Wayne SW/MO

I think the aquifer is too dry to allow much real run off. I know that my ground goes dry below the depth of weed roots in just a couple of days. With the ground dry and then the limestone a few inches under it soaking up more there isn't much left really. The "experts" say that it can take a couple of years of normal rain to dampen the sup soil enough to allow the top soil to retain moisture and for rivers to return to normal. We can all hope that Isaac moves a little west and comes up this way. Just not with the ferocity of Ike. Apparently most models have it missing us however.

Were they running water?

Like others I've never floated it in these conditions. There is always a balance between flow and level. The river is going to be slow, but how low and long the shoals is another question. If you're not afraid of the walking the fish will still be there and fewer people won't be there. The lower end doesn't necessarily have more water, but it definitely sees less traffic. Hull is somewhat primitive and remote, while Hazelgreen is more open and probably more secure. In the same area is the Gasconade and you could probably get a shuttle through Gasconade Hills and leave your vehicle there. Just a thought, the distance is more or less the same if you're coming from Sprgfld.

it does make difference, IMO, on whether or not the bait is moving and how fast.

I always found that size was the important factor. While #6 used to be necessary it seems that one can go up a notch now due to pollution.

It will be very low and I know this because it gets low in normal summers. If I were set on doing it I would do Davis to Hazelgreen and camp below Hull. Be prepared to portage.

Mic I added a picture of the spider to my post.

I believe the Missouri has been called the Big Muddy for more years than anyone on here can remember. To most people in Missouri that would be the river in question.

Mic there are exceptions to everything, but rubber legs and bi color take gills more consistantly then any other type of fly, IMO. I tie my spiders in yellow and black. Yellow/black centipede legs on the yellow and chartreuse or white on the black. I tie them on Daiichi 1710 in 10's and 12's. Tie a strip of foam, about 3/16" wide and half again as long as the hook, at the gap end of the shank, foam pointing away from the hook. take a piece of foam that is square, it will be about 2mm wide, and tie it with long wraps on the bottom of the shank. (you can substitute vernille at this point, but I don't) When you're tying this in stop at the half way point of the shank and pull the first foam piece over and tie it down a that point. tie in a piece of leg so that that a leg on either side points down at a 45 degree angle. Wrap the thread forward, wrapping the small piece of foam as you go, to a point halfway between the last tie and the eye. Wrap forward to the eye and tie everything down. I make a whip at this point. make a quick long wrap back to the last body wrap and tie in a set of legs. Pull the foam from the eye back to this point and tie it down on top of the legs and the wrap holding them, whip finish it. Cut the excess foam. This doubled back foam will give the fly a head and more flotation. I'll try to post a picture later.

Great!

The Cap Spider. It's been around a long time. For topwater, it's easy to tie a foam spider. I can give you directions if you're interested.

Increasing the size of the access? To bad they can't increase the size of the river.

The fishing will get good in about 6 weeks. They are as thin as I've seen them down here.

If Obamacare cuts 500 billion from Medicare and improves it, it will be the first time in history that the government cut funds and improved a program at the same time.

Way back most fishermen who used minnows seined them near where they were going to fish and odds were that if you bought them they were caught locally. That's no longer the case now and it's unfortunate that more effort wasn't put into keeping fish from other continents out.

Luke something that hasn't been mentioned is design and construction. SOT's that are going to be used in the Ozarks need scuppers that exit in a protected area. If they aren't you risk cracking the hull if they catch on a rock. Our streams are also as rough on boats as any and if the material isn't up to a lot dragging, you won't be able to use it when you want to. A kayak that tracks well will have to give up some maneuverability and that can't be changed. Most boats suitable for streams here are a compromise. If you intend to fish flat water only then your choices will be different.

But apparently that is the source of bigheads in the upper Osage system. There is no way for them to get there on their own.

I would be cautious about what appears to be an off brand price oriented craft. The rudder is only good for flatwater travel for the most part and it isn't free. You can get a Jackson Riviera for under $500 and set it up the way you want. They can't be too bad because most of the canoe liveries in the state rent them.

They have in the past, unfortunately "shutting the barn door after the horse is out" is another conservation tool. To really answer your question you should probably check the stance Illinois has on it. From experience dating back over a 100 years we've learned nothing and allowed carps, snakeheads and even pythons into the country where they thrive.

X3 You could still use the concept to attach it to something. You could probably have a cable made that would reach something solid. A 1/4" cable is very hard to cut.

Hopefully some idiot didn't cast at the bird and snag it. As far as Pettit goes there is one on the NFOW, I wonder if they're missing a canoe?

I've bought 2 kayaks from Appomattox canoe in VA. They have excellent prices and sales and I believe the still ship for $50, which is offset for the most part by sales tax savings. Here is the web site. http://www.paddleva.com/

They become pretty thick in the wild and deer love to hide in them.

That would worry me, I didn't think anything stopped it from growing. It is a bona-fide weed. The old Clemson Spineless was unstoppable, or so it seemed. The older variety of tomatoes wouldn't bloom when the nights stayed hot, can't remember what the threshold was, but it wasn't unusual for them to quit and then rebound in late summer. I don't grow enough now to speak about all the new varieties.

There are many choices, but I would avoid the angler models. More often then not you can add any rod holders, etc yourself cheaper and put them where you think they should be.