May 2018 by Traveler Publishing Co.

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VOL. 45, NO. 11

MAY 2018

www.riverhillstraveler.com

The gun that settled the west

Stop in, get a smile, soak up some of the last of an era and help a small business keep the lights on.

Gone, but not forgotten ‘Mom & Pop’ stores disappearing fast

By Roger Smith t one time ‘Mom & Pop’ stores were THE thing of the area, scattered all over the Ozarks and offered up a little bit of everything. Each were different in their own little way but the one thing they had in common was the atmosphere, true customer service with a smile! You could find a wall lined with a few old .22 rifles and shotguns, pick up a box of 22 shells for a quarter. Another corner dedicated to fishing bobbers, hooks and sinkers, some even had rods-n-reels and if you asked the lady behind the counter she’d want to know whether you preferred night crawlers or red wigglers.

By Bill Wakefield he state of Missouri is unequal in its phenomenal history. There are people, places, items and events that changed the history of Missouri and also of the United States. Such was the Hawken family who moved to St. Louis in 1807, and the invention was a new style of rifle. The Hawken Rifle is sometimes referred to as “the gun that settled the west.” It is reported that many famous people carried these handmade guns of choice, including Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, Jeremiah Johnson, Joseph Meek, John Fremont and Teddy Roosevelt. The United States was growing and as people traveled from east to west to explore new lands and opportunities, they encountered new animals not found east of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The .45-caliber long-rifle worked well for deer and the occasional black bear, but was simply not powerful enough to deal Please see RIFLE, 19

If you needed catfish bait you could usually find it, as some was what we called “store bought” but oftentimes it was some concoction made up by one of the locals and they called it stink bait for a reason. You could even buy your hunting and fishing license at most of these stores. An old soda machine sitting along the wall with a low, steady hum offering up some of the coldest pop you could find. Of course, you could also pick up a few groceries while you were there. A couple of these stores stand out in my memory. One was in Womack Missouri, had an old rusty gas pump out

Please see STORES, 18 The historic Hawken House.

Mother Nature changed our plans

By Michelle Turner ou know what they say about the best-laid plans, right? I know I do! They often go awry. Or, in the case of Spring Break 2018, they get drenched. I had this vision of taking my mom and daughter to explore parts of northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri in late March. I had dreams of strolling paths leading to waterfalls along spring-fed creeks, as well as discovering the art on the nature

trails at Crystal Bridges. Mother Nature decided a lot of our time would be spent indoors or on scenic drives avoiding flash floods. The bright side is that, thankfully, there are many great indoor attractions that are free to explore. However, one sticks out in my mind as a must-see for people of all ages: The Museum of Native American History (MONAH). What first started as a way to keep out of the rain became an intriguing and ed-

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ucational experience for my family. The amount of artifacts and displays at this museum overwhelmed me at times. It is indeed a lot to take in! Keep in mind, I have been to the Museum of the Cherokee in North Carolina and the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. So, when I saw MONAH listed as a free indoor activity in Bentonville, Ark., I was interested. However, what the TripAdvisor rePlease see MONAW, 18

Page 2 • May 2018

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Morel hunting just got a little easier

e have been really hammering turkey hunting for the past few weeks and for good

reason. I like my columns to be timely for the current season of the year. Well, there is another very popular season in full-swing right now: mushroom season. For some folks in our area, mushroom hunting/eating is more than just a pastime, it is an obsession. I have heard of fist fights that have broken out over mushroom spots. I know one guy who accused his neighbor of “poaching” his morels. There are some people who have posted signs at their favorite mushroom locations reading, “KEEP OUT! NUCLEAR WASTE!” In reality mushroom hunting is one of the least expensive of all outdoor Mike Roux sports in which to ———— participate. No special equipment is needed. There is no license needed to hunt them. Comfortable clothing and something in which to carry your prizes covers the basic requirements. There are, however, certain things you can do ahead of time that can make your mushrooming safer and more enjoyable. Wear comfortable, old clothes. Long pants and long sleeves are best to prevent direct contact of your skin with threatening plants like poison ivy or thistle. These precautions will also protect you from biting insects. Garden gloves and sunglasses may also come in handy, as may a water bottle. I know “mushroom pros” who hunt with a walking stick. Some of these folks find a new stick every time while others have their old favorite they have used for years. This tool is used to clear weeds from the path, as a probe in thick cover and as a stabilizer in rough terrain. They are useful for flicking leaves out of the

