Midwest troutbum

Absolutely picture perfect! Looks almost sureal to the effect of a screensaver photo. I now must convince the wife or friends to make the journey to fish those areas someday.

Nice fish. Surprised though that a guide truely concerned with the fishes health would be taking clients out during the extreme heat and drought of this summer. They also had to transport the fish all the way to the states scales to do a weigh in. I doubt the boat is equiped with a large enough livewell for that size of a fish. The fish are already stressed due to the extreme heat this year. Why wouldn't a quick pic in the water have done it justice without the transport to the scales? Better yet why not wait till fall when conditions are better for both fish and man?

I know this is an old thread, but has anyone field tested the new glove like toe shoes now available on the market? What about the Teva F3's compare to the Keen Turia water sandal or shoe? Or the Keen Newport H2 Sandal? What is the best river shoe sandal? My measurements to determine the best sandal or shoe or hybrid for this post is (fit, comfort, practical, withstands years of field testing, withstands being wet or submerged in water for extended periods of time, dries quickly and can be used for some dry land hiking along the way, holds up to the punishment. (Price is not an issue if within reason.) Curious as to everyone's current take on the best river shoe/sandal for wading or swimming warm waters, in a canoe or kayak setting on a typical gravel based river in Missouri during the late spring, summer and early fall months. I have used Teva's exclusively for the past 10 years on both rivers in Missouri and Colorado. In Missouri I've used them for multiple trips swimming and climbing at the Johnson Shut-ins, for canoeing, floating & wade fishing in the Meramec river, Jacks Fork River, Current River, Huzzah and Coutouis river and smaller local streams and creeks. Iv'e also taken them on a 8 mile river raft float down the Royal Gourge in Colorado. Ive had two pairs of teva's. The first was a mid range priced river sandal. The second was the upper priced sandal. Iv'e been impressed with both, and used both for at least 40 trips to rivers. I wear them when gardening and being around any water/wet event situation during the warmer months. Iv'e worn cheep tennis shoes as a younger adult, but always had wet, sandy, and pebbles to walk on for the hike back to camp or vehicle. I also used aqua socks, when they first were started and many years after. These worked o.k, but had no cushioning, and seemed to delaminate quickly, and were horrible for hiking even short distance narrow trails. I have been impressed with Teva's construction and durability and comfort of years past, in all aspects as noted above for making it through the tough outdoor punishment all these years. But now I am skeptical of the newer Teva sandals, as they seem to be cheaply built, and cater to more of the clients that want a casual street wear sandal, and lost some of their roots and devotion to river rafting. I am looking at Keen and similar makes of the latest trend in sandal/shoe hybrid for the streams, but as I read more it seems these hold more gravel, sand and grit compared to the more open sandal Teva's. Tevas were easy to clear of debris while in the river. Just shake the shoe a little, while it is still on your foot, to dislodge any pebbles, rock, sand grit etc. I'm not so sure this is possible with the Keen Sandals. But I can see where Keens offer a bit more toe protection for walking in slightly larger boulder based rivers, or if staying in a raft. Iv'e also heard Keens develop a strong odor after being through several cycles of being wet/dry wet/dry. This is not a problem with Teva's, nor ever has been. Tevas dry extremely fast. Keens likely take much longer to dry due to the more closed web construction and materials. I'm not going back to cheep tennis shoes, as these smell, rot, hold lodged pebbles and grit under my feet, never seem to dry in time for the hike out or back to camp, and usually delaminate within a few hours to days of being abused out on the rivers. I'm also skeptical on the latest trend in shoe wear, the glove like shoe, with each toe is individually surrounded by fabric. I think Fila and other mainstream shoe companies originally made them for running and now river wear. They seem flimsy, easy to tear on sharp rocks, and offer little to no cushioning for hiking trails or even the river bed. I'm on the fence between the new Teva F3? , and Keen Newport or Turia water sandal. I guess the test of time & a lot of field testing will have to tell on these, by that time something else or new design will be on the market. Whats everyone's take on the topic? (If price is not an issue, only performance.)

Amen to that Wayne. Ive heard a commercial fishing co has begun near alton il which exclusively fishes for Asian carp. They then sell the fish back to China. Hope they clean out the rivers of these non native species and gouge China on the prices in the process. Only seems fair. Some job creation for the U.S. too.

