bkbying89

I don't know how I missed this post but now maybe I can add something. I was down at Montauk the 25th and we passed over the Little Piney at Hwy 63 and it was up then. the rain that came thru on the 27th was 1 1/2 to 2 inches. The rivers are up and moving. I believe the spring level in the park went up a foot from when I was there and that would make a large area that I fish almost or totally un-wadeable. I was thinking about heading down to Mill creek (Bohegan) and fishing there but I have no clue if it would even be fishable. If I go there and it doesn't pan out I can try a couple different areas on the way home. How fast would Mill creek go down after a rain like that? And we have more rain expected Friday as well. It looks like a crap shoot might as well roll the dice.

Hi Jackdizo, Nice fish. How do you like that Accel?

Fished Montauk from around 9;00 to 5:00 and didn't do great but caught a couple of nice honest 16 inch fish and 3 smaller fish on the mop fly and fluorescent pink worms plus a couple flies that I tied myself (touch of pride there) Copper johns also caught fish. The water was up around 2 feet at the gauge and moving fairly fast. Fishing was pretty good, people caught fish all day just not a fast paced kind of fishing. It was windy. In the afternoon the wind really kicked up and the pollen got so heavy that everyone on the stream started sneezing and coughing.

I fished Thursday as well. Out flinging Beadhead wooly buggers and caught a dink bass and a couple of smaller crappie. I haven't had much success at Bushes in the past so just catching a few fish is good. I started out to go to 36 but ended up at 6 after hitting a few of the other lakes.

I tend to go light, especially on the Current using 6# line on my spinning and 8 to 10# on my bait casters.

Anywhere you find a spring you could find trout Zebra midges, Pheasant tails, Wooley buggers and San Juan- Worms should work for them. Any lure you use at home for bass and sunfish will work though for Smallmouth you may want to downsize a little. One crankbait I used a lot was the Wee Craw and larger versions of that bait in fire tiger and crawdad colored tube jigs. I'm getting excited thinking of catching Smallies. Good luck and have fun.

My Brother-in-law will attest to the hazards of running a prop on that river and not knowing it. He had to throw the motor away it was so messed up. Popped a bunch of rivets in the back of the boat as well. Good thing it was an old boat and motor.

I think I need to head to the Big Piney and cash in on some of this poor fishing I keep hearing about.

Right, what was wrong with the horse and buggy.

I emailed my representative and voiced my opinion as to the closing of so many gauges. I do not really believe that there is that big of a budget crunch that they could not still provide some gauges on real popular rivers like the Current, Black, and others that get some heavy use by vacationers and tourist. It says that the gauges may be closed. It doesn't mean they have to be closed. Voice your opinion. If you want a gauge kept open tell your rep and try to keep them open.

I can imagine the number of people that use the gauges on various rivers and campgrounds that are subject to flooding. They show up to find a muddy mess of a campground and not being able to set up until the water recedes. Some fun. They will be calling their congressmen.

Right you are, Having fished and hunted as long as some of us have we should be able to decide if conditions are right. However, many of people today are tied up with work and family and do not have the experience or common sense (if it rained hard three days ago the river will be great for floating tomorrow) that we gained over the years. I admit not having experience on some streams so the gauges helped me decide where I fish.

Yes, that's exactly why I was bummed at well. Almost everyone I know checks the water levels before the head out. In the case of Montauk and the upper Current, they eliminated the two most used by my group. Write and call you congressmen and see if they would restore funding for at least one of them. As Wrench stated don't give the USGS guys grief over it. They are just the messengers.

Kayser, What is the MTNF? I have a map I downloaded and copied from the MO conservation site it is colored. Are they the same? Still, Haven't made it to Mill or Spring creeks but made it to the Meramac with friends.

They would accept private funding for gauges if some groups would be willing to finance the gauges. I know the government has cut funding to many departments. I called and talked to one of the men who's names and numbers were listed and he explained the reasons for the cuts.

The USGS has lost a lot of funding. State and private funding are going away for a lot of gauges. Call, e-mail, write or knock on the doors of your state Representatives and Senators. Private funding would help if you belong to a group that would care to sponsor a gauge.

You don't need shoes. I thought you were tougher than that.

I don't know how many of you use the stream gauges for river and stream levels but the state has cut funding for quite a few including Montauk and the Current River below Montauk to at least Akers Ferry. I called and spoke to a representative for the USGS. He said that these cuts will be affecting many of the rivers a lot of us use. If you are against these closings call your state Senators and reps and tell them to restore funding. Thanks, Bill

Stuck at home. The creek looks really good. I may get out this week but I won't know till later on.The are beauties. Nice report. Thanks.

Thanks to the information and encouragement of a lot of people I can start checking out some of the little creeks and rivers. Thanks, everyone.

As stated above and in other posts, the golden rule applies. If you're like me and you tangle your leader while indicator nymphing I will step out of the stream and let other people fish I am not there to get angry or to anger other people. Go and enjoy the day. Also, as suggested in an earlier post, fish outside the park early and hit the park later in the day.

I'll be fly fishing with a 7'6 3wt. Normal stuff to start. Finding what works is the name of the game. Thanks, Bill

Good day on the water. I really liked fishing Kincaid, pretty lake with some good fish. Unfortunately, your photo will not come up on my computer. I once hooked a large something down there. It was so big it didn't fight it just went.

Thanks for the responses. Any particular flies that you think worked well on these two creeks. Since I fish BSC and in and around the trout parks I would think the standards work. Johnsfolly, You are getting me worked up with your dirty trout talk, expect to hear from me. MacDrown, were you fly fishing or spin? Thanks again, Bill