Kayser

If it ain't broke, you ain't trying.

For anything but bass in lakes and trout, I prefer live bait. Because if I'm not after those two, I'm probably out for dinner, and I don't think I've found anything better than a minnow, a nightcrawler, or a small jig tipped with a wax worm to get a bunch of crappie, catfish, or bluegill (or suckers, or anything, really...) And as long as you are decent on detecting the strikes with panfish, they will never swallow the hook. And I haven't gut hooked a single catfish since I switched to circle hooks while fishing for them. Oh, and I'll have to try that finger thing, I've got mine in the fridge and have been wondering what to do with it. Does the formaldehyde make a difference? Rob

Go ahead and frame it, carve it in stone, and chant my name as you beat people over the head with it. All ponds have bullheads in limited numbers around my, seeing as they were all creeks that were dammed up. It's just a matter of getting enough bass in there (or take the bullheads out yourself) to keep the populations in check. Or, that's what I've observed. Who knows, I could be wrong. Been fishing hard my whole life, but that's still only 20 years. I still bow to the masters who bless us with their knowledge on this site (Al Agnew, cough, cough...Phil Lilley, cough...). Dang this chillier weather, must be gettin a cold... Again, just some observations and opinions. Thanks for listening, Rob

Don't feel too old. I just turned 20 and got 15.

Fished in the park the weekend of the trout tournament, the details of which I will not get into. My friend and I caught several browns from the lower stretches of the park on dry-dropper combos. Biggest fish landed was 17x12", a little over 3 lbs. Saw some that were at least 22", maybe bigger. One was a big male with red sides, but he was thoroughly spooked from almost being stepped on by the group in front of us. Hot fly for me was the #14 Copper John under a Stimulator. Rob

Would just like to add my 2 cents to this thread. I'm from southern IL, and have been fishing small, shallow ponds for 18 years straight. There are a few factors that I've seen influence how well the crappie will do. Vegetation- too much will choke the pond and restrict the living area, but if you don't have any, the invertebrates that the fry and minnows (read as forage) feed on will never be at a level to support a large fishery. Case in point- I live on an 18 acre "lake," but it only gets maybe 12 ft deep, about 4-5 on average. We used to have a lot of water primrose (not much other vegetation), and had fantastic crappie. Never saw one under 10. Bluegill were all 8-9" each. Then we put in grasscarp, which ate everything. No plants, no base for the food chain. Survival on younger year classes for fry dropped, and larger fish starved. Bottom Substrate- most ponds that I've fished have been a mud/silt composition around the banks, dark brown or even black. Usually indicates a high fertility, and thus has the potential for vegetation and lots of invertebrates for the forage to feed on. These ponds are also lined with trees, and have a nice layer of decaying leaves on the bottom. These ponds have good crappie, all of the ones I've caught have been 10-14". Have fished a few gravel bottom ponds, and was not overly impressed with the overall health of the fish. Predators- The most common one you will see is bass, just because they are so popular, but channel catfish and bullheads are also very effective. In all ponds that I fish, there are either channels or bullheads. In the 18 acre pond behind my house, we fell behind on our introduction of channel catfish from a nearby powerplant lake, and their numbers died off drastically. At the same time, the bluegill and crappie populations exploded, as did the bass, and all fish under 15" seemed severely stunted. All of the fish seemed to be competing for the same size baitfish, which became somewhat nonexistant in my minnow traps. We were able to to get back up to par on the catfish, which are now about 3-4 lbs each, and the quality of fish is almost back to what it was. In the other pond that I fish religiously (8 acres, 18 ft deep), there are bullheads that I have seen in the bass beds in the spring, which seem to be eating the eggs. The bass and crappie in this pond are doing just fine, all the crappie I catch are 10-12", and the bass are 12-16", and they are all extremely healthy. Bluegill are good too, very few fish under 7". I have fished another pond similar to this one, except it is only about 7 feet deep, and the quality of fish is comparable. A third pond that I know, about 2 acres and 6 feet deep, used the have catfish, along with nice crappie (9-11") and bass (12-14" avg), all very healthy. The catfish have since died off, there are no bullheads, and everything is overpopulated and stunted now. Forage- this is basically what kind of forage is in the pond for your fish, and not just the crappie. The more food items you have, the more there will be to eat. Crawfish, fathead minnows, mosquitofish, and small bluegill are what I have seen in the ponds I fish. Doesn't mean there aren't other things there, but those are the main ones available year-round. The crawfish dont' compete with the others for food, and are eaten by the bass and catfish, which reduces the pressure they put on the other forage species. Bluegill are almost a seasonal forage, due to the rate at which they grow- they can grow too big for developing crappie to eat by the time Fall rolls around, which is when fish put on most of their weight. Fathead minnows and mosquitofish are about as good as it gets, due to their small adult size and relative prolific nature. So, in deciding whether or not to stock crappie, you need to evaluate the overall living space, the vegetation (for health of fry and forage), the health of predator species populations, and the health of the forage species. If they all seem pretty good, I wouldn't see why not to stock them. If they get out too stunted, try adding some brushpiles for cover, boost the forage population. Oh, keep the crappie you do catch. Nothing like acting as an apex predator to keep populations in check. Again, just my 2 cents. Rob

