poker fisherman

Took my brother on a float Saturday - we floated from Boulder City to McNatt. Water was low in spots, but we were able to make it through without too much of a hitch. Fishing was slow, but this is a real nice float. Caught a released 25 smallmouth and probably 50 goggle eyes. Saw some deer along the way too. A few pics:

I tell ya what though....if any of you guys are into suckers - there are a ton of them moving in the streams right now. I've never done the gigging thing, but might give it a try next month.

flow is the lowest I've seen this year. I was in my lightweight one man canoe and the other guy in a kayak. We drug bottom in several places but not enough to make it miserable. I'd imagine this weekend it will drop even more.

Put in a 9:00 am Sunday morning and fished/floated until 3:30 or so. fishing was good but nowhere near and hot as it has been the past 2 weeks. I caught and released 32 smallmouths. I pulled in quite a few nicer fish than is typical on a float of this length. Friend that went with me flyfished and caught tons of bluegill and longear sunfish on a popper fly. He even caught a handful of northern hogsuckers on the popper as well. All in all a good day to be on the water. A few pics below:

Have been fishing a lot but just haven't had time to put any reports or photos up lately. My brother is in town for a few months from New Jersey and being from southern Iowa and Northern Missouri he has never had the opportunity to do any stream fishing. So, we floated all day Saturday and it was one heck of a great day. We threw all kinds of crayfish patterns and even some stick worms. I caught 75 smallmouth and 13 largemouth (most LM i've caught in this creek in one day). Brother caught 35 fish as well. Lots of dinks and several nice fish too. Here's a few pics:

Waded for a couple hours yesterday afternoon and it couldn't have been much better. The fish were biting like crazy. Didn't matter what I threw at all, nearly every fish hit the lure as soon as it entered the water. I ended up catching and releasing 29 smallmouth. Great day - i need to buy a waterproof camera or a cheap disposable for fishing trips.

No joke - all kinds of them in that hole. Its hard to beat fresh crawdads boiled in Busch Beer with Old Bay or Zattaran's over the camp fire.

I actually loved it, because there is a residual pool where the channel used to be and it was chock full of crawdads - thats where we caught em all.

07.05.2010 - Put in at the HWY 71 Bridge upstream from Anderson, holy cow there must have been 100 Pacific Islanders there swimming, BBQ, and carrying on. Floated from there downstream to Anderson Beach. We saw 2 other canoes and a couple small groups of folks floating in tubes. I think we were the only ones there to fish. The guys in the 2 other canoes had fishing rods, but we leap-frogged them several times and they seemed more interested in swimming and goofing around in the water than fishing. Fishing seemed slower than normal - but may have been due to the fact that I had the girlfriend and her 7 year old nephew with me - lots of untangling and snagged limbs to deal with - but caught & released 11 smallmouth - 3 of which were right at the 15"-16" mark. Lots and lots of suckers in this stretch of water. This was a really nice float without many obstructions in the water and an overall good time. Even floated right through 2 heavy rains, which left us a couple inches of water in the bottom of the canoe and soaked everything we had in it, but it was an adventure. 07.03.2010 - On a sidenote a few friends and I camped out at Huckleberry Ridge on Saturday night and went down to Deep Ford access on Big Sugar. We didn't fish, but we did catch enough crawfish to fill a dutch oven and had ourselves a nice little crawfish boil. A perfect appetizer before brats and baked beans over a campfire.

Nothing at the mill, fished there 10 minutes or so and moved on. Its a neat place to get out and stretch your legs a bit though. I'll probably give that stretch another chance later on this summer, since I know there are at least 3 smallies swimming there we released.

Floated from Cherry Corner to Lime Kiln on Saturday. Its a great float but the fishing just wasnt on. Between 3 guys we boated only 5 fish. 3 smallmouth, 1 goggle-eye, and 1 bluegill. at least one of the smallmouth was nice 17" - saw 4 kayaks come through at the island. All in all, an enjoyable afternoon.

Floated with 3 friends for about 6 hours this past Sunday - we caught 15-20 smallmouth apiece, and lots of goggle-eye too. Fished craw patterns and stick worms. A few fish on chompers and minnow imitators. Fantastic float. Saw one other group of recreational floaters, close to Anderson. Also saw a couple guys teaching a young coonhound how to keep its head above water, was hilarious.

The stretch from the low water bridge to Lanagan access is impassable by canoe/kayak. There are lots of large trees laying in and across the water flow for at least a hundred yards are more. Waded this stretch a few weeks ago and did well. However, there is a large gravel bar that you can walk around it all pretty easily, if you don't mind carrying the canoe that far.

