tonethetiger

Found a net at BSC, if you lost one and can describe it you can have it back. Tony

Caught a 12-14" in the riffle between two gravel bars on the way back from Westover Farms. Upstream is usually better.

From low water crossing downstream to blue springs bridge hasn't been good for me this year, it IS pretty different, washed out, etc. up stream has been ok this year. Last Saturday caught 6 ranging from 3" to 11". All within about 30 yard section below water treatment. I have seen a total of 5 people this year in about as many trips. Actually headed there or Mill Creek Saturday AM. Fishing at BSC hasn't been as good for me as it was last year. good luck and maybe see you on the stream!

Roll cast works well. I went down there today and caught 3 tiny (4-5") par marked trout, the biggest I seen was maybe 7-8". Best times are 8-10am and 2-3pm. I haven't been able to nail it but something to do with the sun. I have been here in cold temps and the fish are very docile and hardly to be found. Best luck had been in late summer last year. Definitely no fancy open river casting here. It does work to drift in the lane from upstream a good riffle, and get it through the deep parts to the tailing water. You can draw them out from overhanging banks or roots that way. Fishing here is a meditation on patience and careful movements. It is like Kung fu fly fishing. I have many go to spots on this little stream, hit me up directly and I will give you a bearing.

BSC is a real challenge so it's awesome you are giving it the time to figure out how to fish it. All I can say is, the more you go, the slower you move, the more attention you pay to the water, the better you will get. There are good size fish in the water there, but they are elusive. Personally if I catch one fish to release, per trip, it is worth it. I am going there tomorrow to check out the stream and see how it is in winter. Using wooly buggers seems to work for me, also scuds and bhpt's have worked for me. I have lost more flies than caught fish, at BSC, and love the lack of fishing pressure. Most people who do the parks would hate the "work" involved in fishing BSC. Another bit of a dice that someone mentioned that I have taken to heart is: when you get to a spot, get low and relax for a good 15 minutes. Let things die down. That seems to let the wildlife get back to trusting the environs. Most of the big fish I have seen were probably spooked by the sound of splashing upstream/downstream and went into hiding. If you get ninja-silent and lay low for a good 15, they seem to come out of hiding. Also, keeping your shadow off the water seems to help.

Well went back today (took a day off from work) and well...somewhere downstream from the parking lot there is an 18+" monster with my Krystal flash bead head wooly in his upper lip. I had it all the way up to land and thought to play it a bit more (stupid!) and it broke my 7x tippit. Well...shucks! Good day and keep seeing them bigger and bigger. From my first visit in March to my trip today, all I can say is they are there! I am going to take a break for a while (need to study for my PHD) so hope someone else continues to post some pics and hit me up for some kindly encouragement or suggestions n where to look. Thanks y'all!

Caught 4 this past Saturday! Here is a pic of one. Thank to all who posted comments! This was on a black wooly.

That was from March but here is one from yesterday! I saw about 40-50 trout between two pools!

Wanted to show a pic of a recent trip. Love this place. This has to be the most challenging place to fish rainbows in Missouri!

Went back this weekend. The terrain changes every time I go so cant say the same pockets were there this time. I started at the first parking area after the low water bridge, walked upstream. Saw a couple small ones off a gravel bar near a stump and cast a dry fly but no luck. Thunderstorm rolled in, smoked a cigarette under a tree waiting for it to pass over. Fifteen minutes and it cleared up with a little overcast and tried that stump again with an ant pattern, some interest but nothing biting. Moved up past some shallow water toward a deep pool, a heron or kingfisher or one large bird cleared out of the area passing overhead. Crossed the stream downstream from this large pool with a huge gravel bar on the upside of the current. Animal scat everywhere, pungent fish smell like a feeding area for the birds and raccoons. Tree trunk down across the pool with a good ripple upstream and water opening up downstream of the tree. Cast upstream and got only bluegills. Brush over the stream took my fly, had to balance out onto the downed trunk to get the fly and at the end of that trunk looked down to find 5 maybe 6 rainbows from 10" to the largest at 15" or so in the feeding lane, jockeying with each other for the best current. Everywhere under the brush, juveniles. At least several dozen 3-5". Out there balancing, started working the pool and trying to get a bite. Had to choke up on the 9' TFO just to get under that brush hanging over. Working around the tendons of tree limbs, sinking nymphs in the lane. Bluegill and minnows 4" long fighting over the nymph, a trout breaks rank and takes it in, hook set and fighting it, this one is maybe 10", 12". I can't tell but they fight mean like a shock and shaking jumping and rolling. Worked it back to my left and the bank and the fish clears the hook. Almost... I take a minute. Blood rushing. Breathing. Go back to another nymph pattern. Tying it. Fingers fumbling. All the fish still there, just hovering. I get the knot tight down on the eye of the hook and nip the tipper and clean the fibre on the fly with my thumbs and taught the line in my fingers and roll the line out to sink the fly. It floats by with no interest. Try again. Same. Again. Get it deeper cross the lane and five or six big native rainbows shaking at it, another breaks and takes it. Big one. Maybe 14". Hook is set. It is throwing off the line lbreaking water in the shallow end of the pool. Amazing the fight. Another tug and it loosens the hook. Shakes and hides in the deep under roots. Not quite. Still four or five in the lane as I retrieve my line. Sweating. Regroup. Try another sinking bead head. Sun is behind me. Half an hour blinks away. Another bite and hook set and another unable to get to the net. Need to get home. Balance back off that tree trunk, those fish still hovering in the lane. Got to go. Another day.

Was at BSC three times this year. The smallest olive wooly and black wooly buggers work for me. Either in the deep pools or along the tree root banks letting it float and then downstream and then bringing it across the stream. Last time went with not much luck and had a dog with us so there ya go! Stealthy fishing for sure.