Gavin

A canoe wouldnt be my choice if they ae running a lot of water. There really isnt anything to hit, but volume of water and the current is tremendous. A wipe out could easilly cost you your life...A rental jon boat would be a better choice..At the very least wear your pfd and put some WW float bags in the boat.. If the water is off, you might consider floating from the MDC boat ramp just downstream of the hatchery. Most of the wade fishing occurs above the ramp. Cheers.

Youll be fine...the USFS campground at Lane is a pretty nice and it has a host on site, think its $8 bucks a day to camp. Spots next to the creek go quickly. Heres a map that shows the special reg areas, property boundaries, and access points. If the fishing on the LP stinks its a short ride over to Mill or Spring Creek. The Current is about an hour away. Good Luck. http://www.mdc.mo.gov/documents/fish/sport...t/millcreek.pdf

I have an old Casio G-Shock that I wore when I was in the service..its supposed to be waterproof to 100M, and its been going for almost 20 years know...I dont wear it anymore..its been strapped to the thwart of my canoe and stored outside for the last three or four years..and its still running. Cheers.

Think thats it. Its also known as little gem cave....its pretty hard to miss it from the river, its about ten feet above river level on an open bluff face. Big rock in the river marks the spot..Bring at least 3 lights for each person, and some warm clothes cuz that cave goes back quite aways.

Pulltite to 2rivers is around 25 miles...IMO, thats two FULL days of paddling w/o much time for anything else.... I'd probably go with a shorter float with kids along..probably Cedar to Akers for a day float, or Akers to Pulltite or Pulltite to Round Spring if an overnight trip is in order.

Its a holiday weekend...outfitters make there money runniing full school busses full of floaters and turning their boats around quickly....You get what they offer or nothing when they are busy (mid-week is usually a different story)....Might ask them if they will let you rent a boat, take two vehicles and run your own shuttle. You could also go someplace else...Should be jet boat city down by Doniphan this weekend...Might want to float Pulltite to Round Spring instead..its a nice 10-12 mile float w/o any jet boats. Fishing is only fair, but its better than Akers to Pulltite.....Call Carr's at Round Spring. Cheers.

Havent tied any flies with it, but I use it a lot for other things. It cleans up with acetone..cheap vodka does the trick too.

I have a trolling motor mount that I got from Old Town..works great but kind of pricey..You will need to register your canoe and motor if you want to run a trolling motor. If you dont register, you run the risk of a ticket. If you dont have a statement of origin from the manufacturer you will need to get an inspection and affidavit from a Water patrol officer before you register the boat and motor with Dept of Revenue. Anchors...I run a drag chain out the back of both of my canoes..I built a brackets out of wood and use an anchor lift and lock that I got from bass pro. Anchor is simply a chain wrapped with duct tape..slows the boat and keeps the bow pointed down river so we can get a few more casts in... .Thinking of running one out the front this year..a window sash weight, a couple eye hooks. a small roller, and a a jam cleat should do the trick..Keep an knife handy when running an anchor. Heres a ling to a pick of my solo from a couple weeks ago. Anchor bracket is on the back but I dont have the anchor installed. Remember to keep a knife handy with the anchor deployed. Cheers. http://nesselrode.com/fishing/DSC_7297.jpg

Lots fun stuff to do in that part of the Ozarks.. Have fun with the flower children http://www.eastwind.org/ Have a spiritual awakening http://www.assumptionabbey.org/ Camp out with the guys.. http://www.cactuscanyoncampground.com/aboutus.htm Let us know if you need additional suggestions.

I know more than a few yakers that wouldnt mind trading for my solo canoe...If any St. Louis area kayakers want to float a solo, you are welcome to paddle mine...might be surprized at how nice they are to fish from. Here's a pic of mine from a float on the Meramec last June. Forward compartment...Pelican Waterproof Gunnel Box. and Cooler.. Sitbacker canoe seat. Aft Compartment, Egg Crate to hold misc tackle rain gear, etc., Anchor Lift & Lock mounted on the back.

I have the Simms Keen Sandals. They are good for canoeing, but they pick up a lot of gravel..If I plan to do a lot of fishing, I usually wear a pair of wading boots and some neoprene socks . Teva's can be ok on a gravel bottom stream, but they can be hazardous on a river with a lot of slippery snot rocks. I learned that lesson several years ago on a float from Kelly to Sunburst on the NFoW. Canoeing was no problem, but I floated my hat 3-4 times. Glad it was warm that day! Keens work OK there, but I still prefer wading boots. Cheers.

The usual suspects should produce...On top....Buzzbaits, Zara Puppy, Tiny Torp, Pop-R. Rapala...Mid-Water-Wee craws, spinnerbait, zoom flukes, curly tail in minnow colors..Bottom- Jig & Craw, Tubes, Curly tails, and Hula Grubs in crawfish colors. Cheers.

