Dances With Smallies

Great report and pictures. Sounds like a great trip!

Went out again and didn't seem to have the same issue (or maybe I just didn't pay attention to it). I think I had gotten too used to finesse fishing and causing a lot of commotion just didn't feel right at first. Had some big blowups, caught some fish and had a blast. Thanks for the info guys.

No problem. I never got into walking the dog (or baitcasters for that matter), so it's all new to me. But this summer I'm trying to broaden my horizons a little and trying some new tactics.

No baitcaster. I was using spinning gear. I used to use heavier lines, but I haven't seen much use for line over 8 lb. for creek fishing with spinning gear. But, perhaps I need to invest in a baitcaster... Thanks for the input Ham.

I have just started playing around with a Spook, Jr. for fishing stream smallies. I used it for the first time the other day when wade fishing. I got it to walk pretty much immediately thanks to the commentary I've read on here about quick flips with slack in the line. However I noticed that, especially with longer casts, having the slack necessary for it to walk properly caused quite a bit of line to snap the surface as I flipped my rod. I watched a few videos online and it seemed like this wasn't that uncommon (at least for a little bit of line to snap the water), but most of those videos were people lake fishing from boats. Therefore, the question is, how much line should be touching the water when walking the dog on clear streams? Of course, when I fly fish the thick visible line is floating on the water, so maybe it's no big deal. Just thought I'd get you all's opinion. For what it's worth, I was using 8 lb. Trilene XL line. I apologize in advance if this question has previously been covered.

Yesterday, my wife and I both had the afternoon off, so we headed to a local creek for some R&R. She brought a book to read by the water's edge and I brought my fishing gear. There were storm clouds in the distance but it was hot and partly sunny where we were. I initially tried some top-water and no luck (admittedly, I'm just starting to dabble with this; I think I need to re-read some of Al's WTD advice). Switched to a spinner, got a couple of hits but not much going. I then switched over to a Ned with 1/8 oz head. I caught a few dinks, then landed a chunky 18"! After a quick pic he's back in the water, a little tired and a sore lip but he swam away fine. Hopefully, I can catch him again when he's 20" . I hope to get out one more time this weekend before work kicks my butt for the next month or so.

Thanks guys. Yeah, my wife generally thinks I'm crazy, but especially so when it comes to rivers.

Yes, I am very grateful indeed. When I moved to OK I thought it would be all tumbleweeds, but there are some very neat areas.

I had a chance last Saturday to explore a creek in NE OK that I had been studying via satellite images. I thought that the one public access would be packed so I didn't even know if I'd get to fish much. However, when I got there, a few people were swimming, drinking, etc. but it wasn't too bad. So I started wade fishing down stream and before I knew it, I was all alone. It was hot, but a beautiful day. The fish were pretty active and I caught probably 15 smallies in roughly three hours. Also caught a couple spots and goggle-eye. When I got back to the access, I was in a shallow eddy in the shade. I took a few casts toward some roots growing in the water while I walked back to my take-out. On my last cast, I botched it and hit the branches of a tree growing out over the water. Just then a big stick fell out of the tree. Then I noticed that the stick, in mid-air, slithered... Yep, it was a big fat snake that I probably scared the crap out of when my lure hit the branch. I wasn't close enough to see if it was a moccasin, but I didn't try to go look. I never saw it come up and it probably just slithered back on to shore downstream. Anyway, it was a great day. I only got a picture of one dink smallie, but I did land a hard-fighting 13-14 in. that went airborne, which is always a blast.

Hey everyone, I've lurked on here for quite a while and figured it was time to say hello. I currently live in Tulsa, OK with my beautiful wife and our two wild German shorthaired pointers. Here is how my love of the Ozarks began. I grew up in a small town in southern Iowa. My parents were both from KCMO, and when I was a kid they always told me stories about canoe trips they took in the '70s on rivers like the Current, JF, Eleven Point, and NFOW. Growing up in Iowa, with slow/muddy creeks, I couldn't believe that such places existed. In the early '90s, when I was ten years old, my dad was planning on taking a fishing trip to the Ozarks with a buddy from high school. I begged and pleaded for him to let me go until he finally gave in. As we headed further south, past Warrensburg, then Clinton and Truman Lake, then finally Springfield, I kept getting more and more excited as the terrain changed from the rolling plains I was used to. I remember how pumped I was the first time we drove down a curvy hill and at the bottom we crossed a crystal clear gravel-bottomed Ozark creek. I still get that exact same feeling when I cross one of those creeks today. Finally, we arrived at our camp on the Gasconade. We spent the next three days fishing for smallies on the G-Nade and the Osage Fork (man, I've never seen as many snakes as on the OF). It was heaven. On our last day, we floated down a riffle that poured into a deep, blueish-green hole that had a lot of cover. I threw a Rapala out near a root ball and SLAM a big, feisty smallie doubled over my pole and the fight was on. After the battle, my dad and his friend patted me on the back and I felt like one of the guys. After that, my dad and I ventured off by ourselves to float the Current for a day, and again I was blown away by the beauty. After that, I went on a couple more family trips to the Current, but really didn't fish much (besides Iowa farm ponds). I ended up getting my undergrad degree at Warrensburg and loved being able to take a week in the summers to shoot down to the Ozarks to do a float with a couple of friends. However, it wasn't until I moved to Tulsa for grad school that my love for smallie fishing was awoken. A good friend took me to the Buffalo for some fishing and I was hooked. In the last couple of years, I have discovered that OK even has some Ozark streams so I spend most of my time wade-fishing those. However, I try to get in a couple of MO/AR canoe trips a year. Oh yeah, in case you're wondering, I never keep river smallies (however, bring on the goggle-eye and spotted-bass). Anyway, I have learned so much from the OA Forum and I hope I can give back 1/1000th of what you all have given me. Hope to bump into some of you on the river!