09/03/08

Labor Day Weekend: Angler's Paradise (permalink)

cabin camping retreat fish fishing paradise anglers

Last weekend I traveled to south Missouri (near Liberal, MO) with some of the guys I work with to fish at a fishing camp called Angler's Paradise.  Rumor has it that the pit at this camp could hold a record breaking bass, and in fact many greater than ten pound to 13 pound bass have been found there. The owner, Don, is a great guy and takes fantastic care of the grounds and the modern, comfortable cabins.  He is very willing to swap fishing stories and provide advice for great spots to fish and the tecniques to catch em.

The lake is beautiful, especially in the morning when the still water reflects the surroundings like a polished mirror.  It is a pit, and old converted strip mine, so the walls surrounding the lake are mostly sheer cliffs or very steep wooded hills.  This means that most fishing needs to be done from boat, which we rented from the owner.

As for our luck fishing, we did not do nearly as well as any of us hoped.  The biggest fish anyone in our group landed was a 4.5 pounder, and I mostly cought 1-2 lb bass.  The owner attribute the less than stellar fishing to torrential rains this year that have already dropped twice the annual rainfall on the lake.  This has killed much of the shoreline vegetation and disrupted the habitat.  I hope to return there next spring when the ecosystem should start recovering.

04/23/07

Back From a Busy Weekend (permalink)

camping science_fiction scifi disc_golf personal convention con friends gaming anime

I just got back from a crazy busy weekend trip. I left Friday with my two roommates to go to another friend's wedding reception, which was very non-traditional and very fun. We left the wedding late Friday evening and drove 2/3 of the way to St. Louis where we stopped at Graham Cave State Park to camp for the night. We woke up at 7:45 in the morning and explored the park and the historic cave the park was named for, and then drove to St. Louis, stopping on the way at a trucker diner for an incredible breakfast. In St. Louis, we registered for Anime St. Louis/ShowMeCon, a combination anime and science fiction convention held at a Marriot hotel. The convention had over 1000 people in attendance and we spent the greater part of Saturday late into the night and sunday until about 3:00 at the convention. After leaving the convention, we traveled to a nearby park just outside St. Louis and played a round of Frisbee golf. On the trip back we stopped in Columbia, Mo. for dinner, and finally made it home.

Needless to say, I am exhausted, so I am about to get some much needed rest. I will be posting more in detail about the proceedings and loading an image gallery in the morning or when I have time.