ColdWaterFshr

Used to rent boats out of the Main Street Boat dock back in the early 80s. We would troll the bridges with Little Cleos - the ones that were half blue and silver worked the best, sometimes orange and silver. We also used to fish off the southside of powersite dam and do well with gray crappie jigs under bobbers.

EHC and just about any Adams type dries will work when the water is lower and near normal. The fish aren't too picky at all.

I'd agree its not really a destination type of place. Perfect for a couple hour fishin-fix, but its like miniature fishing. I think a 3 weight or smaller, and a 7'6 length, no more than 8' is the perfect set-up. Any more people than yourself there and its crowded. Be sure and wear orange. Couple bow-hunters there on Friday which had me looking over my shoulder. When rifle season opens, I wouldn't go in there at all.

Glorydze - love your photos. You guys are trippers for sure. Keep going and keep the pictures rolling. Floated the Big Sugar and Little Sugar and Elk only once when I lived on that side of the sate, and loved it. Brings back memories, we did the same thing b'fore kids -- every weekend was a different river.

Fished it yesterday afternoon above the upper bridge. Creek was rollin pretty good and it took me a while to figger em out as the usual nymphs weren't working or just weren't getting deep enough. Finally went with a white wooly bugger and they were nailing it -- nicest fish was a 13 inch male that had the beginnings of a kype jaw. Beautifully colored fish.

Nice report and NICE fish. Thanks for posting.

Yeah, those pictures tell you a lot. I wouldn't want one of those stubby little tubs for anything other than knocking around a small farm pond, even then, other boats would be much better for a whole variety of reasons. I do like some of the other Buffalo canoes though. The Old Town 119 looks like a perfect fit for what you are after. But not for me -- I still think even those are too small. Save your nickels and get exactly what you want. Boats last a long time and you want to be happy with your decision.

And thus the expression was borne, "I wanna get me Soma-At". Count on Claude to hep develop the modern day vernacular of our times. Industrial, 200 hp garbage disposals and Claude don't mix. I suppose ole Claudes' still out there somewhere . . . bussin tables at Montana Mikes possibly, bumblin with the dishes, gettin written up by hot-headed supervisors for breakin 'em. Maybe he's pokin a dead beaver carcass on a lonely gravel bar somewheres in Dent or Oregon County, or burnin macheteed' cane over a campfire while enjoyin a can of pork n' beans. Or he could be shufflin below outlet 3 in search of the 40 lb Tippy. Maybe tonight he's out fishin off the rip-rap bridge on the south side of the Branson landing under the glow of a Coleman lantern and enjoyin a 24 oz camo-Busch tall boy, holding a solemn vigil to make peace with the Bill Bablers of the world. I sure hope so. He'll wipe his feet and bring 'is own doughnies next time, I can tell you that much. He sure thinks the world of Bill, even if the tippin was a little south of 15%

Shimano Sedona spinning reel set me back less than $30 I wanna say, and I've had it plenty wet and sloshing around in canoe bilge, nary a problem, never binded up on me once. Maybe ya'll is spending too much.

Last I seen of my nephew Claude he was bussin tables at the Heritage Cafeteria on south Glenstone, but that was years ago, and before he fell in with the wrong crowd -- fly fishermen. He really never had a chance. His mother was a spent-piece of big city office trash. Her breath always smelled of stale coffee and bourbon. And his dad, Jett Dallas, my brother, was never around, had a job as travelling salesman of fireworks and file cabinet handles along the eastern seaboard. And Claude's fishing prowess was always a work in, uh . . . regress. I worked patiently with the boy from a young age, but he never improved, he got worse, and the worse he got, the harder he tried, which made it only worse. Claude struggled with monofilament, its as simple as that. He would tangle, break, twist, snap -- you name it. I don't think he could see it - any of it, 12 lb line, 15 lb line didn't matter, and so 7x?? - forget it. If it could go wrong with fishing line, Claude could tell you all about it. So when de-spooling of a reel was mentioned in that last post, my thoughts immediately ran to Claude. I can only imagine how he is doing with fly-fishing. Leonard told me that he had a client one night that stepped on and broke his rod at the steps of outlet 2 one night and never even said he was sorry. Musta been Claude. If you see the boy, tell him his uncle says hello.

