Gavin

Genetics play a big factor....Our fish just dont chunk up like the Northern Smallies....but management plays a big factor too..You might think that you have some secret spots...but everything seems to get fished pretty hard in the Ozarks, IMO. Its pretty hard not to see evidence of fishing pressure wherever you go. Cheers.

Thats a nice float...havent done it in a few years but its always fun. Lots of little bass and the occassional big one. Thanks for the report.

There are lots of canoes that will fill the bill...I like my Wenonah Spirit II, but the Disco 169, or Tripper are good boats too. They all carry tons of gear.

Might try Westover....They have a pond with whatever Tom's put in there lately...Nice cabins...lots of trout. some smallmouth in the creek....The Huzzah & Courtois arent to far away.

Gotta be otters..either the 2 or 4 legged variety.

Epoxy will work just fine...I usually use the 60 minute cure...its a bit stronger than the 5 minute stuff.

Looks like a great day on the water in spite of the crowds....Thanks for the report. You can find a tying video for the Pat's on Brian Wise's blog...Really easy tie and its very effective. http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/archive-slideshows-and-videos/

Red sore disease is common among fish in the sunfish family, particularly in the spring after they spawn. Do a search on Red Sore Disease and youll get all kinds of information. Cheers.

My friend Jim and I were down for 3 days at the end of April when it was flowing in the 900cfs range. Wading was a bit tricky at times, but the fishing was great. I'd give it a go. Big Coffee & Black Pat's Rubber legs were the ticket(#4's & 6's) but I'm not sure what they are on now. The black stone hatch is probably about over, but I'm sure they will still hit the nymphs. Golden stones, young of the year craws, and caddis are usually good bets this time of year along with your usual favorites. Cheers.

Great report...I've never fished the Big Hole, know I want to go.

I have a 145lb mutt....Think he's a rotty great dane that we got from a dog rescue operation in East St. Louis. He's a wonderful dog, in spite of his origins. Check out your local pet rescue organizations. I'm sure they have some big dogs that need a home. Cheers.

Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for the report.

Why not.......but there might not be a second time !

Your current setup sounds pretty good. Forget about the sink tips, and add a 5.5' casting rod for plugs, spinnerbaits, and buzzers. Youll probably get more use out of it. Cheers.

I tend to like my paddle a bit long when usuing my solo...I'm 5'11 and I like a 60" when using my solo...I have a couple of 56" paddles and they work OK in my Tandem, but I'd probably like a 58" a bit better than the 56" or 60" in my tandem. Sit in a chair and measure the distance from your seat to your nose, add the height of the seat in your canoe and blade length to arrive at a good straight shaft paddle size estimate. Features I like; wood because its not as cold to the touch in the winter time, A T handle grip so I can use the paddle as a hook if need be, a wide blade with a square reinforced tip. Sawyer makes some great paddles as well. Cheers.

Floating isnt an option right now because NPS will have the river closed at this level, but if it drops to 4.0 at Akers NPS should reopen it..Might be able to get a day float in on Sunday but I'd be on the lookout for new wood in the water. Big minnow baits and large streamers would be my top choice this weekend, but you might be able to pound a few up on big nymphs, brightly colored glo-balls, san juans and the like. Have fun.

Great work. Keep us posted on your projects.

Congrats on the new boat...You will get used to the single paddle in time. I used a double blader alot with my old OT Pack because it didnt track well and I didnt have much experience in a solo boat...I still use a double blader occassionally with my Vagabond for going upstream, but I use the single blade the rest of the time. You might want to go a bit longer with your single blader in a solo..I like wood best...its not cold in the winter, and they look a heck of alot nicer. Bending Branches makes some nice paddles, but none with a T handle. I use a Mitchell Open Boat Whitewater Paddle and I like it alot. The dont sell locally, but they will ship one to you. Have fun. http://www.mitchellpaddles.com/paddles/cww/obww.html

Depends on which section your fishing. The park to Baptist holds a good mix of rainbow and brown trout. Baptist to Cedargrove, your main quarry is brown trout with the occassional rainbow & a rare smallmouth. Its not uncommon to catch browns in the 16-18" range, and there are some alot bigger than that. Dont go to light on your line or tippet. Cedargrove to Akers, your main quarry is put and take rainbow in the 10-12" range and a few smallmouth between Cedar and Welch Spring. Akers to Round Spring, is usually slow fishing for smallmouth and the occassional trout. The smallmouth fishing starts to pick up a bit below Pulltite, but its much better below Round Spring. Have fun.

Heard the river fished really well...Not surprising...water was up and the skies were overcast..Usually makes for a good big brown trout bite. Cheers.

http://www.kingsriveroutfitters.com/rivermap.html This should give you a start....been wanting to float that river, but I never seem to find the time.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mo/nwis/uv/?site_no=06930000&PARAmeter_cd=00065,63160,00060 This is the guage at Ross Bridge....I'd wait for it to get down to closer to its median flow (around 500cfs) before I'd float it. Cheers.

Its a very nice stretch of river...but it always seems to rain whenever I float it...last 4-5 trips anyway...Fishing is usually better between Slabtown and 6x (were the party floatilla's start)...but the scenery between 6x and Ross is some of the best in the Ozarks.

I dont think that youll find agreement on bed fishing. I went fishing with Kevin Menuea from MDC a couple years ago and put the spawn fishing for smallmouth question to him. He said that lack of flooding is really the determining factor for a successfull spawn on Ozark Streams. If the beds dont get washed out, its a good year. Personally, I dont bed fish for bass or trout anymore, but I did plenty of it in the past. Others can arrive at their own decision and I wont condemn them if their opinion differs from mine. Cheers.

Think your comparing apples and oranges Zach. The grain weightings that Sage uses for the bass rods dont translate well into the AFTMA line rating system. The lines they designed for are similar to shooting heads...All the mass in the first 20- 30', and running line after that...A standard floating fly line might comply with the AFTMA ratings for the first 30' but it will have alot of mass in the taper aft of the 30' mark, often quite a bit more. I've had a chance to cast the entire Sage Bass series...and they really arent as heavy as the grain weightings might indicate. Cheers.