Greasy B

Hell I feel terrible when I hold a fish up for 15 seconds to take a picture, most times I won't do it.

That is an very nice fish. Hopefully there is some water near where they took this picture. I guess we have to give them the benefit of the doubt. Good for them.

That's one good looking fish. Have have often wondered how long it takes hatchery fish to grow back it's fins and heal the sores from concrete and the constant biting and nipping that takes place in the hatchery troughs. I suspect it's related to water fertility and growth rates. Sometimes I catch a really good looking fish with no pectoral fins at all, I guess if they get bit down enough they never do grow back.

I have never used it but I think there is an informal access below the bridge. I have seen cars parked and the usual crowd of swimmers. If you put in at Riddle Bridge and take at 28 it will I bit more peaceful. When the water is low the shoal under 28 bridge is the end of the line for power boats.

Last year when I traveled through the Medicine Bow mountains in southern Wyoming it was heart breaking to see the countless square miles of dead forest from the beetles. It's just a matter of time until the whole mountain range burns.

For what it's worth I don't bat an eye at an $80.00 Wyoming out of state licence. It was tough medicine the first time but I got use to it.

I think you’re headed in the right direction if you want to have a quality fishing experience with less expense. Canoe? Yes Kayaks? Yes 14'-16' Jon boat with a trailer? 16’ would be better than 14’. Running a Prop motor would limit your ability to cover much water. A jet would open up much more water and opertunities. How big of a jet rig to fish 2, maybe 2 and a boy in comfort and safety? A matter of experience and opinion. See “guys using” response below. 1752 with a 60/40? See “guys using” response below. 16' with a 30/20? See “guys using” response below. What are you guys using? Royalex Canoes for headwater floats and when traffic permits a white river john for main stem rivers. Where are the best stretches of river? All the best bass fishing opertunities in the Meramec basin are within a one day trip distance from you, I’d fish all of it. Sorry for being so general but it’s kind of true. Some years some stretches of river will fish better than others. Sometimes you can have mediocre fishing on the best stretches and other times the best fishing on the mediocre stretches, you'll never know until you spend a bunch of time finding out, thats the best part. I work most weekends, so this is pretty much an early morning/evening operation on my days off that I'm thinking about here. (Monday and tuesday) Perfect. What about Simpson lake, creve cour lake? Worth dropping a glass boat in and using the troller to kill a few hours and catch a couple bass? Mud holes, you would need to be pretty desperate to invest much time on either. Going through past forum post will provide more information about local fishing than a person could possibly digest. Good Luck, Give us a report when you get into some fish.

Man, that’s a lot questions to address, more than any one person could possibly answer. Let me start the conversation with three questions of my own. Are you a catch and release Smallmouth fisher? Do you realize how slow growing river Smallmouth are and how rare and precious large Smallmouth are? Are you willing to keep any K bass you might catch from the Meramec basin?

Good news, so we finally have something to show for the inexcusable mess UE created on Black River. Somehow it just doesn't seem like enough.

You have the right attitude that's for sure. Welcome to the forum and good luck.

I'll bet with some extra effort and some good timing you can avoid the crowds. What about starting at dawn? I mean shove off at first light 5:00 am. On a lot of rivers that will out you 4 hours ahead of the first wave of partiers.

Good grief, were they trout? We need a trapper to help.

Good report thanks, it just goes to show you don't need to pound 10 miles of river to have good fishing. On larger rivers like the G I like to pull into the tail of eddies let the current take back upstream so I can work the seams and the foam lines, then I'll ferry across the current tongue and work the opposite eddie. If the fish are on and the eddies are big enough I can do it several times before the bite slows.

Great fish! Kind of looks like a gig mark healed 6 months??? I spent the weekend fishing 6 fish 12" water, was real happy with a couple in the 16" class. Even when the fish turned on and my bait would be bit on every cast most were sub 14".

Good luck,

Thanks for the report, timely too. I'll probably be in that neighborhood this weekend. The low water is throwing a loop in my usual plan to avoid the teeming masses. Guess I'll have get a little more creative, maybe put in at 4:00 in the afternoon Saturday, take out at noon Sunday.

That is a beast of burden.

I get checked at least twice a year. I would be offended too, when I got checked at the ramp on Niangua a while back the agent had a serious tude, he was determined to find some violation. How in the world can this guy figure I wouldn't have a $15.00 license when just the equipment I was wearing and holding in my hand was worth more than the average car parked in the lot is beyond me.

One of the places I get checked the most is Taneycomo. Last time an agent was working his way down the shore, he stopped to check one more fisherman before he got to us. He ended up giving this fellow so many tickets it tied up the rest of his afternoon. It seems to me enforcement is spotty at best. Some places are well covered and some places not at all. Apparently I fish in the few areas that are well covered.

Yea, I seem to get checked by MDC every time I'm there. I also see the sheriff a lot, if their boat comes by with two officers and you later see the boat with one officer you can figure the other is hiding in the trees spying on you. The woods have eyes, unsettling at best, creepy too.

Several years ago an Ozarkian fellow I knew told me about a poaching sting the department set up on his gravel road. They set up a decoy deer in a pasture and waited with video cameras. Naturally this fellow couldn’t drive past an opportunity like this without taking a shot and he got his fine for doing so. As it turns out every one of his neighbors also stopped took a shot and received a fine. The fellow who told me the story also got an additional fine when he attempted to take a video of his neighbors being fined. Just one happy lawless, poaching, deertona 500 community.

I think the intent of not have fines going directly to the department who issues them is to avoid opportunities or accusations of corruption.

The actual cost is probibly 1 1/2 or 2 x the wage.

I usually get checked a couple of times each year. They never seem to be around when the morons are acting up though.

Any more I don't stray too far from a canoe or river john when wading. I have a good size tackle bag in the boat and I only carry what I can in my wader pouch or shirt pocket. I had my vest stolen years ago, lost almost all my flies but I don't miss the vest a bit. Other than nippers and hemo's I can't stand things dangling from me.