snagged in outlet 3

I live in St. Louis so the only fishing near the house worth going to is the carp hole. After that everything to do with the almighty trout is a pretty good drive. Had to give it some thought because there are some great places. I voted other. Mountain Home is the destination. Taney would get my vote except for it's small realive size. Mountain Home because of all the choices. I know The White and Norfork are choices, but when I go we stay in the Mountain Home area and fish both rivers depending upon generation and what sounds good at the time. Sometimes the dam area's, Rim or McClellans. But mostly I fish all of them when generation allow's. Stay 3 or 4 days and fish a new spot very day. I think Mountain Home should be one of the choices. Snagged.

Hey Mo. Yeah we had a great time. We caught two kinds of carp, one was was long and slender and the other had shoulders like a drum. In fact my buddy commented that it loked like a carp-drum cross. Oh I forgot. Med. Wt. 6.5 ft spincast rod loaded with 10 pound Vanish flourocarbon. Green Giant corn on a scud hook with a 3/16th oz. weight rigged carolina style with a bead and swivel and a 3foot 3X flourocarbon leader. Busch Lite and Macanudo's rounded out our weapons. Just before we left lightening lit up the sky so bright it spooked a school of carp on the other side of the slough. Must have been 30 or 40 of them schooled up. Not our best trip but not bad. I found sign that others have taken to the golden bone in my honey hole. Snagged.

Went up to the slough last night wtih a buddy to chase some carp. Pulled up to see water pouring in from the recent rain shower. Chummed and threw out the first line only to have it nearly jerked from my hand within a minute. Missed him. Buddy landed first fish at the 7 minute mark and we caught 3 fish in the first half hour and 3 misses. Both of us caught a couple nice eating sized channel cats and a bullgill. We didn't eat the cats we are C&R. Switched spots because they shut off and my buddy landed 2 within the next half hour in the new area. Started to lightening and I landed the last fish of the night. Total was 9 carp, 2 cats and a bullgill in less than 3 hours. Did this within 10 miles of the house which is pretty good when you live in the St. Louis Metro area. $3 gas is cutting into my fishing trips. I just can't afford a $140 round trip to Taney just for the gas. I'm buying a tent and a Toyota so I can fish like I used to. Snagged.

No fees. I agree with John, Rim Shoals has to be the most beautiful place to fish in Arkansas. I was bringing in a small rainbow stocker that took a bugger and a 27" brown wacked it. Caught em both. The picture of the brown is just awesome. My brother and I chased him down river and I got him in a slow pocket near shore and landed him. Quick pic and he's in there today eating stockers. It's not the same as years ago, black topped the road and the place is packed all the time now. 20 years ago we would start at the top and spend all day fishing down to the 2nd island and never see anybody. Oh the good ole days. Snagged.

If your chain doesn't have an automatic release with a bouy attached I wouldn't drag it. You're just asking to get yourself into a hairy situation. It's not worth it. McClellan's is now $5 per person. Be very careful if it's your first time on the White or Norfork in a boat. Good luck. Snagged.

Yeah Phil great job. I hope you reap some busines for all your work and dedication. I've appreciated this site since it's inception I think. I can't fish as much as I would like (eneryday) and it helps to get away so to speak. For guys like me that live in St. Louis or other urban areas it helps to check in and read about other's fishing trips and just talk fishing. Man I wish lived down there. Again, great job. Snagged.

Spoonflies. They catch Reds better than anything going. Gold ones are my favorite. I don't even bother with any other flies anymore when chasing Reds. Snagged.

Man that world record fish is freakish looking. Snagged.

I think Romans spring break is over by now. A report would have been a nice touch. Snagged.

Hi Mo I wish I could have been there for that. Sounds like great fishing. Where on Bull Shoals did you fish? What's a peg? Snagged

Went up to my carp hole last night and fished from 6-9 PM. Caught a little channel cat on the first cast and didn't catch a carp till 8:30. The wind was out of the north so the weather was beautiful but the carp were either cruizing or spawning. There was a bunch of them doing there thing in what seemed like 4 inches of water. The slough I fish is way down from normal and I heard it's because there are no water releases on the Missouri up north. Around here in St. Charles, the best river fishing comes in the spring when the water is coming up, but that hasn't happened because of this politcal water fight between states. I've lived here my whole life and can't remember when the river didn't flood in the spring. Arghh!!!!! Politicians!!!!! Snagged.

I would be interested,just depends if I can get away on the dates you guys decide on. Snagged.

I remember that. Years ago. Man I wish I could take my daughter to that. Seemed so real when you're 7 years old. Snagged.

