Johnsfolly

Justin I agree and this may be a species that I will have to catch again to do a real ID. Gavin and Linhardt Not sure about it being a common shiner. I am used to catching larger specimens and they tend to be deeper in the body between the belly and dorsal fin than I am seeing with this specimen. I am not familiar with the Ozark shiner and did not think that they were found in the Gasconade/Big Piney systems. As I mentioned to Justin, I may just have to get back down there and catch another one to dissect and properly id this species. I'm still waiting on a response to my emails about this fish.

Al I wish that I was able to bag this fish to photograph it in water (had a three foot drop to the water). The fish will often spread their fins making those characters easier to see. I agree about the mouth not being pointed or beak like. I wasn't sure if the angle of the picture effected the way the mouth would look. Any thoughts on its ID? I used my phone and don't have the macro capabilities to get the fine details in these photos.

Daryk I constantly read the Fishes of Missouri by Pflieger. It's getting hard to find copies. The MDC puts out a magazine like version with excerpts from the book. You should be able to pick that up at any conservation office or nature center around the state. I also was introduced a year or so ago to the man that is revising that book. I send him a lot of photos and see if he agrees with my identifications. He collects his fish with seines but gets a kick out of me chasing them with a hook and line. His revision of the Fishes of MO may be out by the end of the year. I also look at a lot of online photos of different species. You have to be careful because your search engine may give you photos of a different species. So I don't use that as my sole source of information. The North American Native Fish Association has folks that can help with id work. I will admit that more often or not I target species that have well defined features. I also will preserve some fish for id but try to minimize doing that if I can id them in the field. I hope that we can find a weekend to fish together.

I saw your post and you had great trips. I would love it if the 11 point had brown trout. A lot of guys dislike pickerel but I like to catch them. As long as you get the hook set so the line isn't in their mouth or else you lose a lot of tackle.

May look like a copy cat post compared to BH's post earlier. However I started marinating my chicken at 2:30 pm this afternoon. My marinade consisted of minced garlic, fresh ginger, thai chili peppers (thanks BH), sliced jalapeno, galena spice, dried basil, teriyaki sauce, and white wine vinegar. I grilled the chicken. The zucchini and summer squash (Folly farm raised squash). were coated with olive oil, galena spice, salt and pepper. Grilled those slices with the chicken and then burst the cherry tomatoes on the grill. Topped the vegetables with a little balsamic .

In my quest for an Ozark slam I took a side trip to Big Piney river to try for some minnows. I read a blog post a couple of years ago about a microfishing trip in Missouri. I kept that article and checked off species from that blog as a target for me in my microfishing ventures. The last fish on the list was the blackspotted topminnow. I knew that the big piney would likely have this topminnow, but I just could find the time to get down to that river until yesterday. I knew that the river got close to Route J before the confluence of Spring creek. I did not know if there would be a fishable access in that area. Fortunately I found that there was a set of steps that went down to the river. I did see some minnows along the bank and I was pumped. My enthusiasm waned when I saw that my worms had liquefied in the heat of the car. I had on a #26 tanago hook and had no bait that would stay on the hook. I looked at the trout magnet lures and trimmed off a tiny piece of the pink/purple lure and rigged the hook. Down at the water I waited a couple of minutes to let the fish calm down again. I could see several minnows including a couple that were either blackstripe or blackspotted topminnows. The first fish was what looked to me to be a brook silverside. I will have to get this one checked, because it looks different than ones I have seen in the past. The next two fish were blackstriped topminnows. Standing in the sun with no wind got really hot. I kept looking for other topminnows. I saw a tail in the deeper water that was much bigger than my hand then I clearly saw a large grass carp swim by. No chance at either of these fish. I finally found what I was looking for and landed this blackspotted topminnow. Not only did I succeed in my catch, but I also found out that minnows will hit the plastic as well as natural bait. Gives me a lot more options in the future. I can finally get rid of the last page from that microfishing blog. Was a hot but successful day of microfishing on the Big Piney. I may have to come back for those grass carp . (Drives my wife crazy)

Great looking male brown trout! Thanks Phil for posting the photo.

