Hwilli97

Hey everyone! I hope C&R has treated everyone well. I was able to get out for a bit in december, but spend most of my winter in school in CA. I'll be flying back in time for opening day again, and didn't know if anyone could provide some insight about the water/fishing conditions, forecast, and expectations. Ill be flying in on that Friday and won't have a lot of time to drive down there, look around, and then prep for the 1st. Any insights are appreciated. H

Hey, everyone! Thanks for the tips and pointers in advance of the madness. I spent the night before down in the area with some friends and made it to the river by about 5:10. \ We set up at one of the lower, deeper pools in Zone One (about a hundred yards above the kids swimming pool/Zone 2. I threw a 3/32-1/8oz Marabou white jig to start the morning and switched to an Olive 3/32oz for the rest of the morning. The trick for me was just throwing to the other bank and then pulling into the deep, faster current. A slow retrieve and jigging action, keeping it off of the bottom and out of the sunken branches was the key to getting it to the end of the pool which is where I caught about 80% of my fish. I caught about 10 in the first hour and another dozen or so until the pool was fished out and my fishing buddies limited. Most of them were in the 1-2 range with a couple pushing 3lbs (which from my view was about the largest size in the pool). Later in the day I went to Zone 2 and threw a fly rod for a couple of hours. It was more re-learning how to fly fish since I hadn't been in so long, but I did connect with a handful of decent fish, most notably on a mega-worm and a wooly-bugger in olive/black. I'd like to write more about it, but I feel it was a lot more luck and dumb fish than it was my skill and approach. Hunter

Thanks for the advice, @timsfly! I'll be sure to stop by the shop with my friends before we hit the water.

I'm usually not in Missouri during the winter months (I attend school out of state), but I have attempted to fish below the park before during the summer months to avoid the crowds. It is possible with some wade fishing, but I had trouble locating pools that would produce fish worth the walk. I have seen some talk in other post on the forum mentioning a Conservation parking lot with walk-in access somewhere below the park. Just be aware of private property lines on your way in and keep us posted. In the past, driving to Taney and throwing below the dam was always my alternative. Access #6 is usually packed, especially during the fair weather months, but the waterfall always produced for me if I could get a spot.

Thanks, for the advice, Snagged. I'll make sure to document the festivities best as I can. I imagine the whole area, regardless of zone, is incredibly congested. Are there any areas that are lesser so?

Hey everyone, I've lurked on OA for a few years now for fishing reports and advice, but this is my first post, so please show some mercy on any etiquette blunders I may cause. I am planning on making my way down to RR for opening day this year with some friends and am planning on bringing a fly rod as well as some spin-casting rigs and wanted to reach out for advice. I haven't fished RR in early spring/late winter, nor have I ever encountered the masses that make their way out to opening day. Can anyone lend me some tips and suggestions about what to bring tackle-wise given the Wx conditions and crowd conditions? Thanks, Hunter