way, too. Personally, I keep one handy to ward off the occasional snake that invariably attends my mushroom hunts. Believe it or not there are ways to increase the morel population on the ground on which you hunt. Having sharp scissors or a sharp knife to snip morels off just above the ground is important. You should try not to disturb the mycelium by pulling the mushrooms entirely out of the ground. If you are careful you can pinch them off at the very base of the stem. Keep your ‘shrooms as free from dirt as possible. Morels come through the forest floor with no loose soil or grit on them. Try to keep them that way. Another great way to promote future morel growth is to be very aware of the container in which you carry your mushrooms as you gather them. Remember, these tasty plants come from spores, not seeds. You cannot see the spores but you can trust me that they are present. If you carry your mushrooms in paper or plastic bags you take all these spores (future mushrooms) home with you. If you rinse them in the sink you flush hundreds, if not thousands, of potential meals down the drain. That thought is painful. The very best way to transport mushrooms in the field is in a net bag like grapes or oranges come in. This allows the spores that are jostled off the mature plants to fall to the ground for next year’s crop. To be even more shroud, do collect them in paper or plastic and take them out and shake the bags where you want mushrooms to grow in the future. Remember, you cannot see this happen… but it does. In this way you can develop your own mushroom patch in the backyard. Along those same lines, do not rinse your mushrooms in the sink. Put them in a large bowl and fill it with water. Gently agitate them to rinse. Remove the mushrooms carefully and place them very delicately on a paper towel. Then take the water to your new mushroom patch and pour it out there.

A typical batch of mushrooms from the Lewis ranch.

Go back in and repeat the entire process. This could put millions of spores right where you want them. But be patient. It might take two or three seasons for them to pop up. I do not consider myself a morel expert, but I certainly do some real pros. Pat and Mike Patterson, of Springfield, will find many dozens of pounds of morels each spring. They look for sycamore and elm trees in creek bottoms. My best friend, Roger Lewis, and his wife, Jeannie, along with their grandkids have found over 200 morels in the past two weeks in their backyard. Roger told me, from another good

friend, Mark Hardy, the best way to preserve morels for meals weeks or even months from now. Mark cleans and cuts his morels in half. He then rolls them in flour just as if he was getting ready to fry them. He then lays them on a piece of cardboard and freezes them just like that. After frozen they go in bag and then back in the freezer. It is the very best method I know of to preserve morels. Good luck this year in the mushroom woods. (Mike Roux can be reached at 217257-7895.)

May 2018 • Page 3

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Fire tower lookouts share their experiences

By Becky Ewing he men and women who have served as fire tower lookouts have played an important role in wildland firefighting throughout Forest Service history. Working in solitude, they scanned the horizon for smoke and alerted dispatchers to potential wildfires. Mark Twain National Forest still employs the use of fire lookouts to aid in early detection of wildfires. Forest Service employees are routinely posted at Czar Tower in Crawford County and Buick Tower in Iron County when high fire danger conditions exist. Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a lookout? Bill Bodimer is Potosi Ranger Station’s customer service representative, but has been stationed in the towers many times over his 15-year career. “Grab plenty of water, snacks, and a lunch, and don’t forget some warm clothes before you make the 100-foot climb to the tower cab,” he advised. “I always open the trap door in the floor very slowly, just in case some critter got in there! Turkey vultures have gotten in to Buick Tower and made a mess because the last person in there forgot to close the windows.” Ron Moon has worked more than 25 years in a variety of forest management positions at Mark Twain National Forest and has staffed the towers over the past six to eight years. “We have an Osbourne Firefinder inside the tower cab that we use to get a horizontal bearing of the smoke we see off in the distance,” Ron explained. “If I am up in Czar Tower and spot smoke,

The fire spotter will use the Osbourne Firefinder to pinpoint smoke by looking through the rear sight and centering the crosshairs of the front sight on the smoke column.

