Haris122

I went down there Sunday to Tuesday and did better than the prior two times, but still nothing amazing unfortunately. We got to fishing only around 8 at night on Sunday, and just picked the quickest place we could get to, which wound up being somewhere in-between the first two outlets (#'s 5 and 6 I believe). The water was slightly into the grass so it wasn't too high, but with the drastic 2 foot drop-offs a little out from the grass and it getting even deeper further out, it felt like you couldn't go wade out too far from shore. Since it was getting dark quick and we weren't thinking of fishing too late into the night, we went with stickbaits I already had tied on. Last time rainbow trout colored stickbaits worked the best, but just to diversify I started out with a smaller green/gold one on my rod too. My girlfriend caught a ~11" rainbow trout on the rainbow color one within the first 5 minutes of being there, as a matter of fact, right after I returned from the car to grab the headlamp, she brought it in. She kept getting bites on that for a while but all the rest got off. I alternated through a few stickbaits before trying out a brown trout color scheme one similar to hers, when I got my one and only bite that night. It wound up actually being a ~14" Spotted Bass. With the bite having slowed down noticeably by then, we called it a day and left around 10 after a few more casts. The next day I tried doing a few too many things. First stopped for some jigs and such at Lilley's Landing while simultaneously seeing what they were biting on, then fished from the dock at Cooper creek access for hour and half without bites using several lures (too much vegetation seemed to be floating around constantly getting caught on line), rented a canoe at Table rock state park marina to experience fishing that lake too (which amounted to fruitlessly fishing 1 small cove there for hour and half in a rather uncomfortable canoe packed with too much stuff, hoping we don't tip over), and then stopping at a few lookouts on Table Rock before heading back to the trophy section. First I thought we try out fishing at the staircase downstream from the boat ramp, but the water would've been too high for my girlfriend to wade in, and not much room for bad steps for me either, so at about 7 in the evening, we went back to the spot we were at the night before. There the fishing was pretty steady on stickbaits again. We'd cast into the current, let it take it for a bit, and in the retrieve they would hit. I got 4 fish in that way, with some more bites and ones that got off, and my girlfriend got 2 and many more bites. This time they were mainly just Rainbows. Each time I thought I had bigger fish on than I actually did. They either knew how to use to current or were very strong fish, or both. But in the end 3 of the fish were pretty much stocker size, ranging between 11-13". Finally I switched it up and used a bigger jointed bass pro minnow, and got a bigger one to hit on the last cast. It fought good again, but only wound up being 15-16". That one came in on the last cast for that day. Tuesday, we got some souvenirs for people, checked out the Table rock dam lookout, and scouted out the bank access on the opposite bank from the hatchery, then visited the hatchery, and then went back over to the opposite bank and fished from there, near this little island, starting around 3. The bite wasn't all that hot, and there was more vegetation floating about getting caught on stuff but still, the thing that worked was stickbaits. Water was still on the high end there too, but somewhat easier as far as wading cause there was an easier gradient, but getting down to it was a pain in the rear. I tried some jigheads again that look like eggs tied by a friend of mine, under a slip bobber, a few roostertails, a few marabou style jigs, but what worked was the usual, but not by much. Though to be honest, by then I was throwing it more than most anything. This time I only got 2 bass. Another decent 14" Spotted, and a 12" Smallmouth. I thought at one point I had a bite on a brown-orange marabou jig but in the end I never got any followup bites on it. The main reason why I thought I had a bite on the jig was cause I had what looked like a fish scale caught on it. Anyways, at 6 we hit the road, and that was that for this time.

Hey Phil, I don't know if this is too long of a forecast or prediction to ask for, but I'm going to come to Branson for a few days from the 18th-20th, and I was wondering if you think the trophy area will be wade-able again by then, barring any serious rain events, that is?

Saw something in the news yesterday or day before that was relevant to this. Apparently they had some town hall meeting type deal in Fenton where people were pissed about the 2 recent big floods and such, and suggested a dam be build upstream to prevent it happening again. Also reading that link that cart7 had I found it interesting how the buyback transpired. A good chunk of people that had sold the land for the project couldn't buy it back cause the value apparently had been appraised as higher than what they sold it for. Usually it seems like it's done the opposite way. It sucks for those people that couldn't buy it back only to have someone with bigger pockets get it instead, yet at the same time, I do enjoy there being a good chunk of public land along the Meramec, though I'm not sure how those areas factored into that.

Cool, that kind of thing would definitely put me at ease a lot. Well, we're planning to come down late next weekend and stay a couple days so if the water is too high for wading I'll give you guys a visit. Think I'll visit anyways for some trout jigs and such. Do you think it's looking like water might be down enough to wade comfortably by the 19th-20th, barring more serious rain? I got some newer waders I've been wanting to break in some more.

Yeah, if the water is too high for reasonable wading still by the time I go down there I imagine I will ask them down there about it. I have looked at the map of the Taneycomo that they have for boating too. To familiarize myself with it. If I end up renting a boat, I'll let you guys know how it goes.

As far as the specific lake, it would potentially wind up being Taneycomo. I'm hoping to head down there in a couple weeks, and just in case the water is still too high to wade, I figure maybe rent a boat if it gets to that. Any lakes you suggest Not being the first trip on because they're tricky? If it doesn't wind up being Taneycomo, then there's some chance that it will be Mark Twain sometime later.

