FishnDave

Oarfish. On fly. From Shore. Snag a Unicorn by the horn on a blind backcast. Narwhal on fly will also be acceptable. Barbless fly. 9 wt or less. Bull Shark on fly from a specific tributary creek off the Missouri River. Tiger or Hammerhead will also be acceptable. Coelocanth...2 on one cast, using a hopper-dropper rig.

I've only fished there once, a couple years back. There is a lot of shallow water, for sure, and big rain events can shift all that small rock around pretty quick. We just came off a fairly dry summer/fall. Do you suppose the water level in the creek is just less than usual, making it appear the deeper spots are more filled in?

I haven't used them specifically for bass, but I have tied them and used them. They catch fish! Bass will hit anything, sometimes. While I've usually had better luck with baitfish imitations for largemouth, there have been times when they've crushed smaller offerings when targeting bluegills. Chartreuse or black have been really good colors at those times. The Clouser Swimming Nymph is a very buggy-looking nymph, the materials in the tail and "legs" provide good movement to make it look alive. Tie it in the right size for the fish you are hoping to catch. Probably a good mimic for a mayfly nymph or dragonfly nymph. Probably a better choice in still or slower waters, but properly weighted it should produce well in current.

I'll play. My 10 Most Wanted for 2023 (on fly, of course)...all species I have not yet caught: Snakehead Flier Redbreast Sunfish Spotted Sunfish Tarpon Blue Catfish Spotted Gar Florida Gar Alligator Gar Midas Cichlid

I just thought he was giving the nicknames of the family that came over? Bravery comes in many guises! Our current tree is one I got at a White Elephant Christmas Party the Central Iowa Anglers fishing club held annually. It had a bunch of nice crankbaits hanging from it. I just wanted the little tree! I gave the crankbaits to the youngest club member...he was probably 9 years old, and was thrilled with the lures. I like it! Doesn't take up much room, and it doesn't matter if pets knock it over.

Me? 4 trout and a nice bluegill.

That's the goal, right? I may not be good at it, but I figure as long as I'm catching fish, I'm doing it "right enough". 😬

..or a Lion Tamer afraid for his life! 😅 I've never had a lesson. It shows. I enjoy it all the same. I didn't know I was being filmed...a windy day back in 2015, on a NE Iowa trout stream.

Not really a list of destinations. There are places I like to visit each year, and hope to get back to them each subsequent year...like NE Iowa streams for smallmouth bass, trout, rock bass, etc. If it doesn't happen, no biggie. Life happens. There are places I've fished that I enjoyed so much, I certainly want to return again. There are some new-to-me places I'd like to fish, but no set-in-stone timetable for getting there. Generally, if I've picked a place I want to fish, its because its a good place to catch a new species. I can understand if some folks might want to hit all the top bass tournament lakes they've heard so much about...or the top crappie lakes, or walleye tournament waters, for example. That's not as interesting to me personally, but I can understand the draw. You living on the Meramec...the fishing is probably so good, why go anywhere else, right? 😜

Here's Spur Pond now:

No. I've eaten at the Thousand Hills Lakeside Dining Lodge a number of times, but haven't fished it. Have you?

Stockers caught in Kirksville, MO. One caught on a gold/olive leech with a green beadhead, the other 3 caught on a silver Springbrook Wunder microjig.

Clousers work for walleyes in lakes, too. 😁

I was flyfishing after dark at a local public pond a number of years ago. Had a headlamp on. I saw a big bullfrog on the bank. I tossed a mouse fly over onto the ground near it. It pounced and ate it so fast! Wrangling it on shore as it jumped around was ridiculous to watch. Getting the hook out of its tongue was no fun at all. Now I just leave the frogs alone. Its a lesson I had to learn all over again this year with a snake.

I found one of our earliest colorized group photos:

Not ice fish them, but I may try for them any time the water isn't iced over. I caught them as late last year as December 24, and as early this year as February 27. (Maybe) somewhat surprisingly, they seem to hit artificials year-round.

Eggs are pretty inexpensive protein. Goes good with rice, I suppose.

My wife and I will be celebrating 30 years this coming summer. My daughter got engaged last week to her boyfriend of 9 years (since 10th Grade), while we were all in Jamaica together. They plan to wed in 2023.

"Don't be LOST when your TIME COMES!"

I only have one fish mounted, a 24" Largemouth Bass from Iowa. Caught @ 30 years ago. It was (and still is) longer than the state record, but not heavier. I doubt I will ever have another fish mounted. For me, a photo is just as good to show people, and I can have that on my phone everywhere I go. Nobody's gonna come to my house to see a mounted fish.

I bet that felt strange, to be "lost' on land you knew very well. Without treelines or creeks to follow, and since you couldn't see the sun or stars in the sky, it's understandable how one could lose their bearings. Even heavy fog can hide familiar "landmarks" we would otherwise recognize. What would be extra creepy, is if you discovered you also lost several hours of time. 😬

You are very close to 18! Good luck!