Gavin

Darn.I was hoping that there wouldn't be anyone on the river on this Sunday. Where are you folks staying and how many plan to float? Anyway, I floated from Kelly to Sunburst with my wife, and the in-laws a couple weeks ago. The river was really low, fishing was slow, but the moss wasnt too bad (every 3-4th cast) except for the area around ROLF. It should be better now. Good Luck.

I'd say no to dredging too. Montauk is pretty well abused but it is the most stream like of all the trout parks. IMO, it could use a lot of stream bank restoration and revegetation, but I'd say no to dredging because I'd fear that it would become another ugly fish ditch like Bennett or Roaring. The main reason that Montauk and the Upper Current its so shallow and silty lately is due to low water over the last several years. Pray for rain and lots of it...the river really could use a good scouring flood. Cheers.

A fly shop at Montauk would be tough. As watcher said, it would be tough to find people to help staff it. Montauk is a nice place for a vacation, but who really want to live there? Not me. Cheers.

A couple friends of mine ran a section of the lower Bryant in a 1448/20hp jet this spring but the water was a lot higher than it is know. The same fellow runs the NFoW in his jet, but you really cant go that far on the NFoW or the Bryant because of all the obstructions (low water bridges, ledges, etc.). I'd take a canoe or kayak instead. They are a lot easier to drag over a gravel bar. Cheers.

I usually use whole trout and brine them before smoking. Heres the recipe I use. 1) In a bowl or pan, cover fish with water, then remove the fish. 2) disolve enough salt in the water to float an egg. 3) Add about a tablespoon of liquid Zataran's Shrimp & Crab Boil to the brine 4)Add fish to brine and refriderate it overnight (about 8-10 hours) 5) Remove fish from the brine, rinse, then keep them on a drying rack for short time until they become glossy & shiny. When they are sticky to the touch they are ready.(This shiny film is called the pelicle, and it traps smoke flavor, and helps keep your fish moist). 6) Smoke over soaked hickory. Don't put anything in the water pan, leave it dry. My smoker has a door on the front for adding chips and I usually leave it open a little because you want to smoke and dry the fish, not cook it really quick. Wrap the fish individually in foil after smoking and refriderate. After a day or two you can open the foil and stick a butter knife in from the "Cleaned" side and they will fall in half whereas you cah just pull out the bones in one piece. Eat them cold. Some folks also add a cup or two of brown sugar to the brine, but I perfer to omit it. Cheers.

We floated Kelly to Sunburst on Saturday. Water was really low and clear but I managed to hook and land a few rainbows on a crawdad pattern. Moss wasnt too bad for this time of year, and we saw some really nice browns in the usual places. The highlight of trip happenend right below ROLF. An immature eagle came down and snatched a fish out of the water when we were about a hundred yards below Cave riffle..Lots of other birds out too...saw one bunch of teal, several bunches of wooducks, two osprey, several herons, and red & black headed buzzards. Cheers.

Have her try on as many pairs as possible and see which ones she likes best. The Simms are nice, but my wife liked the Patagonia's better. Frankly, I think the Patagonia waders have better features than my Simms G3's. Cheers. Have her try on as many pairs as possible and see which ones she likes best. The Simms are nice, but my wife liked the Patagonia's better. Frankly, I think the Patagonia waders have better features than my Simms G3's. Cheers.

The do move upstream, but you will find them near good spawning shoals. Cheers.

Great idea! I'd love to see more SMB management areas. I'll probably be at Viking on the 22nd, so say hello if you make it. Gavin

Micheal, I'm not going to the conclave but I consider the S. Counci to be a worthwhile organization. As for "All that Money" they dont really have much.....Im on the board of Ozark Fly Fishers in St. Louis, and the topic of conclave & SOC FFF finances usually gets discussed at our mid-October board meeting. If I recall last years discussion correctly the SOC raises around $30,000 a year at conclave and that gets spent thoughout the year on various budgets (conservation, education, publications, next years conclave,etc). I'm not privy to any of the details, but you want specifics youll need to attend to the business meeting at Conclave and ask your questions. I think its held on Sunday AM, but I'd check the calendar of conclave events for the date, time and location. Cheers.

Phil, here are some of the issues that are likely to come up. -The drastic increase in horse and atv use in the park. Many of of the foot trails are in really bad shape because of the increased horse traffic & illegal atv use. What to do? -The proliferation of unauthorized roads & trails in the park. Most probably dont notice while they are canoeing, but there are new trails & roads popping up all over the place. Horses, atv's, & 4x4's -To many rental boats, what to do? -Floaters behaving badly, what to do? -Water Quality..Horses, drunks, nearby cattle farms, agricultural runoff, etc. -Jet boats. those who fish from them, those who race them, and those who cant stand them. Keep the status quo, expand the use area, or get rid of them entirely? -Riverfront Development-MDC's Presley Center (former Alton Club), what to do with the existing facility at Welch Spring, reopen the CG at Akers?, plus changes to repair or removal of other park facilities.(boat ramps, paved roads parking lots, etc.) -Trout stocking between Akers & Pulltite. NPS probably wont budge but we can ask for it again anyway. -Law enforcement in the park...poaching, drug activty, drunks, theft, etc.