I’ll look through the rear sight of the Firefinder and line up the crosshairs with the smoke, and then send an azimuth reading to dispatch. “The lookout in Buick Tower will do the same thing and then dispatch can locate the wildfire where the two azimuth readings cross on the map.” On average, lookouts are searching for smoke within an 8-10 mile area around the tower. “On a clear day, I can see the water towers in Cuba, Missouri, about 25 miles away,” exclaimed Bodimer. “They are small, but they shine and stick out on

the landscape.” Moon recalled one day where he could see for a long distance. “I was seeing smoke on the horizon one day and called it in to dispatch. They sent firefighters out, but no fire could be found,” he said. “Believe it or not, I was seeing smoke from a fire at Peck Ranch, which was nearly 50 miles away as the crow flies and beyond the horizon. I was seeing the very top of the smoke column that was actually thousands of feet up in the atmosphere.” Weather conditions make for memo-

rable experiences in the tower. Bodimer recalled a time he could see a storm moving toward him in the distance. “I started seeing lightning in the distance and about that time dispatch told me to get out of the tower,” said Bodimer. “They did not have to tell me twice because those towers are nothing by glorified lightning rods.” “Windy days can be rough,” remarked Moon. “The tower sways in the wind and you have to get used to it, but one day there were very high gusts. I really thought the tower was going to blow over and all I could think of is what I was going to do if it starts to go!” The Potosi Ranger Station is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. You can reach us by calling (573) 438-5427. (Becky Ewing is the district ranger for the Mark Twain National Forest, PotosiFredericktown Ranger District. She can be reached by email at rewing@fs. fed.us.)

Forest Service employees still use Czar Tower in Crawford County and Buick Tower in Iron County to detect smoke from wildfires.

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Page 4 • May 2018

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Alley Spring pedestrian bridge set for removal

he pedestrian bridge over the Jacks Fork River along Highway 106 at Alley Spring is permanently closed, and the Jacks Fork River beneath and adjacent to the bridge is temporarily closed to all visitor use.! This includes all activities such as swimming, floating, fishing and gravel bar use within 100 feet of the bridge.!This closure does not affect the highway bridge, which is next to the pedestrian bridge.! The pedestrian bridge was structurally damaged during the April 2017 flood and was closed to foot traffic Jimmy Sexton at that time while ———— the park sought Journey On funding to repair the bridge and the damaged water and sewer utilities beneath.! However, in February 2018, additional flooding caused an eight foot rise of the Jacks Fork River. An emergency inspection recently performed by a Federal Highway Administration bridge engineer determined the stability of the pedestrian bridge has been further compromised and has now created a safety hazard to anyone nearby. The National Park Service has been notified that ongoing movement of two of the bridge piers has increased.!Based on field observations and evaluation of the bridge plans, any increase in water volume or wind has the potential to

cause the structure to collapse. Closure of the river below it is required to avoid injury to park visitors. This temporary closure is intended to prevent river users from passing under the bridge to avoid personal injury should the bridge collapse.! ! Park visitors who are floating upstream from the bridge must take out at the Alley Spring gravel bar above the bridge (near the campground) and are prohibited from floating underneath the bridge.!The Burr Oak day use area just downstream from the bridge will serve as an alternate river access for concession operations and visitors who want to float downstream from Alley Spring. The Burr Oak day use area is located on the north side of the Jacks Fork River, just south of the Alley Mill parking lot.!!