Was wondering if you guys had any advice on how one would go about not damaging a boat if they were to rent it out at a Marina at one of the lakes. I've completed the Boater Safety Class and got that certificate taken care of, and I have some experience fishing out of a kayak, and out of the little jon boats at Busch with a trolling motor, but I still run into or over the top of stumps and such on occasion while operating these two, and needless to say if I were to do that with rented boat with a regular motor, that would get pretty pricey. So, what kind of suggestions would you guys have for someone that considers renting out a regular motor-powered boat for the first time.

Seth, what did you guys catch the white suckers on the best over the years?

What did you get the suckers on? Also, I take it water is low enough to wade some again?

Based off of the Fishing Prospects booklet for this year it's still supposed to be one of the better lakes for Bluegill, Redear, and even Crappie and Bass. But I sure didn't come across any real big ones of anything. Though the Bluegill from last week had some of them being decent sized.

Fished up there again out of the boat, along with a friend who was fly fishing. Same lake, but much different outcomes. Between the 2 of us, only got 1 bluegill in the 3-4 hours there, along with a couple additional bites.

What would you guys say is a good range of flow and water level for wading at Taneycomo? Never mind on the west side access, think I found something on that.

Went Monday evening up to Busch and decided to fish lake 38 since not many people were supposed to be on it and the lack of wind would make boat operation easier. Didn't catch anything big unfortunately but there were plenty of bites, mainly from Bluegill. I caught 7 of them close to shore on a crappie tube actually, 2 tiny crappie one on a tube, one on a sinking rapala, and 2 largemouth, with biggest one of them at maybe 10", both on rapalas, one the sinking one, one a jointed one. That was pretty much it. Good 2 and a half hours of action, just not big fish.

Which ones fought the hardest/longest?

I'm nowhere near the skill level of you guys, catching several good fish per trip on a frequent basis (I'm usually lucky if even 1 approaches 14-15" in bass or trout terms) but I've started looking at it this way. Whenever I'm in a long slump, things are just setting the stage to culminate into a day of just awesome and extremely rare fishing, or into a day of 1 or a few just awesome and extremely memorable quality fish. Guess it's the "old man and the sea" fishing mentality. Only quality needed for it is persistence.

How'd you do on the lake?

Looks like now the venue might have changed to Lake Kinkaid instead, cause they're worried about Mark Twain still being too high. But you never know. Either way, good info to know.

Bullies, hell, I wouldn't even call them that. They might have filled some sandbags. Great, good job. But IF they did, they seemingly did it so they can lift up their nose at others, and then not volunteer anything useful to guide that person as to where they can be of help. I'll do Smalliebigs' hypocritical posterior one better. If he can find me a route that will allow me to go to the site of volunteering, and back, without spending all day just in traffic and/or cut off from my house at the end of the day, I will gladly even go someplace outside of Arnold. I got time tomorrow. All he needs to do is volunteer this information to me instead of just berate me. Same applies to Gavin. IF they're not afraid that one or both of them then, won't be the only members of an exclusive club of volunteers.

Smallie, spare me the stuck up bs. Last flood you were busy kayaking around in it, by your own admission. The river cleanup they had last summer, your volunteering extended as far as taking pictures of the dumpsters at Greentree. Now that you filled a couple sandbags down the street from where you live, all of a sudden that elevated you to someone to chastise others that worked that day on the other side of town, like no one but you ever lifted a goddamn finger to help anyone out. Guess what I drove around a little today. Didn't see any piles of sand, bags, shovels, or people filling them, so why don't you and Gavin put your darn money where your mouth is, and point someone clueless to where this is going on, otherwise quit the preaching. And I don't mean someplace where I have to attain your holiness, to magically cross over flooded rivers to get to it, seeing how there should be plenty of it nearby me. Daryk, I made it down there a little before 7:30 and fished for about a half hour. Was just about to leave, when a 13" or 14" bass hit the heddon tiny torpedo I was throwing. I managed to bring him in, and since it was getting close to time for the park to close, I left it at that.

That's what I thought I heard yesterday evening on the news too. Was supposed to be mainly just waiting now. But that being said, I figure I see if Gavin had a point.

Cool, that's good news. I'll keep that in mind. Hope I can make it out for a little bit later on. Right now I'm still trying to find where there's some volunteers needed around Arnold or thereabout that I can get to. I'm not finding anything useful online right now.

Yeah like ozark trout fisher said, if you had something in mind why not guide me a little more specifically to it.

Not to take this flooding lightly, but presuming there are some breaks in the rain the next few days, where would one go on the Jefferson county side of this, to fish a little where access is allowed to the public. Clearly I'm not talking about flooded rivers, but that aside I don't know what's nearby that isn't flooded. The lake at Arnold I bet is flooded, don't think there's any way to get to the lone fabick lake off of Bowles (for me at least) and especially not the main two, the one lake in Festus (West Festus lake maybe?) seems too close to Joachim creek if that's still flooded. Joachim Creek near Bates Memorial Park is probably still flooded. Am I wrong with any of these, and if not is there anywhere else fishable?