Rathbun DNR

Anyone fishing Rathbun.... BEWARE Appanoose county is in need of your money!
I was fishing the lake in late June when I got a fine for being inside the hazard buoys near the dam. The fine/court costs/fuel tax/crappie tax cost me $50 for what I thought was a pretty minor deal.....while fishing for crappies, my boat drifted inside the buoy and bingo there was the DNR ready to pounce!
I am not pleading innocent...I was in there, no doubt about it....but whatever happened to warning a guy for an honest mistake? :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
I have heard that I am not the only one to fall prey to the DNR on Rathbun...anyone else have a comment/story?

slab (not 2) happy

Behave yourself and these things wouldn't happen. (tongue stuck in cheek)

Hey Slab,

They got me for $54 a few years back in same situation except my anchor rope was caught in the cable supporting the buoys. While trying to get my achor free (using motor trying to pull it out) I had every one of those buoys bouncing up and down pretty good. The DNR guy got a good laugh out of it but still wrote me a ticket and gave me the father/son talk about being careful out there.


John B.

I would thinking after 9/11 being caught inside the bouys would get you more than just $50 dollar ticket. All the lakes after 9/11 added more harzard bouys to keep you farther away from the dam. On lake ozarks about 2 years ago, they spotted a boat inside the bouys. Which they claimed the 2 guys where middle eastern, they where unable to give chase to the 2 men as they fleed.

It's not the dam that's off limits. It's the outlet structure.
Anyhoo, inside or outside the bouys, slab happy is still a suspicious character.

:cool: Yeh suspicious!!!! That's me alright!

Didn't say I wasn't in their "zone"....just that it would have been very nice of someone to just say....here you go, a warning...next time hopefully you will think about staying further away or it will cost you $$$$....that would have been much better...I would have remembered it and they wouldn't have me kicking and hollering about being fined. Oh well, in a perfect world....
Now if I was down there fishing with TNT like some herbs I know then I could se the similarity to Saddam/Osama Herb....LOCK & LOAD!!! (Tongue completely through cheek and into next room)

So, my point of all this was to just tell everyone to be careful out there....the DNR is not giving out any warning shots.....the only warning you will get will be to shut up, sit down and take your medicine.

Slab (how about some cool weather to make me...) Happy :cool:

I bow to you-Salami Salami Baloney
I'm wondering if the water patrol at Rathbun has been out more than ussual, cause my last few trips over, I noticed the cigg boats and other 'more money than brains' types were keeping a respectable distance from me while fishing.
Or maybe they knew I carry a wrist rocket nowadays.
not!

Herb-I know that the patrol boys have been giving out a bunch of tickets this summer. I talked to the Appanoose County court house about my fine and they told me that their phone has been, "...quite busy answering questions about tickets written at Rathbun". My guess is that the," more hp than brains" crowd has probably already been there...done that.
Hope somebody responds to the Rathbun fishing activity request above. I would like to get back there soon....haven't seen the inside of the App County jail yet......or not. :D

I do need to get out soon or will suffer some kind of mental breakdown!!! Haven't been on the water in almost a month!!! Too blazing hot for me.

Much goings on at the river this summer?

slab happy

All my fishing time has been at Rathbun. Very good fishing at that. Deep wood is the word. Big fish in that stuff. Jigs and nibbles and minnows on a plain hook. Take your time and work it well. They are there. Lots of 14 to 15 inch fish this year.

Yup...that is what I saw there in late June...have you been recently? Wonder if that pattern is still holding?

slab hoppy

My last trip was 2 1/2 weeks ago. Still good. Was going to go this past weekend but vehicle trouble changed my mind.