Wayne SW/MO

We are talking about Missouri, the lower Deschutes river in Oregon would eat a canoe in the first mile. A kayak is a fine craft on Missouri streams, although I know Al A might disagree, but they are solo. I do agree that a solo canoe is unbeatable overall.

After going through more waders then I can count I have to say that stocking foot makes the most sense. They give you better support, and high quality boots will last a long, long time. I would buy felt soles without studs, you can always wear chains if needed, and as high ankle as I could find. As for waders, any decent reasonable brand, I've not seen as much difference in waders as one would expect considering the cost differences. I've gotten the best life out of Hodgmans.

The sculpin color is great, and I think Phil was the first to offer it, maybe still is, the only one locally.

Until you need to hit a narrow chute, or you have to row downstream because of wind.

The main idea behind the football is that it can't be pulled into rock crevices. At least the idea behind their use on rocky bottoms. The other idea is that they can be tipped up to indicate a live bait. I'm not sure any one uses this feature, other then the fact it will do this to some extent when dragged. The bottom line is that location, location, action and color are probably most important. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I'm not sure why you would drive pass Bennett and the Niangua? There are some good access on the Niangua and it generally isn't that crowded. One way to fish it would be to camp at Ho Humm, good fishing at the campground, and rent a canoe from them. Use the canoe to visit the good wading waters from 64 to the campground.

My guess was going to be the Elk. The shelf rock gives a hint and a bigger picture would have given it away for sure.

The old river jons have little resemblance to the jons of today.. The Paddle jons are an exception, but the others simply don't. Today's were never intended to be paddled or to take on shoals and rapids. While I'll admit there are a few places in the SW that they can be used its very few. Been there and done that. If you're going to limit yourself to one or two rivers then you can be very selective, but if not you need to compromise. The only option for fishing any stream with 2 or more people is a canoe, and the compromise is how much to spend.

I'm sure I've fished one stream in particular that you're thinking of. Its a dandy, but it is too small in my opinion to consider in a discussion on a public board about Smallie fishing. You also right I believe that its too small to make gigging from a boat realistic. I suppose some could day its apples and oranges, but if its not big enough to mention then its really to well protected be considered an example in my opinion. I haven't been on the Elk at a time when I could make a statement about gigging and Smallie populations. I have been on the Niangua and parts of the Gasconade when I feel I can. Of all the widely fished rivers in this part of the state the James seems to have one of the best populations of Smallies that can provide some size. I think it is primarily a catch and release fishery though. It also has an outstanding Smallmouth lake attached, if that makes a difference?

tunchi there are and always will be some sick jerks around who will slide by moderators temporarily. I would say next time contact the moderators privately to make sure they are aware of it, but don't give them any satisfaction publicly.

And if the bite is tough they'll work for the big fish, hoping a couple will place.

When I use a leader to downsize my line I like a blood knot. I make the leader long enough to reach the reel. This way I don't have to add on very often and there is nothing to change the cast.

I would avoid the 147 Guide, I can't see 3 fishing out of it. A 160 would be alright, but both are slow. A used Discovery would work also, while both are slow and heavy, the Discovery a little faster, they are bulletproof. Al do you think there is that much difference in comparing glass to the Penobscot?

Welcome, I'll bet you have some stories.

Grabbing is older then me, and that's old. Not sure, but I believe they run together. I see a lot of it in the spring in my area. The only time I've seen it expanded beyond Suckers is the occasional White Bass grabber, which is illegal.

Gigging is sight orientated, but today's giggers do it under bright halogen lights powered by generators. I think that's much of the problem, there are simply too many targets for some to resist. The old timers used pine knot fires and then graduated to kerosene and then gas lanterns. Today's change is tantamount to going from a standard bow to a crossbow. The target hasn't changed, but the methods have. I'm not saying all giggers are this way, but I've known some who brag about sticking some nice game fish. The suckers have suffered also, how often do you see a 5# Redhorse these days. There are those who do throw hooks, its called grabbing. Grabbing is done with a single hook on a flat frame to hold the hookpoint upright. The old homemade grabbers were hooks soldered to a bottle opener. FishinCricket your river gets hit about as hard as any, especially on the lower access.

I carry a little 2-3' paddle for correction, it can be used with one hand. I lay the double across the gunnels above my lap and it doesn't really bother me. Using the short single avoids laying the rod down for me.

Buzz I've fished some of those streams, and if you're talking sheer numbers I might agree, but quality is another thing. As far as gigging goes, I know of a couple of places where you can go from catching some reasonable Smallies to none in a days time, after the gigging season opens.

I can't help you, I use a double in my solo. I've tried a single when I'm fishing, but it just doesn't work for me.

The lake seems a lot clearer then it has been. Maybe the Beaver water has flushed it out. We were there today, but didn't go deep enough after the fog lifted. My son caught a nice typical lake Smallie, a 17 inch football.

The White is connected to the Mississippi and there were probably some Kentucky's in the mainstream White. The Spots/Kentucky's are native to Missouri, but they haven't competed heavily with the Smallmouth in the past. Lower, warmer waters creates a less desirable habitat for Smallies and one that is more desirable for the Spots. If the Spot population can be kept in check, there is some hope that any damage will be mitigated and when/if the streams return to some semblance of normal, the Smallies will rebound much quicker. As for Otters, they weren't reintroduced to the same environment. Southwest Missouri is showing some invasions of Spots/Kentucky's, Bryant creek comes to mind. It hasn't developed here like in the Southeast, but the Southeast doesn't have the large lakes with their large shad populations to attract and hold them. We have are problems, low water and floods most notably, but the term "Smallmouths galore" is more a dream then a reality. The Spots, lower warmer water, and the mysterious disappearance of many Smallies during gigging season all contribute to keeping this great fishery from being what it could be. I don't know where we would be without the season closure during the river spawn, but I don't want to find out either. I would like to see more research on what effect the gigging season has on the populations.

You're close enough to the James to do floats, and the 'Toons would work there. If you could sweet talk the wife into shuttling you, there wouldn't be any problems. The one nasty trait of the Toons, namely being a bear to row against the wind, shouldn't come up on the James. The James, or any of our streams, are likely to get the upstream winds that the western canyon streams get. The James isn't very fast nor does it have any shoals to give much thought to. It does have a nice population of Smallies and is virtually on your doorstep.

Its got to be small plastics, opaque not solid colors. When Table Rock was a lot clearer than it is now, the line was very important and 6# was about as heavy as you could go. You might of sneaked in some 8# Sliver thread if you were lucky.

The fishing isn't bad, but its not any better, and probably not as good as Lilly's area. It wouldn't be worth the run by water in my opinion.

It depends on the stream and the season generally, but any hole created by an obstruction is good, and generally the bottom of shoals if deep enough. Tubes work well drifted, but so do jigs and the Smallies don't swallow them. You have to be alert when fishing tubes to avoid injuring too many fish. The takes are very subtle.