ColdWaterFshr

You have to be a pretty twisted conspiracy theorist to think this is MDC submitting to pressure to help companies sell a few more boots. Who knows if it will make a difference, but I think its important to at least make an attempt to prevent it. Go visit the White river when it is in full didymo bloom -- its ugly The alternative of doing nothing and then regretting it later doesn't make any sense to me.

Would you consider $280 and the remaining 6 months of my jam-of-the-month club? Got blackberry and boysenberry coming up in Oct and Nov, and they broke all sales records from this very exclusive jam manufacturer.

Good point Outside Bend. 3 wt - the article you linked seems to confirm that felt-soled boots ARE a legit transporter of didymo. Read it toward the bottom. I'm due for some new boots anyway. I'll get the rubber ones. I've always hosed my boots and waders off, and dried them real good out in the sun or set by the furnace, but never went to the lengths of soaking them in any disenfectant or bleach. It would be great if all the wader boot manafacturers would get on board with this and quit making ANY felt-soled boots and also pull all of their felt boots off the market. But that wouldn't look too good on a profit/loss statement.

Good point about the cost compared to plastics. I didn't think about it that way, but it makes sense. It takes some skill and a lot of practice to fish with a Sammy the way Al does out of a moving canoe, casting with pinpoint accuracy to targets and then working the lure the way he does. I was impressed. I thought I worked a buzzbait fast, but he works a Sammy even faster, and it requires a lot more than just cranking it in. He has the timing down on the WTD-action perfectly, but he probably doesn't even think about it anymore, its like driving a stick shift to him. I'm doing well to hit my targets semi-accurately while floating and just cranking it in.

If it were me, and were looking for an experience similar - though not quite as good as the rivers you mention -- I'd skip the coupon and go to the Huzzah or Courtois. Or if you just had to burn that coupon, Scotts to Riverview? Don't know, I think I've only floated that once - a long time ago. As Gavin said, I like above Hwy 8 better for smallmouth, but I don't think any outfitters would put you in up there. Or go further down around Onandaga or Birds Nest on the Meramec.

I don't want to discourage you, but thats not my idea of a good smallie trip. Too many other better places near it that are far better. Hwy 8 to Scotts is a LONG float and on a 100 deg. day? not me! From Hwy 8 to the spring branch it is going to be very skinny and probably some dragging. And not many good holes there anyway. From the spring branch to Scotts, some long deep holes, but I've never had great success for trout or smallies in that section ANY time of year, let alone on a scorching day. You never know though. Report back if you do go.

You're killing me, Smalls. I think I may know the creek, but you can have the cottonmouths and their wildly haunts, spek-tackular as they may be. Somewhat intrigued by the solo trips. On the one hand, I think its cool, I really do. I've done a few one-nighters and its relaxing, different experience. But on the other, I don't know if Paul could stand hisself for much longer than a 24 hr period. Get sick of just me, I've heard all the jokes before, the conversation runs dry, then okay a book, some big smallmouth to show to no one, and then all the . . . mr. larry no-shoulders swimmin vipers. Thanks for the report. Good reading!

Dudes I fish with . . . . 175 fish days are just the anty. If you can't put that much stink on your hand in a few hours without breaking a sweat, as Tito would say . . . well then, I'd say you're an amateur. Trout park 8-year olds could do better, Donnie. Last week I seen a whole team of Little Leaguers get out of a Chrysler mini-van at Montauk, still in their uniforms -stirrups cleats and all, and catch 130 fish EACH in less time than it took one of their little sisters to finish watching an episode of Spongebob Squarepants while still strapped in her carseat. And they weren't even that GOOD.

Well concealed, Ness. Good work. I generally reach for the perriwinkle windowpane blue checked shirt from J. Crew's vintage secret wash collection, $64.50 on-line special order only. It says to those fish, "HEY FISH, I'm a big masculine brute with a $900 fly-rod outfit and even though I'm handsome as a Shia Lebeouf or the lead singer of Night Ranger, nanny-nanny boo boo, you can't see me cause I'm wearing my windowpane blue perriwinkle" hahahahahahahahahahahaha

Eco-terrorism? Maybe not that bad, how about eco-vandals? Vandalism for the eventual greater good of Noblett Lake?? Pictures of it look like it was a featureless-bottomed little lake, heavily silted in with a recurring moss problem. Okay, it wasn't me. I couldn't find this place with a GPS.

I'll second Al's comments. Keens, Teva's, Chaco's -- doesn't matter, they get gravel in and you constantly have to be kicking or flicking rocks out of them. Okay if you only plan to do a minimal amount of wading, but if you're doing a lot, your wading boots with gravel guards and thick wool socks are what I use. I have soggy feet all day, but its better than having those stuck rocks in the arch of your foot from a sandal.

Cuda looks like fun, but 74 lbs is kind've heavy. Heck, an Old Town poly canoe is only a few pounds heavier and can carry twice the load at half the price. Al mentioned Kingston access - yes, that sucked. I keep telling myself never again, and there I am again, hiking that dam trail at night. And my 15' tandem canoe is fairly light at only 65 lbs. Add a cooler, 3 or 4 fishing rods, a tackle box, some wet boots, and I'm sure I was dragging 120 lbs. Not fun. And it seems like my last few trips I've had to do several lengthy portages around huge logjams, or at the very least, had some distance to get from my car to the put-in, or the take-out back to my car. Lighter is better IMO. The superior versatility of a canoe is what makes it a no brainer for me. I do a lot of day trip fishing, but also a fair amount of camping on the river. If you are strictly a day-trip fisherman, then yeah, I would give the Coosa or Cuda a closer look. Still, there is something geeky about those boats. Cupholders and storage compartments and fishing rod holders and molded plastic stuff galore and tie downs for a cute little cooler that holds 3 beers. Ehh, you can have it.