After leaving the Current I headed back towards Rolla. I have been thinking about trying to catch a blackspotted topminnow which should be around the rivers and creeks surrounding Rolla. I stopped at Beaver creek just south of Rolla. I went down to the creek to see if there were any topminnows. I saw several northern studfish and a couple of topminnows that had a orange edge to their fins, but not blackspotted topminnows. I have an idea that those fish may be a different topminnow and will have to come back later. While looking at these minnows I saw a 10 inch smallmouth and a 12 to 13 inch largemouth. I figured that these fish were a captive set being in a relatively small pool. I went and got my fishing gear. I put on a 1/32 oz tube jig with a green pumpkin slider with a chartreuse paddle tail. On my first cast I ended up with a green sunfish (I will continue to curse these guys for the rest of the day). Next cast I hit the large bass, but it threw the hook. No chance at one again. The next cast landed this 5 inch largemouth, (3rd slam fish) keeping with the Micro Slam theme on the day. I caught a couple more green sunfish and the last one tore off the paddle tail. I switched to a Bitsy crayfish body and caught my first smallmouth of the day (4th slam species). At less than 7 inches again keeping with the small slam fish. With four of the five slam fish in hand and no interesting minnow species I left Beaver creek and headed towards Big Piney river to try to find some minnows (that's a different post). Afterwards I headed back north to try to finish my slam. I focused on one of my favorite creeks and started at a spot where Olivia caught a rock bass back in May. The river was much lower than that May trip and my subsequent trip in June. I had switched to a microlite rod with 4 lb test to target rock bass. First cast and BOOM a big green sunfish! The next cast brought another sunfish. Then a largemouth bass followed by a smallmouth. I left that hole and headed upstream to a spot that I have almost always had success on rock bass in previous slam attempts. The water was so low that it no longer flowed above the gravel between these two holes. A couple more green sunfish and several smallmouths including a 12" fish in the hole that should have held some rock bass. Usually there is 2 to 3 feet of water in front of the rock pile that I was fishing. On this trip the water was only about 18 inches. I have typically found rock bass in front of big rock and gravel areas with 3 to 4 feet of water. This low water may become an issue on my slam quest. The next rock bass producing hole ended up the same way, more stinking green sunfish along with brown and green bass. I also caught longear sunfish as well. All of the holes that I fished were very low compared to years past. I could easily see most fish in the hole and all were aggressive to my baits with every cast. There were no shy fish. Chubs, sunfish, bass, etc were all going after my bait. I fished and replaced several jig bodies after the fish tore off the paddle tails. Even without the tail the bait was still getting hit, but no rock bass. I even caught a 14 inch largemouth that was close to 2 lbs. I would have traded that fight with a simple rock bass on the line. I switched to the John deere microjig and continued with my bad luck, just more sunfish and bass. I broke off a smallmouth that was a similar size as that large largemouth bass. I walked as far upstream as I could before I felt like I would not get back before dark if I went any further upstream. At the last hole I found what I wanted, a deep hole with a lot of rock. I made a cast in front of the rock pile and got hung. So this trip ended with me spooking any fish off of that pile as I waded through the hole to get my bait. I finished the night with a couple of casts at the first hole that I fished and caught three more green sunfish. My slam attempt came to an end without a successful completion. I had fished four different bodies of water, drove over 365 miles, and ended up in my driveway just after 9:50 pm. I caught over 50 fish on this marathon. So I still felt it was a successful day even without an Ozark Slam.

