Mac's Orphan

We saw several in the slow - deep water that were that size - makes your heart jump right outa your chest!!

Add me to the list of campground hosts... The ground is a lot harder and further away now than it used to be at 30yrs old!

Great report - even better rainbow!! Thanks for sharing your "adventure" and pictures - I count the NFoW as a special river.

LOL!! Thanks for a great time Justin!

Well - I don't live in MO, so don't really have a horse in this race but... My son and I stay at Richards when we fish the 11PT. We love the fact that the river is not commercialized like the AR tailwaters have become. Plus, not crowded at all in the fall. If you haven't been to the Little Red in a few years, you can't go 200yds with out a dang boat dock staring you in the face. I will never go back to that river - ever! I like the convenience of my travel trailer, but would rather drive a few miles to fish and camp a secluded place like the 11PT than see it go the way of the Norfork tailwtater. Just my $0.02...

Hey Ham, We caught the browns about 1/4 mile upstream from Sunburst. Nothing huge - maybe 12"ers but they were fat and healthy. From what I'm told by Matt Hardy, they're more prevalent from Patrick Bridge down to Dawt. What gets me is I never saw a single scud in the river, but the trout evidently thought the patterns looked "tasty"... The ones I tied had the mono eyes. I've always been pretty much a streamer fisherman, but those soft hackle flies are intriguing to me!!

Fishing Report Nov 5th – 11th Stayed for 5 days at Sunburst Ranch. Our first trip to the NfoW / Sunburst Ranch. Got to meet Amy and Justin. They were just great and we appreciated them letting us stay at the campground. The water was gin clear and sunny skies – not that good for fishing but we did ok and had a blast! I’m guessing the temps were in the high 50’s to 70’s but cooled down at night. Launched our pontoon boats from Kelly’s Ford each morning and fished down to Sunburst. Caught a few rainbows the first day and saw several deer. One very good buck chasing does. Caught all the fish on Elk Hair Caddis and some streamer patterns that we tie. The second day was a little better – saw another good buck bedded down within 20yds of the road driving in. My son caught a nice brown and we both caught around seven or eight bows each – 2 were in the 13 – 15 inch range. Pretty much the way it went all five days. Saw Matt Hardy from Royal 7 Guide Co. – again – and exchanged info with each other! Met him last year on the Current River. Really nice guy! Had some good folks with him he was guiding on the NFoW. Saw some Bald Eagles and a few turkeys – finally spotted a stonefly – pretty cool! Also saw what we believe to be an Osprey – diving and catching fish on the river. The deer were really moving as the rut is on, and had bucks running does all over. One good buck chased a doe right through the campground while Justin was out deer hunting! LOL! Had our best luck on Scuds (go figure!) Elk Hair Caddis, Soft Hackles, Zebra Midges (black was best) and some small nymph patters we used on the North Fork Tail water. We did manage to get into some midge hatches each afternoon and had a great time catching 8 to 10 inch bows on dry flies. Looking forward to another trip to the beautiful state of Missouri! Will definitely stay at Sunburst. Oh – and thanks to the guy who stopped on Patrick Bridge and asked if I was ok after I did a “self initiated baptism”!! LOL!

...but a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work! I feel your pain - frustrating it is!!

Me too!! Streamers...

I don't take my bird dog out of her kennel until it starts getting cold. There does seem to be a lot moving about here as well; not only the pit vipers but black snakes, chicken snakes, etc...

I caught one, about 16" that had a lamprey attached. It was years ago, but they are nasty look'n things!! As soon as I took the trout out of the net, it let go and flopped back into the river. Man - that is a nice brown!

Wow - lots of water and fly'n down the river!! Time well spent with your son! It always makes a special day when you can enjoys some success while outdoors. Cherish the memories... it's one of the few things that really matter.

Email sent.

I tie a fly that works well. I call it a bluegill buster. Just stack hackle up on a hook all along the shank - maybe 4 - 6 hackles - the more the better, then tie off the head. Using a size 10 or 12 mustad 9671 or 9672. Doesn't matter if it's webby or the good stuff. Like a crackleback, it will float for a few casts, but eventually sinks. Doesn't matter - they hit the thing with a vengeance. Cast and let it sit for 2 or 3 seconds then short jerky strips. I use a larger version for bass. I've even caught trout on the thing.

LOL!! My thought exactly... Make sure you have your CCW card on you....

Illinois farmers receive $210.00 for every acre they enroll in the CCRP program. Several farms around me have over a 1,000 acres in CCRP. Some are thinking of adding more since it's a reliable income and not dependent upon the weather. That's a given check for $210,000.00 with no expense to the farmer involved - i.e. fuel, equipment wear and tear, herbicide, seed, etc. Small time operations may not fair that well, but a number of the small time farms here are consolidating into partnerships. If it were not profitable, no one would participate in the program. However, no one can convince me that leaving 10 or 15 feet of unplanted ground or a ditch / fence row next to a field is going to cause a farm to go under. That said, set aside ground offers a lot of valuable conservation practices for a number of species of wildlife. I too am hearing wild coveys around my house and have been for the last 3 years. I take the dog out and work her on those birds, but do not hunt them. There are other areas to go to for that.

She's roll'n...

Hey my man - lots of good info on this site for MO rivers, streams and lakes. A friend of mine fishes Big Piney once in a while. I've never been there... Good job on the smallmouth! I was supposed to go to Leonard Wood for Basic in 1969, but ended up at Ft Knox. Thanks for serving our country... Go Army - Beat Navy!

What Quillback said...

+1000 And farmers - help us out - quit planting right up to the fence and ditch line and then spraying herbicide on the remaining weeds! Quail need cover -

siusaluki - BE QUIET!! S Illinois is incredibly close to the terrain of MO / AR. Lots of bluffs, spring fed creeks with rocky bottoms and clear water. I love to wade those creeks in a pair of shorts during the hot summer. Lots of shade and cool water - springs to drink from - it's a "best kept secret"!! avilesmuggler: Species include bluegill, punk'nseed, KY spotted bass, largemouth bass, gogglle eye, redear, crappie if you're close to the Ohio River, and others.

He doesn't live there anymore. He sold that place (after a divorce) and moved to a trailer park in Salesville. I'm between Garden of the Gods and Rim Rock - 8 miles N of Elizabethtown. Herrin is a little distance from me, but so is everything else! LOL.

Nice fish - it's a shame he kept it - JMO...

Small world Pete, My brother introduced me to him at McClellan's Dock. I haven't see him in some time either. I tried sending him an email but it always bounces back. Have not tried his cell phone number but that's an option. I don't believe his website - www.flyguide.com - is up any longer. I do know that he works out of the River Ridge Inn in Norfork.

A guy named John Gulley (who now guides the Norfork, White, Little Red and striper fishing on Lake Norfork) took me there the first time I fished the shoals. He told me it coast a dollar to fish the place and put 2 bucks in a cigar box sitting on a shelf. That was in 1985. That's all I know.... Maybe John put the box there and was pilfering me!!! Haven't been there but 5 or 6 times and the last time was 20 years ago. Anyway - Good on ya' Ham. Spending a day with your son is time well spent. Glad you could get together for some good times.