ColdWaterFshr

Is that a young Bob Dylan? And why the heck is he doing a telemetry study near Scotts Ford? And why the shovel? Did he just bury a pile of transponders on the jet-boat gravel bar that Top Dollar had mentioned?

Big brown trout? And recently (last 10 years)?? Pictures please, or you're a big fat liar.🤣

True, but consider the fairly large watershed above and immediately below the spring branch. Dry Creek is a pretty long warm-water creek, and what is there, another 30 miles of Meremac above the spring branch? Granted, much of that is spring-fed, but I wouldn't call that water frigid through the long dog days of summer. So combine those inputs and that 7 mile stretch of "red ribbon" isn't anywhere near 52 degrees year round. I think Jen had said only the upper 2 miles are really conducive for any hope of put and grow for trout, but that would be dependent on minimal flood events.

Yes, it was Lewis. And you are correct on the STD's. Mercury pills ain't just for diarrhea!

In fairness to MDC, I think these days the habitat is really poor, and the floods are epic, and the summertime water temperature is too high on those wide shallow, uncanopied expanses like shown in the picture above to sustain any long term put and grow program. It may have been better fishery once upon a time, before most anyone wandered outside the park, and before otters and the eagle population rebounded to what it is. Between 8 and the Spring branch a few years ago, I must've counted 20 eagles. I think giggers take a few. Poachers certainly do. Sure, tickets should be written. But lets be honest about our expectations.

Congratulations, you caught 2 of the 9 that are still swimming around down there! 😂 Should of just hollered out to the MDC folks, "put yer radio's away boys, here they are"

I still take mercury tablets when I get the diarrhea. Seems to help.

Yeah, what do these tags look like? I've seen plenty of fishermen clean their fish right where they caught them and not bother with going to a cleaning station.

It was probably 3 or 4 years ago, maybe longer that I remember Jen presented a report on the red-ribbon section of the Meremac. The #'s were terrible. Something like an average of 8 fish per mile from the park down to Scotts Ford. Habitat isn't good. Floods. Warm temps in summer. Heavily poached after stocked. I don't ever recall it being great fishing. There are a couple of interesting spots, but I think they get pounded.

I didn't think bass could get that big in creeks. That is really special.

Little Piney is a gem! Nice report.

I was out there in July for family vacation and had an experience very similar to Siusaluki. The park is so big and there are so many creeks to choose from that you really need to have a focused gameplan based on the amount of time you will have and what it is that you really want to accomplish. The camp spots within the park need to be reserved in advance, which I reserved one but didn't end up using. I bought a book (see below) that had very good maps and descriptions of all the streams both inside and outside the park as well as camping spots. This book really helped me be a little more realistic, because you can spend a full day or two just hiking to get to some of these spots. I didn't have that kind of time because the family wanted to do touristy stuff . . . . so I just decided to fish some creeks along the main road that goes up to Newfoundland Gap and over to Cherokee. I fished Walker Camp Prong and Road Prong on the Tennessee side, not more than 2 miles down from the Gap. I was determined to get a native brookie, but I really had to work for it. They are lightning quick in their takes, but what a blast it was to catch a couple of them in that tiny water. Skinned both my knees in pursuit. On the NC side, I fished the upper Oconaluftee and caught a bunch of small rainbows. There are so many good places to fish its a bit overwhelming. Every access I hit, I never saw another fisherman, and I felt like i was totally in the wilderness even though I was just a 20 minute hike back to my car along the road. As SIU said, there are bears everywhere, so keep your head on a swivel! Would be happy to mail this book to you if you would like to borrow it. Just PM me your address.

Gotta love how the very mention of the subject on this here fishing website immediately draws an ad. https://www.tacticaltraps.com/hdcompact/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5duNwsi15AIVSmh-Ch0dEAihEAEYASAAEgJCS_D_BwE Gotta git me one of these here coffee tables!