Got lucky. Glad everyone is okay. The upside is - you get to shop for new gear!

I wouldn't say the first of Al's diagram is necessarily a bad or an incorrect way to avoid an obstacle. If it is done unintentionally or is achieved by paddling faster, well then, yeah it could have consequences. But I "eddy out" like that all the time intentionally to either fish the fast water on the other side like Cricket says, or to set-up for paddling through whatever other obstacles downstream await. If 2 people are in the canoe, the bow-man puts a high brace on his right, while the stern-man steers sharply into the eddy. Very effective way to avoid the obstacle, and text book really. I say textbook because I remember practicing that in Dr. Curry's Canoeing class at SMS back in the late 80's. Was an easy elective and a lot more fun than taking golf or some other crap. Plus there were hot chicks in the class and we took field trips to the Finley, Niangua, and North Fork rivers. Good times. Anyway, by pulling into the eddy this way and facing upstream, it makes peeling out of the eddy very easy and controlled. Al's back-ferry method works too. Paddling faster - you see that all the time with newbies trying to get out of a tricky spot. If in doubt, they paddle harder! They usually even call out to each other "paddle!" which just causes a full-speed collision to the obstacle. Seen many a domestic dispute between husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend. Always entertaining.

Badass tie! Enjoyed the video, too.

All good advice, but my best days on these spooky little streams is fishing it when the water is up and a slightly off color. If it is low and air clear, you better be a good ninja caster. One or two casts is the most they'll give you. Get your pocket knife, whittle a pan-flute from the reeds while you let the water rest, compose a tune, play it, practice it multiple times, give a performance and then fish the spot again. Thats how long it takes. Zamfir

I thought the question was about multipliers. I generally go with about 1.5 When someone asks me how many fish I caught and I know the truthful answer is 4, I whip out my multiplier table and reply 6! Anything higher than 1.5 and it becomes increasingly difficult to sell it with any kind of conviction. 10 fish is easy to fudge up to 15, but I would get called on the carpet for sure if I said 20.

Great report, OTF. Gravel bar camping and fishing is what it is all about. Few things better in this life than sitting after a good meal and a stellar days' fishing, having a beverage and watching the river go by under the watch of towering bluffs in the setting sun.

What a report! Makes our Gasconade trip look kinda silly with all those big fish pictures. MoSmallies -- she's quite fetching! Good for you.

a few pictures

Had a great time fishing with Gavin, Al A, and Jeremy(FishinSWMO) on Thursday and Friday. Although I only car-camped one night at the Boiling Springs CG, it was sure good to meet some new faces. Just before I left home Friday evening, got to meet FishinCricket and also Mitch F. Here is a quick report: Thursday late afternoon Jeremy and I put in at Shanghai/Blue Spring on the Big Piney and took out at dark on the Gasconade right at our campground. The put-in was in the spring branch and we had to carry our boats and gear over the RR tracks and down a very steep footpath. Fishing was tough and I think we managed only half a dozen fish each in over 3 hours of fishing. But I caught a fat 18" smallie on the b-2 buzz that put a smile on my face. Some beautiful scenery on the lower Big Piney, but below I-44 there is a fairly long dead-slow water pool, and at the confluence with the Gasconade, Jeremy and I both were shocked at the size of the water --- felt like we were on a lake. Stayed up way too late drinking beer, martinis and Scotch and sharing stories with Gavin and Al, and then got up early the next morning. After some back and forth discussion we all agreed to put-in up at Riddle Bridge (Hwy Y) on the Gasconade and float down to our camp. This was 14 miles, but it felt at least twice that. Good habitat in the first 3-4 miles below Riddle, but then came the long, unremarkable dead-water. After the morning clouds burned off, it got hot and the fishing really slowed from bad to worse. We all caught fish, but not consistently. Al ended up with the most . . . got his 50th fish of the day right at the campground with quite a few jetboats, swimmers and partiers around. I'm not one to complain ever about fishing -- its always a good time ANYtime you can get out, and I think the middle Gasconade has some big fish in it, but it really is better suited for jet-boat fishing, and I won't be back. Even the upper Gasconade, my experience has been some good water separated by LONG, LONG, stretches of frogwater. Just not my personal preference. But anyway . . . all that pales in comparison to the good time and good company I had with the OAF folks. Lets do it again next year. I'll post some pictures up when I get a chance. Andrew (aka Paul Dallas)

See you guys tomorry night.

Good theory, Grease. Also could be some yahoos in 4 wheelers upstream running in some shallow water. Or a property owner or MODOT with a backhoe doing some in-stream gravel playtime.

I can't get away until Thursday afternoon, but I was planning on doing a short float till dark. Could meet by 3 or 4 p.m. on Thursday somewhere.

Cool pickcher. I was gonna say Huz and Meremac because the clear water didn't look like nowheres on the Bourb. I know that spot fairly well. Treehouse's place is right above it. Could've also been MF and B confluence, as I have seen it peninsula out like that.