Signage will be posted to alert river users approaching the closure so they can avoid exposure to the hazard.!Park concessioners are available to provide shuttle service around the closure.!Park visitors who need to make arrangements to shuttle around the closure area should contact one of the Jacks Fork concession operators: • Alley Spring (Harvey’s) Canoe Rental: (888) 963-5628 • Windy’s Canoe Rental: (886) 8898177 • Jacks Fork Canoe Rental: (800) 333-5628 The Alley Spring pedestrian bridge is scheduled for removal as soon as possible, but that will likely occur later this year. The pedestrian bridge and adjacent section of the Jacks Fork River will remain closed until demolition is complete and the hazard is removed. • Everyone at the Traveler is busy working on our 9th annual Ozarks Float Trippin’ camping & floating spe-

Do madstones have curative powers?

ack before there was a preventative vaccination, and before the vaccine had made its way to the Ozark hills and hollows, the deadly threat of rabies was very real. By the time human beings exhibit symptoms, the end result of contracting the virus, usually transmitted through animal bites, was oftentimes fatal. Never fear, though. The Ozark hillman and hillwoman of yesteryear had a cure that Louie Pasteur himself would have been proud to use: madstones. Now what, you might ask, is a madstone? I asked the same question. Believe it or not, madWes Franklin stones do exist, ———— although their curaNative Ozarker tive powers might be questionable. Madstones, also called bezoar stones or enteroliths, are mineral deposits sometimes found in the bowels of herbivore animals, such as cows and deer, and compacted into a rock-like substance. They are called madstones because they were oftentimes used to treat rabies, one of the better known symptoms of which is hallucinations and hyper erratic activity. In plain speak, rabies seems to make the victim go crazy, or “mad.” Supposedly, madstones from a deer in particular were the most effective as a healing substance, and I’ve also read that madstones from albino deer specifically were the ones to use. Folklorist Vance Randolph (18921980) talked to a number of folks in the

early 20th century who had used madstones to treat rabies, though he admitted he had never actually seen it done. The stone – which was described as typically whitish and porous – is applied to the bite wound where the rabies virus was transmitted. The stone is supposed to just stick onto the wound all by itself without any kind of binding. Depending on the source, when the stone finally falls off the wound on its own – be it a matter of hours or even days – you dip it in fresh milk and reapply the stone. This is done repeatedly. Although treatments vary, milk seems to be a common factor. Some say that when the milk no longer turns green after the stone is place in it, the patient is safe. Others say that when the stone no longer will stick to the wound on its own accord, the bite victim is out of the woods as far as rabies is concerned. One thing that seems to stand out to me is that the madstone needed to be applied just after the bite occurred, indicating that it was supposed to be

more of a preventative measure, rather than something that was used to treat rabies days after infection by the virus, after the symptoms were already obvious. At that point, even modern medicine says the prognosis isn’t good, and Ozark healers might have been more pragmatic about it in those cases as well. “Well, there’s only so much we can do.” I suspect at that point the patient would be placed in God’s hands to wait on a miracle. Incidentally, Randolph also wrote about faith healers in the old Ozarks too, which is interesting stuff. As to madstones themselves, I’ve never seen one. And if it takes one to save my life from rabies, I hope I never do. Fortunately, as far as health goes, we live in modern times, where society is armed with advanced medicine to hopefully extend our poor mortal lives a little bit on this rock. Still, people obviously used the madstone rabies treatment for SOME reason for centuries. If it obviously wasn’t effective, why continue to do it? Just for the sake of doing SOMETHING? I can understand that. Real or not, like most of our old Ozark superstitions, it’s fun to think about. (Wes Franklin!can be reached by email at cato.uticensis46@gmail.com, or by USPS mail at 12161 Norway Road, Neosho, MO 64850.)

On the Cover Dave Tucker introduces techniques for fishing with midges at Roaring River, Taneycomo & other places.

cial section that will publish in June. Full of stories and interesting informration about Missouri’s rivers and the best places to camp and float, we’re very excited about this edition and can’t wait for you to read it! If you’re a campground, restaurant, winery, fishing guide, outfitter, bait store, boat shop, resort or have anything to do with spending time on the river and you haven’t heard from someone at the Traveler yet, please give us a shout or email at the information below and we will get in touch with you ASAP. And as always, if you have a story idea that you think our readers would enjoy, or would like to share your outdoors/travel photos with our readers, please call or email me. Have a great May, and I look forward to hearing from you! (Jimmy Sexton is owner and publisher of the River Hills Traveler. He can be reached at (800) 874-8423, ext. 1, or jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com.)

