party atmosphere that gets people going.

Within the confines of what is legal behavior, there's not much that can be done. But here's the thing: VERY much of what is going on in our Ozark streams is, out and out illegal. Public indecency, public urination, anything along that lines that is induced by a ton of alcohol and zero inhibition.

Let me tell you something: I am at an SEC school every fall Saturday, and the atmosphere is as tame as a book club meeting here compared to the debauchery that goes on in plain site on our Ozark streams. It's one thing if stuff is going on behind closed doors but when it's out in the open, on a public water and ILLEGAL then we need to put a stop to it. I'm not talking about underrage drinking or someone smoking a joint. Big deal. I'm talking about the folks I see floating down/swimming the river bare butt naked and those throwing their empty beer cans on the river. The ones that try to intimidate us when I am floating down the river with a buddy of mine who happens to be African American.

That's the kind of stuff I hate, that's illegal, and that desecrates our public resource. Don't try to write it off as the will of the majority. The majority of people aren't like that in any normal setting. They'd get arrested, and rightfully so. Being respectful of public property and the people around you is something that doesn't go away just because you are on a river.

[Blazerman]

I can honestly say I have never seen anybody floating bare butt naked and probably wouldn’t want too. But I was at Arkansas last year for a football game and saw people on the patio and the balcony at one of the frat houses doing the exact same thing I see on rivers. The worse part there was the rap crap music they were playing with all the language for everyone and there brother to hear. But there will always be people who want to push past the limits of respectful.

[ozark trout fisher]

I'm not sure how that effects the larger point.

But yes, I have seen a number of people in that unfortunate state on our Ozark streams. It's rarely pleasant.

[cnr]

Well, the good news is they're not fishing. I can't imagine what it looks like from the smallies point of view though! :-) Probably pretty ugly.

[Lancer09]

I've spent a lot of time on the rivers and never seen anyone naked, not even any boobies looks like I'm picking the wrong steams.

Agree with everything Blazerman said above. Just because so many of us prefer to have seclusion and use the river in a certain way doesn't mean other people shouldn't be allowed to enjoy it another. It sounds like there is enforcement and people should know about it from people saying tickets were being distributed.

I was on the elk on a weekend this year and it didn't look anything like that.

[fishinwrench]

Will witnessing a pair of bare boobs or hearing the same words heard in most songs today really destroy a child, or is that just a theory that society has chosen to hold close to their heart ?

What exactly is it that these Bull floaters are gonna do that could cause harm to "families" ?

Do those folks that participate have to disassociate from their family's afterwards ? It all sounds so terribly awful, I just can't imagine....