Kayser

I catch grassies out of the MS and backwaters with some degree of regularity (when I fish there), they are just another one of those things that got in the river system from a stocking somewhere, and have now taken hold. But they fight well, and taste alright, so I'm more than happy to catch them. Rob

Haven't received my flies yet. Have they been shipped? Rob

Hang on, 10 of the last 21 confirmed sightings have occurred in the last 10 months (Nov 2010-Present). I think that should be a little red flag to the MDC to get in gear to protect these things- they are definitely here. Or are at least trying to be. Also, could the reason that all the kills have been subadults be attributed to the fact that older animals are generally more wary, and don't get close enough to people to get shot? Just saying... Rob

I hereby sentence him to fry until done. Also, I think that the threat of cougars in MO might cut down on poaching a bit- you might not spend as much time traipsing about the woods if you think you might not be the only hunter out there.

This is getting ridiculous- the cats are coming back to their native range, but people of the same sort that originally eradicated them are still around. The MDC needs too issue a statement that the cats are coming back, and unless you are in immediate danger, then the cats are off-limits, with either a hefty fine or jail time for those that don't want to follow the rules. With so much emphasis and money spent on reintroducing extirpated species (read "ELK"), you would think they would be tickled pink to not have to spend any money on reintroducing another species. At least educate people about the cats- all they know is that it's a big predator that "can" kill a person or livestock. But with all the guns, cars, and deer in the woods, they would rather just be left alone. Honestly, with all the sightings, shootings, and ones we haven't seen, how many attacks have there been? Oh, right- zero. People are more in danger of their gun blowing up than getting attacked by the cat they're sighted on. Rob

would not have guessed that. but i guess it makes sense...

I'm curious- how did you get the walleye to bite?

Lou- St. Louis. Downriver in the Meramec- it's bigger water, more wood, more deep bluff holes. PM- private message. To keep people like me (or lurkers) from going out and beating the river to death because of something we read here. Anything I've ever heard about them tells me you want to find a nice, deep bluff hole with some good boulders in it, and fish big 4-6" minnows on the bottom at dusk, somewhere near the head of the hole, but not in the riffle. I would recommend pm'ing Smalliebigs, as insider knowledge is always preferable to just general knowledge and tips. If I find the time this year, I plan on chasing them (never caught one). But being my last semester and needing to find a grad school, this fall isn't looking that promising for me. Rob

You forgot about Barren Fork. Never been, but it's on my list. Hell, I don't even know where it is other than somewhere in the Current River basin.

There is a method of removing a hook from the gullet, but I've only used it on largemouth and catfish- things with big mouths. It involves passing the eye of the hook (and some line) through the gills so that the hook faces backwards, and then grabbing the bend of the hook to pull it out- the only resistance is the barb. The fish have stayed alive on a stringer or in a livewell with no signs of keeling over. Until the knife comes, that is. But this is killing me- I'm dying for some fall river fishing. Rob

Pheasant tails, hare's ear soft hackles, and princes make up the majority of my catches, including big fish. There are a reason those patterns are "classics."

I troll for drum on Baldwin Lake here in IL- I fillet them, and just take the loin off the top. Normally slice it thin and fry it with Andy's yellow just like any other fish, but I did try it with blackened redfish seasoning on the grill a few weeks ago- was actually really good. Just don't expect this fish to flake like a bass- it's a little tougher than that. Rob

I've been fishing a power plant lake this week, and an 8/0 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle has been working wonders for me- no hookset required, no gut hooked fish, no lost fish. Just feel the bite, and pull tight. Kept 130lbs of fish yesterday, and let many others go. Rob

You might try moving this post to the main forum, instead of in the archives- probably won't get much traffic here.

Any word on the swap?

