bkbying89

I didn't notice any abundance of snails when I was there. I was concentrating on the changes in the creek. Bill

Fished BSC last week and the flooding has really changed the holes. Filed in some favorites and enlarged a few. I wasn't too successful but it was nice getting out. Bill

Fished two of our Blue Ribbon Creeks yesterday with a friend. We started with Mill Creek in Bohigan Wildlife area. I haven't fished Mill much. The other times I fished it was low, yesterday it was more of a torrent. We were able to wade and it was fishable but the water moving as fast and murky as it was made it hard work and fishing tough. We managed a few but all small. I think the recent rains changed the creek some but I am not as familiar with it as I am Blue Spring Creek. Blue Spring Creek was second, I think of this as my home creek as it was the first of the Blue Ribbon areas I fished after beginning to fly fish again. I think that's funny because parts of this creek are as far from fly fishing type water as I can think of. Anyway, My friend did well catching a half dozen fish with one nice kicker. I caught a few but I was struggling to hook up. The weather was great, so anytime outside today was a plus. It was nice to fish without a heavy coat. Bill

The gauge at Montauk hasn't fallen below 2.0 feet in what feels like forever. That usually means dirty water. Between the rain, snow and the cold, I haven't even tried a park since the. opening. Bill

I don't know anything about warm water hatcheries but the idea of converting or establishing one at Bushes sounds like a great idea. They could also supply some of the urban area ponds. Bill

I see dead fish in the streams but figure they get washed out or eaten by critters at night. I am sure a few get taken home for dinner. I try hard to play them quickly and try to release them without handling. Beyond that, not fishing is the only way I can think of to increase the survival rate. Bill

It happens everywhere. The last time I was down at Meremac Springs a girl was fishing with dough bait. I told her that was against the rules and offered her a San Juan Worm and some egg flies to use on her spinning rod. I moved on and she departed. Bill

Nice report and your photography is excellent. Bill

Thanks for the tip guys. Maybe after I ruin the current phone. Bill

First I have to get a phone that has a decent camera. Or a camera! Seriously, I drop and ruin more electronics than I can afford. Bill

The water in the Fly fishing only area was high and a little murky but very fishable. I was with a large group and everyone caught fish. Some caught over twenty fish. The black Wooly-Bugger was the hot fly for many. The fish I caught was a nice size 14 to 16 inches and real fat. It was cold and windy with a little snow on the ground. At the end of the day, the sun popped out giving a great end to the day veiw downstream.

I fished the river below the park with two friends Thursday, the water was murky and rising. We waded across above the bend and fished for a couple of hours with just one small brown taken. When we decided to move downstream the water was too high and to wade to the rifles, so we crossed back over, the water had risen a good bit and the flow was pretty stiff. We took the trail down the opposite shore and hade two more trout added to the board by the only guy lucky enough to catch fish that day. the rubber-leg stonefly and an olive Wooleybugger were the flies of the day. The river was moving so fast that a drift was short-lived and it took a lot of weight to a fly down. It seemed like by the time a fly got into the zone the drift was over. We quit earlier than we had planned. The water volume and height was increasing and just standing in it wore us out. Bill

I know that Browns are stocked in the Meramec below the park by road. I have been there when they stocked it. We have been told that the fish spread out from the stocking site within hours but I feel they stay within a limited area for a day or so. I also feel that an area should be closed for a day after stocking to allow the fish to move rather than be vacuumed out by locals. As for conservation officers not responding to complaints about giggers, there are only so many agents per county. If you expect them to drop everything and rush to a crime scene, forget about it. I remember having my license checked almost everytime I went out fishing or hunting. It's so rare today as to be unique. Bill

I am always amazed at the amount of gravel that washes down from Pigeon Creek. I would think that the pasture grass would help keep the erosion down but obviously, it doesn't. I haven't been down below the park for a while. I may take a trip to see what is going on down there. Bill

Friends reported that some shallow areas are holes now and trees are down or gone in the fly fishing only area. Water was dingy and fishing was slow in that area. rocks apparently were rolled around as well. Sounds like another learning experience ahead. Bill