hank franklin

Thanks everybody. Boom Hole is shown as point "N" on the attached map. As Gavin said, about two to 2.5 miles above Greer. Definitely some kind of reward for the finder!

Beautiful. We were still on the river Sunday morning and heading back home when you saw it. I told Brian about it, he did our shuttle. Maybe I'll get that thing back in my hands yet.

It's a long story, but it basically just slipped away. It actually happened once before but my daughter and I, after a night crying about it around the campfire, went back the next day and found it hidden in a clump of brush. That just adds to its lore.

I lost a canoe paddle on the Eleven Point over the weekend, somewhere above Boom Hole and below Becky Hollow. It's an old wooden paddle with some good wear on the blade but it has tremendous sentimental value. My daughter had tears in her eye when I told her I lost it. If anyone finds it I'd be glad to pay a finder's fee to get it back. It's a nice old paddle but it's worth a heckuva lot more to me than anyone else. Thanks.

My point is if MDC implies that there's significant support for 12/6, I'd like to know who they are. I know people up and down the river (landowners, clubhouse / jet boater types, farmers and your more conservation oriented guys) and nobody I know would quibble with 15/3. It's very reasonable.

Dan and Al and the others, excellent, excellent work on this issue. I need to rejoin MSA. One question that came to mind in the recount of the appearance before the MDC Regs Committee. Dan writes that the Regs Committee says it must be sensitive to the needs of others using the resource, inplying there's an angler population strongly in support of existing regs. My question is where is the data on that? Does MDC have data / surveys etc. demonstrating support for existing regs? Do some of the other angling groups have surveys supporting existing regs? My feeling is a sizable majority of Meramec watershed anglers (where I have the most experience) would support the BRAP recommendations. This is evidenced at least in part by SMA surveys. What is the evidence, if any, for support of existing regs? Thanks.

What he said.

Al, is there a public comment period of any type related to this? If all the people in this thread would go to a meeting or write actual letters, it would move the ball at least a bit.

Welch to Akers will keep you plenty busy. It's only 2.3 miles from Akers to Welch by road; you might walk it if you're in fair shape and save some $$. Or you could pay Akers whatever they'd get to run you up there. The canoe put-in is downstream of Welch Hospital. To get to the hospital and spring you'll have to walk upstream from the landing along a gravel road. In lower water you can wade your way up there from Welch Landing but right now that might be tough. If you haven't seen it you should check it out. If camping overnight you've only got a handful of gravel bars to choose from because the float is so short. But you'll find one.

Love the photo of the guy in the bow with sun breaking the clouds behind him. Top-notch.

Friday was a scheduled float trip for a week or two. The Thursday rains had swelled streams of the Meramec basin to chocolate milk. Huzzah was raging. Call to Bass River and he had chocolate on the Courtois. Skip's 800 number at Greens for whatever reason did n't work, but Cook Station gage was climbing like an early 2000's stock market. But Meramec gage at Steelville was hardly bumping. What up with that? We went down for a look. Water at 19 bridge still had green hue to it. Dropped a truck at Bird's Nest, ran down to Riverview and were in smallmouth 10 minutes into the trip. River had good volume and flow the whole way but we found smallmouth holding in the quieter gurgling water. Picked up about 10 all told, including one at this spring entry in pic attached. What does one call this spring? It's not referenced in Oz Hawksley. Anyway, we took out mid-afternoon at Bird's Nest. The surge from above was coming however, as when we hit Riverview to pick up the truck river was muddying. Later checking the gages the river rose about 2.5 feet from mid-afternoon Friday into the evening. So we hit that sucker at just the right time. Just goes to show you, there are always rivers to be run, fish to be caught. You just gotta know where to look.

yeah

Joe, I did Wenkel to Peter's last spring in good flow and it was a nice trip. Fishing was slow but it was early and a bit cool, fish didn't seem active and we were moving pretty good so didn't fish thoroughly. I think this would be a good float once the river settles down after this rain. I prefer the upper sections however, Tea to Shawnee, Shawnee to Mill Rock, and Mill Rock to Wenkel. If it was me I'd do Tea to Shawnee or if I had the time Tea to Mill Rock. You shouldn't have any problem with camping, I never have.

I love this game. Don't recognize the spot though. it looks a little Meramec-esque but it's no place I've ever been. Is that a whale fin on the far middle right of the shot?

There's some good smallmouth fishing in the section below the spring, trust me. Wouldn't want to give away where.

Greens Canoe is who I'd call. Yes, I'd go overnight.

Awesome. Good stuff Eric. Keep it coming.

Steve, I backpacked from Cedargrove downstream to near Welch once. It's easy hiking with one exception: Waders are NOT hiking boots. If I were to do it again I'd wear hiking books and lug the waders along on my pack. Kind of a pain but necessary, I think. The waders gave me blisters and really just didn't work with a full pack. I've also backpacked from Welch downstream. In my experience there are trails all throughout the river corridor between Baptist and Akers and it's not hard at all to find them. You will have to have waders however as the trails frequently cross the river. I suppose you could bushwhack and not cross the river but this would be difficult in spots.

Greens will help you out if they can. The guy down at Scott's Ford is the same way, Adventure Outdoors I think. If they're available, you're on. Oh yeah, Huzzah Valley too. They'll probably take care of you if no one else can.

It was cancelled, apparently. Buddy went anyway, said he caught a few upstream. I was busy. I might go out next weekend and take this spotted bass problem into my own hands.

No, below. About a quarter-mile or so below Welch Landing (the canoe access, not the spring.) River splits into two channels briefly and just below there is this gravel bar.

Thanks Greybear. There was nothing to taking that photo except simply being there. Which as in most photography is about 95 percent of the shot. Regarding the guy's face, I told him the coffee was hot!

Above Welch Spring, or below?

I thought you might be on this one Gavin. Yes, I do see a resemblance to Suicide in there. The hill, not so much the bar. Eleven Point, no. Eric had the river right, just not the location.

I live for gravel bars.