ATTENTION, OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS!  Bass Pro Shops, Springfield, MO. is looking for old artifacts &
memorabilia from your outdoor archives.

They are searching for the following:

Fishing
Photos (1940 or Older)
State Record Catch Photos
Old Skin Fish Mounts
Old Fishing Poles & Lures
Fishing Collections (lures, reels, etc.)

Hunting
Photos…[more]

Missouri’s many large reservoirs have always been tremendous fishing spots. However, finding concentrations of fish in vast expanses of water can be tough until you discover some reliable spots. The Missouri Department of Conservation has a shortcut to help anglers find places where fish congregate.

For years, the agency has been creating “fish-attracting structures” with everything from cast-off Christmas trees to commercially manufactured structures made of recycled plastic.…[more]

Paddlefish season opens March 15 and runs through April 30. The Missouri Department of Conservation has stocked more than 500,000 paddlefish in Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Reservoir and Table Rock Lake in the past 15 years, creating an abundant supply of the big fish. However, paddlefish snagging success depends heavily on warm spring rains to trigger the fish’s spawning runs. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)
The Conservation…[more]

Before you toss out the rest of those Canadian nightcrawlers you bought to catch those fish that weren’t biting, you might want to consider this: non-native earthworms are causing headaches around the world.

That’s right. The lowly, local earthworm, friend to gardeners, farmers and fisherman are in jeopardy of being killed off by their out-of-the country cousins. According to New Scientist, earthworms native to the United Kingdom are…[more]

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) recently issued the 2007 Fish Consumption Advisory, an annual report summarizing fish species that should be avoided or eaten in limited quantities due to concerns about environmental contaminants.  The advisory provides consumption advice for locally caught fish, updates to the health effects of key contaminants, and guidance on fish preparation to reduce contaminants prior to consumption.

This year DHSS…[more]

This voracious and carnivorous fish lives in freshwaters on the Northern Hemisphere. Northern Pike (Esox lucius) is also known by its folk name of “Water Wolf”. Pikes grow as large as 150 cm in size and 25 kg in weight (1’ to over 4’, and weigh 50 pounds), although larger sizes have been reported, particularly in the Great Lakes area, making people believe in a misidentification or folk tale.

Sometimes it’s good to know that things can go wrong with the pros, too:

Bill Dance Gets in Trouble

There are hundreds of hot air balloon festivals held throughout the year, all over the world. These events are a great way to spend a weekend and learn more about the sport. They also give balloonists a chance to participate in balloon races and display their balloons during evening balloon glows. When hundreds of balloons are gathered in one place, it’s a very impressive sight! So what are some of…[more]

“I just broke my leg!” I yelled at my fishing partners as I lay in the bottom of the boat. They seemed unconcerned about me, only anxious about the fishing tackle I had fallen across. “Those rods are not broken are they?” my friend Captain Steve asked, not concerned about me at all.

“No” I shouted, “But my ankle is!”
[more]

CASSVILLE, Mo.-If arranging your honeymoon around a favorite fishing spot and spending an average of 65 days a year there qualifies as obsessive, Jack Overman is officially obsessed. The Pittsburg, Kan., resident has spent so much time at Roaring River State Park over the past 75 years that he has been granted the honor of receiving the first permit of the 2007 fishing season there.

Overman’s attachment to…[more]