Kayser

Thanks for the recipes, I think I'll try the crock pot recipe. Trying for another this morning, but they all left for the river bright and early. I cook duck breasts with the skin on, salt and pepper. Sear it in a skillet with some butter and olive oil, served rare. It doesn't sound like I'll be doing this with goose.

A friend and I got our first Canadas last week. I've called a lot of them before, watched a lot of them, but never was on the right side of the blind when it came time to shoot. But not this time. Speaking of which- any good recipes that don't involve jalapeños?

I'll go with some more common ones that you could probably get. Hybrids and harder species are in parenthesis. In the Ozarks or Northern MO- 2 x Crappie 3 x Black Bass 3 x Temperate Bass (4 with hybrids) 3 x Catfish (6 with bullheads, 7 for madtom) 6 x Sunfish (bluegill, greenie, long-ear, rock bass, red ear, warmouth!, 7 with hybrids) 2 x Sucker (golden redhorse, northern hogsucker) 1 x Drum 1 x Buffalo (or 3, if you can get bigmouth and black instead of just smallmouth) 2 x Carp (common, grass. Asians could be an easy 3rd & 4th with a bit of travel) 3 x Gar (spotted, longnose, shortnose, 4 with Alligator) 3 x Perch (yellow perch, walleye, sauger- some in the MO and MS, and lots some places in IL) 2 x Trout (4, if brookies and cutts are included) 1 x Paddlefish 1 x Musky 1 x Bowfin 36 or 49 In the Missouri or Mississippi, you can get.... 1 x Sturgeon (Shovelnose, 3 with Lake and Pallid) 2 x Herring (Skipjack, Mooneye) 3 or 5 39 or 54 total Still hurting for numbers? On the smaller side... 2 x Chub (Hornyhead and Creek. They will hit nymphs and small streamers) 4 x Shiners (Duskystripe, Bleeding, Common, Golden) 1 x Sculpin (or maybe more. I have no idea how many there really are...) 1 x Logperch (small earthworms on the bottom work.) 8 47 or 62 total. That's it, 47 primaries, excluding the rarer members of the families and hybrids. All of the primaries I have either caught on H&L or have seen it done via pictures or video (if it's small and on the bottom, nightcrawlers and red wigglers are king). I highly doubt you can get all 62 in MO and AR. Ever. You will probably have to resort to a bit of bowfishing or gigging to get them. There are a few more species in existence, but these are the ones that I feel you can either get yourself or find someone to help you that catches them with some frequency. I'm 24 years old. Lifetime, I'm at 42/47 (missing striper, walleye, paddlefish, sturgeon, skipjack), and 52/62 (2x bullhead, 2x sturgeon, Alligator gar) in the regions described. I did have to grab the buffalo and asian carp by hand, as well as the madtom, but everything else was H&L. So you are trying to catch more species in one year than I have in my life. Good luck, and keep us posted!

So, just out of curiosity, is it against the rules to actually ice fish at Busch? This bout of cold might be enough to put that magical 4" on the lakes.

I had no idea there were hybrids in Pyramid.

I can understand all of that. I live 1 min from the Meramec in Kirkwood, but haven't done well in that stretch during winter. I've tried fishing the slack water from 4-12', edges to middle, chunk rock and trees. Plastics, Jigs, Jerks, and even big minnows- no fish. I've seen a lot of gar, big ones, and caught a couple drum and whites last April. But that's been it. Kinda wanting a change in scenery. I was thinking maybe Allenton this next time out- get away from that industrial area I've been fishing and find a little more natural channel.

I'm looking for a deep bluff hole on the Meramec that I can paddle my kayak up to, or back up, from an access point relatively close to St. Louis (45min or less). I think two river miles might be my max if there are strong riffles involved. I want to get out fishing this winter, but I don't feel like wasting my time on stretches of water that won't hold any fish this time of year. I would consider doing a float if anyone could suggest a shuttle service.

It's amazing how losing a big fish can bring a bigger smile to my face than catching a handful of average ones. The fish I've missed are what keep me going back. I'll never forget having a pair of 23-24" trout rocket out from behind a pair of boulders to fight over my cicada dry, only to have a 12" steal it while they're slashing at each other. Or the 26" (I'm guessing, it looked bigger than my 25) that crushed the dropper while I was fighting a 10 on the point fly, then pulled it free and I "traded up." Net wasn't big enough, line broke on a failed attempt. I had to sit down for a while after that one. Wrapped on logs, rubbed on boulders, thrown on jumps, or just ran harder than my drag could handle. Missed slashes, missed hooksets, or inspected for an eternity before rejecting it. I guess the heartbreak is just a part of the love.

