From one year to another, the things an outdoorsman depends on will change. Sometimes just a little, sometimes drastically. This spring for instance, the white bass run will be different entirely than it was last spring. Two years ago, one little tributary I have depended on for 20 years had no white bass spawn whatsoever. For the first time I can remember, the fish never came. 

Have you ever attended a bass tournament where six- and seven-pound bass didn’t garner "oohs" and "aahs?" That happened at Bassmaster’s Bass Pro Shops Southern Open on the Harris Chain of Lakes near Tavares, Fla. January 19-21. At the Day One weigh-in, only the first two or three bass in the five- and six-pound class were individually weighed for Big Bass as it soon became apparent that only much larger fish would qualify for the Big Bass of the tournament payout. In fact, after the first 20 pros weighed in, it took a fish over eight pounds to register an ‘ooh’ from the crowd.

Missouri conservation officials say a new ban on some waders worn by freshwater anglers takes effect next month.

The lake level was 657.9 (660 is normal pool level); with minimum generation scheduled the lake should drop to 657.7 by the weekend. The annual winter drawdown has started. Surface temperature at Bagnell Dam is 45 degrees with upstream temperatures of 43 to 49 degrees depending on location and time of day. Truman Lake is at normal pool. Anglers should observe caution; immersion in water temperatures under 50 degrees can quickly cause hypothermia. 

With winter finally upon us, many outdoor enthusiasts are wondering what in the world they are going to do now that most of the hunting seasons are over. Well, luckily for all of us who enjoy the great outdoors, we live in Missouri! As we all know, weather in Missouri can change drastically from day to day. We have witnessed that already this winter. With highs reaching the 50’s on multiple occasions already, I encourage you to get out and enjoy nature in your area.

How I loved the old days. A little country church in the Ozarks filled with people who were the salt of the earth, a river that was clean enough to drink from, a time when things couldn’t get better than they were. We were kids being raised by parents who wanted us to have it better than they did, and never thought about how quantity doesn’t always equal quality. They are nearly gone now, that generation which stood up against an evil force in a terrible World War, and could not be defeated. They were strong people who grew up close to the earth, without much luxury, grounded in faith and values and an ability to take so little and make so much out of it.

The Missouri Department of Conservation will sponsor a Hunter Education Course in Lebanon on Friday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and continuing on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Laclede Electric Conference Room at 1400 E. Rt. 66. Students must attend both sessions to get credit for the course.

The lake level was 658.3 (660 is normal pool level); with medium generation scheduled, the lake should hold at that level through the weekend. Surface temperature at Bagnell Dam is 45 degrees with upstream temperatures of 43 to 49 degrees depending on location and time of day. Truman Lake is at normal pool. Anglers should observe caution; immersion in water temperatures under 50 degrees can quickly cause hypothermia. 

Steve and Laurie Kastning own 40 acres of land near Seymour, Mo., where they each killed a doe deer on opening weekend of the deer season using their landowner tags. Steve Kastning also bought two deer tags so he could hunt on his neighbor's land, where he killed a button buck and checked it on his purchased antlerless tag, as you are permitted to do with a buck that has no antlers.

Traditionally, crappie are pressured heavily in the spring during the spawn. But the last two winters, anglers have enjoyed excellent crappie fishing with frequent limits and many fish ranging in length from 11 to 14 inches.

The lake level was 659.5 (660 is normal pool level); with medium generation scheduled the lake should drop to 658.8 or less by the weekend. Surface temperature at Bagnell Dam is 45 degrees with upstream temperatures of 43 to 49 degrees depending on location and time of day. Truman Lake is one foot over pool. Warm sunny days Friday, Saturday, and Sunday should overcome the negatives associated with a falling lake level. Anglers should observe caution; immersion in water temperatures under 50 degrees can quickly cause hypothermia. 

Folks have been asking me lately about the next Grizzled Old Outdoorsman's swap meet which has taken place the last few years, sponsored by my magazine, The Lightnin' Ridge Outdoor Journal. It began six or seven years ago when we had a big fish fry with it at a country church gymnasium here near Bolivar. The church wasn't really large enough to take care of the crowd that showed up, and we almost didn't have enough fish. 

The lake level was 658.6 (660 is normal pool level); with light to medium generation scheduled through Friday the lake should rise to 659.7 by the weekend. Surface temperature at Bagnell Dam is 47 degrees with upstream temperatures of 44 to 51 degrees depending on location and time of day. Truman Lake is one foot over pool.

The afternoon was chilly, cloudy and dark, one of those bleak December days when it looked like it might snow a little. The woodland floor was wet from a rain the day before, and I could move slowly into a slight breeze without much of a sound at all. My muzzle-loading .50- caliber Hawken rifle lay heavy across the crook of my arm, ready to be brought to my shoulder at the blink of an eyelash. Well, actually, with me it never happens that quickly, my imagination makes me faster than I really am. Alone and deep in the woods, I feel a little like Daniel Boone must have felt, hunting the Kentucky backwoods.

December in the Ozarks can be blessed with remarkably comfortable days and this one was a perfect example, sunny with a gentle breeze from the south and temperatures hovering in the low 60s. Shad were active on south-facing banks, causing the bass to move shallow and feed. The conditions were ideal for casting a jerkbait parallel to the shoreline and, best of all, the fish were cooperating. But this perfect winter afternoon was about to go sour.

The lake level was 659.3 (660 is normal pool level); with light generation scheduled through Friday, the lake should rise to 659.5 by the weekend. Surface temperature at Bagnell Dam is 48 degrees with upstream temperatures of 46 to 52 degrees depending on location and time of day. Truman Lake is one foot over pool. Moderate weather this week should improve fishing, otherwise very little has changed in the fishing report. Anglers should observe caution; immersion at these temperatures can cause hypothermia very quickly.

A new year is upon us, and if you have heard of small but growing groups of outdoorsmen in different areas of the Ozarks forming what is known as Common Sense Conservationists, you might want to know more and become involved. If so contact me and I will tell you all about it. There are many outdoorsmen in the Ozarks that sincerely try to follow game laws who are charged with silly technical things involving hunting and fishing, who have no recourse but to pay several hundred dollars in fines because they cannot pay the higher cost of going to court to prove their innocence. In the coming weeks, I will tell the story of several of these people in this column.

The lake level was 659.6 (660 is normal pool level); with medium generation scheduled through Friday the lake should hold there through the weekend. Surface temperature at Bagnell Dam is 49 degrees with upstream temperatures of 46 to 52 degrees depending on location and time of day. Truman Lake is two feet over pool. Anglers should observe caution; immersion at these temperatures can cause hypothermia very quickly. Very little has changed in the fishing report.

As joyous as the Christmas season is, there is a great deal of sadness to it when you look beyond your own family and see the difficulties others have. In the Ozarks, I think folks do a very good job of helping others during this time we set aside to celebrate the birth of Christ. There aren’t many who do not remember what Christmas is all about and make an attempt to help others less fortunate. In the town nearby, there were many businesses and banks and restaurants where the first names of children hung from Christmas trees, with a short list of simple things they would like for Christmas. Trouble is, there are so many of them, and most of us have too little set aside to help. That’s what bothers you… there are so many in need, and our resources to help are so limited. If only more of us could be rich. But then you think about that meal told about in the Bible, when a limited amount of bread and fish fed a multitude.

“Come back and help me land this fish,” my brother called out. Fat chance, I’m running to the house as fast as my 4-year-old legs will go. I have to tell mother WE caught a big fish. Unfortunately, while I was gone the fish came unhooked. I didn’t know it then but that first encounter with a fish in our barnyard pond would make a lasting impression.