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Mark K

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Everything posted by Mark K

  1. First off, I'm put off by the title "EVIL" . Then....."Hopefully, I'll get it right" "Don't judge me....I haven't researched anything" Then goes on to present anecdotal evidence and not much more. Though in fairness I couldn't handle the whole video. Comments : You are 100 % correct. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Only good otter is a dead otter 🇺🇸 Now that you present this video on the otter, I think about the disappearance of the small mouths and other fish in a river by my home. As a kid my father and I used to catch all types of fish in that river. In the late 80's early 90's the DNR introduced otters to the rivers in my state. I also thought it was fabulous for otters to be here. That may be the reason there were no fish or very few when I took my kids to the same fishing holes my dad took me. Interesting, it never crossed my mind. I thought pollution from large developments up river was the cause. Thanks for the info, Take care!! They were introduced here 20 yrs ago. ,fish killing machines. ,I've seen as many as 6 together eating on a carp Get one cornered up he'll attack you viscous. I loved it when they first hit the scene and you was legal to trap them the first year and a few years after that they were worth good money. On the flip side there's a reason the old timers killed all that kind of critters out minks otters mountain lions wolves and bears not only does it wreak havoc on livestock it reeks havoc on the local population now this guy on the other hand, I want to party with. When I was a very young man the quail population was outstanding. Interestingly the population declined drastically about the same time that Wild Turkeys were re-introduced.....and of course everyone blamed the declining quail on the turkeys......"THOSE DAMN TURKEYS are eating quail eggs!! ". I never really bought into that theory. And honestly I don't buy into the Otter conspiracy theory either. Eagles, Osprey's, and Hawks on the other hand...... Yeah, not a fan of them at all, even though the Eagle is so revered in this country......IMO they ain't nothin' but a glorified buzzard. . They'll eat the eyeballs and pick the eggs out of fishes bellys in the Spring.....and leave the rest of the flesh to rot on the ground or in a tree. Any fish that can't escape an otter, probably can't escape a snapping turtle either. And even if they escape the turtle, and the Otter.....then a phucking "lovely, beautiful, patriotic EAGLE" will get their ass.....and feed them to the possums and/or buzzards.
  2. This part leads me to question their competence all together. Otter Disaster Fishing is important to Missourians. The state’s numerous farm ponds, most of which contain a combination of largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish, provide lots of recreational angling for kids and adults. In our vision for otters living in Missouri, we sure didn’t see these ponds as providing good habitat for otters, nor did we see the impending train wreck that otter depredation of the fish in these ponds would cause. There is no predator of fish more efficient than river otters. Traveling in groups of two to eight animals, they can hammer fish in a small pond before anyone even knows they are there. Sometimes they travel four or more miles from streams to hit these fast-food opportunities. Otters eat fish in the winter when they are most vulnerable. They especially target hand-fed catfish. They might eat 2 to 3 pounds of fish per day. At times, fish are so easy to catch that otters kill many more than they eat, leaving the evidence of the massacre on the banks for the owners to discover. As otters multiplied and spread out from the release points, calls began to pour in about farm ponds being ravaged. Anglers became angry, demanding some kind of relief. We now recommend that pond owners who are at all worried about their fish shoot otters when they show up. All we ask is that they contact us if they do so. Otter damage wasn’t limited to farm ponds. Otters also found fishing easy in shallow pools of small headwater streams and tributaries in the central Ozarks. Conservation agents in that region handled more than 500 otter complaints in one year alone. As one local angler put it, “There’s not enough room for otters and fishermen in the Ozarks.” Local politicians became involved, and the otter topic became a hot-rock in the state capitol. The news media fed on the issue with newspaper headlines like, “Otters at Center of Controversy,” “The fur flies over Missouri’s cute but greedy river otters,” and “Ozark Otter Disaster.” Almost overnight, the Conservation Department had gone from hero to goat for its “successful” otter restoration program.
