ColdWaterFshr

Have you walked and waded the lower end? From Quail Spur down to confluence with the James?

. . . . . "4-wheel drive floating", "where to park", "private land", , and "not worth the effort", "well past the blue ribbon area" These scary comments for me at least, check all the boxes for high adventure and what could be an epic float. Color me VERY intrigued. I want to float it now, and if I lived closer, I would. Conor, go forth and do it young lad! I would just pick a mild-to-warm day after some recent rains. Start early. Pack light. Use Dry Crane creek at 4.8 miles and the low-water bridge at AA at 6.0 as indicators of your progress.

Thanks FishnDave. Who would I contact at MDC? Ask to speak to a fisheries biologist that covers that area?

We had a nice crappie fry the last time we were out there. And definitely need to do that with the bass. Inviting an MDC biologist to give it an analysis just opens it up to public fishing - is that right? Don't want that.

I've got a buddy that has 2 old Peabody strip pit lakes out near Windsor, MO. Have fished them 3 times with him and its ridiculous for bass. No exaggeration, every other cast, and it really doesn't matter what you throw . . . . topwater, cranks, soft-plastics, popper-flies. The problem is, that kind of almost gets boring . . . almost. He does have a problem with his year class. Seems like there is only about 2 . . . . 16-17 inch bass, and 13-14 inch bass. Bluegill population is not great, probably due to the huge number of bass. Oddly though, the crappie, in certain brush-pile areas, are abundant. All fish look fat and healthy. I think it has catfish, but we haven't caught any. Both lakes quite deep, long - maybe 1/3rd mile each, and narrow. Shallow end that gradually deepens to a fairly long 40 ft deep end that continues. Banks in that area are steep drop-offs, just like a quarry. Densely wooded all the way around.

Oh for gods sake. Where is the f'n remote. This site has become QVC.

Not pissed about it, but there can be no doubt that NFL is moving to pay per view. I'm out. Unless they get rid of the ads, why pay?

Fly-fishing snob here. Fluoro I always use a uni-knot, but I rarely fish anything heavier than 1x. Mostly 3, 4, 5. Terminal tackle, back casting 12-14 pound Maxima mono, and mostly use improved clinch knot. It hasn't failed me yet. Its not a good knot for fluoro though, or anything lighter than 4 lb, which I would rarely use, even for spinning rod.

Do you ever get that not so fresh feeling . . . . ? ROCKET DOUCHE, by Sir Elton Wrench packed my bags last night, pre-flight Zero hour, 9 a.m. And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then I miss this page so much, they miss my spite It's lonely out on Table Rock On such a timeless glitter boat ride And I think its gonna be a long, long time 'Til tungsten jig-heads from Mitch are on the end of my line I'm not the Masengil they think I am at home Oh no, no, no I'm a rocket douche Rocket douche 🤣🚀

let me consider. Would be nice to meet some of you.

better deal here. Support Amazon rainforest.... https://www.amazon.com/BOOYAH-Baby-BOO-Jig-Black/dp/B003ZZD18A/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2L63ZD0J4HKDP&keywords=jig%2Band%2Bpig%2Bjigs&qid=1703132743&sprefix=jig%2Band%2Bpig%2Bjigs%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-5&th=1

Jig and pig. Paul Dallas invented that in 1978. I'll expect some royalties, Mitch.

Dude . . . . you're a slob.

Get Tim Holschlag's book, "Smallmouth Flyfishing", and while it's fun and worthwhile, I agree, I can't say I'm sold on the idea. I've caught plenty on the fly, but around here, there are better methods.

pretty adipose fin on that one brown. nice work!

Beautiful picture, and nice bike! What bridge is that? Thats gotta be the Finley river. Which bridge?

Share the road with a bike and be respectful. Its called exercise. I've never been inconvenienced anywhere near like you guys carry on. I have a far bigger problem with the temp tags that are 2 years old, the back-firing muffler packs on a stupid '93 Nissan Sentra, and the motorcycles zipping through traffic at a 50 mph differential where a lane doesn't exist. Left-lane cruise controllers on an interstate who never get over. Also, the increasingly blatant disregard drivers have for pedestrians using a cross-walk. I've nearly been run over several times walking the dog while in a crosswalk.

Fishing was so-so, but the fish we caught were quality sized and very healthy. Water low. Regardless of the fishing, it was 5-star weekend camping 2 nights on a gravel bar on the river with my brothers and nephews and nieces. We suffered no shortage of fun and being off the grid. Campfire with bright stars and ghost stories the first night. Dr Bronners late afternoon swim. Food - Conecuh sausage with eggs for breakfast. Filet mignon with baked potatoes and salad for dinner. Pack of coyotes howling very close to camp at 2 a.m. Eagles galore, including maybe a mating pair that did the death-throes fall from high up while still attached, directly above us. Pack of 5 otters hopping on land. Heavy river fog on Sunday morning w/ good coffee and heron screech. River camping is a lot of work and hassle, but it can't be beat. Lost a dandy smallmouth at Little Hurricane. Heavy fish and a clean cut on my line. Maybe a chain pickerel.

Its absurdity. Whats next? Deer hunters with drones using infrared to track where the deer are and then setting up their stands accordingly, to ambush? This isn't sportsmanship. And it isn't fishing. Its dorks with gear. Sponsors and tournaments should pay attention. What a joke.

I grew up in Springfield first 20 years of my life. Rountree neighborhood. Miss that area, and I go back frequently, but its quite a bit different than 30-40 years ago. Mostly better I think, but I never imagined the outward sprawl toward ozark, nixa, and republic. Heck, I didn't see that coming at Taney. Branson used to be a seasonal town, and semi-blighted back in the early 80s, like Rockaway Beach.

I played hooky and hit the upper Current today, hoping for rain and a bump in the water level. Got neither. But I did get sunburnt, and caught a bunch of leaves on a new streamer pattern that I stuck with for far too long. Ironically, didn't catch one darn trout, but caught a dozen dink smallmouth.

Thats my theory. The spring floods and wild changes in flow, make the spawn a crap shoot even on a good year. Lacks of cold-water springs to keep a somewhat center-normalized flow and temperature that smallmouth need for a consistent spawn. Its either 12 feet high and risin', or..... bathtub warm in need of rain. Usually more of the latter, at least for the upper sections, even in early spring/early summer. Hard to even float it unless you get lucky with the right amount of rain in recent days.

Kids, . . . let this serve as a reminder of where the path of ned-rig fishing from a jet boat may take you. First, you may find yourself overly concerned with bent intake bars on your lower unit. Then, days later, its finding yourself nekkid at dawn on a boat ramp, muttering about your twig and berries. From there, its a slippery slope down to taking a shift at the Command Center with Oneshot, or maybe sitting half-slumped in a vinyl lawn chair at Simpson Lake, carp fishing on valium.

Glad you got out. Great weekend weather-wise. Catch these on top, or is that bite winding down?

Whoa, simmer down Reinhold. I'm not sure if I'm up for such challenges . . the mighty rugged mountains of Wisconsin can be very daunting! You're not referring to the actual Devils Doorway 2 mile loop with a whopping 300 feet elevation gain at sea level, are you?? If you can do that, there isn't a boat ramp in the world that you can't conquer. 🤣