Gavin

Nice Catch! Sounds like a great trip!

Sounds like sour grapes from a dying tackle shop owner to me. Paul's has looked like it's on its last legs for the last couple of years. Bait sales are probably a significant part of their income since they obviously cant afford to stock a decent inventory anymore. What a shame.

You will have to paddle and cover some distance on Day 1 & 2 if you want a short float out on getaway day. I'd shoot for a spot near Bee Bluff on day one, and down near Martin Bluff/Blair Creek on day 2...which would give you a short float out on getaway day.

The reason for the ban is that bait sales are leading to the introduction of non-native crawfish...and it makes sense. They can complain all the want but MDC isnt going to change its position on this. It will still be legal to sell live crawfish for human consumption.

Sounds like a nice trip!

I havent tried either of those colors. I'm sure they will eat em.

Will have to try the offset worm hook..usually rig my flukes on an unweighted 4/0 EWG...If I'm getting hits but not hooking up...I change colors, or switch to a shallow suspending jerkbait like the LC Flash Minnow 110. I carry Pearl, Glimmer Blue, Pearl/Chart Tail, Pink, and Houdini.

It's always floatable...but you will do some dragging above Welch Spring if the Akers guage is below 1.5'..Plenty of nice spots to camp between Baptist and Cedargrove...but its hard to find a secluded spot between Cedargrove and Akers.The stretch between the Flying W and Medlock Cave is particularly bad for drive in traffic and river doofusses. Akers to Pulltite is a pretty stretch but the fishing stinks. Cave Spring is the highlight of the Akers to Pulltite stretch and make sure you walk up the creek to Pulltite Spring at the end of your float. Its across the river from Group Site 2 near the end of the Pulltite Campground. Have fun!

Are you running your own shuttle or dependant on an outfitter? If Two Rivers canoe is busy it may limit your choices. Round to Logyard is a wicked long float for 2.5 days...maybe Round down to Powdermill..25 miles if your running your own shuttle. You will see some floaters down to Two Rivers, but mostly jet boats below there.

Hard to top a Zoom Fluke in the summer time 5.25" not the little one..and if they wont eat that a 4" Chomper Hula Grub or a 4" Zoom Fat Albert Curly Tail Grub.

Figure the skid plates on my boat are about 1/4" thick...I usually get 4-5 years in before I grind through the stern skid plate. The one on the bow of my boat has never been replaced.

Call up Tom or Lisa at Westover and confirm it, but I heard it went for $1.2M at the FDIC firesale...Just because a property has a spring creek doesnt mean that it will hold trout. Many of the springs have too much nitrogen content to support insect life and trout. I'd get a copy of Chuck Tryon's Trout book and a gazetteer and scan the list of possibles. There is always river property for sale on the North Fork of the White...and plenty of cattle farms in the area. Rocky soil in the Ozarks isnt good for much more than cows & timber. Good luck with your search.

Call Ed's son Bob at Feather Craft Fly Fishing in St. Louis...he might be able to round up a copy for you.

What is your hull made of? You need to get the kit with the epoxy that will stick to your boat. Piragis Northwoods is a good online source for a skid plate kit. Not hard to do...bit of prep and some masking around the area you want to put the skid plates on.

Makes sense...dont do any lake fishing...but inshore salt fish turn on when the tide moves. I'm sure the pattern holds on dam controlled lakes.

Think I spoke with someone in your party around 8:30am at Baptist on Friday AM. Fished up from Tan Vat between 5:30am & 8:15am....Pretty good for numbers but not much in the way of size, only one worthy of a photo...17-18" maybe. Not very long but very fat....lots of 14" fish. Had an hour left to fish...so I ran to Baptist to make a deposit, and get a few more casts in. Saw the Jadwin Bus and some cars driving up the hill, and what looked like your group at the put in, so I went back to camp. Sounds like a nice trip!

The NPS has acknowlged the problems down there...So its unlikely that the "no change" option will be selected. I just wish that NPS would get the ball rolling..Their late with the plan draft.

Think they release a few...I didnt see any, but a proud dad at the lodge was telling me about his 6-7 year old son's 3.5lb er. We had 8 kids between 3-7 on the water on Saturday. We didnt race to the buzzer...Got there at 10:30 or so...and they all lasted till noon. The all caught or reeled in at least one before they were ready for their hot dogs,soda pop, bike rides and playground time. Fun weekend!

They will rent to a single...but they are gonna charge you full price for two..

Huzzah Valley, Bass Resort, Ozark Outdoors, Browns Canoe on the Huzz/Cortois/Meramec....Lay Z Day or Route 66 on the Big Piney..Cherokee Landing or Washington State Park on the Big River.

Good for you! I like the new ride! a SOT that will cart a Full Sized Cooler! And that Sea Dek stuff looks interesting...think I need some stuff on the bottom of my canoe to fend off studded rubber soled wader boots....that might be the trick.

http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/generalFamily/saranac_146xt.html I'd be very concerned about the durability of that boat..Thermoformed Poly..single sheet....plus its shaped like a bathtub.If $550 is your budget...I'd look for a good used tandem canoe on craigslist. You will be better off in the long run.

Headed down tomorrow...will have 8 kids on the water on Saturday..always fun!

Good find!

Lots of folks tend to push their cast when trying to cast a big bug...you cant push spagetti and make it move forward..you have to pull through the stroke to your stop. A 7wt-8wt helps too.