On lunkers at Montauk this weekend: I can verify how two were caught. My friend caught one, a 3lb 14oz fish, legally. Another one, almost 8lbs, was snagged across the nose. Close, but no cigar, in my books. Took 5 guys standing shoulder to shoulder on the dam with marabous to hook it. On a side note, the big browns have moved into the lower stretches of the park. Caught 3 on small beadheads, biggest was 17" long with a 12" girth, 3.16lbs by the formula. Still swimming for some other lucky person. Saw several others that were a lot bigger, probably 22" or so, but couldn't get them to take. Dry-droppers were the most effective, seemed to not spook the fish in the shallow water. Oh yea, stockers were biting well on eggs, san juans, and brown and olive beadheads, size 14 and 16. Got a couple on dries as well. Rob

Ozark- right on. And I'm hoping to make it down next Tuesday after classes. I'll post a report if I make it. Scudz- while you entitled to your right to free speech, I feel I speak for all members of this forum when I say we dislike personal attacks, (except for the occasional PETA or political thing). This forum is a place to share knowledge and information about various things relating to fishing, including where to fish. If you don't want to advertise the Current, then don't post. You aren't under subpoena to give up your hard earned fishing knowledge. I respect you for the obvious knowledge of and love for fishing and this river, but I must say I lost a great deal of it while reading this thread. I personally don't care how you fish, so long as you aren't snagging, poaching, or further disrespecting the river. It is a treasure, and while I wish I could have it all to myself on weekends, I understand that popularity means money to keep roads to the river, and make it a part of the ONSR. It also means it gets more attention from conservation agencies (including MDC), which means the annual stockings will continue, ensuring good fish populations for years to come. Also, with more people out there respecting the stream, it makes it harder for people to get away with poaching, which I'm pretty sure does more to hurt the fishing than a couple dozen C&R guys. And if you hate the crowds so much, try and go midweek (Tues-Thurs). And now I have to go back to studying- Cell Biology and Organic Chem tests coming up this week... Rob

Nice fish! And is that last one a cutt? Rob

Don't forget some type of caddis dry, #14 or #16. And maybe some San Juans, if it's rained recently. Rob

1- Yep, there's enough water. 2- The 63 Bridge is free parking, but there are a lot of those long, dead pools in between the riffles. If you don't mind walking a ways back upstream, I would suggest this stretch. And be careful, I don't think the banks are public. Lane Springs is about 1 river mile below the bridge, and has a $2/day parking fee. 3- Try visible flies, like eggs and san juans. Just be kinda stealthy, and get a good drift. 4- Just stay in the creek and on the sandbars, and you should be fine. 5- Should be fine, very few overhanging trees. 6- Haven't been on the weekends, only snuck out a few afternoons after classes in Rolla. Hope this helps, Rob.

Thanks for the almost offer, but I'm currently at home in IL and won't be back in Rolla until late August. Besides, I just had my fingernail removed and I need to keep the stitches clean and dry. Float trips aren't exactly the best place for that. And as for the shuttle, I'd have a jeep for hauling the canoes, and one of my friends should have a car that we can shuttle with. I was just curious as to how private Six Crossings was, since it's not owned by the MDC. That and if I would need to talk to a landowner or pay to use it. But it sounds like I don't. Thanks for all of the advice, really appreciate it. Rob

I was planning on renting a canoe from school and not using an outfitter. Can I still use the Six Crossings access without going through an outfitter? Rob

Uh, better question- how do I get permission to use Six Crossings Access if I'm not using an outfitter? Just looked it up, and it appears to be a private access. Rob

Few quick questions about it. How long does it take to float, and about how far is it from Rolla? I think I'm just going to assume decent scenery and fishing since it's on the Big Piney... Rob

Hey all. I'm currently going to school in Rolla, and was hoping to take a one day float on the Big Piney or Gasconade later this summer. I would be starting in Rolla in the morning, and would have to wind up back there in the evening. I was wondering if anyone could give me any suggestions on what would make a good one day float that time of year. I was maybe thinking of starting from Ross Access on the Big Piney, since it's so close to Rolla. On a side note, I'm strictly C&R on all smallmouth. Thanks, Rob

If you get "river fish" from any of the taverns along the river, that's buffalo straight from the mississippi. Personally, it's one of my favorite fish to eat. Rob

The two kids that died went to the same high school as me. Even though I graduated last May, I'm still a part of the community, and stay somewhat connected with the people there. It's kind of hard to believe that some of the people I shared those halls with are dead. Prayers are with the friends and family. Rob

That's the only way to eat a goggle-eye in my mind- heavy cornmeal breading and pan-fried whole in bacon grease. The tails are by far the best part of any fish fried whole. Just seems to take to long to clean fish whole anymore. Rob

Where exactly is this Bennett C&R area? Been there quite a few times and never seen nor heard of it. Rob

Fox squirrel gets its name from its similar coloration to the gray fox, and the gray squirrel gets it's name from its bark- somebody thought it sounded like a cat meowing a long time ago apparently, and it stuck. And nice gun. Rob

I'll second OTF's opinion- probably not a cuttbow. Probably just stream-born rainbows with really good colors on them. Fun to catch nonetheless. Rob

Trolling a tiny Husky Jerk for crappie in the middle of a big farm pond. ~8lbs. Rob

Get the biggest, ugliest, heaviest streamer you can and go all the way up to the tailrace, and try to drift it under the far bank (it's undercut). There are several 18"+ fish in the broken water up there. That or try scuds in the same place. Oh, and don't forget the fish pellet flies! Rob

All that separates me from summer is 3 finals next week, and this weather is absolutely killing my drive to stay here any longer. Looking forward to doing some jug fishing on the Kaskaskia, but I don't want to head out too early and just waste time on the water. Are the cats biting yet, or should I just keep chasing the crappie for a while? Rob