Daniel My Brother

For the past 8 years I've worked for a TV station in Cape Girardeau. One of the biggest stories around here has been the disappearance of Shawn Hornbeck, an 11 year old boy who went for a bike ride in 2002 and never came home. Huge search parties were formed, dogs were brought in, the family got so desperate they evened hired a psychic. Shawn's story was featured on America's Most Wanted and Without a Trace. His picture was posted on websites, billboards and park benches. As time passed, most of us figured the kid had to be dead. But his parents never stopped searching, never stopped praying, and worked tirelessly to keep this from happening to other families. Unfortunately it did happen again. On Monday, 13 yr. old Ben Owenby disappeared in St. Louis. It was a story very similar to Shawn's, but this time the cops had a lead. Someone had spotted a small white pickup with a camper shell speeding away from the bus stop where Ben was last seen. Police found a pickup that matched the description at an apartment complex in Kirkwood. When they entered the apartment they found Ben Owenby alive! There was another boy in the apartment, and when police asked him his name he said "I'm Shawn Hornbeck". Tonight Shawn and Ben are home with their families, and 41 year old Michael Devlin is behind bars. When I heard this story every hair on my body stood up, jaded old newspeople were holding back tears, no one could believe it was true. These stories never end like this! It was just too cool for words. As for Devlin, I'm sure he'll get what's coming to him in prison.

Big Flatheads tend to go for live bait. A bluegill is perfect. You do well will cut bait for big blue cats. the head of a skipjack or gizzard shad is perfect. Circle hooks work well.

Babe Ruth's homer record stood for so long that the number 714 still has significant meaning to baseball fans. The same goes for Perry. Who would have thought so many would get so close, yet no has been able to better it. I'm sure the record will fall eventually, and when it does I hope she's caught by a BassResource.com member using a Mattlure's swimbait. But even if the new record smashes the old one, 22lbs 4oz will always be remembered.

Very nice, what'd you get her on?

Very clean looking mod. Sounds like you built a boat you'll enjoy for a long time to come. Well done and welcome to BassResource.com

Hey Craw, Please don't feel like you need to catch a big fish to make a post. I fish very little in December and January, and I catch even less. Anytime you have a good day on the water please post it here. This is one of my favorite sections on the website, especially in the winter. It's a chance to tag along on everybody else's fishing trips. Nice smallies and thanks for taking the time to post 'em! Dan

I tried to read everyone's replies, I really did, but I got to Vyron's avatar and my brain stopped. Not since the Reese's peanut butter cup has someone combined two things I loved so much and created something even better! Well done Vyron, well done.

That is classic! ;D ;D

Thanks for the help on this guys. This lake is a little bigger than your average farm pond. we've estimated 40-50 acres when looking at an aerial map comparing it to plots of known size. Vegitation has never been a big problem, though 2005 saw a significant coontale outbreak. The numbers of fish are still good. We have no problem catching 20 or more bass in a full day of fishing. The problem is that the big bass have all but disappeared...or maybe they've just gotten better at hiding. Here's to better luck in '07!

12'6" tall and you can't outrun it. NO THANKS!

Very nice tribute to your grandpa. The only time I hope my partner outfishes me is when my partner is one of my daughters. Good stuff. Dan

Ankiel is just one surgery away from overcoming his problems. Unfortunately that surgery's a labotomy. I feel sorry for the guy, messed up family, messed up career, messed up life. So much potential, I was hoping he'd show up with a new team and get a fresh start. As far as Mulder goes, the jury is still out.

Sounds like a great time guys! I'm sooo jealous of that weather.

For those who don't know what happened, here's a quick recap. Mr Baugher used a post on the forum to critique one of the articles on this site. The article was written by a woman named Dorothy. I don't know if Dorothy is a member or not. He was brutally arrogant, repeatedly calling her an idiot and suggesting she was high when she wrote it. Why he chose to do this in public, I don't know. The subject line was "Road Warrior and Site Management" or something close to that. Why Road Warrior? I have no idea as he made no reference to RW. I googled Mr. Baugher and found this link. I think he was pretty quick to judge us, so I'm comfortable with any snap judgements you make about him. I say "us" because I feel a sense of ownership here, and I'm guessing you do to. Sorry if I'm piling on. Deleting this post won't hurt my feelings. http://gl3loomis.home.comcast.net/my_big_adventure.htm

Craig, I just bought a new 10 foot pole. I think it's got the right number of guides, but I'm not sure if I should use it to touch this thread. Your thoughts? Dan PS Stick around, I'm enjoying this too much.

AWESOME stories guys! Thank you for taking the time to share.

Craig, I enjoyed reading your post. Welcome to the boards!

Thanks for the replies guys, I hope RW is correct and it was just a bad (a waaay bad) year. I'll get back on the lake in February and probably have a chance to talk to one of the guys from the other family, he built a home on the lake and lives there year round. I'll mention that we haven't had any luck in a year and ask his opinion. They seem like straight shooters. We've fished this lake for more than 15+ years, and I don't think we've kept enough bass to do any harm. In fact, I think we're helping it some, especially since this lake gets very little pressure. Here's to better days in '07!

I spend a lot of time fishing a private 40-50 acre strip pit in southern Illinois. Only 2 families (and their guests-including me) have legal access to this lake. In the past it's been a good lake for crappie and bass. You could almost always catch a 3 pounder on an average day, and fish pushing 6 pounds were not that uncommon. We always catch and release fish over 15 inches, and eat a healthy number of smaller bass. The problem is, the big bass have all but disappeared. From Feb through November my friends and I have probably fished this lake 40 days, and I can only remember 2 fish over 3 pounds. Better fishermen than me have tried just about everything, and still no big ones. Here's one theory: The second family that owns part of the lake actually owns several hundred acres surrounding the lake, including many smaller lakes that they alone have access to. My fear is that these guys are transplanting big bass into the smaller lakes. I know that they are avid fishermen and they seem like very nice guys. They practice catch and release on bigger bass, I just don't know where they're releasing them. Maybe they're tired of sharing. I hope I'm wrong. Maybe the big ones have just gotten smarter. What do you think? Is it possible that one family fishing a lake of this size could totally change the dynamic of the lake? Or is there a more likely scenario that I'm just missing?

I'm really hoping for 6lbs 9oz or better. A 7 would be awesome.

I grew up eating carp and never thought twice about it. At Friday fish fries during Lent our choices were carp or catfish and I would always choose carp. The best way to get around all the bones is to fillet the fish, then score the fillet vertically every 1/4" or so , then the bones just 'cook out'. When you deep fry them the scored meat really holds on to the crunchy coating. Good and greasy, that's probably why I liked it so much. Haven't fished for carp or seen 'em on a menu in a long time.

Nice catch. I thought for a second you might try to lip it...you know, out of habit.

Nice job guys, looks like you were having a blast. Overcast days produce some of the best pictures.

I don't know if you'd call it fishing, but I did go out in the boat a couple of times and practice casting. I'm really not good at winter fishing but I'm working to get better.

Excellent story RW, and I think I may have accidentally learned something.