MISSOURI SCENIC RIVERS NEED YOUR HELP Missouri's largest national park, the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, needs your help. The National Park Service has begun the process of updating the General Management Plan for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, encompassing 134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers. The last plan was developed in 1984, so opportunities to influence park management don't come along often. The new Plan will guide the NPS in its decisions regarding the Riverways for 15-20 years. Please voice your opinions for restoring, improving, and protecting this unique Ozark gem. Horseback riding, off-road vehicles, canoeing, fishing, hiking, camping, and other recreational uses, and new facilites in the park, must be managed to protect the park while serving public needs. The National Park Service is hosting open "scoping" meetings to receive input from people like you before they draft the new Plan (schedule below). It is imperative that you participate in one of the meetings or send in your comments to ensure that your values are reflected in the final Plan. Meeting Schedule: September 18, Van Buren Community Center (Intersection of Business Highway 60 and D Highway) September 19, Eminence Elementary School (On State Route 106, 1 mile west of Route 19) September 20, Three Rivers Community College, Westover Adminstration Bldg, Poplar Bluff (Off Three Rivers Drive, 0.3 miles from Hardee's) September 21, Salem City Auditorium ( 202 North Washington St) September 22, Holiday Inn Southwest & Viking Conference Center (10709 Watson Rd, off I-44 east of I-270) Meetings will run from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, you may come at any time. There will be discussion tables for you to submit your comments. There will also be "moderated conversations" in break-out rooms which will be held at 5:00, 6:00 and 6:45, where you can discuss issues in a more structured format. Please visit the website at http://www.nps.gov/ozar/parkmgmt/general-m...information.htm for more information. You can also email comments from the website, or mail comments to the address below. Superintendent, Ozark National Scenic Riverways P.O. Box 490 Van Buren, MO 63965 573/ 323 4236 573/323-4140 FAX

IMO, most guides dont charge enough! Think about it...You dont have to load, unload, clean, and load a boat, handle the boat, make lunch, or keep your fishing partner entertained, etc., etc., etc. All you need to do is BYOB and fish. How awesome is that!

Catman, I think your missing the point. I doubt if if really matters what CCTR does to control manure on its own property. The post article says they can accomodate up to 3,000 riders at a time..Thats a lot of horse pucky! I'm sure that they keep their 75 acre campground clean, but how about telling me what happens to the manure that lands along all of these trails? http://www.crosscountrytrailride.com/image...nencetrails.pdf Cheers.

I think that Merc has a new 25 & 30hp 4 stroke coming to market. Not sure if they make a jet foot for it though. Cheers.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stor...4D?OpenDocument Story from the Sept 7th, 2006 St. Louis Post Dispatch http://www.crosscountrytrailride.com Origin of the feces

Dont know...most of the fish in taney look pretty healthy. It sounds like the fish you caught had some type of physical problem and made it out of the hatchery anyway. Cheers.

Snagged, I've been to YNP many times. The population of cutts in Y. Stone lake is WAY down, so I wouldnt bother with fishing Y. Stone Lake or the river above Hayden Valley. These days your best bet for cutts is the Y. Stone below the Falls, the Lamar, Slough, Soda Butte Creek, and some of their tributaries. Larger fish tend to hold in the meadow reaches, with the smaller fish holding in the canyons. Cheers.

Thats a shame, there was a lot of haze in the air when we were out there a couple weeks ago, but word was that most of the fires were out. To bad they got started again. Is the one on the Boulder on Tom Brokaw's place?

If your sight fishing, go with something small. If your not sight fishing, I'd try sculpin, minnow, or rainbow trout type streamers. Rapala's work well too..Cheers.

All welded jon boats with 25hp jet drives are the motor boat of choice on the 11pt. Blazers, Xterminators, and Allwelds seem to be the most popular hulls. Hope you dont buy one though. Jet boats provide a great deal of personal mobility, but the really spoil a lot of other peoples ability to enjoy the river in peace and quiet. Cheers.

There are smallies between Blair and Dawt, but trout are more numerous in that stretch. Most of the smallmouth are located upstream of the trout water. Anything goes below Dawt Mill, dont expect many trout, but any fish that swims in Lake Norfork could be in there. Same with nearby Bryant creek, expect smallies in the upper reaches, and more spotted bass, etc. as you get closer to the Lake. Good luck.

Good point Phil, the guage location would matter a lot. If the measured DO level is <3 and fish arent dying, my guess is that the guage is at the turbine and that the fish are getting additional DO from another source, probably the hatchery outlets, dam leakage, or springs in the river bed..I wonder anyone has one a study on that?

Here's a question. If a 5.0 D.O. level is considered suitable for raising trout, whats the D.O. level at which you would stop fishing for trout?

I'd agree with Sam, Baptist to Parker is long walk & wade (approx 5.5miles one way), but its doable. There are lots of foot and horse trails back there to make the going a little easier, but you'll get a lot more fishing in if you float. FWIW, Ashley Creek is only a mile downstream from Baptist Camp, and the powerlines cross the river near the half-way point. Cheers.