10pointer

so how did the event go? too bad I had to work...

Ive talked with the biologist that covers that part of the Niangua and Bennett and you would be suprised how many of the fish end up in the park that were stocked in the ribbon waters outside the park no matter how far down they are stocked. They have clipped fins and stocked down the river and the browns end back up in the hatchery runs in the park amazingly. . The main issue with the brown stocking is the water temps in the summer from what he says...the water just heats up too much and doesnt cool down enough at night to support the big browns alot of summers on the Niangua.

I love saltwater fishing, had a great trip to visit the gf's family down in st.pete back in June. Fishing was excellent and caught a ton of snapper and sharks. You are absolutley right, if you havent ever fished saltwater give it a try....the fish fight like no other...its like hooking into a freight train with some of the big snapper and grouper and sharks!

I ended up going with a TFO TICR 9wt 9'. I saw a link that Strangercreek posted last week on great deals on TFO rods and this one was on there. I couldnt pass up the deal $153.99 no tax and free shipping! The rod retailed at $220 so it was a steal of a deal on that rod. I have other TFO's and I love them (in my opinion best rod value for the money really). Anyone have any opinions on the heavier wt TFO's???? Jason

yep sure is big t through morraine park

Its not going to kill me to buy another pair of wading boots (even though I really love my felted simms), and I'm all for protecting our streams. I have and Im sure alot of you guys have more money wrapped up in fishing/hunting/guns than some people have in the value of their homes. Just like others have said a cheap pair of boots divided over the course of 4 or 5 years doesnt add up to much each trip. I invited Mark Van Patten (MO Biologist/didymo expert/tying bench host) to come speak at an event I ran back in May, and he was gracious enough to come and speak to us. He does a fantastic presentation on Didymo and it really does open your eyes to the threats that it poses. I doubt that Mark or any other head biologist with the MDC for that matter, has alterior motives and are making money off of the Didymo subject. Their only job is to make decisions off of the research that they have compiled... and to ultimately make the best decision for our rivers and lakes. Im going to go with the flow on this one...

Thankyou everyone for your advice, im going to make a few trips to check out some rods locally at some of our local flyshops now that I have some rods in mind. Im going to look online/ebay too and maybe snatch up a good deal. Thanks Jeff Tief, if you are the same one im thinking of ive met you a few times on the current and at bennett, I think you know Kevin A and Mark N. They are my buddies that got me turned onto Racine and they have a ton of monster racine fish under their belts over the years. They have mentioned that you go up (if thats your screenname) there and definitely tear up the fish here in MO and Racine too. We hit the Milwaukee last year because the water was so low on the Root and man that Milwaukee is alot bigger river. We hit it pretty late last year and we plan to hit the Root and the Milwaukee earlier this year. Im thinking weekend before Halloween weekend and the first weekend of November. Hope to land some big fish this year up there, and hope they have some water this fall!! Thanks again fellas, Jason

Just thought id get opinions on a decent 8wt or 9wt flyrod. Ive built some rods and would on this one but I really dont have the time to mess with it. Really it wont need to be a flawless casting rod like id use out west but more of a rod to roll cast weighted flies and buggers. I really dont want to spend much because I dont need the performance I would normally want but I'm looking for a fairly tough rod that casts decent. This rod needs to be able to handle 20lb+ salmon and biggg browns.... Any suggestions???

The crowds really shouldnt be that bad honestly...that time of year is quieter because kids are back in school and the temps are a little cooler so you dont have nearly as many floaters IMO, and the ones you do see are usually fishing and are pretty respectful.

snowmelt fishing is no joke...we have a vacation house in Estes, and ill never leave home without my waders thats for darn sure. That snowmelt water has gotta be in the 40's easily up there, it makes the water below Montauk spring feel like a darn sauna! But in all seriousness hang up those waders (goretex etc dries fairly fast) for as long as you can and dry em more as soon as you get home. The boots are sometimes another story but ya might look into a boot dryer if you have room...it might help a little if you are concerned.

They definitely should have made it harder to open that valve...as much as I hate to say it they were really asking for it. I think it really shows how irresponsible they were leaving that valve and lake vulnerable to being drained. We can point fingers at who actually did it but really there should have been some deterrent to make it harder to drain.