It was me, Paul Dallas, the one that had dog-poo on his boot. Jesus, can't we get a decent Zebco on this boat?

Upper Gasconade? Little Niangua?

Alright, alrgiht, stop begging. #3 is the Bourbeuse, just upstream from Koenig Rd.- and the dude in the picture is a Hayseed Dixie. #4 is the Osage Fork of the Gasconade, and that is Lambeth Bridge in the background. Hoffmeyer and JW. Anyone care to take Perilous Rapids for $200, or Arduous Shuttles for $500, it could be the Daily Double . . .

# 4 is not the Niangua. But I'll give you a hint, its on the other side of I-44, and that bridge should be condemned, but as far as I know, it hasn't been yet! # 3 is not up in the Prongs of the JF. Think crooked.

Danimal is correct on question 1 and 2, indeed it is the Big Piney in Ark, and Lonpool. Would be nice to have a place across from Heltons Farm - I love that river. Pictures # 3 and #4 still have not been answered correctly.

Picture # 1: clue - in Arkansas; this view is visible on the shuttle to: Picture # 2: same river as # 1, but name the access: Picture # 3: in Missouri, and yes it was floatable, but barely, and bonus if you can name the dude in the picture, it ain't Paul Dallas either: Picture # 4: in Missouri: Picture # 5: in Missouri, and something in the background gives it away, and bonus if you can name either of the dudes in the picture, and they ain't Paul Dallas either:

Can anyone name this exact spot?

Ahh, Big Bluff . . . I win a Ranger? A Ford Ranger, or the bass boat??

Upper Buffalo near Boxley-Ponca-Steel Cr. in mid-summer.

I'm gonna say pic # 4 is the Little Piney.

1. St. Francis 2. Either lower Buffalo or possibly the Jacks Fork just below Jam-up, nah - hill is too big. 3. I will 2nd the Mineral Fork above F. 4. That could be anywhere - Court/Huzz, Mineral Fork, heck, even went thru a narrow channel on the Jacks Fork this summer that looked just like that.

I don't have any Albright rods, but I have a few friends that have quite a few each, and they like 'em as well as their Sage, Loomis, and Winston rods. I haven't seen what kind've deals Cabelas has going right now, but you may feel more comfortable buying from a local store like Cabelas that will take it back w/ no questions asked, and who will spool up the reel for you, put the loop end connector on the end of the fly line, set you up with a couple leaders, and spools of tippet. Albright - looks like they rate some of their rods as 3/4wt, 5/6 wt, or 7/8 wt, which means you could put either of the lines on and be okay. Probably go with the heavier line for being a newb, it will make casting easier. As a compromise - get the rod from Albright, then take it in to Cabelas and get the reel, line, etc. from them. They won't care. As for spooling up, it goes backer (usually nylon), then fly line, then leader, then tippet. Good luck!

I agree on Cabelas. I picked up a 3-Forks, 7 1/2 foot 3-wt rod last year for $29. It casts as well as other rods that cost me many times more. I think a 4 wt 8 1/2 footer is perfect for Bennett. If you don't have a Cabelas near you, or even if you do . . . might also check out www.albrightflyfish.com. They're running their ridiculous sale again. Breathable waders for $39, complete fly-rod outfits are also available. Here is a pretty nice rod: http://www.albrightflyfish.com/fly-rods/gp...s/gp-86454.html

Sounds like a good trip and very doable. I hiked a small portion of the trail the same weekend as Gavin and he is right. Lots of downed trees blocking the trail up around the horeshoe which is a little further upstream than where Gene is talking about. One blow-down of cedars was so impassable that I had to retreat and wade the river around it. In places the trail is pretty overgrown, in other places its not bad at all, but if it were me, I'd wait on the hiking until the area has had a couple hard frosts and brush and bugs die down a bit. Until then, just float it!

I agree, . . . if a 25 inch rainbow can vouch for it, who I am to nit-pick the finer points? I'm gonna tie the exact same thing you posted and give it a whirl next weekend. Paul D.