fozzie.

Do the asians (carp) stack up thick in the Meramec? I've been wanting to find a place fairly close where I could target 'em with a flyrod, without having to buy an Illinois fishing license...

Great pics, glad you were able to get out and enjoy the Little Piney. I need to get down there before the summer crowds descend...

I've tried a lot of different things, and they all seem to work, none to me seem any more productive than any other. I've caught fish dead-drifting buggers and streamers through rocky runs, I've caught fish high-sticking heavily weighted buggers and streamers through the deepest, fastest runs I can find, I've had them smoke heavily weighted streamers on the bottom, I've had them smoke streamers as soon as they hit the water. They all seem to work, and probably your best bet is not to stick with one standard technique or presentation. Watch how the fish are reacting to your pattern, and be willing to change presentations and retrieves until everything clicks. The one technique I find myself using most often (not necessarily most effective), is dead drifting them through moderately deep runs, the more habitat the better- boulders, overhanging vegetation, logjams and deadfall. Towards the end of the drift I'll usually throw in a mend and swing the streamer stripping it fairly rapidly, usually 2-3 inches at a time. I won't pick up and begin my next cast until the leader is at my tip-top- more than once I've had trout come out of their lair across the stream, follow the fly through the current, through the swing, only to make a commitment within a few feet of where I stood.

I have a haunting feeling plugging the name "Tim Homesley," into the magic which is www.google.com would've saved a whole lot of heartburn on this thread...

I'm still not convinced about D. Saying that the Florida strain is "genetically superior," is sort of a misnomer- it has traits, such as large size and fast growth, that we find desirable. But in order to reach that genetic potential it requires a set of environmental conditions found in places like Texas, Florida, and California. I just don't think the environmental conditions of Missouri reservoirs are comparable to reservoirs in those areas, and I'm not sure there would be any benefit to stocking a strain of bass which would not perform any better, and may perhaps perform worse, than the strain we already have. I guess the best analogy I can make is with walnut trees. You can buy walnut seedlings which have been grown from trees deemed to have excellent genetics- for traits like fast growth, straightness, good form, etc. If you plant those seedlings in a loamy, well drained bottom, in full sun, the synergy between the plant's genetics and its habitat is maximized, and you'll see those good genetics expressed in the growth of the plant. But if you choose a dry, rocky, upland site with poor soil and little water, all the genetics in the world won't make that seedling perform well. It may grow, it may survive, but it will never thrive compared to the trees down in the bottom. All the genetics in the world won't make up for the fact that the habitat and environmental conditions aren't suitable to its growth. I hope that makes sense. As for evidence of what I'm talking about, some studies done in central Illinois in the early 90's found that Florida strain bass stocked in ponds had lower winter survival and slower growth at age 2 and 3 than bass of the northern strain. Moreover, hybrids between the two strains performed at an intermediate level- better than the Florida strain, worse than the northern strain. You could stock Florida strain in MO reservoirs to broaden the gene pool, and perhaps you'd see some bigger bass with higher growth rates. But it's also entirely possible that you'd be tainting the gene pool- that you'd wind up with slower growing bass which are more susceptible to winter die-off than what you had in their before. Is that a worthwhile goal? I'm still open to the possibility that there may be some benefit to stocking Florida strain bass, but first things first, I think there needs to be A LOT more study of how the two strains interact, and the benefits and potential pitfalls of stocking a new strain.

It's hard to say, really. You'll certainly catch fish if you head down early, it's usually not absolutely necessary. I suppose it depends on how much your friend values his sleep : )

It's also possible some rainbows are moving into tributary streams (Roark, Bull Creek, etc), and spawning there, with the younger fish dropping back to the main lake sometime after hatching. It's not uncommon to find trout in many of the lake's tributary streams throughout the year

I'm not so sure- there's lots of folks moving to SWMO from California and other points west for various reasons- fewer people, cheaper cost of living, etc. It'd be a great poll, and I'd love to see the results. I think part of the problem is the definition of a quality fishing experience, and I'm sure it's a metric MDC has to wrestle with on a consistent basis. Is it all about catching 10+ lb bass, or are their other elements of the experience which matter? IMO, fishing in relative solitude, myself alone with a few close friends and our thoughts, is at least as important as catching a wallhanger.

I'll have to try this one. Have you tied 'em with weedguards?

Not to mention- the development of recreational fisheries is a double-edged sword. Developing nationally or internationally-renowned trophy bass fisheries would increase permit sales and revenues, but also increases crowding, resource exploitation, and negative interactions between anglers and between anglers and other resource users. There are already significant concerns with the pace of development and the fouling of our reservoirs in the Branson/Table Rock area as well as LOZ (zebra mussels, water pollution, etc). I'd love to have higher quality trophy bass fisheries on our lakes, but at what cost? If it means trashing our reservoirs and turning them into tourist destinations (more so than they are now), I'm not certain that's something I'd like to see.

Everyone outfit their boats with a klaxon horn. You know, the old-timey "ahoooga," type. Surely that'd be a pretty unique attribute. Or just have everyone hang a white handkerchief or something off their outboard. Decorated with whatever insignia you prefer.