  3. I thought it was fake too. He over did it in post, but what a great shot.
  4. If 78 otters were not trapped they would have lived forever? The pic of the otter with the bass was taken in Canada. Photo Series of Unbelievable Dave Ellis Captures Prove Otter and Smallmouth Bass Are Not Photoshopped — PtboCanada
  5. Right to Recreate – HB1568 (Yang-Rohr) – Illinois boasts some of the most beautiful and accessible rivers and streams in the midwest. Yet, our right to responsibly recreate on Illinois’ shared rivers and streams is in jeopardy. To preserve access to our natural waterways, this bill would clarify that right for generations to come. https://ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=1568&GAID=17&GA=103&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=143897&SessionID=112 Synopsis As IntroducedAmends the Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act. Provides that the public right to access and use navigable waters includes all rights recognized by State or federal law, including the rights set forth in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and the federal navigational servitude, and all rights arising under the public trust doctrine, which shall be understood and applied in a manner consistent with the spirit of the Act to maximize the full and free enjoyment of State waters by the public. Provides that any segment of a lake, river, or stream that is capable of supporting use by commercial or recreational watercraft for a substantial part of the year, or that is actually so used, shall be deemed navigable, and shall be open to public access and use, unless the contrary is proven in litigation by a preponderance of the evidence. Provides that no action or inaction by the Department of Natural Resources shall create a presumption, in any civil or criminal litigation, against the navigability of any waterway segment. Provides that the public right to access and use navigable waters shall be subject to specified protections and limitations, and a violation shall be punished as otherwise provided by law and, if likely to continue, enjoined by a court of competent jurisdiction. Provides that nothing in the Act shall limit the right of any person to challenge the legality of alleged interference with the public right to access or use navigable waters in any appropriate civil or criminal litigation.
  6. I was reading stuff on the ESCONI (a local geology club) and noticed this. If it's been discussed already (especially by me, I'm getting old don't judge me), my apologies. Spoiler alert: It's not good news. https://www.esconi.org/esconi_earth_science_club/2022/06/new-illinois-supreme-court-decision-regarding-access-to-the-mazon-river-fossil-morris-fossils.html
  7. and worse yet, if I understand everything correctly there is no fixing this one. It can only get worse.
  8. Freshwater fish are filled with ‘forever chemicals’ at alarming levels, researchers find | KUNC
  9. Release: Boundary Waters Legislation Reintroduced in the 118th Congress : Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters (sportsmenbwca.org)
  10. https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2023/01/researchers-link-pfas-in-lake-michigan-to-wisconsin-manufacturer.html
  11. That's terrible. Deepest condolences.
  12. Size 15? Are you putting out forest fires in your spare time??? Thanks for the tip.
  13. This video ended up in my You Tube feed. The guy who posted it is an ex-NPR reporter who now has a really successful cooking channel that is kind of "science-ey". This is a pretty good explanation of what PFAS is- (poly and perfluoroalkyl substances). For a cooking show this well done and not overly dumbed down chemistry-wise. https://youtu.be/vZ1KmVmpC8o Oh.... and if you fancy yourself as a cook, the rest of his channel is worth checking out.
  14. I had this video on VHS . It's really good. Maybe Santa will bring me a DVD. https://davewhitlock.com/shop/dvds/fly-tying-bass-flies-with-dave-whitlock/
  15. same when I met him. A friend and I chatted with him and Emily for probably close too an hour. Nobody else was there. I asked him what his favorite smallmouth flies were... surprised to hear a sponge beetle was one.
  16. So sad. https://www.facebook.com/WhitlockFlyFishing/ I only met him and his wife Emily once, a long time ago at a. fly show. What nice people.
  17. Just an amazing video. I'm blown away. Well done.
  18. The one in the ebay ad looks like dead ringer to me. Check out this kewl spinning rod. I dig the green trim. Shakespeare Wonderod Fiberglass Spinning Rod 6'6" No. 1257 Light Action w/ Tube! | eBay
  19. My son searched it on his phone for you. This is what it found: (#43) Vintage Shakespeare Wonderod Kwik Taper No. 608 9' Line No. 8 PAT.1956 | eBay First one that came up. Pretty cool huh? A little scary?
  20. Yeah, you are right. I don't typically see them this time of year.
  21. Common merganzer. Looks like all adult females. All of Illinois is within their range. I see them all the time when I am trying to photograph eagles. I have never seen them in summer. in Illinois. Common Merganser Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology PowerPoint Presentation (illinois.gov) I think they are pretty cool.
  22. If you have an Android phone try doing a Google reverse image search. I have an iPhone or I would do it for you.
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