River Hills Traveler 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850 Phone & Fax: 800-874-8423

www.riverhillstraveler.com Email: jimmy@riverhillstraveler. com Owner & Publisher Jimmy Sexton Managing Editor Madeleine Link Circulation Manager Amanda Harvel Staff Writers Wes Franklin • Mike Roux Bill Wakefield • Bill Oder Tom Boydston • Judy Smith Michelle Turner • Dana Sturgeon Chuck Smick • Ryan Walker Richard Whiteside • Roger Smith Advertising Jimmy Sexton & Madeleine Link

River Hills Traveler, established in 1973, is published monthly by Sexton Media Group and Traveler Publishing Company at 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. Postmaster: Send change of address notices to: River Hills Traveler, 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. Subscription prices: $22 per year; 2 years, $40. Back issues available up to one year from publication, $5 plus sales tax & shipping. COPYRIGHT © 2018 No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publisher of the River Hills Traveler or his duly appointed agent. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising or editorial submission for any reason.

May 2018 • Page 5

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VINTAGE OZARKS: Coon Ridge Novelty Shop

oadside souvenir, crafts and novelty shops were a feature of automobile-era Ozark tourism. Much of the merchandise was locally produced. Some were traditional pioneer crafts; some were recent innovations like the concrete drip vessels. Sometimes chenille bedspreads produced in factories in

5 years ago • May is an excellent month to explore the hiking trails in the Current River area. The Current River section of the Ozark Trail is almost 30 miles but can be divided into several day hikes ranging from 1.2 miles to 10 miles. This section takes you along the Current River, past an old mill, by Rocky Falls, over unique glade areas, and through Peck Ranch Conservation Area. With an average high of 75 degrees and a low of 54 degrees, moderate temperatures will help make the activity more enjoyable on this shoulder season than either winter or summer. (Dave Tobey) • On the start-up side of things, Ozark stream bass come into season May 25. Squirrel season opens the next day. On the unofficial calendar, May is the month to catch bluegill. The classic setup is a farm pond that has an abundance of small bass. Typically they are small because there is a shortage of bluegill, which is unusually the food source for bass in the ponds. The key here is the bluegill that survive tend to be very large. And when they are spawning, in May, fishermen can find them sufficiently schooled in one or two places in the pond to make for some really good fishing. (Bob Todd) 10 years ago • It’s a great feeling to know that you might have had a positive influence on someone. Made a good impression. Set an example that changed a person, perhaps forever, in a positive way. Sometimes this can be achieved as

southern Appalachians flapped in the breeze. By the 1950s, inexpensive souvenir ware from Japan had arrived on some shelves. “Giraffe stone” buildings made from local sandstone were distinctive, but not indigenous. Today, hand crafters still create their wares in specialty shops in Branson and Silver Dollar City.

(This feature is courtesy of Leland and Crystal Payton at Lens & Pen Press, publishers of all-color books on the Ozarks. Their new book, James Fork of the White, was published in 2017. Some pages from this book can be seen on www.beautifulozarks.com. Their earlier river book, Damming the Osage, can be at seen www.dammingtheosage.com)

REMEMBER WHEN

project is not moving as fast as first scheduled, but is finally off the ground. The idea originated 15 years ago among members of the Missouri Chapter of the Society of American Foresters.

easily as taking a kid fishing. For some of us there is no better way to spend a day than to head for the lake or stream for some fresh fish or just some catch and release fishing. A hobby that some enjoy over an entire lifetime. (Howard Helgenberg) • National Park Services (NPS) Midwest Regional Director Ernest Quintana has announced the appointment of Reed E. Detring as the new superintendent of Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Detring currently serves as superintendent at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Oneida, Tenn. He will start in Van Buren on June 22. 15 years ago • Hunting wild turkey gobblers in the Ozarks during the last week of the season may very well be one of the toughest hunting challenges available to outdoorsmen. Wild turkeys are not given much credit for being smart, but I would love to have an old tom by my side should a war ever start on our soil. Sly old toms possess a keen ability to disappear into thin air shortly after the shooting starts. Not a bad survival tactic! (Bill Cooper) • Ground was recently broken for construction of the Forest Heritage Center, a 6,000 square foot museum to be located on U.S. 60 east of Winona. The

