ColdWaterFshr

But not a smallmouth either. Look, I am sure there are more than a few bad, or even newbie giggers out there that kill a few good sized smallmouth on our beloved streams. Sucks, yes. Intentionally?? I struggle with that. Except for the guy that was getting them put in his mailbox. Don Corleone? But certainly, jackasses like that could impact a stretch of water in a real hurry. Lets hope that they are the extreme minority. Thankfully these megawatt lightbulbed jet boats can't run up smalller streams, and they really need good, clear water to do their damage during the season, so lets count your blessings. But as for enforcement? Not impossible, just difficult given the hours they keep. MDC needs to be made aware of the problem and given a chance to respond. I have no problem with responsible giggers at all. Keep on keepin on, just be sure and shun any jackasses that show up at the boil with bass, thats all.

Good stuff. Best video from around these parts I've seen. Good work and awesome photography.

Paul wishes he could've been in attendance. Looks like another great WFT. Thanks for posting up the pictures and NICE fish!

I've resisted chiming in here because I think many of the arguments are moot points. Especially the west side-east side one which is completely empty. And I glanced at the white paper, but like someone else said it seems "phoned in". It seems to me that MO smallmouth bass, in streams anyway, are beyond the scope of MDC "management" in any sense of the word. 1) Way too many miles of streams to watch, 2) far too few of agents to patrol those many miles, 3) the reality is that SMB are lower on the popularity totem pole compared to other species - trout for instance or largemouth or crappie or walleye or white bass and so why would MDC devote much if anything to it, and they are relatively hearty anyway, and 4) how do you manage it EVEN IF everything is perfect?? I've heard Kevin Meneau talk about what a crapshoot a spawn can be. High water during a critical time can wipe out a year class. And given that MDC doesn't stock and cannot with any degree of success, stock smallmouth, how and what exactly are you managing? If "management" means only putting up signposts declaring them to be a Smallmouth Management Areas, then whoop-tee-do! I'm not sure you're improving anything other than increasing the budget allocated to signs and thereby giving vandals more firewood or nice bright targets to shoot at. I love smallmouth fishin in creeks and in that silly poll I voted for pure C & R reg change in all of the states streams, but the realist in me knows that probably wouldn't do much to improve anything in the short-term, at least not without better enforcement to go with it. I support the efforts of MSA and increasing AWARENESS of this important gamefish. They have their work cut out for them. End of the day . . . white papers are just papers, and whether you think MDC is to blame or is impeding progress . . . I just can't get behind either of those mules.

Just now reading this and kinda shocked at Chief. Don't join! Nobody has to "sell" you anything and I'm shocked at the "tone" of your questions. What does your $25 membership fee (or whatever it is) get YOU? As in, whats in it for me? What a humbug.

I think you're talking about different Beaver Creeks. The one mentioned in the Floaters Guide goes thru Bradleyville and drains into Bull Shoals. The one that Ozark Trout Fisher is talking about dumps into the Little Piney -- I can't imagine it even being floatable.

The line between hunting and fishing is getting blurrier all the time. Check this disturbing clip out: http://troutunderground.com/

Oh, I'm quite full of it, I freely admit.

And that perspective is? . . . "catching fish on 6x with a hand-tied fly" - something that you have yet to accomplish yourself, but yet you hold it as your base standard for respect?? How rich! One could argue that powerbait is no less of a "bait" than the Chompers or Senko's that I'm sure you pitch to smallies, right Eric? I mean, heck Powerbait resembles an egg, right? There's not many fly-fisherman that don't carry a few "fetal emergers" in their fly box, is there? Clearly Powerbait is not a real egg, and whether it is designed and manufactured to mimic an egg is debatable I guess. Oh, but its scented you say! But so are most Chompers and Senkos, or do you fish with exclusively the unscented variety just to make sure you are TRICKING the fish, and not FEEDING it.

Simmer down young grasshopper. You're entitled to your opinion and your definition of respect, but try to pay attention to the depth of that hole ya got diggin there.

I've got dandruff, and SOME OF IT ITCHES. Pay no attention to that clicking noise, just adjusting my drag.

Sorry Eric and OTF, the hypothetical question was okay intially I guess, but the research seemed a bit labored and repeated posts got to be more than I could take, and coming from you and Ozark TF'er who I take don't have all that many hours spent on Taney, am I correct? Who would support stocking of smallmouth, whatever the strain, in Taney other than you guys and maybe a stimulus package lamppost? I'm sure smallmouth eat a few scuds, about like I eat candy corn in the jar in the lobby of some office that I have to be in . . . but anyway, not trying to be nasty. Please continue with the research!