I use a 6" rapala fillet knife- holds the edge well, not too big for bluegill/crappie, but still has enough muscle to butcher a flathead. I like the thing blade they have, since I mainly do fish less than 20 lbs. The black handle with the finger guard is my personal favorite- and I would go with the one that comes with the fillet glove. Saves a lot of cuts and nicks, but also helps hold fish in place and reduces fin sticks. Rob

I find that quite flattering- I was considering being a fishing guide for a while, but at the same time have never entered a tournament (no interest in the entry fee and running to and from the weigh-in site- waste of fishing time). I'm actually a Biology major at MST (formerly University of Missouri- Rolla), with minors in both Chemistry and Material Sciences, and slight emphasis in Environmental Science an Ecology- trying to be well rounded in the field so as to not be narrow-sighted. Graduation is set for December, so I'm just looking for a decent regenerative medicine/tissue engineering graduate program right now. Fishing, however, remains the primary obsession. Rob

He's actually right- compared to invertebrates and amphibians, fish are pretty resistant to merely e. coli and pharmaceuticals. Most of the fish kills you hear of due to "poo in the water" have to do with a biomass overload and oxygen depletion by bacteria, or a mass of toxic chemicals dumped in (like agent orange or something). Now, that's not to say some of the pharms won't cause hermaphroditic fish; check this out- http://news.discovery.com/animals/more-hermaphrodite-fish-in-us.html The fish are still healthy in size and number, just "gender confused." (I'm gonna blame artificial estrogens here- water soluble and not degraded by the body, merely expelled, meaning those shotty septic systems throw them right into the lake!) Rob

I think those two together were both cottonmouths- male and female, courtship dance. And that is a big timber rattler... As far as the full-on hatred of snakes, I never really got it. Granted, when water snakes try to crawl up my leg while I'm wading for trout, it freaks me out a little. But they're fine- they just think I'm a log and want to get out of the cold water. But seeing as I can't find any news articles on copperhead or cottonmouth fatalities, and most people will never see or even hear a rattler in their lifetime, why the hatred? Also, I've never seen a snake be aggressive until it feels threatened- aka, you try to pick it up, stomp it, etc. Besides, if you get bit, you were most probably doing something very wrong and/or stupid. Rob

"A lot of flavor in the skin, so leave it on if you want." Ummmm..... What? Fillet the fish, strip it off the skin, and leave the red meat (dark muscle meat, in the video) on the skin. Cut out the red "mud line" that follows the lateral line- that is fatty tissue that can taste muddy and concentrates contaminants. The belly meat if fine to eat (best part of a flathead), just strip it off the skin, and do the same with the inner septum (silver skin). Doing this removes most of the nasty, fishy, and muddy flavor that catfish can sometimes get. Soak the fillet in some water with a little salt and lemon juice, and that will kill any other unpleasant flavors. This is how I clean catfish, and people who hate catfish cannot wait for me to have another fish fry. Rob

I'm using 15lb mono from my baitcaster. Thread base, tie down mono 3/4 shank length, slip on 2 red glass beads, hook eye, then back through the beads, cinch to desired length, tie in (same length as other end), trim excess. Continue tying front fly.

Alright, thanks anyways.

It's different than BSSP because the Niangua is White Ribbon, same put-and-take management strategy as the bait water in the park. Different from Taney, because browns are protected in the entire lake (1 fish, 20"+), not just the trophy area. So when fish move between areas on these bodies of water, they are not really exposed to any greater risk for harvest. In the current, if they move up in the summer and fall (as we can all probably agree they do), then they lose the protection of the Blue Ribbon Water- aka- big risk for harvest of both more and smaller fish. Sorry for doubting the ethics of the angler in question, I've just seen too many people using 1/8th oz white jigs snagging big fish, both in the park and just downstream. The one that sticks with me the most was a 22" fish that a son (about 16-17) of a father/son team had hooked just under the dorsal fin, at the hard left at the end of the sewage lagoons, and the father was telling him "good job, nice and easy, wear him down." I was 50 yards away and could clearly see the jig placement, as well as the exhausted fish being drug sideways across the top of the water, so ignorance of hook placement isn't really a defense here. My friend and I followed them for a while after that, and watched them snag a few more fish, but land none. We also saw some bigger browns with broken off white jigs in their sides and such, same as those guys were throwing. On a side note, I haven't caught as many browns in the upper current the last couple years as I did in high school/freshman year of college. Not saying it's causation (could be high water), but it is kinda curious. Rob

You don't by any chance still have these, do you? I've been wanting to find another pair of backpacking pants, but shelling out the cash for new stuff stings a little too much. Rob

I picked one up off the road back home a couple weeks ago. Saw it crossing, yelled at my buddy to pull over. So I ran back, grabbed her by the tail and threw her in the bed of the truck. Then we continued down the bluff to go gig some buffalo. I've never heard of one biting their own tail, especially if you're holding them. Keeping the top of the turtle away from you helps, too. Rob