Gavin

Hears the closure levels from the NPS compendium...They are very conservative IMO. Cheers. 17 Bridge Closed at 3.65’+ 106 Bridge at Alley closed at 5.30’+ Eminence Bridge closed at 6.40' The rest of the document. http://www.nps.gov/ozar/parkmgmt/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=177459

Hit gold on my way to grab lunch!

I usually pan fry lightly then vac pack..or toss them in the dehydrator & vac pack...then toss em in the deep freeze. Dehydrated ones will need to be reconstituted in water...and dont pitch the water..it adds a good flavor to stocks & stews. Favorite...toss shrooms in a bit of S&P and some saffron..dust with 50/50 flour & cornmeal...very light...pan fry in grape seed oil,high heat... finish off the pan with a good dollop of room temp butter...........Need to go track down some saffron & grape seed oil.

My Delorme lists a Brownbranch, MO between Forsyth & Ava...its at the junction of Beaver & Caney Fork Creek....never been there but keep chasing Starlight Creek. Cheers.

Nice reports...the fish are still there.....but mid-day, sunny & windy and youll usually swear that there are no brown trout in that river...They just dont eat often then. Fly selection matters too...Rainbows love eggs...Browns...not so much. Cheers.

They taste better if they are very fresh, and not soaked....but you do what you gotta do...Nice Mess!

Most snag them for the meat...A buddy gave me some a couple years ago and it wasnt bad at all...Good on the grill, and fried too. I understand there is allot of waste when you clean one. Big Head, lots of fatty red meat to discard. Its nice to see that OK is doing something with the eggs...a legal supply might help cut into the illegal trade in paddlefish eggs.

Jadwin Canoe is the only one that does the Baptist to Cedar stretch... If your getting down Friday afternoon...I'd put in and float down to Ashley Creek. Should give you enough distance to weed out 95% of the wade fisherman on Saturday AM and some time to fish before people in canoes get on the water....Good water up and down. For Saturday..your gonna have to cover some distance if you want to get off the water by 1pm on Sunday. Some general landmarks & mileage guestimates... 0.Om Baptist Camp 1.5m Asley Creek on river right & Love's Cabin the left 2.5m powerlines crossing the river, Start of the Horseshoe bend 3.0m the tip of the Horseshoe 3.5m Derry Berry.. End of the Horseshoe 4.5m Hoosier Camp on river left..illegal 4x4 access 5.5m Parker Hollow access on river left 5.8m Shaeffer Spring Branch on river left 7.75m Cedargrove. Make sure you bring a bow saw to cut deadfall..wood can be scarce. Have a great trip!

Its really hard to screw up with morels....8-9 in my early spot this AM...picked one, and I'll get the rest this evening. This tree usually fires a week earlier than my other spots so things should be going good next week. Happy Hunting! Morels: http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/outdoor-recreation/how/mushrooms/munchable-morels?page=0,0 False Morels/Reds http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/false-morels Some folks eat em and love them......but a few people react badly to them.

Nice report....add some caddis dries & pupa to your kit this time of year......some big( #12) Lt. Cahills may pop if you stay late enough...never seems to last more than 3-4 evenings...

Mitch...you find em in the woods!.There is plenty of Public Land near O' Fallon and I've picked a few morels on most of it....... Morels relate to trees.. best 3 tree types Elm, closely followed by Ash, & maple...Sometimes cottonwood or syacamore...and always check recently dead & damaged trees. Hunt the river bluffs, & bottoms.....I'm sure youll find some out there in the next week or so....Southeast facing hills early, Northern exposures a week or so later..Its hard to get started with morel hunting...cuz nobody will tell you exactly where....Part of the game... Walk enough in season and you will start to figure it out and gain some spots...then add other spots. None on my early creek bottom spot...this AM...but soon....If your hunting bottoms...pick a likely tree, and walk to it...if hunting hills...start at the bottom and work your way up . Tree to likely tree at the same elevation.....then move up a bit......once you hit gold at a particular elevation...try to replacate the pattern...in similar spots.... Happy hunting!

Been awhile Brownie....hope all is well. No shrooms in the lou yet...but maybe in a day or two.

Watch out for the little green men...

National Park, Recreation area...doesnt appear to make any difference. They all appear to have equal standing under law. http://www.nps.gov/legacy/nomenclature.html Saw this on the River Hills Traveler Facebook Page... http://rhtrav.com/wordpress/check-federal-shutdown-news-before-heading-to-riverways/ Doesnt look good...might have to camo the canoe & pack a ghillie suit if you want to fish this weekend.

Tom Hargrove at T. Hargrove Flyfishing is an excellent rod repair man.....I'm not sure about local reel repairs.

Some nice browns in their Scudz. Looks like you and your son have allot of fun down there. Thanks for the pics.

Sale Pending.

I'd look for 2x strong chemically sharpened hooks....Dai Riki 730 is a good one...so is the 810....similar to the Gammy B10S...Investigate the Mustad Signature Series as well...Hard to get what you want in that line though.....Seems that I order a couple hundred...and maybe a third come in after a month or so....Then I try again. Good hooks...but hard to obtain. Cheers.

Pictures...and I measured the paddle...90.5" 230cm...noticed one slight modification from factory..the thwart behind the seat has been moved back 3.5" to accomodate more comfortable seating...usually use a Sitbacker when I paddle this one...not included, thats the queen's chair, when she is sitting in the front of my tandem. Thanks for looking.

For Sale... Wenonah Vagabond Solo Canoe in Ivory. 14.5' long royalex hull. Weighs 45 lbs bare, but probably a couple pounds more as equipped... Its got the factory installed black aluminum foot brace & kevlar skid plates..plus a custom anchor lift & lock system on the back. Some minor wear & tear, but in very serviceable condition. Its time to replace my tandem...and this boat hasnt seen much use in the last couple of years...time to pass it along to somebody who will get more use out of it. http://www.wenonah.com/products/template/product_detail.php?IID=34 Retail Price New $1,099 Adjustable center foot brace $ 45.00 Factory installed skid plates $ 85.00 +1 lb Will toss also toss in a mid range Werner Kayak paddle...220 or 230cm Kayak paddle I think..(Around $130 new) Estimated Retail Value if purcased new $1,359... The boat is in Webster Groves, MO and I'll take $675 for it. Will try to get some pictures up this evening. Thanks for looking.

Looking good Justin! For you beer snobs... http://www.craftcans.com/db.php?cat=state PBR is my usual float soda, but its nice to mix it up with some Caldera from Oregon, or some of the canned offerings from Colorada..Ska has some decent beers. Cheers.

Unger is off the Meramec river road, behind Fenton Soccer park..Difficult to cover water from the bank because its surrounded on 3 sides by honeysuckle jungle & scrubby trees. A small boat would be the way to go down there. Cheers.

Nothing in St. Louis yet...but they cant be rushed. Happy Hunting to you all.

Scudz...you dont make any sense...say what you will, but your purist dogma bores me Son..Add some content or get lost as far as I'm concerned. Pic's or it didnt happen.

Its not a waste....I like the Seaguar Grand Max FX...3x-5x...For subsurface leaders...pick up a 200yard spool of 12lb Seaguar Invisx..it will last forever. Use 3' of 20-30lb mono for you bobber to slide on, 6' of Invisx, then tippet...Save the tapered leaders for dry fly work. Cheers.