From the Missouri Department of Conservation

The fish are starting to become more lively in area rivers and lakes, but anglers are going to have to make a educated selection on where to fish at to have any luck. Most rivers and lakes are still a little slow in the midst of the area's heat wave, but Duck Creek, Castor River, and Wappapello seem to be picking up.

SOUTHEAST REGION (573) 290-5858

LAKES

Clearwater Lake: 88 degrees, normal, clear; all species slow. (Report made on 7/27/2011)

Council Bluff: 89 degrees, normal, clear; channel catfish fair on liver and worms after dark; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/27/2011)

Cypress Lake: 89 degrees, normal, dingy; channel catfish good in 2'-3' depths using crickets, worms, and stinkbait; crappie slow in 3' depths using minnows and jigs; bluegill and redear sunfish fair in 1'-3' depths using crickets, small jigs, and small pieces of worms; largemouth bass slow in 2'-3' depths on spinnerbaits and jigs; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/26/2011)

Duck Creek: 89 degrees, falling, clear; largemouth bass good on topwater lures; bluegill, redear sunfish and warmouth sunfish good on crickets. (Report made on 7/28/2011)

Lake Girardeau: 86 degrees, normal, clear; channel catfish fair on worms; largemouth bass fair on topwater lures; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/27/2011)

Perry County Lake: 88 degrees, dingy; channel catfish fair on worms; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/27/2011)

Robert DeLaney Lake: 86 degrees, normal, channel catfish fair on worms, liver, stinkbait and live sunfish; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/26/2011)

Wappapello: normal, black bass fair early and late on plastic worms and crankbaits; crappie fair on minnows and jigs in the river channel above Chaonia Landing; bluegill fair on crickets and worms; channel catfish fair at night on live bait and nightcrawlers on trotlines and jug lines. Anglers should note the 9" minimum length regulation for crappie on Wappapello Lake. All areas around the lake are now open since the lake water level has dropped. Call the Wappapello Lake Recreation Hotline for updates at 573-222-8139. (Report made on 7/27/2011)

RIVERS

Black River (near Annapolis): 80 degrees, low, clear; all species slow. (Report made on 7/27/2011)

Castor River (above Zalma): low, clear; black bass good on Rapalas and Beetle Spins; sunfish good on jigs and jigs with spinners. (Report made on 7/27/2011)

Lower Black River (Clearwater Dam): normal, dingy; crappie fair on minnows; bluegill fair on worms; black bass fair on worms and topwater lures; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/26/2011)

Mississippi (below Charleston): normal, dingy; channel catfish fair on live frogs and worms; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/26/2011)

Mississippi River (Cape Girardeau): high, muddy; channel catfish and blue catfish good on cut baits; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/27/2011)

St. Francis (above Wappapello): low, clear; all species slow. (Report made on 7/26/2011)

St. Francis (below Wappapello): 80 degrees, normal, dingy; channel catfish good on stinkbait and chicken liver; flathead catfish good on live bait, sunfish and goldfish; bluegill fair on waxworms; black bass fair on artificial bait and spinnerbaits; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/27/2011)

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Anglers are invited to send photos of their fishing trips to the ShowMe Times. Just email acato@showmetimes.com. Be sure to include the name of the fisherman, the date of the catch, where it was caught, weight and - if you care to share - what type of bait you were using!

Hidden Trails Country Club will be hosting its annual Mixed Pairs Scramble this weekend (July 30 & 31).

Entry fees for a team are $130, including a dinner on Saturday evening, as well as a 'skins' game.

In a 'skins' match, each hole is assigned a different monetary value and the golfer who wins the hole with the best score outright wins the money for that hole.
If two or more golfers tie on a hole, the skins carry over to the next hole. If two or more golfers tie the final hole, a playoff begins until one person wins a hole outright.

The tournament will feature shotgun starts on both days, and will also include tee times at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and 9:00 a.m. on Sunday.

Hole sponsorships are still available for the event.

For more information and sponsorship inquiries, contact Hidden Trails PGA Pro John Barge at 624-3638.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The final Rib City Shootout of the summer is now underway!


