Wayne SW/MO

The smallmouth will be active at least until the middle of November. They will turn to baitfish as there main source of food sometime between now and then.I've caught some of my biggest in early November.

Too bad they can't kill the vegetation in the lower lake while it is down.

Go up above to Empire. There seems to be some rises everytime I'm there, but I haven't figured out what they are rising too.

That's too bad. I'm surprised there aren't some parting them out given the new interest in older household items. One problem might be their age and the fact that many were being replaced right around WWII. I suspect many were melted down.

Stone fly hatches can be hard to fish, but if you can detect one going on they can put you on a lot of fish.

Better hurry Arofishing, with all the publicity it's getting it will look like Taney before long. In fact It may all ready be getting close.

Don't try to set the "hook". I know it sounds silly, but it is hard not to react. It has been many decades since I fished for them on Grand, but I seem to recall that we gave them some slack for a few seconds before tightening up on them.

How big do the natural stones get Justin?

Really, so where do the large ones come from? Bennett consistently produced big rainbows that were said to have grown up in the stream. I suspect it is more a case of protection. There was a time when you couldn't see the bottom under the Rock bridge, in front of the whistle, the Suzy or the Bluff hole, just to name a few. These hiding places are pretty well gone. Your example of 30# browns and 18# "bows doesn't make sense to me. That could well be true, but if the Niangua can produce 6# browns, where are the 3# 'bows?

Why do I believe that?

Sorry Cricket, but i was afraid I had worn the one about giggers out. And by the way, fish were made to be fried or smoked. I'll bet you even cut the head off. Don't you know a 5 pounder has a lot of meat in the head?

Well obviously some still find them useful because they still manufacture them. When I was much younger and fished farm ponds a lot I found them useful because I could work the fish with my hand on the line, which I though was smarter than a mechanical drag. While i was doing that I found it nice that my line wasn't tangling in weeds or my feet. I still find myself palming some of my reels, even though i have reels with great drags, like A T Harts. To each his own.

It should work fine for you. One of the biggest drawbacks to a Coleman/Pelican is that they don't maneuver or track well, but that is something that is not really needed on the Niangua.

Bennett, or any of the trout parks for that matter is not the place to expect a big fish fix. It is a put and take, with emphasis on the take. I think it's a waste of fish, and expensive, to put browns in the park. They will hit hot oil just like the 'bows. If the river was conducive to growing large trout the 'bows would get large also. The fact that 'bows are generally more attainable, but large ones very scarce, is a sure sign that the environment just isn't friendly for big fish to grow.

LOL, my problem is I can't get my dog in my Mohawk, he hates water. He hates it so bad he's hesitant about walking on a wet surface.

I agree that AL isn't the end of the world, but the fact that it won't slide over anything is. You can put Gluvit on the bottom and cure that. I'm wondering if a 17' canoe has 4 seats if it is a square stean, or one of the old Grumman half canoe, half rowboat configurations? I think the called them Sport canoes. As for cost, buy an Old Town Guide and add the seats to it. Seats are easy to make and add to most canoes and a Guide, the 160 model, will handle 3 people and shouldn't cost an arm and a leg.

I raised labs at one time and I swore by Training Your Retriever by James Lamb Free. His approach is soft and repetitive, but few labs are really hard headed. I took 3 from puppyhood with his instructions and all were very obedient and manageable hunters.

The farmhouse across the street is a good place to get a reasonably priced American meal.

I can't add a whole lot to that! I think, and always have, that Cassel was a bad buy from the start. When you grab up a QB that hasn't been a legitimate starter since high school, and the starter he followed in college is on the bench, what can you expect. He consistently throws high or behind the receivers.stopping their momentum. If it wasn't for his short passes to McCluster his stats wouldn't be that good. Some will say the tipped ball interceptions aren't his fault, but balls in the numbers aren't tipped.

I wouldn't use epoxy on the seat. Two inches isn't really enough for good support so, like Gavin said, I would epoxy a dowel or piece of a broken rod to the stub extending it, I would then use guide cement to attach the seat. If you make a mistake with it you can heat it with a hair dryer and move it. It's melting point is higher than you'll encounter normally.

The river can warm temporarily after floods, even minor ones. Unlike the 11 Point the lower Niangua doesn't get a majority of its water from Bennett and Sand springs. I suppose my point is that fish may well move into the branch for short periods, just as the smallies and goggle eyes do in the winter. The question is how far will they travel? They are animals and if they have no familiar water to return to one would have to wonder if they have the instinct to travel very far.

I hate to be cynical, but I would question real quick the statement that river fish end up in the hatchery runs. That's a pretty tough road if you think about it. Then there is the fact that the rainbows stay in the river and they like colder water. The hatchery people used to say the lack of browns in Bennett was due to the fact that they headed to the river. I think there are two reasons for their lack of survival, one is that they tend to stay low in daylight when its feasible and two is that they feed at night and so do giggers. As for habitat it is true that the river is raped. Building on its banks has compromised its depth, the floaters tear up the shoals preventing a good insect and crawfish hatch, and who knows what they put in the water every summer.

Have you tried doing a google or yahoo search?

We went a few years ago when it was below 3, and I wouldn't do it again. I believe the fella at Riley's Station said something similar to what grizwilson said. He does the river and I would call him. I would also use his services. Riley's worked great for us. He rode with us to Rush for about $60 then, and returned our vehicle to his resort where it sat safe and sound while we were gone. The take out is across the river, behind the island, at the mouth of the Buffalo. We paddled up the White about 200 yards or less and then it was a straight shot to his ramp.