I'm considering getting my dad a new depthfinder as a Christmas present this year- he currently uses a scupper-mounted transducer for a 2-color output with the resolution of a potato. Oh, and it runs off of the old massive 6V batteries. Two of them, every trip out, it seems. I was considering getting him a newer depth finder, as he's trying to get into the more technical side of fishing, especially spider-rigging for crappie, but also some trolling. I was hoping to get a good gray-scale or color output, with good target resolution- I was hoping to be able to pick up baits and lures when vertical jigging/spider rigging. I mainly want to be able to look at a shaded arch of a fish, instead of 2 red pixels for a crappie, 3 on bottom for catfish. Being able to tell bottom composition is a definite plus, as well. I honestly have no idea where to start, other than price-point. I was hoping to stay under $200, but might be able to swing up to $300, as it's a joint gift. I have no idea what the specs mean (I'll be reading the Fish Finder Training thread again later- not much sunk in on the first read.) All advice/suggestions welcome.

I've got some lead strips and plan on getting the rapalas to perfect suspendion next time I'm out. So... Any suggestions for a guy with a Jeep and a kayak that are within 45 minutes of 270x44? Or is this where I get in shape by paddling upstream 2 miles to float back down?

So the Asian carp issue is one that I've been following for a while, and I've tried to learn as much as I can about it. They were stocked into catfish farms in Arkansas in the 70s, but managed to escape during the flooding that decade. They were imported from China as vegetation control, which they kind of excelled at. Very prolific,large size, fast growing. I did some reading on them for a freshwater ecology class, and a few studies indicated (based on stomach contents) that they feed on a size of microorganisms that were not utilized by other filter feeders, such as gizzard shad, bigmouth Buffalo, and your beloved Spoonbill. That is not to say that juvenile fish are not in competition with tthm, though- I don't remember finding anything on it. They are big, ugly, slimy, smell as bad fresh as other fish do rotted, and want to be Mike Tyson when they grow up. However, the meat is very white, save for some red meat along the skin and lateral line that needs to be removed. Get a big one, remove the bones, and it's actually one of the better frying fishes you can find. And I do know that a river that is infested with them had one of the best years for flatheads recently. So they're not completely bad...

So the Asian carp issue is one that I've been following for a while, and I've tried to learn as much as I can about it. They were stocked into catfish farms in Arkansas in the 70s, but managed to escape during the flooding that decade. They were imported from China as vegetation control, which they kind of excelled at. Very prolific,large size, fast growing. I did some reading on them for a freshwater ecology class, and a few studies indicated (based on stomach contents) that they feed on a size of microorganisms that were not utilized by other filter feeders, such as gizzard shad, bigmouth Buffalo, and your beloved Spoonbill. That is not to say that juvenile fish are not in competition with tthm, though- I don't remember finding anything on it. They are big, ugly, slimy, smell as bad fresh as other fish do rotted, and want to be Mike Tyson when they grow up. However, the meat is very white, save for some red meat along the skin and lateral line that needs to be removed. Get a big one, remove the bones, and it's actually one of the better frying fishes you can find. And I do know that a river that is infested with them had one of the best years for flatheads recently. So they're not completely bad...

I hold that the 1/16oz hot pink/white crappie jig is one of the greatest winter bass lures (especially with a crappie minnow on it!) Caught 13 bass yesterday in about 3hrs trying to find the crappie on a local pond. I'll switch to the 1/32oz or lighter if there's ice on the pond, and then to charteuse in Jan/Feb or in mud. As far as floats, I'll use the bigger pear float for the 1/16, but I'll use a lay-flat pencil float (Link) for 1/32 an smaller. I'll wrap some orange electrical tape on the tip for added visibility and extra weight to help it lay flat on the 1/32oz jigs. If a fish looks at it, it'll start to raise in the air, but hold off on the hookset until it's completely under. Hands-down the best bluegill float I've ever used.

Were you fishing a strip pit? Or maybe Crab Orchard?

