Ham

Basically, if you don't police your own actions, someone else eventually will. A LOT of bad behavior has gone on for a LONG time on the Spring river and the Niangua river. I's rather not have checkpoints to deal with either. I thought by having a checkpoint that alieviated the need for a probable cause. I like the Niangua. I've even caught a fish or two there. I'd like to see it without a thousand cans on the bottom one day.

If people stay away from the Spring river because they are afraid of getting caught with drugs or being drunk or some other violation of reasonable laws, I see that as a good thing. It ought to make my fishing day better. I think that if you answer an enforcement officer's questions politely and respectfully, you shouldn't have any problems UNLESS of course you're doing something illegal. I'm still going to wait a couple of years before I try a weekend during the summer break. I'm not sure how long it will take for word to spread and how long they will stay with this program. Nice river to fish except the young drunk and stoopids.

I have been told that there is limited natural reproduction of trout because the water chemistry is wrong. But,I will certainly yield to those that may have better information. In the past, my trout fishing on the Spring river has always been late summer and early fall. If the trout fishing was any easier, it would have to be a pay for fish venue. Many Islands is pretty close to the end of the trout water isn't it?

While the plastic bottles and soda cans are certainly ugly, they are all but inert and don't pose a great danger to the river itself. CHemical run off and siltation are a lot worse. Having said that, I pick up a sack full of garbage everytime I head down a stream. Ihate to see debris like that every bit as much as you do. I would definitely have hit the log jam with a tube or a topwater.

Consider fishing the Red River below Lock #3

Favorite hmmmm spook most productive ... soft plastic on a jighead.

Put in at Spring River Oaks. Take out at the low water bridge on the east bank or go all the way down to Hardy. You'll need a boat. I've never fished it like I want to, but I caught fish. This is a trip I plan to do with Cajun Angler. Hopefully this year.

Rooster tail inline spinners in 1/16 oz or 1/8 oz. White, yellow, and Chartreuse. Small crawfish lookin crankbaits or small Rapalas work as well, but might get pricey. 4 lb lets the lures fish better, but 6 lb gives you a little more breakoff insurance. With baits I listed, the line size is not an issue other than how it affects lure action and casting distance.

Yep, I'm getting old and feeble. My hair is grayer and my eyes don't work as well as they did a decade ago. I haven't noticed that I getting around any slower yet, but I need you to come hike into Hemmed in Hallow with me sometime and show me how its done. And you dropped the " your wife is the boss" bomb on me as well. So who is the kettle and who is the pot? We are both still married to wonderful women that mean the world to us. They don't seem to value fishing as much as we do, but both will paddle a yak down a river with us aand that has to count for something. By the way, How's Chief doing?

I guess it's my addiction to getting a paycheck every 2 weeks. I work at a wonderful hospital, but the pharmacy staff is so small that I can not take off whenever I want to do so. I have a lot of loyality to my hospital and my pharmacy co-workers, but I won't be here forever. Hopefully, water will still be flowing down the streambeds and smallies will still be swimming in them when I get there.

The poll is flawed if you can only vote in support if the idea. It would be much more useful and telling if everyone had both options. The lack of both options makes it look like stacking the deck. I do not have a dog in this fight. I certainly would enjoy catching more Brown trout, but I have no plans for the 11 point in my foreseeable future.

I'm going to use my A/C whenever I get hot in the car. Period.

So Kevin did you see the thread on River Smallies where folks disagreed about live bait for smallies being easier that artificals? I hate fishing behind folks using live bait for smallies. SOrry you had a tough trip. It does sound like you had some success just not as much as you hoped for on the trip.

It still surprizes me how many people want to kill every snake they see. Just leave the snake alone. Snakes are no more evil than a turtle or a lizard and pose no more risk to people than a turtle or lizard if left alone. I figure God put snakes here for a reason and I doubt that reason was to be killed by people too afraid and ignorant to leave them alone.

Dang Bobber, you're like Dom Delouise talking about food to the Ethiopians. I want to be up there so badly. I'm glad you caught some.