The ladies are taking the courts today to battle for the tournament championship. 34 teams from as far as Tennessee and Illinois made the trek to Dexter to participate in the two-day basketball extravaganza.

The Lady ‘Cats are well represented in the tournament, fielding teams at the seventh grade, eighth grade, JV and varsity levels.

Games will be held in the Bearcat Event Center - on three courts at once, thanks to the size of the facility - T. S. Hill Middle School, and Southwest Elementary School gymnasiums.


Games are scheduled to run from 9:45 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. today (July 28); pool play begins at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow (July 29), with the tournament finals scheduled for a 4:45 p.m. start. A full schedule of the tournament can be found here.

Admission is $5 each day for an all-day pass, and a full concession stand is provided.

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Make sure to check back with the ShowMe Times for full coverage and photo galleries from this summer’s final Rib City Shootout!


Special to the ShowMe Times - courtesy of Baptist Press Sports

BOSTON--U.S. team member Stephanie Cox spent much of her time on the bench at the Women's World Cup in Germany.

The lack of playing time - she played in two of the team's six games, for a total of 67 minutes - was frustrating. But it also served as a reminder to Cox of her responsibility to her teammates, no matter how much she was on the field.

Cox, a defender, began to see "that God has me there for a bigger purpose than for me to excel at my sport, or just wins and losses. It's more about the effect I can have on my teammates. My responsibility is to show them Christ."

Cox said she tried to cheer loudly for her teammates, supporting them and encouraging them in persevering through the competition. In doing so, she hoped they could see her love for them - and Christ's love in her - shining through.

"Eternity's worth more than playing every game," Cox said.

A native of Elk Grove, Calif., Cox grew up in a Christian home and was a member of First Baptist Church there affiliated with the North American Baptist Conference. She made a profession of faith at a young age and took several mission trips with her family as a youth.

As she grew older and became more involved with soccer, Cox often struggled with figuring out how the sport could fit with her life as a Christian. "How could God use my role as a soccer player?" she asked herself.

She often felt during high school as if soccer competed with her relationship with the Lord. Her commitment to the sport often caused her to miss youth group events or other church activities. But when she began her college career at the University of Portland, she discovered something important about the connection between soccer and her faith.

"When I got to college, some other girls on the team were Christians, and I realized you could find a community of Christians wherever you are," said Cox, who plays professionally for the Boston Breakers. "I've been trying to seek after communities on my teams ever since. That's an encouragement to my faith and my relationship with God - because often you can't go to church on Sundays."

During her time in Germany as part of the U.S. team, Cox said she could see ways in which God was moving on her team. She and several Christian teammates often prayed for team unity, and Cox said they felt God bringing them together.

"We were just so grateful that He was writing a bigger story than we could have," Cox said.

They held regular Bible studies, and on one Sunday they gathered to sing worship songs and listen to an online sermon.

The tournament's outcome was heartbreaking for Cox and her teammates, who lost to Japan in the championship game. But Cox said the World Cup experience has given women's soccer more exposure - and given her and other Christian teammates a greater platform to talk about their relationship with Christ.

"So even though we lost, I feel so honored to be a part of a team that so many people were watching and so many people were taking notice of," Cox said. "I almost feel like we won, in a way."

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Tim Ellsworth is editor of Baptist Press Sports and director of news and media relations at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The Bearcats are back on the field this week as the final camp of the summer carries on at Charles Bland Stadium. DHS Offensive Line Coach Greg Lummukkua was running the ‘hogs’ through a variety of drills during the group offense section of the evening’s practice.


Zach Lacy (far left) is going to be a key leader on the offensive line this year, and looks to help lead the ‘Cats to another run deep into the post-season.


‘Mother Nature’ won’t be playing nice with the Bearcats during the rest of the week’s camp, with temperatures expected to stay in the upper 90’s through Friday evening.

All DHS athletes will be entering the MSHSAA-sanctioned ‘dead week’ next week, with the football team returning to the field to begin official practices not long after their week off.

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