20 years ago • The idea to spend a weekend backpacking on the Taum Sauk section of Ozark Trail came from my father. He is approaching 60 years old and enjoys hiking two or three times a year. So, when he called with the suggestion that my two brothers and I join him on a fall weekend excursion in the Ozark hills, I hesitantly consented. A year ago, my father and younger brother hoisted over-weighted packs and hiked some remote portion of the Ozark Trail. They proudly professed that they had not seen another human being for three days. They had hiked hard, slept on the ground and dined on freeze-dried foods — all admirable feats. (John M. Wilson, Jr.) • People who keep statistics on tourism in all its forms are going to have trouble with this — one of the elk that will be taken in the first modern elk hunt in Arkansas this fall has already generated a $42,500 expenditure by a Michigan man. And that’s not all. Arkansas has an elk population of about 500 in the Buffalo River country. The herd is growing to the point that it needs to be thinned, and this year, Arkansas is issuing permits for 20 elk to be taken. 30 years ago • An ATV law has been passed which

may make operation of the vehicles safer, but may not do much to prevent continued damage to streams. Basically, the new law will require the vehicles to be “street legal” to operate on most public roads. It will also require riders on public roads to be licensed, and those 18 or younger must wear helmets. • Missouri has as many known bald eagle nests this spring as there were decades since the last known nest. There are four active nests (and possibly two more). It was four decades between the last known nest and the first recent one. Bald eagle nests are protected by federal law. Anyone harassing nesting eagles, or disturbing the nest, faces a possible $20,000 fine and a year in jail. Two of the known nests are in central and southeast Missouri at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and nearby Duck Creek Wildlife Area. 40 years ago • Just to be on the safe side, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, responsible for protecting endangered species, has placed Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster on the official list of endangered species. • The vacation season in Missouri’s state parks and historic sites officially began April 15 with the start of the regular camping season. The state parks and historic sites, administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, encompasses 89,000 acres and provides recreational opportunities including swimming, fishing, hiking and boating, as well as preserved natural areas and museums.

Page 6 • May 2018

The best tackle for you

here are many people out there who want to learn to fish, and many who have been fishing for years who have questions about the right tackle. One of the most-asked questions is... What should I get to fish with? Every guide knows that the success of a fisherman who hires him depends to a great extent on whether or not he can use what he has properly. I can take you fishing, but you have to make the lure land where it should, and do what it should in the water. We’ll take it on a species by species bass. If you want to catch bass, you need to learn to use an open-faced casting reel, and it needs to hold relatively heavy line. I use some of those casting reels for bigger bass on reservoirs, and fish with plastic baits. For those I use Larry heavier line and Dablemont stronger rods. ———— When you are Lightnin’ fishing in lakes for Ridge larger bass, one perhaps eight or10 pounds, you need 14 pound line, minimum. Heavier line stretches less, so it is easier to set a large hook in the bony jaw of a big bass or walleye or catfish with the heavier line. If I want to fish a stream for big smallmouth, I might want to go with a more limber rod, a little shorter because of the restrictions of overhanging limbs when I am casting, and lighter line, perhaps eight or ten pound test. And some smallmouth fishermen would argue that they prefer spinning gear with line only six pounds. I use that, too, of course, when I’m fishing smaller lures. You can’t effectively fish large crankbaits, large spinner baits, buzz baits and big topwater lures with a light spinning reel. Heavy spinning reels can be used for heavy fish, of course, with stronger line and stiffer rods. Up north they go for trout and walleye of considerable size with heavy spinning gear and 10- to 12-pound line. But here in the Ozarks, my spinning reels are used for lighter fish, smaller lures with lighter line. Casting reels should be used with lures and weights of 3/8 ounce or larger. Light spinning

