flytyer57

We started the float around 7;30 AM and finished around 5:30 PM. From Georges creek to the slab was about 7 hours. We didn't have an odometer on the canoe, and gotmuddy ran his battery down on his cell phone running the GPS. The books I have about the creeks and rivers here put the float from Georges Creek to Hwy. 14 in Yellville at about 11 miles.

The slab is still there. As for removing it, that would have it's pros and cons. Pro: it would make passage a lot easier. Con: I didn't see 1 carp above the slab, nor any largemouth. Removing that slab may allow undesirable species to make passage upstream. Of course those species may already be there and I just didn't notice. All the fish we caught above the slab were smallmouth or sunfish.

It is my understanding that to fish trout in MO, yes you do need a trout stamp. At the trout parks listed on this forum, listed under "Ozark's Trout Parks" you will need to purchase a permit also. Some of the MO trout fishers can better answer your question than I. I'm just going from what I remember from the MO Trout Regs that I read several months ago.

That's some mighty nice fish you is a catchin' up there. Now ya gotta disclose it's location so we can have a chance at them.

I guess thanks for the comment on the tat. That is over 30 years old now and I'm still getting compliments on it. The best one was from an Arkansas State Trooper though. Yes, there are lot of places to fish down here. Now that I am unemployed again, I will be doing a lot more fishing.

We had a discussion about this at the spring float just after that creek flooded here in Arkansas. Not too sure I'd want to be out there and have to find a way up a steep bluff when an 8' wall of water is coming at me at 50 mph. I'm not against doing an overnighter. I'd love to do one. But the weather forecast better be clear for several days and no chance of rain upriver either.

Already got me a Creek Company ODC 18 pontoon.

I'm sure the MDC would tell you that Helen Wate is their "Damage Claims Co-ordinator" and that if you have a damage claim, go to Helen Wate.

Eric, why are you so dead set against yaks? You have a bad experience in one? I have never done an overnighter, and I don't plan on doing one anytime soon. I enjoy my current sit on top yak so much that I am going to soon buy a better one. I like how easy it can be to get off of it and wade fish. I like hanging my feet over the side and fishing when I take it out on the lake. I'm sure I can go through shallower water than any of your canoes. I also believe my yak can take a wave better than a canoe. Sit on top yaks are much more stable than canoes. Do you ever read about people taking canoes out on the ocean to fish? No. They take yaks. If I were to fall off the yak for some reason, it's much easier to get back on than it is to get into a canoe. For a day trip on the water, a yak is much better than a canoe. Long journeys like Louis and Clark demand a canoe. Or a touring yak.

Yes, it was a good time. Too short though. Then again, time out fishing is always too short. I don't remember the last time I was out fishing and wanted to quit. Must have been back in WI on a cold late winter day when I was steeheading and the only thing going on was the ice in the rod guides. That fall float gonna be in Arkansas this time????? I mentioned earlier that we didn't have a "fish weighing thingy" with us. I'm not saying that fish was 5 pounds or it wasn't. I am saying that was a NICE fish. That picture just does not do it justice. Does this pic help any???

If I had a choice to make, I would look at the type of fishing I do most. For me it is day trips. A sit on top yak is my best choice. If however I were to do a lot of overnighters instead, I would want a canoe. Once I buy that yak, I can always rent a canoe for an overnighter.

Yeah, things are looking up right now. I mentioned the last float to him (gotmuddy) and he's interested in going along. Is there anything planned for the next trip yet? We're doing a long float down Crooked Creek tomorrow. Going from Snow to the Slab, about 16 miles or so. Should be interesting taking pontoons. Stay tuned for soome good fish pics. I plan on getting a few nice ones.

Yesterday, at the mouth of Crooked Creek the water was a little cloudy but not stained. Should be good to go for ya.

Didn't have a scale with us, but that fish was a NICE one. And yes, gotmuddy is a BIG dude.

Aren't you supposed to be out having a great time with your wife?? Happy Anniversary. See ya tomorrow at 6AM.

1) I don't think I've seen them yet. Sorry. 2) I use Lightning strike indicators. The ones I use are round with a hole through the middle. I put a rubber band in the hole (doubled up like a "u") and put the leader/tippet through the doubled up rubber band. I then pull the line into the hole in the indicator pinching the line so it stays in place. This allows me to slide the indicator up and down the line to adjust for depth. Works pretty good for me and I see no reason to change right now.

They have plenty of elk down here in AR by the Buffalo River, but it's seldom that I ever see them. You are definitely more likely to see and hit a deer than an elk.

And then there' Roland Martin who on his TV shows, would call a 2 pound bass a 6 pounder.

Neither can I. I think it will be even more fun. Looks like the water will still be high enough that we won't have to worry about dragging pontoons very often.

Ken Cook, Paul Elias, Jimmy Houston, Hank Parker, Bill Dance, Roland Martin, and of course, Kevin VanDam. If I had to pick just one of those, it would be Kevin since he's from up north too.

That makes three of us.

