Gavin

If I want to catch browns...I head to the Current, but the NFoW has a very good brown trout fishery too. I cant offer much of an opinion on the Niangua..I've only floated it 4-5 times with mixed results. It does look like it has potential for some big brown trout but weve had stocking truck luck on the few visits that I've made down there. I'd rank the Meramec's brown trout fishery over the Niangua, but I know it alot better. Rainbows....The NFoW is the state's premier rainbow fishery because they are wild and they have the potential to grow to a decent average size...Its a tough place to fish though. The Eleven Point is much better in terms of numbers, scenery, and it has better size potential, but its primarilly a stocked fishery. Both are great, but different. Cheers.

I've floated from 63 to 1-44...It's not one I'd want to do with rain in the forecast because it flash floods alot, but its floatable...175cfs-300 at Newburg would be a good level...You never know what your going to encounter on that creek though...Its not logged, so you can run into some monster log jams on occasion. I've never used an outfitter to shuttle on that creek, but you might try some of the ones that serve the Big Piney in that area...Probably wont be cheap though. Cheers.

Al's post is a good one....My friends and I won a few kids fishing derby's chumming with a can of corn...On the fly...they can be tough to sight fish too...best bet is to find some that are cruising around a slow water pool or pond looking for food...youll see em moving and rooting for food occasionally...toss a weighted fly well out ahead of them were you think they are headed and let it sit... give it a twitch when the carp get within a foot or two of your fly...they will usually head right to it and suck it up...If they dont try again on their next circuit around the pond. Cheers.

I usually tie the herl in by the tips. If you want more, add more...Might tie a few with some gold or silver mylar on top instead of herl. Cheers.

Looked like a 3/0 or 4/0 hook...but I didnt buy any...A 15" smally shouldnt have any trouble eating one.

Had a conference at the St. Charles Convention Center Monday & Tuesday....stopped by Bass Pro as well...It looks like War Eagle is offering a twin spin... http://www.wareaglelures.com/index.php?act...p;productId=207

SW MO...dunno...check the mfg's site for a dealer in your area.....otherwise.....T. Hargrove Fly Fishing in St. Louis is a Filson Dealer. Let Tom or Craig know what you want and they will get it too you....www.thargrove.com. I purchased my tin cloth field coat, and a few other items there. Helps if you can try a few on...but..its hard to find Filson on the rack. Cheers.

25" works for me...20" trout just arent hard to come by....

Must be jet boats !

Your GPS is only as good as the map that you load into it....I have a hand held....but rarely use it...Last time I turned it on was a couple years ago, when my wife and I wanted to to see how fast we could get the canoe moving...we already knew where we were going. Could be useful on the open ocean, but I have no need for one around here.

Maps, maps, and more maps....you need em...DeLorme, County Maps, Conservation Atlas, Chuck's Books...my wife's kid cruiser has a GPS nav system....works OK between cities and in town, but you need some judgement. Its worthless for most river access...cuz they are all in "Unverified Territory". Cheers.

If you want a 20lb brown...I'd head to Lake Michigan...the Ozark Tailwaters have a few but your chances are much better up there..I consider anything over 24" a great fish on the Current...Over 30" seems like a good standard for a tailwater. Cheers.

Ken get yourself an umbrella policy if you dont already have one.

Its a nice fish....but the body looks kinda skinny for its length. Should be pretty easy for fat 23" fish to outweigh that one by a good margin...Its still a 24" bass though. I figure that length is a better measure because weight can vary alot depending on body condition and when you catch em.....Congrats!

Incredible catch! Good for Scott...seems like Phil has a great spot on the lake...Will have to take the girls down once they are old enough to cast & reel.

Compare the fishing on the White and Norfork to what it was 25 years ago....and try to tell me that its been well managed !

Somebody put a lot of work into that place...Dont know if they are fragile wild trout, but who cares. It doesnt look like a place were you can drop in un-invited ;>)!

Guess nobody has been fishing.....me neither, so here's my .02... I dont think that more enforcement or regulation will do much (if anything) to benefit the fish on Taney. Taney is well managed from a regulation standpoint. The catching is fantasic, and big fish to...But I do think that increased enforcement and regulation could do a lot to improve the "experience" of fishing on Taney. IMO, the upper end on Taney is often too crowded and the scenery is nothing to write home about. Add a few shufflers and assorted rule breakers to the mix and it quickly drops off the list of places that I want to fish. I'm sure that I'm not the only one. I think Taney's fishery has an image problem...and I dont think that it will rise above it's hillbilly trout park image until the local culture does all it can to keep anglers on the up and up down there. On the bright side....Taney doesnt have Arkansas's problems; severely declining tailwater fisheries due to gross mismanagement, a corrupt fish & game commission, and a kill everything no-limit culture. It could be much worse. Cheers.

Fall & winter smallmouth fishing can be tough...If the water temps are in the 50's they will be more active....in the 40's not so much....Fish should be in a winter pattern...hanging in really slow current or slack water near rock or wood structure.......not necessarilly deepest water on the river, but they may be close to it. If its murky, I'd try spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and jig with a rattle fished slow on the bottom. If its mildly stained or clear, I'd try some suspending jerkbaits (The LC Pointer 78, Slender Pointer 97 and 112 have become favorites of mine), tubes, or hair jigs or marabou jigs....Might try suspending a minnow jig under a bobber as well. There's a good post on the subject on the main board at riversmallies at the moment.... www.riversmallies.invisionzone.com Cheers.

Datus Proper, and Leonard Wright.....good stuff there...Schwiebert.....had em, sold em....dont miss em...

I dont give a darn about a stinking carp, but that turns my stomach..

Welcome!

Zern has a couple fishing books...How to Catch Fisherman, To Hell with Fishing, Are Fisherman People, but they are out of print...Think there is a best of out there and I'm sure its worth a read. Cheers.

Somebody put a big chunk of money into that bridge and stream improvements so I'm guessing that its Dogwood Canyon.

The Curtis Creek Manifesto is probably my all time favorite beginner book........learn how to fly fish w/o taking it too seriously. Gierach is OK, but I like Robert Traver or Ed Zern's stuff a lot better. Cheers.