I was not aware some st croix rods are now made in Mexico. I would not buy that particular cheaply foreign assembled model if that is true. I know they all were made in USA just a few years ago. Ive bought at least 4 st croix rods total. 1 ultra light, 1 spinning for largemouth fishing, 1 baitcasting rod, and 1 2 piece flyrod for trout fishing. All of these were built in america. I guess times have changed for worse here in America. Maybe I will need to look elsewhere should I need a new fishing rod someday. Glad I bought when they were American made. Ill make my own before I buy something assembled in the far east.

I've personally returned 3 rods directly through st croix with excellent results. As long as its legit and you have copies of reciepts registration and original tags and call ahead to speak to someone. I also know people who were near headquarters who just dropped in like yourself and received the royal treatment like your experience with falcon. As a general rule I would not ever go through the retail store on any product for manufacturers warranty issues or replacement issues especially cabelas. I bought a 400 dollar Ross reel through cabelas and had the worst headaches ever from time of purchase to time of actually having the product in hand. First it was on order then they told me backorder then it was lost then it was at the store but shipped to another store then it was never at the store then the story was the reel was never ordered at Ross reels. Cabelas could only come up with excuses and not solutions or even an appology. Customer service and the order Dept at cabelas does not take any pride or care or pay attention to important details or listen to the customer. They don't have to. Many employees at my local store are only there for a few months to a couple of years and are either canned or quit. Why care? they are so big nationally there is no incentive to personnally care about the customer only about the sale. When dealing with an out of town manufacturer, Ive come to belive through all of this and other experiences its always best to talk to the manufacturer first and to get someone of importance name and contact info on an letter explaining the situation. No retailer I know would ever take a ton of their time trying to get something free for someone when they could be selling another rod in this case for additional profit. Sounds like you got hosed by a wiseguy retailer and their management. Especially when they're competing against foriegn companies who sell everything for pennies on the dollar.

Ive always liked hiking hawk state park and nearby pickle creek. Sandstone creeks, Pine forests, wild azaleas in and the spring and great views. Always wanted to bring the flyrod and check the fish population but each visit was with a camping/hiking only group or family. Anyone here fish these parks? I remember Johnson shut ins used to be a good small stream fishing and hiking experince. (Below all the main swimming areas). My most recent trip to that park was before the old dam broke and decimated the park. Its been a while to say the least. The granite rocks were slick as snot. Its best to wear steel studded shoes in that area or a helmet! No joke! Its extremely easy to crack your head open and then fall into the water in that area of the park, mostly due to the slick as a wet marble floor algae not being worn off the rocks as it is in the upper part of the park where the swimmers tend to stay. Regardless me and my fishing buddy reeled in several nice smallmouth purportionate to the stream size. All were good strong fighters. A great day out in nature. Hows the shut ins park and stream looking these days post park restoration? Is wading downstream off the designated trail allowed anymore? There used to be several good deep pools at the bend in the creek just before the high voltage power lines cross. (Approx a mile downstream of the swimming and bluff jump area.) Has anyone fished elephant rocks? I would like to hear anyones recent experiences with these parks.

I tryed a 6 lb spyder type line for my small river ultralite setup after years of using stren monofillament. The noticeable difference is the line is very strong for the small diameter. I can pull out practically tree stumps and bend hooks. It also does not seem to have the memory or line coil compared to mono. But the down side to spyder type lines is its very very tough to cut or get a clean quick cut with standard nail clippers or snips. Ive had to use very sharp and expensive scissors or a razor blade which is difficult to carry on a fishing vest. Ive always used the simple and basic palomer knot exclusively no matter what the setup to much success. I'm switching back to mono though to prevent potential damage to my spinning rod and reel and to go back to a more of a traditionalist line. May try other monfillaments this time. Not a fan of wally world trilene.

Nice story. I would have killed the snake 1) for eating the lakes bass food and 2) for drinking my whiskey.

Nice smallmouth but hope everyone practices and preaches good catch and release methods. Nothing worse than to stress all the already stressed fish out there. Educate those new to the sport and politely remind those that should know better. Limit the handling of the fish to a minimum and don't take them far from the water. Don't prolong photo ops if at all possible.

Sounds like the main company headquarters understands good pr. The retail store in which the rod was purchased would loose all my business in a heartbeat. I personally like st croix rods. They have a long standing no questions asked full replacement policy and have high quality and high durability rods in varying price ranges. Made and assembled in USA with USA materials and labor.

