<table> </table> <strong><span class="subhead">The week ahead</span></strong></p><p>The long wait is over for deer hunters in Kansas and Missouri.</p><p>The hunt is finally on.</p><p>In Kansas, the season for youths and hunters with disabilities opened Saturday and will continue through Sept. 21. A day after that season closes, the archery and early muzzleloader seasons begin.</p><p>In Missouri, the bow hunting season opens Monday.</p><p>In both states, hopes are running high. Wildlife officials in both states report strong deer herds and outstanding hunting opportunities.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">No BASS for Missouri</span></strong></p><p>The Bassmaster Elite Tour will detour Missouri for the next two years.</p><p>Once, the Show-Me State was a regular stop on the pro tour, first at Lake of the Ozarks, then at Table Rock Lake.</p><p>But the nation&#8217;s top pros haven&#8217;t competed in Missouri since the 2006 Table Rock tournament. And the recent release of the schedule for 2009 and 2010 indicates they won&#8217;t be back in the near future.</p><p>In 2009, the closest the Bassmaster circuit will get to Kansas City will be the Mississippi River in Fort Madison, Iowa.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Oldies but goodies</span></strong></p><p>Ever wonder which innovations created the biggest impact on the history of the fishing industry?</p><p>After surveying thousands of fishermen, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation and the American Sportfishing Association came up with a list.</p><p>The top 10, which was revealed at the recent ICAST Show, were the Original Floater Minnow (1936), the spring-loaded bobber (1947), the Mitchell 300 spinning reel (1949), The Cr&#232;me plastic worm (1949), the closed-face spincast reel (1949), the Lowrance Fish Lo-K-Tor (1957), monofilament line (1958), the Minn Kota trolling motor (1958), the Fenwick high-modulus graphite rod (1972) and the Shakespeare Ugly Stick (1976).</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Mark your calendar</span></strong></p><p><strong>&#8226;Now open:</strong> Dove season in Missouri and Kansas.</p><p>&#8226;<strong>Now open: </strong>Teal season in Missouri and Kansas.</p><p>&#8226;<strong>Now open: </strong>Kansas deer season for youths and hunters with disabilities. Continues through Sept. 21.</p><p><strong>&#8226;Monday: </strong>Opening day of Missouri archery season for deer and turkeys.</p><p>&#8226;<strong>Sept. 22: </strong>Opening day of Kansas archery and early muzzleloader deer seasons.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Catch of the week</span></strong></p><p>For those of you who doubt that Smithville Lake contains big fish, Dale Whitney (right) and Allen Swicegood have a few words for you. Take a look at these.</p><p>Running trotlines this summer at the 7,000-acre reservoir, the Kansas City fishermen caught flathead catfish weighing 47 pounds and 37 pounds. Since then, Whitney has landed an even bigger flathead &#8212; one that weighed 49 pounds.</p><p>But both fishermen like to talk about the big ones that got away.</p><p>&#8220;Dale has had his lines broken twice this summer,&#8221; Swicegood said. &#8220;Who knows how big those fish were.&#8221;