bassman1308

I had a bud who lived near Crane and fished Crane Cr a lot maybe 40 yrs ago. He said there were big trout in the creek and occasionally he'd catch one.

I've seen two cottonmouths , that I know were cottonmouths. One near dry creek branch on lower Flat creek and one 30 yds from the playground equipment at the C & R area at RR. Both were huge. body bigger than my arm. White mouth/fangs very intimidating. Both were nearly stepped on so I'll not forget them. Several copperheads but no rattlers.

RIP Bo. I only knew Bo from fishing against him in the Friday night tourneys at Campbell point. Bo and Kelly Williamson started it some 40 years ago. No matter who his partner was Bo's was one of the top teams at that time. Always willing to share 'some' info .

I didn't know that about the nets. I usually just bring the fish close to the bank and then grab the hook with my fingers and shake them off. It's common to see people fishing illegal at RR. In the past, People would use rules/laws as a guide to do things the right way. Nowdays , some think it's only wrong if your caught. JC

Thanks for the replies. Corn casters. lol. Last year, just after the winter stocking, I watched two guys catch and release several trout at the hole next to the upper bridge. They were using some kind of bait. I could tell by how long it took to get the hooks out some were hooked deep. I imagine several of the released fish didn't survive. (Released by dropping them from the 10 ft bluff) A PU drove by and they gave him several trout. They left with at least 2 limits. I understand this is common here. To bad some people have no integrity. I do think I could enjoy fishing Capps between the bridges, specially if I know I'm not breaking any rules. Thanks again. JC

Where can I find out where I can fish / park legally at Jolly Mill/Capps. Last time I was there, 12/27 , the parking area directly north of the farmer/land owners lane had a cable across it. The other parking areas were open. Can one walk onto the area around the mill park to fish without paying ? Can one cross the fence and walk along the creek, on EITHER SIDE to fish BELOW the main bridge at Jolly Mill ? Can one walk/fish all the way down to the lower bridge ?

So that's what a troll looks like. :=) Thanks for the info Ollie. Maybe I'll see u there sometime. JC

SO, can I park in the parking area by Haskins road, cross the road and fish in the Jolly Mill park area without paying the $5 fee or is it best to walk across the main bridge, cross through Ollie's pass (lol) to fish below the main bridge. How far below that area are you allowed to fish ? I'd like to fish Capps but not being sure if I'm trespassing or not makes me wary. Thanks JC

As I was leaving my daughters home Tuesday night I saw the big moon coming up in the East. I have not fished for bass since a July of 2012 Wedn night tourney out of the Shell Knob bridge. Seeing that moon made me think about how much I loved being on the water this time of year. Man I miss it.

Looks like a lot of new boulders in the C&R area. . Photo by Tim. Looks

Some say cottonmouths do not like 55* water and do not inhabit spring fed creeks and I doubt copperheads are ever found at Lowe's stores BUT check out this headline...: Snakes are where you find them. Copperhead snake bites Lowe's customer at North Carolina store

I didn't know they 'floated high' in the water but the CM I saw at RR did do just that as he swam away. That's when I got a good look at how big across his head was. When I first noticed him, he was already coiled and showing me how white his throat was. Without a doubt, this was a CM. My only question was, about killing them in a place like RR. There is a picnic table/shelter and children play area with swings less than 30 yards from where this snake was. Last year I saw a dead copperhead near the drinking fountain there. As I was leaving, a family with 3 small kids drove up to the picnic table area. I turned around and warned them. The rest of the evening I kicked myself for not killing that snake. I guess it's just hard to believe anyone would be OK with poisonous / venomous snakes in an area like that although I understand why the MCD doesn't want ALL snakes killed.

I hope it was the same one I saw. Don't need several of these crawling around RR.

Per siusaluk ''Not a cottonmouth, they are not found in heavily Springfed watersheds like RR. '' So bassfisher, you & I are obviously mistaken about seeing a cottonmouth... :-)

I suppose I understand why MDC does not want ANY snakes killed but RR is a high traffic area for people and there are plenty of non venemous snakes around to take care of the rats/ mice & dead trout.. My main concern are the many young children who visit RR. While it's true death by snake bite is rare in Missouri, snake bites are not . I should have used better judgement and killed that cottonmouth.

What's the deal with snakes at the park ? I was told by an attendant last year you're not supposed to harm/kill them. Is this true ? I see snakes every time I go to RR, sometimes more than one. I was walking / wading near the bank directly in front of the shelter in the C&R area yesterday and almost stepped on the largest cotton mouth I've ever seen. 3 feet away. His midsection was bigger than my forearm and his head was at least 1 1/2 inches across. A young girl had been walking her dog jin that area just a couple minutes before I got to where the snake was coiled. She had to have been very close to stepping on it. I know the snakes have a right to be there but, IMO. POISONOUS snakes should be killed in area's like RR. It's hard to relax and enjoy the park when you're constantly looking down at the ground in front of you.

I'm reasonably certain Zone 3 is considered 'below the park' and is off limits for the winter C & R season. I believe your correct regarding the trout stamp/daily tag. Lots of trout are caught on a lot of different flies/lures. I'm not experienced enough to comment on a seasonal pattern. A single egg has worked well for me lately.

Friday the 13th. OOOOOOOOHHH

Where is this secret place. I won't tell.

I'm seem to have old,, clumsy hands and have a hard time tying knots with the small line & flies. I have a tool that makes tying ' nail knots' easy for me . I can't find anything recommending using that knot to tie on your fly, hooks. Does anyone use or have experience with this knot for tying on your smaller flies, lures? JC

Thank you all. That's what I needed to know.

Thanks laker: OK, so if someone says they're running 2 units, it's just an estimate of water being released. But if the schedule says 145, that would indicate 2 full units are running and would be a more accurate way to determine if I want to drive 50 miles to fish.

Looking at the generation schedule, TR shows 45 for most of the current days. Is that 1 unit ?

It is a park and anyone can fish from the bank, free.

The OP story reminded me of a similar incident many years ago in the same general area. I'm hesitant to repeat that story as I don't like getting laughed at BUT about 30 years ago our club was fishing a hot weather, full moon all nighter in the Shell Knob area. Two highly respected club members came in with a story very identical to the OP's story. It happened after midnight on the bluff end of Pinnacle point, the bluff end on the left side as you enter Kings River. They never saw a 'hairy' creature but according to them , it was big and fast. They could see it's outline in the moonlight as it ran along the top of the bluff after throwing huge rocks into the lake near where they were fishing. I remember trying to joke with these guys about their story but they were pretty spooked by their experience. Neither one ever changed that story over the years. I always assumed it was someone pulling a prank but now ---