Jack Jones

I saw that as a small float on in my Missouri Paddlers Guide and was thinking of checking it out next time I'm at the park. If you go, Bill, please provide a report.

I dissent, LOL. I've been to a few Cabelas and I tend to like them a little better. Either way, Rogers isn't that far away and it's nice to have choices.

The Yabbies company is River2Sea and I found a few online companies that sell them. Or I think you can order direct from their site. www.river2seausa.com Their product line looks pretty impressive.

Sadly, I did not get a chance to get there, but after reading this I think I'll try as soon as possible. Fighting a carp on a fly rod sounds like a lot of fun.

My advice---Hotels!!!!! As humans we have evolved where we no longer have to sleep on the ground and in tents.....but of course if you want to, I will say that my experience with cots is that they've been too firm to really get comfortable. Each persons sleep needs vary, but it wasn't for me. Not enough cushion. I've had good luck with some of the pillow top air mattresses. I would say to just scope the area before laying it out and make sure it's level. worst case throw some foam under it to buffer the rocks. All of that said.....I have used both indoors when sleeping at friend's houses. I cannot confess to having an outdoors experience with them. But the only difference is the roof, ya know?

Thanks for the added pics. I looked up those lures. I had never heard of that company. I could see how those would be very useful here in Missouri since I see the crawdads all around. Might have to order me some.....

All good advice and suggestions. RS has been very forthcoming in teaching me about the area. I may have to invest in a baitcast outfit and learn to use it. Last time I did was twenty years ago and I birds nested the hell out of it. I guess I'll start investing in a few baits here and there to try out. Thanks guys.

As mentioned before, I am a misplaced New Englander. I kind of miss the days of ice fishing. There's something about being bundled up in the middle of a frozen lake. The peace. The solitude. Is that something that's even possible in Missouri? Maybe in the northern part of the state? I'm not necessarily talking about driving on to the ice, power augering it. I used to just carry my manual auger. Drill through about 6-8 inches of ice and set up a few tip-ups. If there are any ice fisherman here, I'd love to know how far one must drive to enjoy that hobby.

So...as a relative noob to fishing in Missouri, I have to say, I am so not used to the larger baits. I've usually only fished spinnerbaits of 1/8 to 1/4oz max and when I see these 1/2 oz and 3/4oz I just can't fathom using them on the James, or Lake Springfield. From what I'm reading though, they produce results. Same on the cranks, I'm not used to those but learning. I've Texas rigged worms before and skipped them back along the bottom but with few results. As a misplaced New Englander, I used to use rooster tails, spoons, 3 or 4 inch grubs in the summer. In the winter I used to ice fish (but I'll post another thread on that) and the bait was worms or maggots for panfish. Anyone want to chime in on what their favorite lures or bodies of water are for bank fishing or wade fishing? Since I don't have a boat, other than my yak, I'm a bit confined to smaller waters and coves. I love catching the google eye. Not a fan of catfish. I'm just interested in becoming a more productive fisherman. Right now I tend to hit either trout parks or the James, but I'd love to expand.

I second that Ringer....I want to know about the rod holder. Of course, I also want to know about the Yabbies....rigging, etc..

Thanks Riverman. Im not planning on floating, looking more at a wade/fish. With that said, what's been the fishing experience in that 'clear' creek?

I'm gonna say Tim's fish food flies are some of the best for the park too. I've also done well on his Hare's Ears and Copper J's.

Will do Ringer...if I do it, it will likely be Sunday but gotta check with SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) to see if we have other plans.

It does get harder and harder to find quiet places to get away to on the weekend. I don't blame them for wanting to party, and truthfully I'd rather have them on the river than driving around (Darwinism works in a more individual fashion that way). I still would just long for days when people could enjoy the river, drink in moderation, and sneak away with a gal (or guy if that's your preference ) to the banks for relaxation without the crap.

Been looking at fishing there myself. Would appreciate a report back on your experience Hopper. I've fiddled around at the Stubblefield Access a few times, but came up empty each time. Water was high though and it was after a storm.

MDC website Atlas shows this: Driving Directions Phenix Access is three miles north of Ash Grove on Route V, then east one-third mile on Farm Road 33. Highlights This is a forest with old fields offering access to Clear Creek. Does anyone have any experience with this conservation area and Clear Creek? If so, what's the best way to fish it and what has been your luck with it? I got that wandering spirit again and want to try somewhere new this weekend that won't be too crowded.

