Well harley, I thought so to; then my son and I got to talking about driving. Will we be able to get through all the wrecks on roads when cars and semis just quit and crash going 70+ mph? Ya, our ole Bronco might be able to off road it for a ways, then what to do when the gas is gone. We are going to buy all the ammo we can to fit our guns, get a couple of mean Rottweiler to go along with our German Shepard's; then we thought how are we going to feed these dogs? Seems like every which way we turn, we are "you know what". If there's good answers, I'd sure like to know; how about you?

Mr. Louisiana, and Marion, I was reading that the newer microwave ovens will protect electronics and radios from EMP's. I have one that recently quit working, so right now my walkie talkies are in it, but I plan to upgrade to a more powerful radio depending on what members suggest.

CB, there is a site you and maybe others might like to visit called "Be a Prepper". Its not far out like some sites that want you to build an underground silo of some type. Just practical tips and ideas to think about.

Hey CB, I weighed in about EMP's on your question about SHTF communication radios. Basically, over time food will be gone and the people in the cities will be looking in the rural areas to get something to eat. If an EMP happens and I hope I'm not around to see it, think of the Mad Max movies. It will be horrible.

Hey CB, good question. I was thinking along the same lines if we have a SHTF scenario, what would be the best way to communicate. In all reality, if its a nuclear bomb and you are in a 50 mile radius, you will suffer. Obviously, the closer you are, the more injury and the father away you have to worry about the "fallout"

To me the EMP is the most catastrophic. In time, somebody will try to kill you for what you have especially if they think you have food.

A prolonged power grid failure is survivable if you have the basics like water, food, and energy for power. More and more people here are buying Generac generators and large propane tanks (hidden of course).

I will follow the comments to see what is the best device to communicate.

Jerome, I had to google Kemah to find out where the heck it is in Texas. Man, you are in a fishing paradise as well a very neat little town with a lot of amenities. There are some stagers near Galveston Bay and maybe they will chime in.

Google Texas Parks and Wildlife, click on the fishing icon and then the area where Lake Livingston is; I think the Piney Woods region. Scroll to look for your lake.

Also check local bait shops or hire a guide.

Ya man, I looked on the map for your lakes; long way to go. Her in East Texas, within half hour I can be at 5 or 6 different lakes. Take care and Merry Christman

Man, I looked on a map to see where Hobbs NM is and it is right on the Texas/New Mexico state line in the middle of just about "nowhere". So just curious, where do you fish when you have the opportunity?

Anyway, y'all have a wonderful and Merry Christmas.

I know what you mean about "catch and release". That concept has been promoted in the past, but I think the concept needs to be reviewed. I think Oklahoma is going in the right direction by promoting keeping more of the smaller bass. Texas has a slot limit; fish smaller than 16 inches may be kept (only 5), and only one greater than 24 inches per day. So 16 to 24 cannot be kept. Most of the tournaments here are based on how heavy the 16 inch or less bass weigh. And top money for one over 24 inches.

I was adopting TG&F rules to help on local ponds for ranchers. Catching a lot of the small ones to make room for the larger ones. Just modified it to keep 12 inches and larger in ponds of 1 to 5 acres or larger. Thanks for the comment and I look at Oklahoma as an extension of Texas. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Hey TW,

Just wondering where you caught that big ole bass? Lots of lakes around your area.

How deep were you fishing and what weight and kind of line? If it was 15 to 20 feet deep, then it would really feel like 10 lbs. or more.

Congrats on a December fish!!!!

Hi there Saw,

One thing I noticed in scanning through all the responses is that the farthest south was OK. Kinda surprising to me.

I turned 80 in September and unfortunately we had to sell our Ranger boat. I kinda developed a touch of vertigo and just did not feel comfortable up front running the trolling motor. We used to fish Lake Fork about once a month in the middle of the week. It gets hit hard with multiple tournaments now and it is harder to catch fish now compared to 20 years ago.

In the late 90's I remember the time when a guide would not consider taking a picture of a 5 lb. bass. Lots of 7-9 and some 10's were being caught back then. Then that large mouth bass virus hit and F&G decided to get rid of the hydrilla, and fishing suffered. Still does.

So my wife and I fish in our ponds on our ranch and some larger ponds on our friends ranches. And I started a service to help pond owners manage their fish populations. We would catch fish (in the fall is best) and measure the length and weigh them. If the % is too small, they would be culled or moved to a new pond. The idea is to leave more food to get larger bass. Then the owner would have an idea as to what to do.

Even right now we have caught bass as we have not had but one or two mornings below freezing. So I would estimate we go a couple of times a week. And the neighbor kids love to catch bluegills that I feed catfish food to.

All the best and Merry Christmas

Really interesting info. Thanks. I will use it!!!!!

Ranger,

My wife and I were fishing with a guide on Lake fork about 10 years ago. We saw a big bass and I mean a big one floating. We moseyed over to it and it had a big wound on the side of it. He said it was due to a cormorant ambushing it under water. He said they are strong swimmers and caused the injury. Normally, if we were not there, a group of cormorants would be tearing the bass apart and feeding on it.

Since they are protected, their populations have exploded. Fish and Game experts in various states need to listen to us and design a plan to reduce and hold their populations in check.

And yes, the new electronics are fabulous. To illustrate, a guide showed us crappie on his graph, and told us to wait, that crappie is not big enough to set the hook, really, are you kidding me? And all the tournaments I think lead to fish getting "smart" after seeing baits over and over. That's why the pros and Berkley and the likes are always selling something new. We get caught hook line and sinker.

Have a good day, and maybe together we can make a dent in "management" practices on this "devil" looking bird.

JD
This is a copy of the post.

I can tell you for sure if you were seen harassing or injured any birds illegally around here you would likely get your ass kicked because all the fishermen.

Seems pretty plain to me Ranger had a point. Yes, you are entitled to you opinion, but you were out of line characterized us as "uneducated, selfish etc" in my opinion.

I have a number of 2-5 acre ponds on my property near Lake Fork here in east Texas. I have witnessed flocks of cormorants feeding on the fish in my ponds that I paid for and fed for kids to come from church to fish. In a short time, they cleaned out the pond the farthest from my house.

I did not have the problem 20 years ago. In my opinion here is east Texas the cormorant population is excessive and needs to be reduced

The issue is that the cormorants are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. So legally, I can't do anything but scare them away.

On Lake Tawakoni, I have seen the flocks of C. block the sun out near sundown as they migrate to their overnight rooting area. That's too many.

Anyway, my nickels worth.