Gavin

Out of those two...I'd go with the OT Guide 119...I had the OT Pack (same boat in Royalex) at one time. It always felt kinda wobbly when you were getting in and out..but its pretty good little boat when underway. I will tell you that you are not gonna like that OT Guide if you above average in height or weight. I'd opt for a longer solo canoe or sit on top kayak if its in your budget. The Wenonah Vagabond is a great flatwater boat for an average sized person. I had one of those too..but its not a very deep boat...and it took on water every time ran a good sized ledge or a section of 2' standing waves...Its not the boat for the NFoW or 11pt but it worked great everywhere else in MO... I sold it to a board member last spring. Its replacement will probably be a Jackson Coosa Sit on top or a Wenonah Wilderness. Good Luck!

Its a puzzle that's for sure...I do think that some of them migrate out of the small streams if they are able too. Most small creeks seem like bassless wastelands in the winter time....but then the bass seem to come back (or get active again) in the early spring. The average size seems to be better in the spring on those creeks too. Perhaps they move out in the winter, run up the tributaries in the spring to spawn, then meander back down? Its impossible to draw a conclusion from one data point, but or group had an odd thing happen on the upper Current in late September of 2010. We did the usual Baptist to Parker milk run. We usually catch an occassional smallmouth down there (single digits), but we caught ALLOT of smallmouth that weekend, maybe 40-50 for the group and thats never happened before. Figure we stumbled into a wad of smallmouth migrating out of Ashley Creek. It will be interesting to see if MDC's tag study reveals anything about winter migrations.

Maybe they can afford to build the "Ballpark Village" now !

I think the Cardinals made the right move. They have a good team with or without Albert and now they have $20M in the budget for new talent.

Thats a fantastic offer...Wish you lived on the East Coast.

Definetely not relevant....but I'm thinking that Travis the doomsday serial killer on the current run of Showtime's "Dexter" bears a striking resemblance to a young Paul Dallas......it is fiction...but the Dallas clan is prone to speaking in tongues, imbibing mass quantities of who knows what, dropping lit ciggy's in the tops of their Simms waders (Must be a down-low or grandfathered in pro staff deal to rate that disregard). Hardly worth prosecution....but it might be worthy of investigation. I'll give you $20 for the pack...iffen you toss in a big jug of Tito's vodka.

Looks great Mitch...bet you could sell lots of them.

Thats a great fish! Congratulations!

American Angler was good...when I subscribed to fishing mags. I havent in 5-6 years...guess my flies & lures are out of date..but the fish havent noticed yet.

Ted, head over to Boiling Springs CG on the Gasconade...its about 2 miles below the confluence.

That last photo ...Rocks!....It captures the essence of a Mill Creek bow better than about any other that I've seen...not that you should be taking routine pictures of fish that could fit in a sardine can...but if the light is right and you have some skills...Have at it.

Looks like a great trip!....notice where you caught it....winter pattern spot.

There are a few big springs that are stinking with smallmouth this time of year, and Greer is second biggest in the state.....Bet Justin can find a spot or two closer to home..

Eating pellets in the park raceways for years most likely..given the stunted nose from rubbing against concrete...pic was taken within spitting distance of Montauk...Go get it. Toss your brown trout back...Thanks!

[Zoo Press Release

I'd check with Troutt & Sons marine over in Cuba...

This is worth a read...missed the program, but the author spoke to Ozark Fly Fishers in St. Louis a couple months ago. An Entirely Sythetic Fish

Nice catch!...Shouldnt be too hard to locate

I know that they have sample fish to strip eggs & milt out of Crane on occassion...but I havent heard of any stocking activity...but who know's for sure...or if the fish they stocked in the 1920's were truly McClouds...the fish from that hatchery might have been mixed with something else by that point...Its just nice to have some wild trout to fish for..and some of them grow to a respectable size. Heck, my best wild Missouri rainbow 22" was caught on one of the wild trout creeks. I've caught bigger in the parks and on the tailwaters, but I've never topped 21" on the North Fork of the White.

Found a net while fishing upstream from Baptist on Saturday 11/26/11...Let me know if you lost one with a description and I'll get it back to you. Fishing was fair at best. Really low water and spooky fish. Struggled for the first hour with only two rainbows to show for it, changed things up a bit, and caught 4 browns in the next half hour. Best in the 16-17" range. We need some water down there.

Yep...the first one is a Thompson rod wrapper....worth $5O bucks or so, maybe a bit more.....The rest...nothing I can recognize.

Fished the NFoW last Friday & Saturday..Did the Kelly to Sunburst float in a friends drifter on Friday. Water low, really windy, & bluebird...fishing was really slow. 4 for me and a dozen for the boat. Canoe floated it on Saturday with Bobber. Hazy, windy, & low...6 for me, but Bobber put on a nymph fishing master class..16-17 for him, including one he taped and a 17". Fishing was slow but it was a grand time. Great company, and plenty of wildlife...Flock of Turkeys, couple eagles, lots of herons, and a couple deer along the way. Didnt hear much shooting, but one group did well...They paddled past us at the Falls on Saturday, then saw them unload two nice bucks and a doe at ROLF ramp. Must have been hunting up between Hammond & Rainbow because we didnt see their boats on the way down. The lower float was producing a mixed bag, rainbows, largies, & smallmouth for those who fished it. Best report was an 18" brown..Had to drop to 5&6x to get hits, but the usuall suspects produced. Should be better after this weeks rain. Good Luck.

Nice...I wasnt ambitious enough to haul the boat up on my last visit...Glad you had some good fishing.

Might depend on what your local ordinances say....Its a misdemeanor to discharge a firearm or projectile weapon within the city limits of my municipality...I'm pretty sure that my neighbors wouldnt care but you never know for sure.

Great Catch! Good for you!