Johnsfolly

Worked first couple of days of our stay here in MO. Still thinking about how to get Livie on a species that she has not caught this year. White crappie seemed like the best bet without having to travel far. After work we got the rods in the car and headed to Little Dixie Lake. Since we weren't going to have a whole lot of time, we decided to fish trout magnet jigs right off the dock. Livie was fishing a 6' airstream UL rod with #2 lb Pline fluoroclear line. She had a white and chartteuse jig body. I had a similiar set-up with a 7' airstream UL rod and same line. I started with a black back and green belly jig. First fish was going to get a cookie. Livie had her first fish before I had even got to the end of the dock. It was also a white crappie her 50th different species since March. So she gets a cookie 😁. She had three more crappie before I caught my first. I switched to a black and chartreuse jig and Livie caught a couoke more to my one. After this beat down she offered to let me fish her rod and I oassed 😌. I did look for another bait like hers. Could only find a pink back white belly jig and put that one on. I go into Livie's Tai Chi approach to catching these crappie. She would say that if you go with the flow and don't care to catch a fish you will catch a fish. We ended the night as it got dark. Only fished about an hour. Livie had 12 to dad's 7 crappie. Was a great time and beautiful evening.

Sounded like an interesting day for sure. Congrats on getting some of those fish in the boat!

Looks like a great time. I always enjoy catching a bunch of different fish. You guys were successful in that! Congrats!

Thanks Dan! Those fish are under my skin ever since that first trip. I'm working on a musky trip somewhere, possibly Pomme, for Sunday. Lots of encounters to keep me coming back, but it's been a while since I held one. Love to change that soon!

Looks fun buddy. We have spent so much time in the salt that I have not caught a bass yet in Maryland.

Are you taking out your daughter? Livie wants to spend time with her friends this weekend .

I'm in MO and have my bow in tow. I have plans to get out sometime this weekend and early next week. Just have to plan around where to go during the youth season this weekend.

Looks awesome guys! Still have not found even remotely comparable smallmouth waters in Maryland like those in Missouri. Have to keep looking hopefully with a couple of HD hellgrammites in the tackle bag.

TJM - From what I could find there are no native trout species found in Missouri. Not even brook trout which are native to the eastern mountains were not found in Missouri historically. @Al Agnew will likely know more than I do on that subject. I do not believe that there is a naturalized (breeding population) population of rainbows in the Niangua. There are many other sites in MO where the water temps and dissolved oxygen concentrations year round remain in the range where the rainbows have become naturalized, like Crane creek, Barren Fork creek, Mill creek, Blue Springs creek, etc.

I'm definitely a wise guy!

Congrats on tagging a doe. Cool pictures of those elk. I think that it is awesome to be able to see elk in Missouri. Can't wait for them to put in a limited draw hunt for elk.

This all from the guy that doesn't want the MDC to spend money on trout😜! Looks like you guys still had a good time fishing together.

Good looking hens. I hope to get out some time this week to check the spots where I have found old hens previously. Maybe take the scattergun (only guns I brought to MO this trip) and one of my children for some groceries as well, aka bushytails or hens of another kind ! We didn't know how the hens would freeze. So the what we didn't eat from that small hen that Livie found in Maryland went into the dehydrator.

The farm where we get our Christmas trees must be full of them. Seems like at least every other year or two we will have one or more egg masses in the tree when we get it home. If you have learned anything about our family and my youngest that means that we will put the egg mass(es) in a jar and cover it with cheesecloth. It will stay in the house for a while until it gets warm outside. Then it will go outside placed so that it is out of the rain. More often than not come late spring there will be tens of little preying mantis ready to be released. Last year they got released into the tomato plants on the deck.

I think that the Hens have more mushroom flavor than chickens. I like the texture of the chickens a bit better.

Congrats on a nice bunch of fish! Great job staying with them. Also nice to catch a bunch of bonus fish as well.

Nice bass. Definitely a nice striper and a pig of a spotted bass!

What an innocent looking killing machine

Actually been watching a lot of winter jetty fishing videos for tautog or blackfish. Many of the video spots I recognize. So I am confident that I will be able to land a few in Nov. Livie may come along. We'll have to see. Looking forward to a briny winter fishery😁.

Duane have you been guiding or fishing for fun?

Meanest hunk of womam that you have ever seen...

...We had fun on the bench there filling out the forms and playing with the pencils.

Sea bass are a great looking fish. Didn't realize how prevalent they are inshore. Always thought of them as an offshore fish. Guess tbat they have to grow uo somewhere. I do enjoy catching them. Really do want to try for a cutthroat even if it is not in it's native range. Always appreciate fishing with you.

.I've been singing this song for 45 minutes... I could sing it for another 45 minutes... I'm not proud.. Or tired.. 😁

Three year's ago I caught sight of a bobcat crossing over a dirt road. It came down my side and was walking by my stand. I drew on it and it went behind a small bush about 15 yards from me and I never saw it again😢. In a small property that I bowhunted near my house, I have had gray fox running around my stand. Giving me plenty of broadside shots from 10 to 25 yards. Even saw one climb at least 8 feet up a hickory tree looking at a squirrel nest then back down to yhe ground. All of this before the 15th of November. Must have known the season hadn't started.