I'm gonna start this by saying I am in no way trying to argue with anyone. If you want to be super-discreet about your fishing holes, thats your prerogative and no one can hold that against you. So..... Of course it could "potentially" increase pressure. But the likelihood of mentioning the stream name, causing dramatic shifts in fish populations is low. As I more or less said above, people are lazy. On a stream like Indian, with fairly limited access. Most folks are just too lazy to set up a float and shuffle vehicles around etc, let alone wade any considerable distance. And your right I do not fish here every day, but I have fished Indian 10 times from Jan 2 - May 9. And I do drive down there most every evening, just looking around picking up trash (Stream Team 4141), looking at deer etc. And have yet to see anyone fishing except from the bank at hole near the HWY 71 bridge at Anderson and occasionally at the McNatt church. Overnight Dandy Craig O'lea to Hog Heaven - another very similar type of report There are plenty of folks who posts all the details of their trips and those are the some of the most interesting threads to read. Go through the threads - and you'll find lots of them. As to why people don't post names? I dunno - I think most fisherman keep some things secret mainly because its just part of the culture. Your buddies and friends ask ya what your using to catch all those fish and its fun to jab at them a bit and make 'em wonder what their doing wrong. This thread has had 446 views as I type this. Do you really think that is going to cause a massive influx of fishing pressure? Its safe to assume that most of those views are folks viewing it several times as new posts are made. Someone mentioned "lurkers" just watching for where the good fishing is and coming out and stripping the stream of all the good fishing. Really? There are plenty of folks who posts all the details of their trips and those are the some of the most interesting threads to read: I am happy to share - I would rather share what I'm doing that makes me successful and pass it along to others, especially youth. Hell, I'll pass it along to anyone that wants to listen if thats what it takes to get more people outdoors. Its one of the best ways to promote the outdoors; especially the ethics and values that "most" outdoorsmen collectively share. Keeping it all secret in a sort of Underground culture is a great way to ensure that less and less people get outdoors and enjoy what mother nature has to offer. We're already the minority, and our rights/priviledges are attacked in one way, shape, or form nearly everyday. I'm will continue to "Pass it On" because I believe thats what it will ultimately take to ensure a strong conservation ethic in this country.

Drew, thanks for your two cents, but I already understood what some of the other posters were saying. I simply disagree with some of the thoughts, or at least the way they were presented on this board. I do not believe for one second that mentioning the name of the stream a person is fishing is going to "ruin the resource." I could probably upload a google map of the exact spots I am catching fish and the fishing pressure would remain more or less unchanged, because most folks aren't going to wade a mile or more to catch fish. Anyone that is willing to, is probably going to have a solid set of conservation ethics. I fish Indian more than anywhere else because I live just a few miles from the stream. And in the 2 years I've lived here I have NOT ONCE seen a single other soul fishing the creek. I've seen a few floaters but no one fishing (however I'm POSITIVE there are others that fish it). I think its pretty safe to assume that fishing pressure is low from Lanagan upstream. With that said I would love to see some folks out there fishing. I've met very few fisherman that don't want to take care of and promote the resource they love. I just don't believe that maintaining the secrecy of fishing holes does anything to promote the conservation of resources.

Got out there and chased em Saturday and just a little today. Really knocked em dead on Saturday. Caught 25 smallmouth, 19 goggle eye and a handful of sunfish and largemouth. Seeing all kinds of other species... cardinal shiners are everywhere as are the redhorse. Tubes and craws were the ticket. Had several heavy fish hooked and lot in brush/snags. Today used a watermelon senko and caught 6 smallmouths, 2 large, and 2 goggle eyes. Couple great days on the water.

SOME CLARITY - 1. I do not want any association with the guy calling these other folks idiots. Especially the guys that are the most frequent contributors to the public fishing spots in this area (Hickory, Shoal, Indian, Elk, Sugars, etc) - anyone who frequents this forum knows who ya'll are. This is not the point of view I was attempting to get across. Chances are if we were all in the same room, we'd have the same views. They are just interpreted differently in print on a internet message board, than they would be man to man, with a friendly handshake. 2. Chief I realize your were simply offering a suggestion, and in no way felt bullied - thus I didn't feel the need to tell the world it was your PM and maintain your anonymynity. I simply disagree and can't see the point of even having a forum like this if your not even going to mention the name of the stream your fishing. Like I said earlier, its nice to share information and each person can choose to be as discreet as they wish in the details of the report. I do agree somewhat with you though - I'm not going to report exactly where I was fishing at, and keep the details pretty general. Yet give enough detail so that it is a "real" report of what the day was like, yet vague enough that its not replicable. Just enough to help someone else out. 3. The entire premise of my earlier post was missed entirely, mainly by one individual. But nonetheless, its discouraging to see fellow outdoorsman arguing over such petty things. Like I said, we are supposed to be on the same stinkin' side.

