Greasy B

Thanks moguy, At one time you could drive right up to the gravel bar there, the road was rutted pretty bad. Not sure how it is now. It's a neat place with the river and the mini rail road.

Excellent arrangment AJ, I concede to the wisdom of wrench and Doty. I used a custom rack like AJ's for the life span of my Chevy, it was a short bed and the cross members were only 6' apart. So much of the canoe projected in front of the rack that it tended to shimmy whenever I got behind a tractor trailer, it eventually loosened up the bed. About the time bed was so loose it was a problem I got rear ended and got a new bed put on, extended the life a little longer.

No good way IMO without a rack.

Thank for the video link. It made me recall the morning 30 years ago when I was sitting on a gravel bar on West Fork Black River, I decided places like this is where I want spend my life. While I haven't quite pulled off the life part of it I have spent most every bit of leasure time I have on rivers and never had a regret.

A fleeing duckling, if you have ever seen a bass pursuing one it’s pretty obvious. On another occasion I saw a Kingfisher chick floundering in the water. The Jitterbug association was equally obvious. Of course like all bass lures it’s the general action that is the trigger not an exact imitation.

During the summer when I do most of my Smallmouth fishing I can get by with just four, a dog walker, a 4” pearl white Senko, a buzz bait, usually black or white and a weighted Baby Brush Hog. I'm trying to expand my arsenal a bit this season but I’d rather focus on fishing a few baits well rather than accumulating more stuff that I may never use.

Anybody want to go fishin this weekend?

For what it's worth, West Fork Black. Quantifying accurate stream clarity would surely be a complicated and ardious task. What I find intriguing is the way a streams clarity can vary as it's influenced by inflows, algae blooms and other events. I guess lack of clarity is a reflection the quantity/type of suspended solids and algae. An interesting example of an event is the clear rise, several times each season I'll be on a stream that has recently experienced a sizable rain, instead of the stream muddying up it will rise and get clearer. I can postulate that the rain absorbed into the uplands, flowed down through the strata pushing ground water that contains less suspended solids and algae through the stream bed.

In the dead low water of late summer, early fall much of this water could probably be waded or bank fished. It would take some effort and bush whacking. (Thread true and straight). For much the same reasons it probably would fish best from a boat in low water. (Thread tangent). Now did that really hurt that bad?

Before spots replaced smallies the stretch from Times Beach boat ramp to just below Glencoe was big fish water, lots of ledges and boulders. I wonder if it's worth trying now? It's been along time but I recall when the water is low the shoal is a real boat eater. There was a sand pit across the river from an old sunken barge there that was a good crappie spot too. It's funny how I've drifted away from the places occupied so much of my time in the past.

Ron, Did you catch those fish this year? They look like spawning males. If those kind of fish are available now I need to go back to Bluegill school. I figure we're two moons away from fish like that.

Do my eyes deceive me or are you wet wading in March? Are those your legs or are they just reddish stumps that you balance your upper body on?

Mitch, Your ever run your boat up through that shoal at Glenco?

The boat ramp at rim is a good one compared to others. From the ramp the first shoal up stream is red bud, make a bee line for the left side, you have plenty of depth. When you get just below the shoal slow to idle speed and crawl up the narrow chute hugging the left bank. Above is red bud hole, if you have two or three units of water you can buzz right up, in lower water there are rock ledges about half way up, you'll need to idle through with a spotter wearing polaroids at the front of the boat guiding you. If you make it that far and like to wade fish and the water is low enough there is a long gravel bar that I can easly spend a half day fishing. The lower and upper ends of the gravel bar are shallow areas where you'll need the spotter again. The next big hole is armstrong, you should be able to buzz right up it to the bottom of the island at round house. To get through round house with a heavy boat you'll need the big water I talked about in an earlier post. But if you tie your boat up there you can walk to the head if the island and wade your way back, the back side of the island is as close to a sure bet you'll ever find if your introducing someone to fly fishing. I can easily occupy an entire day fishing from Round House back to the ramp at Rim. As is always the case on the white when wading do not put your self in a position to not be able to get back to the boat should the water rise. I know it sounds like a pain having worry about all the hazards but more times than not it all works out. Just be careful.

Yea, the water can change from ankle deep to better than 12 foot then back down to ankle deep all in one day. Your boat would work if you had round the clock big generation, say 20,000+ cfs. That kind of water is not likely at this time. Don't get discouraged the river and it's fish are well worth what effort it takes. Heck it's the most beautiful river I have ever seen.

I don't guess you gave anyone enough time to reply to your request for info. I would be courious to know how your lower unit faired? Unless you had a full day of big generation or you have I an impeller as apposed a propeller you are looking for a repair shop about now.

I was just thinking there is no good reason for a two piece rod, darn I'm wrong again.

Nice fish, it looks like Big River is holding pretty steady despite the rain.

Don't do it, it's a miserable existence.

Thanks F&F, The prospect of catching big trout in TR is interesting. Didn't MDC stock trout in the lower lake years ago? I wonder if the intent was to start a Steelhead type spawning run or just to provide a fishery to utilize open water areas?

How do these fish survive the warm water of summer? Swim up to the tail waters? Is there's enough oxygen down deep?

Holy Mackerel!!!!!

My understanding is that they are raised in a series of ponds, I would be courious to learn the cost per inch compared to rainbows.

One thing that hasn't be discussed is the fact that browns cannot be raised to catchable size efficiently in hatchery raceways. They will never lend themselves to put and take fishing. In order to reach a decent size they must be in a river. That alone justifies strict protections.

Thanks for the advice Wrench. I’m kind of amazed I’m only 5 years behind the times, I’ve long given up trying to keep up with the latest products and techniques in favor of just spending time on the rivers, but I can change, I think. I’ll pick up some P-Line next time I’m in Cabela’s spending my retirement savings on gear.