ColdWaterFshr

UAK - yeah, I know. Thats why I generally avoid floating the popular rivers from May-Sept.

We put in at Blue Spring access She was using some small dark green grub. Looked about 3 inches long. My brother said it was called a "meathead", but I've never heard of that brand.

Had a nice family float on the Jacks Fork this past weekend. Lot of work, but the kids had a GREAT time. Camped on the river near Jam-up cave. Kids threw rocks till their arms were sore, and my 5 yr old son became a casting pro with his Zebco 202. I took about 15 minutes with the flyrod and pulled in 2 small bluegill. Meanwhile, just a few feet away, my brothers little girl, age 6, is reeling in smallmouth after smallmouth. Weather was perfect, until about 2 in the morning saturday night when it stormed. I was VERY concerned about being on the gravel bar, so I didn't sleep much. We packed up early and paddled on down to Rhymers. The Jacks Fork is an amazing river if you've never floated it. Maybe the most scenic in the state. Huge bluffs around every bend, and the water is beautiful clear green with big chunk rock bottom. The hardwoods were all still bare, but that made for a nice view of the hillsides which were dotted with white dogwoods and redbud. I took some pictures with my new toy, an Optio WPi-10 waterproof camera. Didn't take any underwater, but I did jump out of the canoe with it in my pocket. Nice not to have to worry about it. I will post those up when I get the chance. Hindsight: probably very foolish to take 3 small kids and the wife in a loaded canoe, and camp on a river famous for flash-flooding when the forecast is calling for isolated severe weather. We may have dodged a bullet. There were quite a few people out. Counted at least 20 canoes on our short 5 mile float.

Sam, I know that that much of the private property that you are talking about is above the 63 bridge, but there shouldn't be any issues with fishing the creek from Lane down. As long as you're within the high-water mark, right, and not tromping through somebody's field or hopping over fences - correct me if I'm wrong.

Simmer down Gonefishin. My final comment about banning jetboats was in jest . . . hence the winky symbol ; ) I believe any attempt to ban jet-boating would be about as likely as me winning the bronze, silver, and gold medals in the womens figure skating short program. Do I get a sick feeling in my stomach everytime I'm fishing and hear a jet-boat headed my way? Yes sir. Would I vote for their outright banishment? Absolutely, no question, in a heartbeat. Am I holding my breath for that glorious day to come? Absolutely not. Am I sick of answering my own questions like Donald Rumsfeld? You betcha. Is Forsythian a hammerhead? Yes he is, but we love him.

Speaking of blue herons. . . I have one that is etched in my brain. Probably 25 years ago, fishing on Stockton Lake. My pops and brother and I had just loaded up on some new gear at Wal-Mart the day prior. Dad had gotten some hot tip at work from a hotshot bass-tourney fishmerman that Zara Spooks were "THE bait" to target big bass with early in the morning. Not being the sort to let a hot tip sit idle, we followed up on it. I remember looking at it at Wal-Mart and thinking it was a ridiculously large, and $5 apiece -- wow, a lot to spend on just one lure. Dad had just got paid so we bought a clear one, a black and white skeleton one, and one that looked like a bass. We were pumped. So here we were in our rental boat the next morning. Its dawn. After a little bit of practice, Dad was soon walking the dog just as his buddy at work had instructed him. He was making HUGE casts through the early morning mist of some flooded timber. We were enraptured with its side to side movement through the glassy calm water, and were on the edge of our seat anticipating a monster strike to occur at any moment. Well . . . the strike came alright. A big heron swooped down on the lure and took off in flight with it. Dad didn't know what to do, so he opened the bail on the spinning reel and let her take out line!! The line was zipping off the spool in a blur and in a couple seconds it easily snapped the knot at the end. My brother and I had stomach aches from laughing so hard.

