Gavin

Picked up a tip from Al A years ago. Use a shorter rod to fish a WTD bait from a canoe or kayak. Think he uses a 5' rod, I like a 5'6" better.. Learn to walk it with the tip up, as well as tip down.

Ouch! Those rocks always have some aluminum on them. Meramec is very low...Trolled up to Castlewood from Valley Park Saturday. Fishing was slow, but got some good practice with the oars.

All looks good. Have been busy but tried some add lib tonight. Sheet pan fajitas with supermarket summer veg. Kids & mama liked. Maybe less gas than green pepper.

My hookups have been fine on the 90. Just keep it plopping until they are hooked up. They will smack it it before they eat sometimes. Keep it moving & speed up.

Its tough to bank fish around MSP, and the campsites are right on top of each other. There are better parks to camp at...but it is nice and flat if the kids want to ride bikes. One of the few state parks that offer full hookup RV sites.

Big improvement! They look great!

Good for your Brian. Looks like an awesome trip. Cant wait to take the girls up, but not ready yet.

Think you would be fine with a 16'-17' canoe TJM. Get one with cane or web seats so you can toss a good seat back on top. Molded OT Disco wet butt seats suck. Easy to load if after you figure out how. Takes me about 3 minutes to load and strap down my 17' canoe on top of my pickup w ladder racks. Goes up really easy because the weight is evenly distributed. The SOT kayak loads like a greased pig. Glad to have a friend along to help when I toss that on top.

Like the 90 allot. Like walking plugs better though. They all sound a bit different. Seem to work best when it is at its loudest.

You know which one CW...The 17' tandem canoe, but the paddle jon is my current interest. I can always use another boat. 11 year old has outgrown her SOT. Did fine in the wife's Coosa a couple weeks ago. Might get her a 12' solo canoe so she can up her paddling skills. Think my 15' Mad River Slipper Solo (1984) would outpace most fishing kayaks up or downstream. Its narrower and longer than most of them. Weighs about half, plenty stable, but less stable than kayak. The red one, you paddled it for a couple miles a couple years ago CW.

Your a canoe guy CW....you don't need a man bun or a kayak for what you do! Nothing wrong with a kayak...great for a day trip, sucks for more unless your a minimalist into eating surplus MRE's. Have never found the perfect boat for everything.

Congrats to the boys! The did not quit and have a great memory. You raised yours well! The Ozark 100 is another challenge. Not for me but Slosh won it a couple years ago. Nonstop trail running for 100 miles. Belt buckle if you complete in less than 24 hrs. Best shuttle guy in the Ozarks. Likes to run them on foot.

Getting there first, or being there last helps a ton. I wont fish a spot like Tan Vat on the Current if someone is already there, and I'm usually done and gone before most arrive.

24" brown trout are not that hard to come by. Get on the water before dawn and fish a 4.5-5" jerk bait for a couple mornings in a row and you will probably catch one.. Be stealthy and make your first cast count. Don't waste your time flogging the same spot. Cover it quickly, then sneak on over to the next high percentage spot. The bite is usually over when the sun hits the water. Dusk into the gloaming or night fishing can be good to, but its not consistent like the morning bite. I usually catch several river smallies in the 17"-19" range every year but not many over in MO. Better odds of a 20"+ up north or if you lake fish for them.

Two Rivers to Logyard might fit that description. Two Rivers is at the confluence of the Current and Jacks Fork, and there are no canoe liveries between there and Van Buren (About 35 miles downstream). Most canoe rentals only put folks in upstream and let them float down to the canoe rental on busy summer weekends. Current River Map

Not me!

20" Smallies are rare in comparison to 24" brown trout. Great catch!

Well you won't like lasagna from the Hill John (Italian Neighborhood in STL). Learned at the Pasta House Company owned by some of my dads buddies (Sicilians) from the Hill. Cottage Cheese, Provel, & Parm on every layer. Topped with bechamel and provel. Cannelloni & manicotti get the same bechamel & provel topping over the meat sauce.

Mega Giant Dog X and the large size Storm Arushi Walker have been my best two for the last two years. Have one Top Dollar left and you are welcome to it. Pm your addy will ship. You pay for postage minimum. Send back whatever you think is a fair value including postage.

Cottage cheese is Indifferent food. You buy some, eat once or twice then you pitch it when you find it in the back of the fridge a month later. It's Ok, but nobody in the house really wants to eat it. I use it when I make lasagna though. Cheaper than fresh ricotta or Mozz and you can't tell the difference in the finished product.

Not many canoes down that far, but lots of jets and tubers. Smallmouth fishing is decent, possible Walleye. Would rather fish above Eminence. Better Scenery.

Think the Meramec Walleye are native. They have stocked the Black below Clearwater. St Francis too but have never caught one on the St. Think they all swim to Arkansas.

That's awesome! Have thought about entering but have too many family commitments at the moment. The MO has a good current, 5-6 miles per hour so it is achievable if you stick to it. Have one buddy who tried and failed to hit the first checkpoint on time. Have another buddy who completed it in his 60's. Mostly a mental game according to both. Do not quit! Buddy who completed in his 60's is a Marine who saw combat in Nam. Said it was not that bad.

Very nice!

They a pretty durable but do not use the pedal motor hobie gizmo on a river. My biggest gripe is loading and lack of gear capacity, but no big deal. They fish well and are easy to paddle for a novice. My 9 & 11 year old girls do really well on their little SOT kayaks. They are not ready to pilot a canoe yet.