Hey Frenzel. Old timer told me the the bright orange craws were male spawners trying to entice a mate. When they spawn the males turn a variety of bright colors and sit up on a rock and click their pinchers in a mating ritual. In the Ozarks bright yellow and orange are predominant, down south in Texas they turn red. He said the best color to use when imitating crawfish was blue or grey since that's the color they turn when they molt. Refered to as softshelled and fish will go out of their way to eat one since they are defenseless at that time. This is just what an old timer told me. Snagged.

Hey Leonard. I looked but never saw a report from the fish-in. How'd it go. Snagged.

Hey Jim. I got your PM's but I've been busy. Trout fishing in AR and bass fishing locally. I don't really chase them that much, just when I can't get away to trout fish. I haven't even been this year but I usually wait until it's so hot nothing else is active. It's getting that way now. I'll have to drive up and check my spots to see what's up. I don't really need help catching them since my honey holes are just filled with them. Maybe your friends could start posting here about there adventures? I may give it a go this weekend. I'll report if I do. Snagged

Hey Carpaholic. Check my story in the "Carp are starting to bite well" thread. I live in St. Charles in West St. Louis County and have been carping for a few years. When I see them suspeneded on top those fish usually won't bite. Try early or late in the day. I've always had my best luck in the evening because that's when I go. Give the corn another try. You don't mention if you chum first. Throw out the contents of a couple cans in the morning, or the day before, then go back in the evening and throw a little more out and fish. I use a big gulp cup to sling it out far enough. Best hooks are scud hooks, they don't pull out without hooking them and always gets them in the corner of the mouth. I use a quarter oz. bullet weight above a swivel with a 3X leader about 3 feet long and leave planty of slack in the line. When the fish picks up the bait the line slides through the weight and the fish doesn't feel it. You don't need to set the hook just come tight on them. If these fish haven't been chased you'll get them. I think the key is; chum them up, wait, then chum and fish. Good luck. Snagged

My trip to Taney got canceled but after seeing the bass Phill has been catching I just had to go somewhere. I was able to sneak away to a 55 acre lake today near my home in St. Charles. The lake is filled with stumps and standups. Didn't get to start till 11AM but the fish were active. Caught 35 to 40 fish in 4 hours during the middle of the day. I was surprised by the success with the change in weather. I think it only got up to 78 or so with a northeast breeze. I would have loved to have gotten out early and I plan to get over there again as soon as I can. Snagged.

I just got called and can't go now. "Every time I try to get out they pull me back in"... The weather looks awesome. Probably be fall before I can go again. Thanks Phil. Snagged

I just got an unexpected chance to get away and fish this afternoon till Wednesday morning. I was going to drive down from St. Louis this afternoon and camp. Anybody available to get together and fish? I'm a long time vet of Taney and would even do some bass fishing on Taney (my favorite) if somebody had a boat. Phil? that includes you. Thanks. Snagged.

Saturday fished McClellans in the morning and did great great on buggers and nymphs. Several fish around 17 inches. I think they fought harder this trip compared to the winter fishing I usually do. Taking to the air and cart-wheeling when hooked. Went to Rim Shoals in the afternoon and sweated out a few trout but it was HOT. Sunday morning went to BS dam to find it empty. We absolutely slayed them and went through the shoal twice with different patterns and just kept catching and catching. Around 9:30 or 10 a big group shows up and it's the Casting for Recovery ladies. My heart sank. Some of these ladies had a hard time walking and some even fished out of chairs in the water. I thought of all the trout my buddy and I had just caught and how much better the fishing would have been for those ladies had we not just hooked a bunch. I moved out to give them space and told the few guides around me that we caught a bunch using trout crack. I mean what can say after all the fish we caught? One lady with her guide asked me what I had success with and I told her, then she says "good luck today" I almost cried. John Berry was there helping out and that just shows what kind of man he is. Thanks John. I know those ladies appreciate everything you did. When I was walking out Sister Carol (I think she is the head of Casting for Recovering)came to me and said "I have to ask what you were using". She had apparently watched me catch a few on the far side of the river out of the way of the ladies. I told her in the last hour I was using cracklebacks and gave her some to pass out. She was very kind and said if even one fish was caught by one of the ladies it would be just great. Some of the ladies had never fished but just getting the chance to get out was rewarding for them I am sure. I said goodbye to Sister Carol and to tell John I gave them some flies. I said that so John would know me as a poster on this board. Great job John! Let us know next time as I would gladly help out. I'm not a guide but I can usually catch a few when I go. The last thing I told Sister Carol was I understood what the ladies go through after being diagnosed with breast cancer because my wife is a 7 plus year survivor. My wife had just given birth to our baby girl Dec. 17th 1998. On April 1st of 1999 she had gone to the doc about hardnes in her breast thinking she had a problem with a clogged milk duct after the birth. Well, with one mammogram Wham!!!! You've got cancer. 38 years old, after just having the one baby she had waited her whole life to have was just 4 months old. We were shocked. Anyway 7 and a half years later my wife is in Florida with our daughter visitng her sister and her two little girls. Girls trip to the beach while daddy chases trout doesn't get any better than that. My wife had a bunch of surgeries (I lost count) and 9 months of Chemo. She has had surgeries up to the last one in April of last year with another big scare but she is still here. I think the statistic is 1 in 7 women in the U.S. get breast cancer. With the help of our Lord and modern medicine a lot of little girls get to grow up with the much needed help and love of their mothers. I have never felt so bad about catching a bunch of fish as I did yesterday. Snagged.