Thanks for the insight and history! Any idea as to why Trout Glenn closed and how the State Park system acquired the lands? I remember as a kid staying a our cousins lake house. It has been in the family at approx 50 years, near where Old Kinderhook GC is now. I remember when Old Kinderhook was an old run down estate, lots of wildlife, a few farm fields lined the road and typical MO hardwood forest. Very few condos, mega resorts, marinas. etc. The entrance was a gravel road.... not to many years ago. We visited Ha Ha Tonka each summer, and I always thought the trails had some of the best views at all of the lake.... even some of the best in MO....I can only imagine what the area must have looked like in the different eras.... Very few mega developments in that part of the lake back then to spoil the panorama. The smaller family owned and operated businesses along the major highways and in town added a lot of character to the lake.... Many are now unfortunately distant memories, to make way for progress, but I guess thats part of economic growth and job growth at work. Now the lake must be in the bust cycle era of the mega resort and shopping boom. I'll have to look a bit closer and spend some time on the history of this area next time at the library or at the lake. Sure would have been nice if the park system re-built some of the historical trout establishment stream and runs at this state park.... I suspect managed lake levels of today are a major contributing factor to the relatively short distance spring stream to the main cove.....Many likely disagree with my opinion of managing this state park, as it is not a very popular view on the matter amongst the traditional lake boating culture, and is so close to trout waters in the south part of the state. But it's my two cents worth from an outsider....A trout fisherman can only dream...

Do they have a northern trout magazine for us Yankees?

Poison ivy plants oils are always out. Oils can last for several years on ones unwashed clothing. The plant is just more difficult to id after the leaves fall off. I personally know someone who even broke out in a poison rash in the middle of January after making contact with the oils on a hike in the snow covered woods in missouri. So its a myth that poison ivy irritation can only occur during the growing season.

Ive looked at probably some of the same streches of wildhorse creek this past weekend in Chesterfield & WIldwood MO... knowing the personality of St. Louis County cops in our area, and how county laws, ordinances etc are interpreted by civil and criminal courts in the area, I would for sure get the landowners permission. Problem is figuring out who owns the land as its not obvious. In particular as it meanders from farm land to subdivisions and to horse owners property to sometimes state property. For landowners info try St Louis County property viewer accessed via Stlco's website. I would be absolutely shocked if someone has purple paint markers on any stream within St. Louis County limits. Most people living in this area do not mark their properties like our rural bretheren and would more likely kick you out or just call the cops if you become noticed. I am looking at a reclusive spring area spoken of near the area you speak of in St louis Co on another earlier post. But if it includes potential tresspassing I'm out as the fines and potential criminal charges are hefty in St louis Co. The cops from personal experience are not at all sympathetic to grown adults hiking or fishing in creeks in the areas you mention. You would have to park in a community parking lot and wear full navy seal field suit and fish extremely stealth like. Not to spook the fish, but to avoid being visibly seen from property owners. Police will likely ticket if parked along a roadside for more than a few hours. Seems like the odds are against the free spirited fisherman in the suburban world here in the Midwest. I know several communities in Colorado and other western states that allow and encourage fishing opportunities of entire river & stream systems, including right through many downtown areas and cities. Were just not as a progressive a state as our western neighbors. Its a shame in many ways. However, I'd love to fish a spring 10 min from my house though and if I gained written permission from the property owner on the stretch I wanted to fish, and stayed within that property owners legal land boundary survey and saw evidence of a particular fish species I'd be all for it. Let me know what you come up with. I'd be interested in trying a legal fish in that stream.

Ness, You have no clue as how many assumptions you made when writing your post. For all you know, I could be anywhere from the retired owner of a multi million dollar company to a unemployed person. I could own several pairs of the top of the line Simms waders, live in Aruba, or just use my bluejean cutoff shorts in the river. I could even be a 25+ year veteran fly fisher and fit in extremely well. You remind me of a car salesman that either misses the point or misinterprets their customer's words.

Good advice. I was in my 20's at the time, and it's a bit unnerving to approach a group of guys sitting around a round table in conversation. It was just my personal experience at the time. I felt like I was being watched more than being helped as a customer. I guess I was just looking to be looked at more of a potential future long term customer than potential thief or shady character. It may have been a different story had I walked in with my dad or my family or was a bit older. Both stores have their qualities. As I essentially stated, everyone should experience these places for themselves, and It was only my opinion of what I experienced at the time. Everyone will have a varying experience or opinion from what I had. I would be willing to try either store again. I like the fact that both are dedicated to just fly fishing and not selling everything under the sun.

Ice cold! Many others would not call me a snobby shopper, or "restaurant critic". I ask good solid questions and don't expect special treatment. I just expect some kind of "hello", can I help you? or what may I help you with, or how's it going? at the least, especially in a smaller store or shop. I was in my 20's at the time and the shop had at least one other apparent regular customer. More watching went on than help. I'm just sharing my personal experience. As I stated, everyone needs to experience both shops for themselves, as everyone will have a different experience, or has a varying opinion. First time and second time impressions typically stick for me. My original post was my opinion. I never suggested it to be a factual report of what everyone will experience.

nice fish guys... looks like a good time was had.