Several years ago a friend and I came up with our version of the Ozark Slam. We decided the challenge would be to catch a rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and a rock bass all in the same day. We did this a couple of times over the years. In all times we would have to fish a couple of different rivers and always starting at the Current River. So yesterday I found myself leaving the house at 4:45 am and headed to the Current. I got on the river just before 7 am. The browns are typically the hardest one to catch. So I planned on targeting them first. I was fishing a jerkbait and only had a couple of follows in the first couple of holes, but no real interest in my bait. On one straight run there was a laydown with a rootwad on the upstream side. I had a brown hit the bait as it passed the rootwad and it rolled, but no hook set. Then I lost another a little while later with one that came our from another laydown and it followed and hit the bait in the shallow water, but got off. I finally got a small rainbow into the net. At approximately 9 inches, might be the smallest rainbow that I have ever caught in the Current. Regardless of size, I got my first fish for the slam! At the head of a deep hole I put on a John deere microjig and fished it under a float in the current. No trout, but caught a couple of large hornyhead chubs. Fished several formerly productive holes and runs heading back upstream. The river has changed in a couple of places with some formerly deeper holes having less water and vice versa. The heat was becoming oppressive and the lack of fish has gotten me down a bit. It was a couple of hours and several different baits before I caught my second trout. I had just caught a bluegill (a first this far upstream in the Current). Half-heartedly I was fishing the John Deere again. I was drifting it in a deeper run next to a shallow flat. I had an 8 inch brown hit the bait as I was reeling the bait in across the flat. Now had my second fish for the slam, May be the smallest group of fish that I have caught on a slam. I caught another rainbow upstream, then headed back down stream. At the head of one pool, I saw a couple of trout just under the surface feeding. I tried a couple of baits and they were showing interest in each bait but did not fully commit on any. I went back to the John Deere under the float. As soon as the bait dropped too deep they lost interest. I switched to a small white unweighted scud. As I cast to the fish, it went after the float and then got sight of the scud when I pulled the float a little and attacked it. I caught one and lost the other and didn't have any other feeding fish in that area. Another small brown trout. I assumed the other was a brown as well. It was 12:15 when I left the river. I had tow of the five fish I needed for the slam and with renewed enthusiasm I headed to another creek/river to try for the rest of the fish on my list. At that time I just I did not have any idea how many places I would fish this day or how many miles I would travel in the attempt to finish this slam,

JD - Glad to hear that you were able to get out. Great report! Sound like a great couple of trips. Congrats! I hope that you keep on the mend.

Oh by the way here is a guppy relative, an Eastern Mosquitofish that I caught in Delaware .

Tho1mas - guilty as charged, I can't pass a creek or stream and not think what could I catch in it LOL! Even have my wife thinking every creek she drove over on her way to Georgia that it would be a spot for me to fish. Fished for minnows in Big Piney yesterday and will post about that trip later .

I just don't know where all these beetles are coming from. Everyday we kill them by the hundreds. And still will get more as soon as we empty the traps. Maybe we are pulling beetles from Jeff city☺. Can't wait to have a day when the traps are empty.

I wonder if it was the money for your refund that left Mayweather short for his taxes☺.

We go a good amount rain last night☺. Filled up the dry creek behind our house.May not even need to water today. Did lose one or oldest hens to the heat yesterday while I was on a fishing marathon. Not real happy about that. She was on the headed for stock list then she started laying again. Get to deal with that today as well as empty the beetle traps. I suspect that they will be pretty gross after the rains to get all the dead bugs out.

Yes. Booze and tacos! Who needs a fight? Did they still charge you for the fight?

I think that it will be an embarrassment more than a beating. Mayweather has never been known as a power puncher. Once he wins then he can pay his taxes. Yeah right!

BH Definitely wish that we lived closer. Would love to have some garden fresh tomatoes and maybe an Iron chef type battle or two Marty Morimoto verus Iron chef French Folly! What squirrel again!?! How about some roadkill or maybe more yard carp☺! Our cherries will have some ripe ones tomorrow or monday. Our two giant maters (may be beefsteaks) are just getting orange. Maybe Weds for those guys☺. Would love to have some rain! Lots of hand watering.

Tonight just didnt want to put in a lot of effort. So made a stirfry with baby bok choy, zucchini, green peppers, onion, minced fresh ginger, and minced garlic. Began by cooking the aromatics then added the vegetables. Once they were close to being done I added a tablespoon of black bean paste and vegetable stock. Got it all well mixed then added leftover pork from the other night. Once heated through I added salt and pepper then into a bowl to eat☺. Didn't bother making any starch.

QB I'll keep them in mind for next year.

Definitely an intense film. That guy was a human terminator☺!

Just me and the dog passing gas☺! Should be a good night. I'm watching No country for old men. Haven't seen it before friendo! Not a family movie so far. Don't think it will change much.

With the Folly family heading in different directions left me all alone. So just made a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with a Bur Oak Creme de la Hops microbrew. A mix if an IPA and a creme ale. Not bad.

Glad to hear that he is doing better. I can't wait to see the next set of photos of him eating one of your meals on the what's cooking thread☺.

Thanks Gavin. That is pretty cool. I see one of the male bears (#1017) was 485 lbs when they caught him.