While the guy in your article does appear to be a hoax, or just a goofball, I'm sure several people have gotten down to this level before. Gregory McDonald, who authored the Fletch series, wrote a book called The Brave. It was turned into a movie with Depp and Brando. It explores similar themes. Well worth checking out before totally discounting this guy's idea.

They do have it in the Greene County library system. There's a copy at the Library Center on South Campbell near the Sam's Club. It's in the Local History section. I've looked it over there before.

Loved the suggestion on the mono. I will do it next time also. After fishing spincast, and then fly, I couldn't understand why I was bothering with a leader and tippet since they never had a problem grabbing lures on straight mono. I'll probably go with 4lb test low vis green.

I know I come off as one of those bleeding hearts....and maybe I am to an extent. As far as meeting drug addicts, trust me, if you knew what I did for a living (which I'm not going to reveal) I run into plenty of them daily and its an issue I end up having to address with them. I agree that many addicts will use any amount of money that they have, but not all. Further, that doesn't reflect the person who may have just used something at a party or who is otherwise responsible but uses recreationally (yes, responsible people sometimes enjoy illegal drugs). Those are the ones I fear for. Any time you give the government the authority to involve themselves more and more into people's lives without a solid toolbox of solutions and grounding in the overall mission that is sought to be accomplished, you're asking for trouble. Which is what I think this is. I agree that people who are drug addicts shouldn't be drawing benefits to the extent that their drug problem interferes with their ability to advance towards responsibility and self-sufficiency. I just think that it's a bit more complicated than it appears and this is a rather blunt tool being used where a scalpel is needed. A holistic approach is really what would be most effective. Unfortunately, that takes time and money which most of us aren't willing to spend (myself included sometimes). People at the economic level this is geared towards don't always work jobs requiring drug tests, so that MAY be a non-issue for them before this. And if you do test positive and lose your job, yes, the taxpayers will eventually pay for your kids, especially if your wife leaves you and goes on benefits. It's just the roundabout way. To give you an idea of how this functions in practice just look at the states that legalized marijuana for medical purposes. In those state's someone can be taking legal, doctor prescribed marijuana, and be terminated from employment for following their doctors orders, and failing a drug test. Not so black and white, is it? Okay....I'm done on this issue, LOL. Although we may all disagree, it's nice that we can do so respectfully. Now back to fishing!!!!!!!

While this seems good on the surface, it opens a whole can of worms. Assuming a party tests positive, are the benefits workers now required to inform the Children's Division to investigate? If they test positive and lose benefits for several years, who will provide for the children? If the party has a drug problem, they obviously cannot apply for several jobs, and may have other issues that need to be dealt with as well. TANF benefits are to assist children mostly. There is no empirical data, or current research that shows in any way approaching conclusiveness that a party who is either an occasional substance user, or even an addict, is using their TANF benefits for the purchase of illegal drugs. In short, it's just another piece of feel good legislation that does little to address the underlying issues and actually creates more problems than it is intended to solve. The reason people either begin, or continue to use substances are myriad and not easily pigeon-holed. Overall, it would be best to move away from the punishment/control approach to treating this matter as a public health concern and providing parties with help. That's my 2 cents.

Ever since I replaced my Dogwood Canyon outfit with a TFO outfit, I have the Dogwood rod just sitting around. Today I went to BPS Outlet and picked up a cheap ($10) fly reel. It appears to be on the bigger side (model DC 78 but couldn't find it on their website). I was going to go straight fly line to reel with my older 5wt line and keep it around as a practice rod. Anybody thing there would be any problems going straight line to reel? Would practicing casting with it that way affect my technique later? Also, what knot would you use to tie the fly line straight on? I was thinking arbor knot. It's not that I'm too cheap to buy backing....I just forgot and am now wondering if it's worth going back for.

over the last two years I've caught a few, but nothing remotely that size. What size was that spinnerbait and how deep were you fishing?

Some weekends I would welcome a doped up girl to party with or a nice flash.....diverts the attention from the fact that the fish aren't biting.

Not too pathetic in this heat...I'll wait until the evening to find a river...unless someone can point me to a covered shady one, LOL