Any argument that people cant afford a small and reasonable additional fee for conservation is just silly. There are many things in life that I cannot afford yet I manage to live or wait till i have the funds. Life is not always fair. Needs vs wants. We all need clean resources to live. Most people would love to live tax free and have all the rights in the world. Clean healthy and trash free water wins my vote if it can be had for only a few extra dollars and reform.

There are many western U.S. States that are deeply rooted in Capitalism, and yet they still have the smarts to protect their water resources by whatever means necessary, even if if goes against capitalistic values. I think the state agencies are trying here in MO, but just don't have as strong public's cooperation. Typical citizen would just rather watch and move on than report anything. Its a shame is all I'm saying. Someday the resource will all likely be gone. Only in times of crisis people here react and ask for something to be done, but I'm not so sure that will even hold true 10 years from now.

I am well aware that T.R. was not a founding father, but he took credit for founding our national park system.... So to me, he was essentially the founding father for conservation in this country. I'm glad you all picked up on that.

Seems like owning a motorboat only leads to a maintenance intensive and costly lesson... Cost of fuel, cost of licenses, storage if you don't have the space, launch fees, the hassle of boat launches, insurance, maintenance, repairs, upgrades, the cost of owning a vehicle to tow a boat, etc... Then you go to sell or trade it in and you get pennies on the dollar even after just a few years. I was once told a boat is the worst investment someone can make as far as depreciation. It seems the most economical and practical solution would be to rent a motorboat if only taking it out a handfull of times a year. I would however consider a boat if you are dead set on working the extreme lower section of the Meramec, around Fenton George Winter Park and lower to Arnold and possibly out to larger rivers. I would be a little hesitant in using a small kayak or canoe regarding safety in larger waters and or high water situations. All this said, I'm sure their are places further up stream, but am a bit biased and not really for adding more motorboats to our congested river and smaller stream systems. I would suggest a kayak or canoe or hybrid type setup along those lines if wanting to do stream or small river floating. Renting again may be the best option for someone if only doing this a handful of times a year. And if wanting to fish on large lakes and rivers i'm sure for ideal results this requires either two separate types of boats, or one expensive boat. You also may find as the kiddos get older, they may have different interests, and kids grow up fast. But not to discourage, if you already do a lot of floating, boating and spending time on the river, and in and around Pacific MO a Jet boat purchase might be the right choice. I've owned a kayak and have several relatives who own and owned boats. I sold my kayak due to low use, and my relatives swear after many years owning a boat, they would never purchase a boat again. And they have used their boats at the Lake of The Ozarks for over 30+ years and are of all ages. Personally, I'll stick to renting due to the type of floating and type of rivers and streams I frequent until renting is no longer an option. Canoe or kayak portage fees usually run the same amount as a rental. Also, Creve Couer lake is restricted to boats with no motors...except for the boat races. Not many bass in this lake, except for any loose stockers. You would have to get there right during the stocking, as this water is highly polluted and low oxygen levels directly linked to subdivision and farm pesticides, animal waste, street and yard runoff, and even an occasional documented raw sewage discharge from creeks along Creve Couer Mill Road. Mostly carp, drum and gar if any. By the way, no swimming there either. Happy fishing!

Thanks for the info and history introduction laker. I am a sucker for MO history. I assume Trout Glenn was where the water bubbles out of the base of the hillside spring in the upper section? I could imagine this stream ran at least to where the current lake level cove meets the main channel? Beautiful bluff lined stream, like something out of a movie... Iv'e been told some of the stacked rock dam walls from the trout park runs are still submerged near where the no wake zone begins. But again, this is all second hand info... its been at least 10 years, probably more like 15, and Iv'e visited many springs since then... they all start to blend together after a while. I will have to look into finding the publication and look for the photos you mention. The Ozarks are a beautiful part of the state and an asset to everyone.

I can only imagine what Teddy Roosevelt and other founding fathers would have thought about trashing our parks, resources and waterways... I realize he would have wanted to fish and hunt them to death, but what would he have done if he would have encountered a typical summer weekend on many of our rivers or lakes today? I suppose the folks who donated land in their wills and trusts to the state must also be rolling in their graves at allowing the debauchery behavior to continue. I suspect most people who use our parks and waterways in this state don't even think about this while their using them.