fishinwrench

It's another situation where it used to be possible to maintain a really good fishery there.....but now, for some reason, it just can't be done. 🙄 In the early 80's a group of us, including Ed and Kay from Springview, used to get in Mike Alreds van and go from Bennett to the Meramec because that's where the big browns could be caught. And plenty of them. Nobody got skunked. How was it possible then, but isn't now?

Is it the ignoring of facts that keeps you from it? Or just the never mentioning it ? 😂

It funny that you say that, because when I think back 2004 was the last time I can remember it being like it was. Even the river fished great with plenty of nice 15-18" browns and bows clear down to below Prosperine. During the winters of 02-04 I would do a self shuttle float from Redbeard's to Ho-Humm almost every week and always caught a good number of nice fish. I remember 2005 being a crappy winter season because the river stayed high and muddy all winter. The following year (06) it just sucked, and it never has gotten back to the way it was in the river, or in the park.

The only change I've noticed since they upgraded the hatchery is that the fish are fewer, smaller on average, and not quite as pretty as they used to be. The evolution of trout farming seems to be going in the wrong direction. They are supposed to be so much smarter and have such better equipment now, but I fail to see the expected results of that. I wonder what stumbling blocks are present now that were lacking in the 70's-80's-90's-and early 00's ? Anybody know? It's like they all quit smoking cigarettes, started wearing seatbelts, got wireless internet, started vaping and driving Ford's......and ever since then no amount of higher education and state of the art technology can reproduce the yeilds of years past.

Me too, Oneshot. Doesn't it chap your @$$ that they take a ton of fish that should go into the river, haul them 2-4 hours North and throw them into bass ponds ? It does mine ! 😅

Sorry you've had a dud season, but it'll get better for ya I bet. 2020 is gonna rock! Had a great (busy) season here, and the folks at HVO and Riverfront both say they've had a great year. The economy is kickin' it as far as I can tell and I expect it to continue that way for another year at least. Heal up and get out there, Papa ! 😊

Well it's cool that they got laid I guess. See, I told you that they left some cool stories out of the journal. Like you're gonna go into great detail about stalking and making a perfect shot on a stupid deer.....and leave out the details about the night when you got Sacagawea drunk. 🙄 Bunch of statutory rapist's, that's what they were !

It's not ludicrous. Immediate bites or bites on the initial drop are a very reliable clue that some competition is going on at that particular spot, at that particular time. So are violent strikes vs. a subtle "tick", and those bites where you suddenly realize that your line is quickly running off 5-10 ft to the side. A fish that is feeding all by itself has no reason at all to do any of those things. They do it because they are trying to keep their meal from being snatched away from them. Just sharing some tips dude, ignore them if you want. Peace TF out.

Hits on the fall mean there are more than one fish there. Probably 5 or more.

I've been told to throw a #10 Pistol Pete if I ever went after those urban pond trout. The guy that told me that catches the snot out of them, I've seen the pics.

Not to go all "Dablemont" or anything, but there used to be good friend of mine on here that went by Brownieman, he was the son of a judge in Dent county and a previous fisheries division assistant manager for MDC. Anyway, he suffered a wicked back injury while on the job, wasn't properly compensated (wasn't compensated at all I don't think), and went whistleblower to a degree. Some of the stuff he shared sounded pretty "out there" at the time, but as time goes on it sure does seem to add up. Private hunting, fishing, gigging parties at a discreet cabin and huge piece of riverfront land including boats, atv's, machinery etc. that we paid/pay for were part of it. It might be total BS and I hope it is, but honestly he didn't seem like the kind of guy to just make stuff up, so whenever I ponder the things that MDC does, or doesn't do, I can't help but reflect back on some of the things my old buddy told me. He's gone now, addiction to pain killers eventually caught up with him. Gigging is/was a ritualistic thing with a group of MDC higher-ups and their special friends, or so he said, and that might possibly explain a few things. True or not it wouldn't hurt to have it looked into. I'm not against some perks for those who deserve it, but if statewide regs are shunted because of some elite little group, and it negatively effects our gamefish and stuff, then that is kinda the line in the sand. Isn't it?

It also doesn't make sense to designate a stretch as "Red Ribbon" and then fail to keep very many trout in it.

In the absence of clean laundry I'd think that taking Yerpantzoff would help also.

Points given for apologetic answer. 😅

Every family has their "Electrician". Ours is ultra-radical (like he should be an inspector writing code for GE), I'd almost rather have your brother in-law.

What? And risk a BWI violation ? That'll cost ya way more on court day.

That 4-stroke lacks the snappiness on a trottle-snap to suck a soggy leaf past the gate and blow it out, doesn't it? 😂

A group who has loaded up everything to make a fun gravel bar fish fry happen. Do you think a lack of success with the suckers that evening is gonna put an end to that party? The odds of getting busted for a wildlife violation there on that gravel bar are really REALLY low.

ftfy

I remember reading that one of them was writing back and forth with his mother, and I always wondered how that was made possible. They never explained whose job it was to shagass back and forth with those "letters" and still be able to find them and rejoin the group upon return.

Me too! I wish I could have been the writer of the journal. There would have been giant squirrels, and pteradactyles, and nymphomaniac Indian women with huge perky breasts..... ! The history books are so full of BS ...... L&C (had they any imagination at all) could have had alot more fun with it.

It just fell out to wadable levels today, should be good until Thursday when it gets more rain. Better check the guage on Friday.

I'm gonna assume that the fish they tagged were ones of above average stocker size. I would find it odd that a large percentage of THAT SIZE fish were "caught and eaten by critters". I'd also find it odd that fish of that size were caught and eaten by anglers. What I wouldn't find odd is that they got gigged. What I also don't find odd is MDC ignoring that likelihood because they don't want to be put in a position to have to do something about it. That continues to be the status quo.

I betcha I could show her how to remove it pretty effortlessly. 😉

Seems to me that they will take any road that doesn't lead to an illegal gigging conclusion. Alien obduction isn't beyond consideration first. Not sure why they feel the need to defend it so agressively....but boy they sure enough do. The tag gets ripped off with a pair of rusty needle nose pliers...."ah, some critter has chewed on it". Whatever 🙄