Wayne SW/MO

Yes, and I don't care what else they're called. They've been creek chubs to me longer than most of you have been alive, so live with it.

Seth if you can, carp will rival any fish for patties and any recipe that uses canned fish. I would imagine that more than one bedding bass has been arrowed by an unscrupulous bow fisher. If a person is going to bow fish rough fish they should have a plan for them aside from dumping them back in the water or leaving them to stink. I'm not sure calling native gar and buffalo "rough" fish really fits. They have always been part of the environment in Missouri.

My choice would be from the Whistle Bridge to the outlet. The outlet hole is always very good, but often too crowded. The area in front of the Whistle is called just that and the water from there to the Outlet hole, the water where the outlet enters the stream, is often called the Long hole.

But our DNR has done such a wonderful job, just look at the Niangua!

Is there anything more frustrating in fishing that waiting for these rascals to make up their mind?

Welcome. There will be lots of information when they run and it won't be long. Any day now, but a nice warm rain wouldn't hurt.

I'll admit that, but I learned many years ago those fish will rarely take anything, but I do see people try. There are some other opportunities in the summer that are generally ignored and can be prime. it can be fun to catch fish behind a group of fishermen, as long as they don't walk over your line. Had that happen once.

I'm another big fan of your blog. It's well written and of course the pictures are always awesome. Tell Joe hello.

It's pretty hard to bust giggers with illegal fish. The very nature of the sport combined with cell phones makes it all but impossible.

I do have to point out that just because someone is drifting from their feet that they may not be shuffling. There are always a few 'bows that will take advantage of a wader blocking the flow. These fish are so used to a lack of cover and waders constantly moving through that they have no fear.

Yeah the gold probably wouldn't work for Andy because it flashes the colors of longears and I doubt they would work that well in waters not loaded with them.

It's generally spotty this early. The smaller males generally make the first move and they never seem to stay in one place very long.

Didn't think about you Trigg. Sorry 'bout that. Much better than a jet boat.

While there are a limited number of giggers who will stick anything, there are also apparently a few who will arrow anything. This could also have been an arrow sliding own the side of the fish.

My condolences Al.

Small, #16-#18 nymphs generally work if you fly fish. Marabou jigs work well on spinning rods. Check with Weavers, on the south side of 64 just east of the upper entrance and Larry's, can't miss it as you start leaving the stream area toward the upper entrance. They both always have a good fix on what's happening.

I don't know of any public jets on the Niangua. You might research the Gasconade, it's bigger and more jet friendly.

I like the X Raps. Gold and ghost fished on a 5 1/2' casting rod tied to 20/6 Tuf braid. This has always produced for me. I have others, Pointers, Rogues, some Diawa's, but the old original X Raps work for me.

Yeah clear water and the fact that they are in the wintering holes turns them into the fish in the barrel. Like Al said, it only takes one or two boats working the few deep holes available to decimate them.,

It's time for the pups to be here and they should be getting close to weaned, so dad is trying to feed a lot of hungry mouths.

This.

I'm thinking givin the fact they can't fly and there was snow on the ground, Yeah "no bear tracks" would be a good clue. She probably got caught up be a coyote more than likely who sensed she was sick. Other dogs generally don't go after females aggressively.

Nice fish, glad she was missed, bastages need to be caught. We're you north of I-44 or south?

After going through a J C Higgins and Bronson baitcaster I acquired a Langley Tournament model. The langley was unique in that it was aluminum, had no levelwind, a perforated spool, and you could pull the handle away from the sideplate and it would disengage from the spool. I rarely used that feature because the reel was very smooth in casting pretty light lures as it was. It didn't take long to learn to lay the line on the spool using the thumb and forefinger of my left hand while holding the rod in front of the reel. It was a lot harder to break that habit later when I went to the levelwinds on the Abu 5000's.

All of this makes me wonder if younger anglers might not benefit from practice casting with the brakes off. I don't mean when fishing, but in the green pond at the house. It would be a great way to improve the thumb control and probably allow better casting even with the brakes on.