Might be cheaper to go out and buy a new bottle. Acetone, Tolulene and naptha comes in cans bigger than what you'll need for this.

update: 41 ½-pound trout caught off Racine is likely world record Benny Sieu Fishing the waters off Racine on Friday morning, Roger Hellen of Franksville landed a 41-pound, 8-ounce brown trout. The fish is more than a whopper - it is a potential world record. By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel Posted: July 16, 2010 |(6) Comments Racine — When Roger Hellen launched his 21-foot boat in the Racine harbor early Friday morning, he was no different from the 1,300 other anglers competing in the Salmon-A-Rama sportfishing tournament - he hoped to land a big fish. "Something in the 22.5-pound range would have been great," said Hellen, 38. Such a fish would assume the top spot in the Lake Michigan-wide contest run by Salmon Unlimited of Wisconsin Inc. Hellen outdid himself. Not only did he take over the tourney lead, he assumed a new title: potential world record holder. Trolling the Lake Michigan waters off Wind Point, north of Racine, Hellen hooked and landed a 41-pound, 8-ounce brown trout. The fish blew past the 22.4-pound brown trout that had been in the Salmon-A-Rama lead. It is nearly 5 pounds heavier than the Wisconsin record listed by the Department of Natural Resources, a 36-pound, 8.9-ounce brown trout caught in 2004 in the Lake Michigan waters of Kewaunee County. And if the weight, pending applications and reviews hold up, it will establish a world record for the species. The standing world record, according to the two leading game fish record-keeping organizations, the International Game Fish Association and the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, is a 41-pound, 7.5-ounce brown trout caught last September in the Manistee River of Michigan. Hellen, a supervisor at a Racine packaging company, grew up in Kenosha in a fishing family. He learned the Lake Michigan fishing ropes from his father. These days, Hellen, a member of Salmon Unlimited, fishes just about every weekend out of Racine. He had been having mixed success in recent days, including a "bomb out" in the "Two-On-A-Boat" competition earlier in Salmon-A-Rama. But strong west and southwest winds in the last couple of days pushed warm surface water away from the Wisconsin shore of Lake Michigan, allowing colder, more "salmonid-friendly" water to upwell and creating good fishing conditions close to shore. So when Hellen and his fishing partner Joe Miller launched Hellen's boat, "Get Hooked," Friday, they targeted near shore areas just north of Racine. The duo had three 10-pound chinook salmon in the box and were trolling in about 40 feet of water off Wind Point when another fish hit. The time was 8 a.m. The lure was a blue-and-green spoon fished about 10 feet below the surface. Hellen grabbed the rod and began the angler's assessment: How big? How strong? What kind? "It ran pretty good," said Hellen. "We knew it was big, but honestly, we had no idea just how big." A half-hour passed before Hellen was able to work the fish to the stern and Miller scooped it aboard. There was no longer any doubt about "how big." The fish was 40.6 inches long and had a 27-inch girth. The fish was the biggest Hellen had seen in three decades of Lake Michigan fishing. But it wasn't a big chinook salmon, notoriously hard fighters and often the biggest fish caught by trollers - it was a brown trout. The pair knew they just landed an extraordinary fish, certainly a tourney leader and perhaps something more. They put the trout in the cooler. It dwarfed the three kings. Next they pulled lines and made a beeline for the Salmon-A-Rama weigh-in station. Fish lose weight after they are caught; tournament anglers in a catch-and-keep event like Salmon-A-Rama rarely risk "shrinkage" when money is on the line. The fish was identified as a brown trout by Cheryl Peterson, a Department of Natural Resources fisheries technician working the Salmon-A-Rama weigh-in tent. The fish read 41.15 pounds on the uncertified scales at the boat landing, said Peterson. The DNR stocks two strains of brown trout in Lake Michigan - domestic and Seeforellen. Peterson said Hellen's fish appears to be a Seeforellen. The strain is known for growing fast and to large sizes. Tissue samples were taken by the DNR to age and assess the genetics of the fish. The DNR has stocked brown trout along with chinook salmon, coho salmon and rainbow trout, or steelhead, since the 1960s to help control excessive numbers of alewife, an invasive species. The stocking not only controlled the alewife but created a world-class fishery. Since the fish was record-caliber, Hellen took it to Brossman's Meat Market in Racine where, on a certified scale, it weighed 41 pounds, 8 ounces. The fish will likely earn Hellen the $10,000 grand prize and $700 brown trout category prize from Salmon-A-Rama; the tourney ends Sunday. The fish was examined Friday afternoon by Salmon-A-Rama officials, including a cavity check for lead or other foreign objects, and passed. Hellen said he plans to submit the appropriate applications to both the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and the International Game Fish Association. Hellen spent the afternoon accepting the congratulations of fellow anglers, friends and complete strangers at Salmon-A-Rama. His behemoth brown trout was on display in a freezer with the other species leaders. "This is great for the lake, great for the club, great for the fishery," said Tom Pietila, president of Salmon Unlimited of Wisconsin. Tomorrow, though, Hellen will be back trolling on Lake Michigan with competitors. "The tournament is still going," said Hellen. "If there's a bigger one, and there usually is at some point, I want a chance at it."

Ozark Mountain Trading Company. I was there Tuesday. They have the Tarpon 100 on sale for $639. Not sre about the Tarpon 120's price. Probably around $899. I was thinking of buying a Tarpon 100 until I saw the Wilderness Systems web site and decided I'm gonna go with the Tarpon 120 since I do yak fish on Lake Norfork also. I like the rail system on the Tarapon series yaks. Was looking at Ocean Kayaks, Prowler Trident 13 until I saw that track system on these Wilderness System yaks. That is a big selling point for me. You can use the track to mount a moveable mount for rod holders, fish locators, GPS etc. Sold seperately of course.