I say good for Wal-Mart! I'm wondering if the recent incident at the Wal-Mart in Springfield, MO didn't "trigger" this decision . . . pun intended. At least they are taking action instead of sitting on their hands like our good-for-nothing congressmen and senators who can't even come to a consensus that universal background checks are at least a very small starting point in the national epidemic we are facing. 35 shot in Chicago this past weekend, I would hazard a guess the vast majority by handguns. I think we can all agree that what this country needs is more idiots armed with handguns, right?. . . . . in order to protect ourselves from the bad guy idiots who are armed with handguns. I'm going to get one for my nightstand, the glovebox of each car, one for the kitchen counter, maybe one for the garage, two to keep on my person, one for the wife, and one for the dog.

Nice report. its been 25 years since I've floated Bryant Creek.

Got the same problem over here. Gus is a 10 months old golden doodle. . . . and there hasn't been a month yet since we've had him, where I haven't wanted to give this dam dog away. Only the wife and kids won't let me. He has left a path of destruction everywhere he goes . . . . tore through the screens in my screen porch, eaten whole bushes in back yard, a vacuum cleaner for deer poop which gives him diarrhea, claws that scratch the hell out of my new wood floors, and on and on. We've done obedience training. I take him on 2 1.5 mile walks each day. He is just too much dog. 65 lbs of stamina and relentless attention needing. I'm thinking of giving him some CBD oil . . .

hahahhaha. Love it. This was you??? What the hell was that at 1:10? Wastewater discharge? Nice handling there, I wouldn't want to swim! Helluva a way to die, either by giardia or by drowning in a hydraulic on the River Des Peres, or Depress. Actually, I admire this adventure. A lot. Good job on the shuttle out and hose scrub of the fancy kevlar at the end. Ballz.

Exactly. Entire length is the wrong question. Variety is the spice of life. And the quality of that variety. There are sections of the Eleven Point, Current, Meramec, Big River, Gasconade, Niangua . . . that I have no desire, or even mild interest to float. So why do it? I have seen their prettier and fishier portions, and don't want to be disappointed by something less. Could be talked in to seeing them, but I'd rather seek out the cool little out of the way places I've been, and do them over again, rather than, for example, . . . . .the Meramec from Valley Park down to the Mississippi, or Big River below Morse Mill. That would be depressing. Lets float the River Des Peres! Life is short is right, so why check off meaningless milestones? Swan Creek, Bull Creek, Flat Creek, Bryant Creek, Black River, Marble Creek, upper St. Francis, upper North Fork . . . . and all the many creeks and small rivers that I loved before and just haven't had a chance to get back to again . . . . I'd rather see again. And there are too many adventures that are far more interesting and unexplored. I could even do sections of the Missouri and Mississippi before I could be talked into putting a canoe in at say, the Gasconade at Jerome.

Wow, that is impressive, Al. There are only a handful that I can think that I've done the entire length: Jacks Fork, Huzzah, Courtouis, Mineral Fork, Finley, Little Piney . . . Probably floated only 20% of the Meremac. And only 10% of the Gasconade. And only the upper 1/3rd of the Current. You're talking canoe and not jet-boat, right?

What did you do to your knee?

Hey Ness and Gavin - we need to put together another wild-trout round-up this fall. I'll be making quite a few trips to Rolla as Paul Dallas, Jr. is enrolled there this fall. Camp at Lane Spring where some of us can fish the LP, some can fish Mill Creek, and some can go fish the Spring Cr.

The ultimate low blow . . . to be compared to Kenny Chesney. I might have went too far with that.

Seriously dude . . . . that was awful. I had to look them up to make sure it wasn't Weird Al Yankovic doing a reggae spoof. It appears that stick Figure has borrowed from the play book of Vanilla Ice, or Eminem . . . . trying so hard to be authentic and so tough and serious . . . . . lets get high and play a reggae riff with a beach/tropical vibe as if that has never been done, only we're white and we'll sell it to some dumb kids who have never heard the real thing. The poor dog needs to find a new band! This might be worse than Kenny Chesney.

And this guy isn't stoned out of his gord? What is up with the trippy opening sequence of the dog between his legs? And why do I feel like I feel like I just vaped a diet root beer flavored synthetic CBD or some crap. Get you some Peter Tosh or Mr. Robert Marley if you want to get your reggae on.

Was going to post a White Stripes deal, but thats too cliche. Digging on this duo more these days . . . .