I used to think the Red River was big enough too. When I started getting emails from Florida asking for updated information based on previous fising trip reports I had posted, I learned my lesson. Once again, nice report. I'm glad you had a good trip.

That looks like a grass carp to me. How in the world did you get it to bite a fly?

Nice photos and a good report. I'm not sure I would share that much detailed information. If you share that much information about a hot crappie bite on the Red River, you can't get to your spot for other boats the next day.

Good report. I'd just about rather catch a fish on a Spook type bait than any other technique. An off topic question: Why are sooooo many homes in Holiday Island up for sale?

I'm skipping an afternoon fishing trip today because of fuel prices. I just don't think I would have enough hours on the lake to justify the expense. I think we asa nation will finally start conseving energy because we are forced to by our wallet.

I'll be one of those guys driving a Chevy to catch a Smallie I guess. I really enjoy the White bass as well, but it is PURELY catch and release for me. So I basically don't need to ever fish TR except in May. OK I can do that. I imagine I'll be fishing TR next May. I'll have my 6WT and 8WT along if the Whites decide they want to bust the surface within 60 foot of the boat.

Hey Terry, I live in Minden, La. I have plans to move northward. If it was just me, I'd be up there already. I'm leaning towards the Harrison area. I make a fair number of trips up to your neck of the woods. Expect to see me at Taney his fall unless of course someone blows the dam.

I'm not wild about any of the GOP canidates. I don't know too much about them at this point. Rudy has done good stuff in New York City. I don't know that makes him ready to lead the Nation. He has had a relatively messy personal life. Maybe he manages work better, but it is cause to wonder. McCaine is not my man. I appreciate his service. I marvel at his years in captivity. I groan at his fawning for big media to like him. I need to learn more about Romney (sic) and Thompson If the dems run the best canidate in a race, I could vote for them. I don't expect it to happen this , but who knows. I know that I have reduced my personal gasoline use. I have skipped fishing trips. I have not driven to Shreveport or Bossier because of the gasoline prices. I have waited and made multiple stops on one trip rather than spread errands out over several days. IF (and I wonder sometimes)it is a free market, reduced use should lead to reduced prices. Are other folks not reducing their driving? I would think that if all other things stay the same and your gasoline expense goes up, you would drive less or eat less and I sure as heck don't see folks getting any less obese arouind here.

jd We've got the best country in the world, but seemingly no one fit to run it. I fear the fix is in. I don't think it matters who the dem is that they run in the big race, I get a feeling that the nation wants to let the dems have a turn at the wheel. THAT IS NOT AT ALL WHAT I WANT. Senators in general should not run for president. They spend years learning how to tax,spend, and talk. They often do not have a lot of real world management skills. Obama is unproven at every level. I don't hear him saying anything new. Hilliary is what she is. I wouldn't give her the keys to my car let alone the keys to the white house. Biden is a self agrandizing A-hole that would drive me from the room every time he spoke. As for John Edwards, do you want to let a guy run the nation that can't figure out how to get a 20 dollar haircut. If he spends 20 times too much on his hair with "his money", how do you think he'll behave when it is our money? I'm sorry his wife is ill. Why in the world would they waste some of the remaining time she has on him running for President? The higher gas prices are also culling some fishing trips for me. I often have a few hours, but don[t want to burn the gas to get there for just a couple of hours.

I own a CFO123 for a 7 1/2 3 WT flyrod that was made for me by a friend. Special rod so I bought a special reel to go on it. I own Okuma Sierras for my everyday rods. Inexpensive by IMHO all the reel I need for smallies, trout, and panfish. Not too heavy. Decent balance when I have to let a fish run. No problems. I don't use my fly fishing gear nearly as much as most of you guys. If fly fishing were the only way I fished, I'd probabl own "better". One thing to keep in mind, a heavier reel behind your hand doesn't wear on me as much as a rod that is heavy out to the tip. That lesser weight on a long lever gets to me. A light well balanced combo is the cats pjs.