Al, Are their fish population survey #'s to support the notion that there is even a problem? MDC should be able to compare some data sets from years ago to recent studies, right? Kevin Meneau should have this information for the Meramec basin and tribs. IF the data points to a decline in big fish, or in populations, trending downward over the last few years, we should be ALL over them. As to the hypothesized cause, that would be another discussion. A group of some buddies of mine were able to form a small group, and with a little properly applied pressure, (letter writing campaign to the right people, and a website) . . . we probably appeared bigger than we really were . . . I like to think we had at least SOME impact on MDC's recent changes in the trout regulations. A few of us had discussions with the trout biologists and even got some #'s from shock-surveys down on the STMA of the Current, 11 point, Meramac, etc. The biologists blamed a lot on recent years drought conditions, and they stammered and hee-hawed about resistance that locals will put up to reg changes . . . but in the end, I think they saw the light that a LOT of concerned trout fishermen want to see more enforcement, less harvest, and tougher regulations on those areas where the fishing clearly had not been all it could be. The same could be done with smallmouth. If we've got our facts straight and go about it right. We could form a pressure group and get some stuff done!! Its a game of inches. Eventually we can seek the all-out ban on jet-boats from all unimpounded waters, but not just yet ; )

I have one of those and I believe its only a $100 reel brand new . . . so $85, used?? ehhh.

Don't forget Wenonah! (Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino) http://www.wenonah.com/

It seems to me that the bad apples need to be caught. Increasing the regulations isn't goint to stop poachers from poaching. In fact, I could see it having the reverse affect short-term . . . only make them more mad about a new regulation and increasing their activity just to spite. That may be some of whats happening. Heres the way I see it: 1. If poachers are gigging bass for meat, their livewells could easily be checked at boat ramps by agents. Pretty soon the risk of getting caught wouldn't be worth it. I don't know about you guys, but I've seen an increase in agents the last couple years, I wouldn't want to roll those dice. MDC could focus on the problem areas and step up their efforts. 2. If poachers are intentionally gigging bass and then tossing them back in the water -- thats just idiocy, got to be a small percentage thing. Like punk kids vandalizing a school for the fun of it . . . doesn't make much sense. Making vandalizing any more illegal probably not going to have any effect. Catching the vandals will. 3. If they're accidentally gigging bass because they don't know any better . . . can't tell a sucker from a bass or whatever, this also has to be a small percentage thing because we all agree that bass don't typically hang out in the open water like suckers do. What do the biologists survey #'s suggest? Are populations of big smallies way down on the rivers in question?

Fed-X caveman was really good, but I think the Bud-Lite office/treasure hunt was a classic.

Forsythian - I had that problem with my Old Town 158. It came with molded seats. And you simply cant sit backwards in those molded seats. I got tired of floating it solo from the stern position. Front end would stick up high unless you weighted it, then it was tough to manuever. So, I bought a webbed seat and mounted it to the bow seat. (was too cheap to buy 2 seats). I left the spacers out, too. So the seat is up a little higher which is more comfortable. Now when I float solo, I turn it around, weight is distributed a little better, and I can manuever a LOT better.

I've float/fished it 4 or 5 times. Fell in love with it, then kind've fell out of love with it last summer. We did a mid-summer overnight float from Drynob to Davis Ford with 3 other families. We had solitude that you wouldn't get on many other rivers for that time of year, saw not a soul . . . . with the exception of whole herds of cows bathing in the river at 2 or 3 different areas. Fishing was lousy, it was hot, and I don't know which smelled worse, the river, or my kids diapers. Long stretches of flat frog water. Despite all that, we had a great time. The upper river is better looking and better fishing in my opinion.

Yeah, nice review, Al. The Jacks Fork is an amazing river, one of my favorites. Jam-Up cave is pretty spectacular. One of my earliest float trips, was in early spring, it was warm and the dogwoods and redbuds were just getting going. We went from the Prongs all the way to the confluence with the Current . . . . in 2 days, 40 or so miles. Needless to say, that was when I was young and stupid. Never got so sunburned in all my life. And sunburn on top of sore shoulders is pure misery. We were pretty wiped by the time we finished. Halfway into it, the first day, I recall setting up a makeshift tent on a gravel bar opposite one of those huge bluffs. A big storm was brewing. We had just enough time to secure 4 paddles at the corners of an 8 x 8 tarp and guy it out to stakes in the gravel. Just as we finished, the sky opened up and we squatted under that tarp, and as it rained hammers and nails, we fired up a small backpackers stove and cooked the best jambalya I have ever eaten. When it finally quit storming, low-level clouds hung in the valley, everything was wet and clean, that sweet smell of ozone, and bass busting the surface out in the dead calm river. I was hooked on floating from that moment forward. The best part of the river is Prongs to Alley Spring. Past Alley it loses a lot of its charm.

Aren't those the old Merlin Olsen jigs that the trout parks used to sell in the little viles? I've used those for a long time and they work great. Sports Authority in St. Louis sells something pretty similar.