My tandem canoe is a 17' Wenonah Spirit II..weighs around 75lbs or so...Great for a ton of gear, easy to fish out of, and it handles as well as shorter canoes...Very stable...No problem standing in the bow and fly casting if you have a decent paddler in the back.A bit higher in the bow than I'd like and I dont think Wenonah's royalex boats are as durable as the ones from Old Town..Dont know how much you plan to use yours, but I wore a hole in my Wenonah in 4 seasons...Probably 200-250 days on the river.....Patched up fine though. Will probably get another tandem in the next year or two..When I do I'll be looking at an Old Town Penobscot 17 and the Bell Alaskan..The shorter 16' boats are OK, I like the extra length for when I'm fishing with a partner, and I also appreciate the extra gear capacity when I'm headed out for more than 2 nights on the river. 17' boats arent that difficult to handle..I routinely fill if full of gear and paddle it solo on cold weather camping trips. I usually solo it from the rear...trim the boat right and its no big deal. I also have a solo canoe.. a Wenonah Vagabond...great solo boat for short trips...but not one you'll stand in for long. I'd get a dedicated solo boat if your going to do a lot of short solo trips. Think it weighs about 45lbs..easy to toss on the car..carries enough gear for a couple days. Works well with a kayak paddle or a long regular paddle. Most of the boats your looking at are very good boats..but I've gotten used to paddling a 17' and I wouldnt want a smaller canoe..Think youll be happy with whatever you decide on. Cheers.

Pontoons work great on the NFoW and the tailwaters....to wide for the Upper Current, too slow and they catch to much wind for slower gradient streams like the Meramec, or Niangua, or bigger SMB waters...and you cant cover much ground in a lake with it....... A good sit on top would work anywhere..Tarpon 120, Redfish 12, etc. Get both if you can..Cheers.

Its upstream a bit..along the powerline crossing.

Depends on what you want to do...not much to do but fish in the park..They have a playground and Tan Vat is the favorite swimming hole......A float is the obvious choice..I'd recommend floating Cedar to Akers...Scenery is great. Hike up to Medlock Cave and Medlock schoolhouse, play around at the old hospital at Welch Spring and check out Akers Ferry one of the few remaining car ferry's in the state. Fishing can be decent, its stocked with trout, and the kids can fish bait and keep there catch. Devi's Well near Akers is worth a stop too..or stop at Pulltite and hike over to the cabin and the Spring. Cheers.

Nice...bout the neatest tarpon display I've seen was simply a single scale from the fish, mounted with a picture..Dont think I've ever seen a tarpon mount that has captured the essence of the fish, same with bonefish..always to gray, and they seem to lack prism effect.

Yeah, the Current gets way to crowded on Saturdays. Might make one more trip next month, then I'll probably avoid it until October...Time switch my attention to smallmouth anyway.

Very similar streams...Butts Slab (Bass Resort) to Scotia Bridge on the Corutois is my favorite stretch for scenery..a couple caves down on Huzzah Conservation area...some sporty turns to negotiate. Fishing is about the same on both streams though. Typical creek fishing....lots of longears, and 8-11" bass, with a bigger bass every once in awhile. Cheers.

Youd be a lot better off with a Yakima Rack System...Get 4 towers, 2 72" bars, 8 canoe brackets, 4 rack locks, 6 straps (2 extra), 6 (2 extra) bow & stern rachet tie downs. It will cost around $300....but its well worth it...Take it from someone who's had a couple boats fly off the top of a vehicle at 70mph before. The incident could have easilly killed somebody....but we got off easy with only the loss of one canoe. Cheers.

Fished it Saturday as well. Nothing big for me, but a bud landed a 21" brown on a rapala, another fellow got an 18 brown on a fly...Big Strainer river right at the island just below Tan Vat, but easilly avoided by walking your boat down the left channel.. Huge Sycamore down at the S-Bend about a click above Ashley Creek but plenty of head room to float under...River was in pretty good shape with decent flow and great color......Kind of like it used to be....A bit of soft gravel to contend with..but no bit deal..Very crowded...Anglers in every hole down to about 200 yards below Ashley on Saturday. Sounds like you had a great trip.

Nope...havent been there yet this year..call Brown's Canoe, Huzzah Valley, and Bass Canoe and ask them for current flow and fishing info..Its usually not worth fishing on the weekend unless you can find a way to avoid thousands of rental boats. Fish upstream, put in late and camp out, put on really early and float ahead of the pack, fish during the week. Good Luck.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mo/nwis/uv/?site..._cd=00065,00060 Trout park might be OK, but the river will be too high wade below Maramec Spring...Upper Current near Montauk State Park looks fishable though. Cheers.

Depends on what niche you want to fill..Breaking into the fly rod biz is tough because there is a lot of comptetion based on price, and you have to consider the impact of some of the rod guarantees that certain fly rod manufacturers offer. Break it, send it back, and get a new section, or rod for a couple bucks. Probably the most popular trout rods are 9' 4, 5, & 6wts. 7.5'-8' 3 & 4wts are also popular..Rods in the 7wt and up category arent in much demand. Rods smaller than a 3wt arent of much use. Cheers.

My folks used to stay up at Trout Lodge in Potosi a lot when I was a kid and we fished the Fourche below Sunnen Lake and MF a lot back then..Nice little stream. I've floated it several times from F down to 47 and from 47 down to Mammoth on the Big River...Fishing can be good at times, but it gets a lot of traffic. Especially from Hazel's Camp down to the Big River..Fishing has been on the decline fo the past couple years...many of the better holes graveled in.. Long day float with lots of dragging and usually some wood in the water to carry around, drag your boat over..Best time to do it is when the days are long. Usually takes me about 12-13hours to float and fish between F and 47. Met a few folks that gave me the creeps down there a few years ago.. Two skinny dudes with bad teeth and a bunch of tats, fishing with crawdads. Saw em down there on several occasions..They were always really chatty and jumpy like they were all methed up slurring their words like they were drunk too. Probably dead or in prison by now but who knows....If you fish it, dont leave anything in your car, and watch out for cottonmouths...I can tell the difference between a water snake and a c-mouth and there is a pretty good number of them on that creek. Cheers.