Fly Fishing Pete

I agree, there were a lot of a-holes out there yesterday. Following too close, not properly managing wakes, etc. My biggest pet peeve is when people operate at 1/2 throttle near a bunch of anchored fishermen. Either idle or keep it up on plane!

I had never seen one nearly that size, thought it was a carp at first! When I got home I looked online and found out I may have caught a near state record size sucker...

Drifted a jig late this afternoon just above Fall Creek and caught this big guy (gal?)! Never seen a trout possess such amazingly sucker-like characteristics.

Where does the Narrows start on the downstream end? I know to stay on the west bank near Fall Creek, but where should one cross the lake to stay in the "deep" water when the water is off? Is there something specific on either shore I can look for to signify the place to cross? Thanks for the help. I'd like to be able to run my outboard through this stretch without nervously looking down when the water is off!

No one is saying it's okay to break the rules. No one is encouraging anyone to break the rules. But what is the ACTUAL impact of using plastics, bait or powerbait in the trophy area? Honestly, probably very little. What's the difference, in terms of impact on our great fishery, between using plastics, bait or powerbait a foot above Fall Creek and a foot below Fall Creek? I'm going to venture a guess and say nothing. Will it decimate the trout fishing in the trophy area if people use plastics, bait and powerbait at the outlets? No. No need to get worked up about it. The fish are heavily stocked. Honestly, I'd be fine if the rules were relaxed in the trophy area. Now snagging is a legitimate thing to get worked up about, and I'd love to see tickets handed out for it. But citing a tourist for fishing with powerbait? Come on. /rant

Given the proximity to the drop-off point, the depth and speed of the water, the banks being slick and muddy, the size, weight and awkwardness of my boat and the fact that I had two passengers who were not particularly enthusiastic about continuing on, it was the right choice.

Dropped a car off at the park in Ozark and attempted to float down from the Lindenlure access. Water was a bit high due to recent rains, so I figured it would be a good float without much scraping. The first stretch was great, current was a little pushy but manageable. The word of caution is for a large tree down which acts a strainer (at higher water) about a mile down from the access point. At low flow, a canoe or kayak could probably pass under the tree without issue. However, when the water is up, the current pushes you into the tree and there is not enough clearance to pass under. There is not a viable portage option. We ended up having to paddle back upstream, which was not fun! Just a heads up to anyone thinking of floating the upper Finley!

That makes sense. Thanks for the responses!

Maybe this is a stupid question, but I'm fairly new to trout fishing. Why does MDC ban soft plastics in certain trout streams? Do they make the fish too easy to catch?

Fished the lower section of the creek from mid-afternoon to sunset. Tried a couple nymphs, a wooly bugger and a San Juan Worm. Skunked on everything. Water was gin clear and fish were spooky. Saw a couple nice rainbows and bass, but they seemed to have a case of lockjaw. I was going to bring ultralight spinning gear, but decided to fly fish instead.

I haven't. I've fished upstream from the N bridge and downstream from the B.S. Ranch bridge, but never between the two. The next time I'm down there, I might bring ultralight spinning gear and leave the fly rod at home. It's a pain in the you-know-what to fly fish with an 8'6" rod with all the brush.

Mic, I know exactly which hole you are talking about. I was just there today, and I saw a big trout right by the rock ledge. Big fish for a creek so small. I've never caught a trout in that hole, but I have pulled out bass that must have swam up from the Meramec. No complaints here, I'm more than happy to catch a nice bass when the trout won't cooperate.