Had what I would describe as a hurricane blow through Kirkwood around noon. 5 minutes of whiteout from rain and hail, blowing sideways. Not a leaf left on the trees.

Mark, you just haven't been fishing the right places. After your first truly wild trophy trout (I didn't say native), you'll have a completely different respect for them. Fast, blue water, big runs, and 3' high jumps hooked me and keep me dreaming. And as far as not tasting that great, the stockers really do taste like crap- let's not have any illusions about the grey colored meat on them. Not all trout are like that, though. Best salmonid I've eaten were lake trout I caught in the Snake River, wrapped in foil with butter, salt, and pepper, then thrown on the coals. As char, they will taste different than true trout (brookies are a char, too), but it was fantastic. I did once eat an 18" brown from the Current, and it had the same exact color flesh as salmon, and tasted very similar. But I get more enjoyment from them crushing a big streamer and wrapping me around a boulder than I do from eating them, so I just let them go. In the end, I'd rather fry some catfish or panfish, or maybe grill a largemouth or wiper than eat a trout in Missouri. But I love fly fishing. I love the clear, cold, moving water. I love where they live. I love the way they fight. And that's why I'll never stop fishing for them.

I live in Kirkwood now, and I'm curious if there are any public archery areas in the area? Or is it just private land where you need to know someone?

All I'm hearing is that my collection of husky jerks (HJ 10) should have been a collection of something else.

Question- where do you access, and do you float or paddle? I've been meaning to hit the BP, but just haven't found a stretch that fit a "quick afternoon" for me.

I like to sink ants and tricos (not terrestrial, but still a dry). Agreeing that sunk ants are deadly.

As far as the sunrise thing for teal season, that's to reduce the number of young wood ducks killed by accident. Yes, it happens more than you think. I would like to see the season moved back a week or two, though.

Nightcrawler on the bottom. I prefer to either use an egg-singer rig with two #2-#6 hooks and a whole crawler, thrown down and tight-lined. Or two medium split-shot and a single hook, with half a crawler threaded up onto the line, thrown upstream and slowly drug back through a school. Fish will pick it up and drag it sideways, you'll feel the split-shot ticking in the rocks. Lower rod tip, set hook, and hang on- redhorse go airborne about half the time with this rig.

A couple years ago, Meramec Springs added brook trout to the hatchery in order to eliminate the copepods harming the rainbows downstream. Last I heard, they were adding more to the hatchery. I'm curious if anyone knows what is going to happen to them once they reach a stockable size- release, sell, or just let them grow fat & happy in the raceways? I know I'd love to catch some brook trout locally if possible.

Cut out the red meat along the skin and take out the red strip from the lateral line as well. Soak in water with some salt and a bit of lemon juice for at least 30 min. Decrease amount of lemon juice if it's going to be in there a few days- otherwise you wind up with ceviche before you even fry the fish. Mix equal parts Andy's Red, Andy's Yellow, Golden Dipt Chicken Fry/Seasoned Flour and yellow cornmeal. Deep fry at 325 until the big bubbles stop rolling out of the fish. Started doing this to all of my catfish, and I can get almost anyone hooked on it if.

I'm hunting out of a jeep, no hitch, no trailer, so a cart probably isn't going to happen. Maybe a sled in the snow, but that's about it. I'm just wanting to do it fast&light, so that I can just grab my stuff and go out to the spots- first come, first serve can make hunting IL a bit interesting at times. The biggest concern I have is a lack of vegetation around me- if there was plenty to brush up with, I would just use that. But, there isn't much that I can get effectively, so this is more about having brush with me so I can hunt effectively. These birds are blind-shy most of the time, so just throwing decoy bags over a cart isn't going to cut it, I'm afraid. I also do a lot of solo hunting, as it's hard to match my schedule up with others. It would be great to split the work, but sometimes ya gotta go it alone. Besides, then you don't have to worry about somebody killing the bird you've pulled up on. Current setup is 3 dozen G&H water keel mallards, 2 dozen greenwing teal (decoy bag), 1 baby mojo mallard, 1 mojo teal (both in backpack over the decoy bag), cased gun over that, calls around my neck, shells in my pocket, and a ham sandwich hiding somewhere in that mess. 1.5 miles is no problem, just gotta unzip the jacket for a while.