HOUSTON HERALD n Thursday, March 18, 2021
What a place to fish!
Before the rain started
last week, I spent a couple
of days hunting... hunting
a good place to catch some
fish.  High winds made us
seek out a long cove, be-
ing fed by a creek bringing
in warmer water and the
fish were attracted to it.  LARRY DABLEMONT
Right off my partner, Alan
Gingrich, caught a small
white bass about eight
inches long.  ator’s plan, because strong
Then I caught one an
inch longer and comment-
ed that the cove likely had
a bunch of those little
males wanting to go up
that creek.  I remember
saying that we weren’t go-
ing to catch any that were
keeping size and about
that time my fishing part-
ner’s rod bent over like he
had hung his lure on a log.
When he hoisted up a 14-
inch female white bass I
told him that I was about
to say that there likely
were a few females up
in that cove as well.  But
I couldn’t believe there
were.
Between 4 p.m. and
dark, we caught fish
like we were fishing in a
hatchery. The next eve-
ning was the same. We’d
fish three hours in the
evening, trying to escape
40-mile-an-hour wind
gusts, easily catching lim-
its of white bass that were
averaging 14 to 15 inches
long. In addition to those
chunky white bass, we
caught another 40 or so
that were much smaller,
and we each caught 20 or
more bass; largemouth,
smallmouth and a few
Kentuckys.
With the light gear we
were using, we had a
great time, but we never
M5
Gas tax increase
through early June.
In clear water, bass and
OZARKS
crappie and other sunfish
will spawn deeper, but in
OUTDOORS murky water they spawn
shallow. In muddy water
they are nearly spawning
at the water’s edge.
To change the subject
writer/photographer/naturalist some — don’t cuss the
March winds, they are
absolutely part of the Cre-
winds sweep over the
smallest of plants to the
highest of trees. There is
a reason for that. Waving,
bending branches pull sap
up out of the lower parts
of all plants into their
trunks, stems, limbs and
twigs. The wind is always
a part of the early spring,
and essential as the rain.
Likewise, the lightning
Gingerich Dablemont of spring and summer is
just as essential, as the
SUBMITTED PHOTO electricity in the air fixes
Alan Gingerich with a smallmouth bass, and me with a nitrogen in the soil. To get
good view of the lure I found that caught so many fish a more complete picture
that day! of wind and lightning’s
did catch a fish above two or two, which is what importance, find reading
pounds. Alan stayed with we went after in the first material on the subjects.
a quarter-ounce jig both place. But we didn’t, and You will be surprised!
evenings, and truthfully, it is puzzling that in the On Saturday, March 27,
he caught more fish on landing of nearly a 100 and again two weeks later,
the jig than I did. But I was bass in two evenings of I will be taking some folks
using a small crank bait I fishing, there wouldn’t over to a wilderness spot
had found on the lake dur- have been one somewhere on Truman Lake where
ing the winter that had in the 4- or 5- pound range.   there is a large woodland
a small spinner at the The rains came the with 200- to 300-year-old
lures tail. I don’t know next day and I am sure trees, eagles nests, mi-
that about any crank bait the creek is rolling high grating birds and abun-
wouldn’t have caught fish, and muddy now.  When it dant wildlife. We can take
they were packed in the gets back to normal in a groups of 15 at a time by
deeper water out from week or so l am going to pontoon boat, do some hik-
that warming creek, and hit that place again.  I am ing, have a big fish fry and
they were aggressive. But sure the lake level will return at sunset.  If you
there is something fasci- be higher though, and want to go, contact me via
nating to me about using that could change things. email,  lightninridge47@
a lure that I found and Spring rains will raise gmail.com or call at 417-
didn’t  have to pay for. Ozark lakes and provide a 777-5227. Read all the
During those two eve- much better spawning sit- details on my computer
nings I was sure one of uation IF the water is kept site…  larrydablemontout-
us would hook a walleye at a fairly constant level doors.blogspot.com
perfected in Senate
An attempt to gradu-
ally increase Missouri’s
motor fuel tax rate for the
first time in more than
two decades was perfect-
ed last week.  tion funding.
Senate Bill 262, spon-
sored by Senate President
Pro Tem  Dave Schatz,
would increase Missouri’s
fuel tax by 2.5 cents an-
nually for the next four
years. Currently, Mis-
souri implements a gas
tax of 17 cents per gallon,
but Schatz’s bill would in-
crease it to 29.5 cents by
2025. The funds would go
toward maintaining the
state’s roads and bridg-
es, a major focus of both
Gov.  Mike Parson’s  ad-
ministration and Schatz’s
time in the statehouse.  record levels. Any conten-
“If we want to go back to
gravel roads, that’s a solu-
tion — but I’m a forward-
thinking business person
and I see the greatest asset
we have in this state is our
transportation,” Schatz
said. “I do think we can
make improvements to it,
but the only answer to the
question is the motor fuel
tax, to increase the fund-
ing mechanism designed
to maintain the system.”
Schatz’s substitute also
includes a rebate pro-
gram: Drivers would be
required to apply with
the  Department of Rev-
enue  (DOR) once a year
to receive a refund for the
tax, supplying data on the
number of gallons pur-
chased, information on
the seller and purchaser,
and more. The program
was inspired by a similar
policy enacted in South
Carolina.  frastructure and Public
The bill would also es-
tablish the Electric Ve-
hicle Task Force within
DOR tasked with analyz-
ing the impact of electric
vehicles on transporta-
 
Sen. Bill Eigel, who
sponsored the tax cut bill
voted down  by the body
recently, held court with
Schatz during the early
hours of the debate.
“The government here
in Jefferson City has
never had more money,”
Eigel said. “Our balances
have never been bigger in
the state of Missouri: Our
general fund balance is at
a record level, our state
budget is at a record lev-
el, our support from the
federal government is at
tion that there’s a part of
that government in Jeffer-
son City that doesn’t have
enough money seems
woefully out-of-touch.”
The bill dominated the
session, spending around
6 hours before the body
before its placement on
the informal calendar.
A new substitute re-
moving one year from the
hike as well as a sunset on
the rebate program was
quickly perfected on the
floor. 
Schatz also sponsored
a  constitutional amend-
ment with a similar hike,
putting it in the hands of
Missouri voters in 2022
if it passes through both
chambers. Similar at-
tempts were proposed
on the ballot in 2014 and
2018, but  neither passed.
This version was referred
to the Transportation, In-
Safety Committee.