Gavin

You can flat side any round head jig with a pair of smooth jaw pliers...gives them more wobble on the fall...might beat up the paint a tad, but that really does not matter.

Think the scenery will be fantastic. Fish the slow water instead of the fast.

I've never found a pair I like that much...but 2-3 pairs is a good suggestion..Glacier glove neoprenes with the fold over mittens work great for wet work....but I take them off in favor of some gore tex ski mitts if I'm taking a 15 minute break between bouts of fishing...a towel helps too....I've heard that blue nitrile gloves work well under fingerless. The guides in AK wear them a lot...probably to keep their hands from getting jacked up from handing toothy salmon.

There are plenty of potential campsites now that the leaves are off the trees. Any flat spot will do. Most of the gravel bar spots wont have much in the way of nearby fire wood. Bring a saw.

Camp Zoe is a neat property. It used to be a kids summer camp before Jimmy Tebeau of the Schwag (Grateful Dead cover band) bought it to host music festivals. The Feds confiscated the property a couple years ago and I think Tebeau is still in jail. I don't like the way that the property was obtained...but it would make a nice State Park. Probably the best we could hope for out of bad situation.

Dead drift...or strip it like a crackleback. Most tie a bugger wrong...Some tips. Measure your marabou and tie it in instead of pinching the tail. Fold your hackle. Tie your hackle in at the front and wind back. Wrap wire over your hackle to tie it in...back to front.

Deer season never ends in many places...not until the last freezer is full anyway.

Ashley is 1.4 miles below Baptist Camp. The map in the float book is wrong...says its 3 miles, but this one is correct. http://www.ozarkanglers.com/current-river/files/2012/01/Current-River-Map-Two.pdf

You never know when the Lorax puts the hit out on you.

It is a trade off...Enjoy the amazing power of nature or sit on the couch and watch football. I know which one I like better.

Got a kick out of that too...I've talked with the guy who managed the Kingston Ranch near 47 a couple times and he has always been friendly. They have always had issues with the slobs who leave litter under that bridge. The fishing sucked for a couple years, so I've moved on. Management & attitudes could have changed.

Here's a hair jig fish....It took a bunch of smallies that day too.

It was a good time. Tree limbs flying everywhere.

I'll tie whatever...need a few for this winter...a dozen or two more is no big deal.

You are right Joe. Their are lots of folks that love the ONSR...follow the darn rules and pick up trash. Then there are the people that rip the place up on a regular basis. NPS...is pushing for a bit more restriction....but none of them will impede my use. I'll take A...but no motor boats above Powder Mill would be better.

Cheap baits...are cheap baits...You want a good weight transfer system in a jerkbait and stellar hooks...a Rogue needs better hooks, and no weight transfer....Super Rogues have a piss pour weight transfer...but I've had them out fish LC's, Mega's, IMA's, Evergreens, & some other Japanese baits sometimes...not often but it happens. You need to know how they run...depth, type or action...and you need to know how to tune one..particularly the cheap ones. Not hard baits to fish after you play with them a bit. An expensive category to learn...but well worth it if you are a winter fisher. Probably have a couple hundred of them in the selection...Maybe 8 models two of each to choose from if I'm wade fishing...Canoe or boat fishing ...Maggie bar the door.

In

I don't get your rationale JD...I spend a lot of time on the Current in the winter time. You rarely see a soul. You would be appalled at number of UA access points, rutted horse trail, ATV, & 4x4 two tracks between the designated access points. They are hard to spot when the leaves are out, but they stick out like a syphilitic pecker at a short arm inspection during the winter time. I'm sick of seeing new UA two tracks & horse crossings. Close them off. There are plenty of designated access points...close the others.

Excellent trip! It is always good to see your kids catch a bunch. . .

Tried a few KVD's last year and lost them in short order...they run deeper, or get there quicker than most of the minnow baits I toss. Might try a few more...The action looked good, and the hooks were OK.

I can see that the jet boaters wouId have an issue with plan B...I'd prefer A though...They might eliminate or restrict my use of those rivers in the future, but that is OK...I love to float in the ONSR...but it gets too much use at the moment...Thinking that there are several thousand miles of river that you can do what ever you want too on......Lets keep some quiet water. .

Looks great!

No pork or plastic in the red or blue ribbon Mitch. But your hair jigs will work.

My buddy put an epoxy graphite coating on the bottom of his cedar strip canoe. Not sure how well it's holding up.

I haven't read the whole report...its over 500 pages long...but I skimmed it...The restrictions on gravel bar camping are in designated areas...probably like the small campground down at Sinking Creek (just up from Round Spring. Doofusses used to park campers on that gravel bar all the time...but its tent only walk in now. As for roads...they NEED to close some of those rutted two tracks....I hate floating Cedar to Akers in the summer...rutted two track parallels the river in most spots....really bad around Flying W and Medlock...tire tracks all over those gravel bars.