reels should be used with lures smaller than 1/4 ounce. No, you can’t effectively cast a little quarter-ounce jig with an open-faced casting reel and 12- or 14-pound line. Fishermen learn with experience that a jig falls in the water in direct proportion to the diameter of the line. With four-pound line, a small jig drops much faster than it will with eight-pound line. That’s why crappie fishermen like the spinning reels with light line. For crappie, use a light, limber little rod which helps you feel a slight tap, and gives you a fight out of a fish that doesn’t resist all that hard, and doesn’t take a strong hook-set. I use medium spinning gear and 6pound line for white bass when they are hefty, the three- or four-pound specimens not found often. Most of the time, when I am fishing a spring spawning run for whites that only average a pound, I want four-pound line on a light spinning rod. If I am going to fish for hybrids or stripers, I want to use heavy casting gear, and if the stripers are big enough, strong rods and 14- or 20-pound line. Same thing for big catfish when using live bait. When I go to Canada to fish for smallmouth, muskies, largemouth or northerns, I use casting gear and strong line 10 to 14 pounds. Sometimes, just for kicks, I fish for smallmouth in Canada lakes with light action spinning tackle and six-pound line. For walleyes that are usually less than four pounds, I use that same gear, but heavier spinning gear for lakes which have six- or eight-pound walleye. The thing about walleyes is, they usually are found in unobstructed waters up there, and they aren’t going to run away from you. They usually stay deep and under you. Big bass don’t do that, they find something to get around, and you have to horse them a little. But though I often fish with the heavy casting gear and catch bigger fish with it, I just love to fish with an ultralight spinning outfit, and fourpound line for smaller fish; trout, white bass and crappie, even goggle-eye and bluegill. Sometimes in the summer, I like to find a cool shoal on an Ozark river late in the afternoon and cast a small floating minnow-type lure for smallmouth from 10- to 15-inches long.

What fun that is on the light tackle. Of course, sometimes an 18- or 20-inch bruiser takes your lure and leaves you wishing you had a heavier outfit. It is wise to stay away from pushbutton spin-casting reels if you want to become a serious fisherman. I guess they are OK for kids, or inexperienced fishermen who won’t go very often, and with a really small youngster that’s only five or six years old that’s what you begin them on. But start a youngster that is 10 or 12 years old learning to cast the better tackle, and you’ll be glad you did. Well, I am taking a variety of tackle up to Canada this spring to spend some time out on a peaceful little lake where there will be no motors to be heard, and no other fishermen to be seen. I don’t know if I will catch anything impressive, but I know I’m going to eat

RiverHillsTraveler.com fish ‘til I am sick of it. And there, where you can see the northern lights and hear wolves howling and loons wailing, I intend to listen to the voice of the Creator, who is so hard to hear over the TV sets and the politicians, the roar of traffic and the din of civilization. I do not intend to sound sacrilegious, but on occasion, there in Canada’s wilderness, I have heard Him whisper... “Throw a topwater lure in along that weed-bed, there’s a big northern there!” There are other things I hear, of course, but that’s between the two of us. You will find that if you get off away from all of man’s mess, into the woodlands or along an isolated stream, God has things to say to you as well. But do not listen with your ears, you must listen with your heart and soul. (Larry Dablemont lives in southwest Missouri. He can be reached by email at lightninridge@windstream.net, or by phone at 417-777-5227.)

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Email: jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com Questions? Call (800) 874-8423, ext. 1 BRANSO ON FLY FISHING EXPO Sponsored by the ! issouri Trout Fishermen’s ! ssociation

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From the ! ranson ! anding ! Takke State ! ighway ! ! !ast, cross over ! ake Taneycomo, through the roundabout heading e east on ! wy ! ! . ! round the bend heading up the hill, on you left you will see the ! IG ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ions ! lub ! ommunity ! enter sign. ! ou have arrived at the ! ranson Fly Fishing ! xpo. ! oin us for a great time.