I think the whole idea is nuts on many different levels, and who started this thread anyway? Upper Taney is a premier trout tailwater desitination, the middle section is ugly Branson and the lower end is a forgotten and very marginal-bass water. Just leave it at that. Stock muskies on the lower end if anything, they'd probably do a lot better than smallies. I love smallies, but this talk is just plain silly. Smallmouth eating scuds

no rocks = no crawdads smallmouth like to eat at Red Lobster pretty often

Could Taney be a smallmouth lake? Its a weird question, kinda like asking if Oprah could do NFL pre-game analysis with Terry, Howie, and Jimmy. lack of rocks (big and small) lack of right kind of food base (crayfish) consistently low water temps = very slow growth rate for smb

2 years without PMS? Wish my wife could do that.

Paul Dallas can vouch for the PMS - its his go-to streamer now for trout and smallmouth. Leonard's fly may not look all that unique, but fish seem to like it better than other similar streamers, and thats all that matters. Great fly, Leonard.

Meramec and Niangua might struggle to be in contention among the rivers you mention, in my opinion. But there are much worse ways to spend an afternoon. The rest are okay, but can be hit or miss, and certainly not high percentage toad-water like the tailwaters give up, and thats fine by me, too. Each is different, and harbors its own mysteries, and thats what makes it so durn interesting . . . a question of where to go . . . ? A lousy day on the middle Niangua still beats sittin on your duff watchin the Rams or the Cheifs. Unless there is BBQ involved.

Took a bike ride down to Castlewood last Thursday I think it was. The river had just crested earlier in the day and water was inches from being up into the parking lot at the boat ramp, as it evidently had been a few hours earlier with all the mud that was around. Most of the bottomland trails were submerged or too muddy to attempt to ride. Anyway, as I was about to ride off from the boat ramp area, a huge section of 15-20 foot high, steep, mudbank on the opposite side of the river let go and completely startled me. It was like a glacier calving. I imagine this goes on for some time after a significant flood -- the big banks are weakened or undermind(ed), and as the water drains from these banks, they let go. That might explain the slugs of murky water. And if you look at the last 60 days of USGS watergauges, there have been 3 or 4 pretty major spikes in water levels on most rivers, not just the Meremac -- the ground just isn't having time to dry out and reharden. I imagine there is calving going on all over the place. My 2-bit geological theory anyway.

Awesome catch. Very happy for the guy, and happy for the Lilley's that it was caught out of their place and on one of their rods too!

As usual, PD has a solution . . . make from Fall Creek and above a C & R area only, barbless and single hook only, and don't stock that area at all. I would also like to see the outlets closed to fishing during the spawn. Lets face it - the slot is too confusing for most folks, they just don't get it. Then Fall creek and below . . . no restrictions other than a 4 or 5 fish limit, but only 1 brown over 18 may be allowed, bait okay, barbs okay, etc, etc. Stocking should only be from Cooper Creek down, and cut back on the #'s stocked by a half million or so per yr. But this all makes too much sense, MDC will never go for it.

Yeah, Bugatti is an interesting choice of names for a Korean-made fly reel, isn't it? But lets face it, their ain't nothing tricky about a fly reel. From a modern manufacturing standpoint, its hard to make one expensive. Time will tell how well the Albright stuff holds up, but I know some guys that have made similar raids during their October sale the last couple years, and now they leave their Winstons and Sages at home when they go fishing. Yeah, there is some guilt about funding a Korean sweat-shop, but if Lefty's okay with it, then so is Paul Dallas.

Look, between saving $100 on the reel (Lamson Konic vs. Albright Bugati) and also saving another $40 on the line (SA GPX vs. Sharkskin) . . . . thats $140, almost enough for a whole 'nother outfit!

Scientific Anglers GPX line is good stuff -- about $65. Sharkskin --- never tried it, but I hear its an overpriced gimmick. Take a look at the rod-tube on the 2 pc - 9ft. Its about like having another canoe paddle. If you don't mind that, and I don't, then go for it. Most of my fly rods are 3 or 4 piecers, but a I do have a couple 2 piecers. A 2 pc 7 and 1/2 footer isn't so bad, but the 2 piece 9 foot rod tube is a monstrosity and isn't going to sit nicely in a trunk. It needs the floor-board and some space in the backseat of most cars. I just bought a couple of Albright Bugati reels for $35 each. Large arbor, disc drag - cartridge type. Looks sharp and is smooth as glass. Don't waste money on no fly reel. For the price of the Lamson, you could almost buy another Launch, say in a 7 wt. or a 3 wt.

Warden sounds like a doof, Bill. When plenty of opportunities are there to write the tickets that make sense, why be bull-headed on a borderline call like that one. Goats are everywhere and #'s need to be reduced anyway, so . . . I don't get it. Tell him to snap some pictures, go to court and fight it -- it will get tossed.