I guess my only issue is this: the Florida strain (and others), are adapted to growing conditions entirely different from ours. Even if they were stocked, there's no guarantee their genetics would provide any advantage in our lakes, or that they would perform any better than the native strain. If there were some research that indicated they would perform better, it'd certainly be interesting. I'm not opposed to liberalizing limits on Kentucky bass, I'm just not sure what effect, if any, those regulations would have on largemouth. Kentuckies and largemouth do compete, but I'm not sure Kentuckies have a real advantage. Kentuckies spawn at a smaller size, but bass are territorial, and a bigger largemouth would certainly be able to kick a smaller Kentucky out of prime spawning areas. Largemouth can also produce more eggs (larger body size), and would be able to protect their fry from predation better than spots. They do compete for food, but a bunch of other species compete with largemouth for food as well, so to me that's a non-issue. And MDC is charged with protecting all the state's resources, not just the most popular ones. Whether it's cave critters no one ever sees, or wildflowers in a field, or trophy largemouth bass, MDC has to oversee all of them. And there's a lot of different folks with a lot of different attitudes and perceptions of what they'd like to see. MDC has to take all that into account, and I'm sure it's a tough job.

We obviously need a secret handshake. Or a password. Like Jaguar.

Do any good?

Comparing MO bass fishing to bass fishing in California, Texas, or Florida, is like comparing apples and oranges. Different genetics, different climate, different habitat. I agree that regulation changes could certainly produce more trophy largemouth in MO reservoirs, but I'm not sure what you'd get would be anything comparable to reservoirs in warmer climates. They're just fundamentally different systems. I wince at the idea of our fisheries being managed the same way as a farm or feedlot. Selecting genetic traits such as body size and conformation has led to genetic deficiencies in other areas- think hip dysplasia in dogs, and the myriad genetic and immune deficiencies in livestock and other domesticated organisms. Genetic manipulation is great in human terms- creating higher yielding food organisms, for example. But those traits are often a genetic disadvantage in the wild, and how many organisms currently raised in the farm/feedlot fashion could survive without our intervention? I'm not convinced it's a wise road to go down. I'm not sure trophy bass should be the end all, be all goal of the MDC in the first place, and to me it seems liberalizing regs on spotted bass is sort of arbitrary. Lots of species compete with bass for food- white bass, walleye, smallmouth, crappie, hybrid bass, flathead catfish- should we liberalize regs on all those species in order to potentially produce larger bass? Reservoir fisheries are probably the toughest to manage, in that you have a bunch of interested parties with a variety of ideas on what they want from the water, and you have to balance all of that. Overall I think MDC does a decent job, but there's certainly room for improvement. It's a tough job, and there are no easy solutions.

I bet the Ruskies have had satellites trained on Bennett for years...

Thanks guys, I wound up going out yesterday, but did more walking than fishing. I hadn't fished MF in six or seven years; the water looks a whole lot better than I remembered. Managed a couple surprisingly large rock bass, a few bluegill, and 3-4 spots. Saw a few impressive smallmouth, and two or three monstrous largemouth, but wasn't able to connect. I'll definitely have to try it again later this spring, though. Thanks for the advice.

Montauk usually isn't as affected as the Current during rainfall events, particularly the C&R section. Weather report says rain, though they're only expecting a quarter inch. By the gauge, the water looks up a bit, but still reasonably fishable. I generally have more success fishing overcast/windy days than bright, bluebird skies, particularly in early spring when the trees haven't leafed out, and the streams generally aren't as shaded. Especially when the water is rising. If I were you, I'd grab a fistful of buggers and leeches and head down. Take along a few caddis and some parachute adams #14-18 and you'll be set.

True. And I could do all my whale watching from my computer desk, too

I got a sick case of impetigo from that swimming pool once. Laid me up the entire summer.

Grass carp are pretty long-lived (10-25 years), so that may factor in as well. From what I recall, something like 98% of fish produced in the triploiding process are sterile, the other 2% are still capable of reproducing. When you're stocking thousands of the things though, that 2% could potentially make a big difference. I know the big rivers have reproducing populations of grass carp, I'm not sure about other reservoirs or rivers in the states. If you're worried about them, I'd suggest contacting the TRL fisheries biologist out of Branson and see what they know about grass carp presence in the lake.

Thanks!

My guess is that the smallmouth have moved up into the trout area because the spring-influenced water is warmer than the rest of the river. They're just trying to keep warm for a bit longer...

Hey folks, It's been too gorgeous the past few days to stay cooped up again tomorrow, thinking about busting out the fly rod and heading either to the Mineral Fork or to the upper Big River (Caledonia area). I've checked the USGS site and everything looks fine; has anyone been down and checked out either area this season? I've fished both 3-4 times and never had much luck, what patterns should I be throwing. Thanks.

Cool fishing, something I've always wanted to do down there, but have never timed it right. Can you share this white mink pattern- My guess is it's something like a slumpbuster?