Check out this site. http://ozarkanglers.com/useful.php Scroll down to the Corp-real time levels and generation. Click on Tablerock Lake. Click on Taneycomo under the Generation Chart. Hope this helps. Snagged.

Hey Troutn. I don't know where you're located but here in St. Louis we have The Ozark Flyfishers club. Lots of free clinics and classes and members that are more than happy to help you. Especially on an outing where you can hook up with someone and learn on the fly. Get it, "on the fly". I think yearly dues are $28 or something like that. They give free casting lessons by certified instructors before most meetings. Can't beat that. Anyway check for a local club. Snagged.

Hey Mocarp. I enjoy your reports. I live in St. Charles Missouri (west St. Louis metro area on the banks of the Missouri River)and was tired of driving 4 hours to chase trout so I started looking around here for something to catch. Sure we have some good bass fishing within an hour or so but I wanted something within 20 minutes so I could fish more than drive. I started driving around the Missouri River near my house and I found the sloughs off the river were literally loaded with carp and gar. Needless to say there was never anyone trying to catch these nasty things so I decided to give them a try. In the heat of the summer both species would cruise the sloughs in massive numbers when it was so hot you couldn't catch a bass during the daytime. At first I targeted the gar. Boy were they easy to catch but the fight wasn't that great even for a 3 footer. Next was the carp. I tried fly fishing for them but never had any success so I used the tried and true river rat method of chumming them up with corn. I figured if I could at least start catching some I would learn enough to catch some on a fly. I would drive up to the slough before work and throw out a couple cans of corn in different locations and return in the evening after work. I use a medium heavy spin casting rod with a fourth oz. weight above a swivel and a 2 foot leader of 10 pound flourcarbon and a scud hook. Couldn't hook them with a regular bait hook even when they would pick it up and swim off. Put on two kernels of corn and don't put the rod down. The good slough is just loaded with them and they range anywhere from 5 to 10 or 12 pounds. They fight just like redfish. Like you I have caught all kinds of fish including bone's and red's and carp fight just like a saltwater flats fish. Long line peeling runs and when you get them near shore they take off again. They put a bass to shame with the fight they put up. I was talking about it with some fishing buddies and they tried it and were surprised how well they fight. On a good evening you can catch them one after another till your tired of it. You'll wear out your line after 20 or 30 of them. Your line will be peeling apart. We call it happy hour but instead of going to the local bar we go to the slough. I take my wife and seven year old daughter up there a couple times a summer and they love it. Nonstop action with doubles almost the whole time. I told my daughter the difference between a fisherman and an angler is an angler can get one of those big carp in on a snoopy pole with 4 lb line and a fisherman can't. It takes her 10 to 15 minutes of longer but she gets it done. People always laugh when they ask her how big her biggest fish is and she holds out her arms all the way apart. Like she's telling a fish story. I can go up to the slough in 20 minutes and get my fill of fighting fish and be home just as fast. Lately I don't even go up early to chum. I just show up and throw out a can and get to fishing. The slough is so full of them it only takes a couple minutes to get the first one on. I love to trout fish but until they start showing up in the Missouri River I have to drive quite a ways to get them. In the mean time I get my fix with those carp up at the slough. I don't throw the can in water just the contents of the can. We sling it out with a big gulp cup. Anyway that's my carp story. Snagged in outlet three.

I have done a fair amount of redfishing and the info detailed above is right on. Both in Florida and New Orleans a gold spoon fly put them in the boat. Even used a spoonfly called the 9-11 fly. It was painted red, white and blue in honor of the victims of the 9-11 attacks. Those reds pounded that thing. I think if it wobbles they like it. Just buy a bonefish tapered leader around 9 feet long. Report your success when you get back. Snagged.