ColdWaterFshr

I gotta get out soon too. Nice picture.

Nice photos, especially that top one. Makes me want to jump in the car and go right now.

Wow, what a gorgeous picture. Love this time of year.

Oh, son!

sawdust = wood, no? I'm a Kingsford man, and the rest of you appear to be sissy buyin 100% organic charcoal kooks. Good for you!

oh boy.

Zoom worms (for bass) will fool an occasional Eleven Point river rainbow, just ask my nephew.

Congrats, Phil!

cane pole fishing is tenkara without all the bs marketing good pictures!

Crowbar, Crowbar, Crowbar. I won't bore you with all the details, but we grew up running in the same circles, skinning the same roadkill, wrastling the same sasquatches, treed the same 2nd cousins, all in a manner of speaking of course. Don't get me wrong, I never fancied the ugly ones, but Crowbar? Well, Crowbar would give Ernest T a run for his money. Crowbar is the dirty underbelly of what TV fishing represents and how amateurs ruined the industry . . . him, and to a greater extent, Bill Dance, who of course became commercially much more popular than Crowbar could ever caveman scrawl into his diary HOPE to be, and in large part due to the increasing demand of the fishing show-viewing public for sex appeal. Lets face it . . . it isn't all glamour, drugs, and beauty like in the days of "Paul Dallas' Beyond Bass" w/ featured celebrity guests 1974-1984 airing at 11 a.m. every sunday immediately following Jim Bakers PTL Club. Those were the days. Anyone want to know how Crowbar got his name?

Night fishing probably the 6-7 Daytime just the 5

Beautiful pictures, Al. Very nice Cutt. You're killing me and I wish I was there.

You're gonna love the Jacks, countryred. Anyone read the latest Conservationist about it? Probably my favorite river of all time.

I usually get this wrong. I bring warm beer and cold women.

scud crackleback Kruse leech prince nymph EHC

If anyone catches a big brown or tarpon down near Trout Island with one of these pierced in its upper lip and about 6 inches of 3x hanging off it, please return said piercing to Paul Dallas, that fly has a lot of mojo and I want it back: Hook: size 6 #270 Dai-Riki 3x long Legs: black rubber body: green and black wire alternating thorax: peacock hurl head: black tungsten bead fished about 9 feet below a big thingymabobber and a .4g splitshot about 12 inches above it. I really like the Dinsmores split shot that is coated dark green. It does not move. First time using it this past weekend and big thumbs up.

View from the deck at Trout Island (taken on Friday)

Just arrived back from a weekend of staying at Lodge at Trout Island with family - kind've a fathers and sons trip. Had a blast. What a sweet spot this is. Thanks Justin and Amy for the great accommodations and 5-star service.

What is it with Eagle Scout service projects? I was involved with 4 or 5 of those back in the day . . . and every single one of them, a few of us got the worst poison ivy. Whatever you do, don't clear brush at Wilson's Creek Nat'l Battlefield. Copperheads and poison ivy were everywhere.

Paul Dallas and entourage is looking forward to upcoming weekend there.

Uh . . . not sure what to make of that one. Need to watch it 2 or 3 more times to have an opinion. Can you edit the dude out? Why do I feel dirty.

Eh, Barker . . he overheard me explaining to Roland Martin how to fish Warts one late evening at the old Rock Lane Lodge. We were trolling for spinnerbaits in the smoke filled lounge, talking up one particularly fine boozed-up specimen and Roland got all boastful about how he though the Hot-n-Tot was a superior bait and I had to shut him up cold and correct him in front of this broad he was hitting on that it was not a better bait and he just didn't know how to fish a Wart proper-like and of course there was Barker sidled up to us picking up some puppy dog table scraps. I remember him writing it down, and Good for Him that he knows how to take good notes and still be able to repeat it back all these years later. Paul Dallas

Put in at the Prongs! Should be nice and sporty @ 353 cfs. Bring a dry bag with a change of clothes. Fishing probably won't be the best, but would be a fun ride.

Thats a good question, Al. Also, why stock in the spring months? As Ted mentioned, why not in mid-fall as water temps drop? I'm no biologist, but that sure seems like a better time to stock than in the spring (peak flood season). Could it be a conscious decision not to coincide with gigging season? Of course it can flood anytime on the Meramec, but it just seems like the fall would give those 10 inchers the best chance (assuming they aren't gigged). And only 5800 fish? Compared to the 2 million or so that Taney gets through repeated stockings thoughout the year . . . just seems criminally low. Thanks for posting those #'s, Matt. I imagine it was even better back in the 80s. Would be interesting to see that data. I can understand an off year or two on the Meramec . . . but for trout fishing, this river has consistently sucked for almost a decade now.

Okay, that confirms what I knew already about gigging pressure. But I thinks its a combination of all 3 factors: 1) heavy bait-fishing/catch-and-keep pressure, 2) gigging whether it is accidental or intentional, and 3) constant cycle of drought/flood conditions making it an inconsistent fishery. I suspect that #3 is THE biggie. Hot, hot summers w/ high water temps and low, low flows = BAD TIMEs for any meramec trout, mixed with the occasional blow-out when it rains an inch or more? those 10-inchers get flushed or the habitat just isn't there for them to adapt. Probably a very tough river to manage. HOWEVER, I think MDC has basically resigned themselves from this stretch and it shows. If factors #1 and #2 could be brought in control, it would at least be better for those short periods of time when momma nature is more MODERATE. c'mon.