WOW - I have been away from the computer for a few days, come back to Ozark Anglers, which I have grown to love in the past few months to see this crap. Fellow fisherman, laying it to each other; each trying to seem more Elite and Ethical than the other guy. I give a report, because I like sharing information about fish and fishing with others who love it just as much as I do. No where in my initial post did a say we were catching fish off their beds. Just saw a ton of fish guarding nests. Our fish came from deeper holes with low visibility. Maybe they were on nests too, I dunno. The point is, even if we were pulling fish from their beds....its not illegal. I also didnt realize how many Biologists we had posting on our board, that truly understand the population dynamics and fisheries ecology of our Ozarks streams (much sarcasm intended). Granted, most fisherman I know are much more educated about these things than your average Joe Public... but to get up in arms against each other is ridiculous. Not only that but I also have a Private Message that reads: "Hey, I just want to offer a friendly suggestion. When posting a report about Indian Creek, if you would, please don't mention where you were fishing. There are too many lurkers on this forum that come in and strip an area of good fishing. Most of in this area just mention the report with out, in some cases, even mentioning the name of the stream. Indian is a very fragile fishery and will not be able to handle the amount of traffic that can be generated from post about the good fishing it has to offer. Of course it is no secret to most that live close to this area but, it is not out of the question for people to start coming from say, Branson, Springfield, Tulsa, Pittsbugh and such. Most of us stopped posting about Indian a while back. There are still some that will post about it from Lanagan on down but, nothing is mentioned about it from there up stream. I hope you understand. I certainly like reading your reports as we fish the same waters. I would also like to invite you to our Spring Float that is coming up at the end of this month. " I won't call out the gentleman who sent me this, but needless to say it also ruffled my feathers. Don't mention where you were fishing or even the name of the creek??? My post simply says Indian Creek upstream of Anderson. There is quite a stretch of water from Anderson on upstream. That is a fairly vague description. And if a few fishing reports posted by me (a degreed and Certified Wildife Biologist by the way) on this board encourages someone else to get out there and fish, then I consider that a victory. The point of all this is that, we should be encouraging and promoting fishing and all outdoor pursuits in as unified front as possible. We already have enough groups that would love to see the end of sportfishing and hunting as it is. Fisherman don't need other fisherman telling then when, how, where, etc to purue their hobby, as long as they are doing so by legal means. Which, by no coinicidence is regulated and established by Biologists who care just as much about the future of this sport as we do, because they are fisherman too. I will continue to posts reports, because I believe its important to share information and because I love reading everyone elses fishing reports, seeing their pictures, and interacting with other fisherman as much as possible.

Waded with a couple friends in Indian Saturday evening before the rain moved in. Smallmouth were guarding beds all over the place, and biting really well. We caught a dozen or so fish in about and hour. I was throwing smoke/purple flake 2.5" tubes, and one buddy was throw a crawdad pattern streamer fly on the fly rod. Both of us caught a couple fish apiece over 15 inches. Was too good a day not to have a camera out there.

Wow very nice. I built a plywood canoe, and want to get into a strip build like this, with lots of brightwork. What kind of epoxy do you use? and what do you use to spread it when wetting out the fiberglass?

Fished Friday and Saturday daylight til dark. Put in at Eagle Rock. Table Rock has humbled me several times in the past few years, with several trips of being completely skunked. However, managed to put some fish in the boat this weekend. Caught lots of short largemouths and spots working the Eakins jigs in 8-20 feet of water. Tried throwing stickbaits and wiggle warts as I see all the guys on here talk about in 20-40 feet with no luck. fishing partner had one strike on a wart and it caught him so off guard he missed. Got into the whites really well near the Roaring River arm. The maps with Babler's notations on where to catch fish and with what bait were a perfect tool for Table Rock newbies. We basically hit the spots he has marked and this was our best outing by far on TR. So thanks Bill and Phil for making these available. Posted a few pics, short bass but very satisfying to pull him out of the water with the jig. Friday and Saturday white bass pics - note the live well pic, Mine is the nearly full well, buddies on the left was having trouble getting them in the boat. Also marked the Holiday Island map with where we were really catching the whites in 2-11 feet of water. Quite a few other boats were in there as well putting to them.

The boat looks better from a distance! First attempt at anything like this. It turned out pretty good, but the learning curve when working with epoxy is pretty steep. I might try out a pirogue style boat, now that I have learned a little more about the process. Building a floatable boat was very easy. Fairing and getting everything smooth was the difficult part for me.

Yeah it is fairly stable. Only 22" wide at its widest on the bottom of the hull. Feels a little topsy when getting in and out, but did really well out on the water. I only went through one little chute with it, and had no problems. The best part is that it only weighs 50-60 pounds. I'm hooked on the boatbuilding now. Buddies are trying to talk me into a drift boat - which I'm sure your plenty familiar with up on the North Fork

That would be absolutely awesome. I have waded from McNatt quite a bit, and just started a Stream Team a few weeks ago from McNatt downstream to the first county road bridge. Plan on doing some trash pickups and water quality monitoring. Only 4-5 miles from the house.

Ollie, I was on Indian Creek. Probably won't hit a cold water stream until wintertime C&R. All the trout streams are getting pounded by corn chunkers.