trouthappy

I will concur. I drove 3 hours to catch some whites on Thursday and Friday of last week and was sorely disappointed. I didn't catch any Thursday night and caught three on Friday. They were a great fight on a fly rod but I was really hoping for a lot more fish on the fly.

I don't have a boat so I was going to come up and wade for the white bass. What's the best stretch to wade? Where's this Taylor Bridge everyone is talking about?

Since I want to fish after dark it sounds like I want to stay at the state park in Sullivan. Are there trout there? Any tips?

I am going to Meramec for the first time this week. I have never been before. I plan on camping on the state park next to the river. I'm going to fish with my daughter some and then fish by myself at night. Are the camping grounds near the river a part of the trout park or not? Can I fish it anytime? Is natural bait allowed there or not? Where is natural bait allowed? What are your bait (natural and artificial) hints? Thanks. Trouthappy

Wow! I had to ask about the squid, but now I think I understand. Thanks for the detail. Now I'll go to Taney with an extra fly rod and a harpoon. . . just in case:)

You are right on with the "wind" factor. I did notice that when the wind picked up the intensity of my strikes increased and when the wind died they slowed down. Thank you for that observation. And I've heard the "Taneycomo Squid" joke that the guy above mentioned before. Someone please fill me in, what is the "Taneycomo Squid"? Trouthappy

So I went night fishing (strippin' style) with a friend of mine Monday night. The best night of fishing I have ever had. We caught the crud out of fish for five straight hours. We were by the 1st outlet and were using anything white. I caught fish easily every other catch. This is a phenomenon for me when it comes to night fishing. I have heard others say they have done that well, but I never have (probably 50-70 fish- I stopped counting at 31). Most of them were between 10-14 inches- nothing incredibly huge. So, here is the quiz- why do you think the fishing was phenomenal Monday night? Could it be: A) A cold front moved in It rained for three hours in the afternoon C) Monday's are slower D) White has been hot lately E) Is the new hatchery open?? Let me know?? Trouthappy

I floated it a week and a half ago in a canoe. I had taken my pontoon on a canoe trip with some friends and family. However, my pontoon was massively slow in comparison. So I didn't take it to the Niangua the next week. However, I would imagine it would fish great. The water is pretty high. You could check in with NRO and I'm sure they would shuttle you up river for very little. It's a good stretch from Bennet to their pick up spot to their camp- probably 5 or 6 miles. You could float tube it in four or five hours and have time to stop for all the honey holes.

Wow! My wife and I had the same thing happen to us two weeks ago. We came around a bend in the river and I had a little sucker fish on or something. He was sitting right there in a jetboat. He asked me to pull over and checked my license- which I had on me for once! He had a young lady in the boat too who looked like she was along for the ride. After he checked my I.D. he motored off like he was on a mission. Our canoe bounced around in the water. My wife was not pleased at all But on a good note I caught a nearly 15 inch trout while we were floating. There was a spot near a riffle where the water was pooling up next to it. I cast a small green and yellow rappala into the calm water and worked it on the side of the riffle when all of a sudden- BAM! I hadn't caught a trout that big on Taney the last 3 or 4 times I fished it. I about sliced my finger off when I went to take the treble hook out of his mouth and he shook his big fat head. My friends took a picture, I'll have to see if I can get it from them and attach it! I'm going to take some guys over to that area on Sunday afternoon and evening. I hope to catch some nice ones again!

I appreciate the heads up. I was wanting to know more for fishing purposes. Looks like I'll be heading to Bennet on Friday with 10,000 other anglers.

We've had a lot of rain. Is the James still floatable? Is it unsafe when the water level is high?

Any recomendation for getting that sucker off the line? Is it similar to what you would do with a Northern? Is it okay to use a steel leader?

So who knows how you catch all those alligator gar in the james? What do they bite on?

Thanks guys! The Cooper's Creek ramp is perfect! I'm bummed that there are no camping spots for the two day trip. I guess I could find a nice lake house and see if anyone would border a fishing enthusiast. Probably not likely, though.

I've been calling off an on for almost a week now and have never gotten through. Today I finally got through but it was a completely different message than I have heard before. I've also called the projection phone number and they are only sharing same day information. I think something is broke. . . or we have received so much rain they don't have a clue what they are going to do

A friend and I are doing a one day float trip down Taney. We are starting at the dam in the morning around 8am or 9am (pontoons) and floating downstream until around 3 or 4pm. Where's a boat ramp for us to exit the river and do that long of a trip? What's a good two day trip? Trouthappy

I'm looking into purchasing a fly fishing pontoon. The crowds are getting pretty thick around the dam and I'd like to explore some new waters on Taney. What are your pontoon suggestions? I've been looking at Bass Pro, Cabelas and Creek Company Outfitters boats. I think the most impressive are creek company's standard ODC series, the Fish Cat Panther, the Fish Cat 9 IR, and Bass Pro's White River Heron. I was looking at the Madison, but a friend told me that the air tubes were too thin. Most of the one's I listed above are between $400-$600. I'd love to spend less. What are your suggestions? And is there anyone who has a website where they documented any local river trips they took on a fly fishing pontoon? Trouthappy