If I am fortunate enough to get a free day to fish I'm gonna spend as much time on the water as I can. If I see that someday I am harming the fish then I will quit but i doubt that will ever happen. I understand that some people (especially the catch and keep fisherman) get upset when they see someone just hammering the fish and releasing them. If I'm not catching 50-100+ fish a day there is something wrong... and thats not to brag but Ive been practicing and improving my whole life to get to this point. But again I am not the type of guy to go in and hook almost every fish in the hole, Ill catch what I think is fair and move on to the next hole even though I could catch more just so that I am courteous to other anglers. I used to be at that point in my life long ago when I would see guys cleaning up on the fish and releasing them, meanwhile I was catching just a few. This drove me to improve my technique and practice, adopt new ways, tie my own flies and come up with absolutely killer flies and jigs that catch more fish like those fishermen I was envious of. I think C&R is great because each time those fish are caught they MAY be a little wiser and next time I may run into them they will be bigger and older and more of a challenge. Until I see that I am harming the fish themselves, Ill never catch 4 and head home

cant beat simms! i have 3 pairs and ill never use anything else. You are right about the price...and right on about getting what you pay for! Ive tried other brands and its always a hassle with their warranty services, let alone the aggravation of having the product fail all the time. Ive had nothing but excellent luck with all my simms products and thankfully ive never had to use their warranty services but know they are excellent if I do ever happen to need to use them. Im very hard on my waders and they always hold up no matter what. I suggest them to any and everyone!

Bass Pro is notorious for losing reels. I really don't understand how they can lose so many. When I worked there it seemed half were never to be seen again. And thats the honest to god truth. Id turn people away Bullseye bait and tackle here in OFallon, MO (near st.charles fyi) does an excellent job and is the only place I would trust. Jon does great work

Thanks guys! I heard that these browns came from shepard of the hills from some of the kids day volunteers. It really was nice to see some big browns stocked instead of all rainbows. And those browns were a totally different animal, it was a challenge to get them to take!

Same to you too!!! Ill probably be late to thanksgiving dinner as I "have" to do some goose slaying for the opener

I am a fan of the higher end Shimano reels....if price isn't an issue go with a Shimano Stella. It is honestly IMO the finest spinning reel made. The drag system is unbelievable! Mine has never had any binding issues... I love my stella, but the $500 price tag is extreme for most people, but if you fish often and like high quality the Stella is the reel to go with! Throw it on a glx loomis and itll be good to go

I love my Ross Evolution. I love my others but from here on out I think Ill be buying all Ross Reels

I never really had the opportunity to post these with as busy as I have been, but I thought you all would like to see them. They came from RR and were caught the day after kids day. I landed the smaller of the two browns and she went 10lb, my friend landed the 15 1/2 lb. Patience paid off with these fish and finally got them to take after going through almost everything we had tied The kids day was great as usual and man oh man them youngsters caught some beautiful fish!!! The sunday after the kids only day saw a few nice fish left in the stream. I know of a 13 lb brown caught the week after and a few other nice ones. Both fish were 1/2 inch or so in length apart (26" and 26.5") but the girth on his was unbelievable!

The late summer kids derby saw alot of nice browns put in from shepard of the hills. I landed a 10lb female brown and a friend landed a 15 1/2 lb female brown. I know they roughly put in 4 or 5 big browns around that time....that one might have been left over. Ill post some pictures

maxima here too

Leaving for Racine,WI tonight and will be there bright and early tomorrow! Cant wait to get on the river! Hope to land a 20lb brown, and a few trophy Coho's and Kings! Anyone hear any reports from anyone who has been on the Root recently? The water has been severely low this year which hasn't allowed the normal amount of spawning fish to come up. They had rain in the past couple weeks so that has finally brought some fish up. Its alot lower than I would like to see it but I still think it will be worth the trip. Ill be sure to post results and pictures when I get back on Monday

yep im betting they were snagging suckers, ive seen plenty of folks doin it down that way just how you were describing.

That part of 44 is terrible, I have pulled over and every single time I ride through there with someone else I have to assure them they don't have an issue with their car and it is just the crappy pavement I honestly wish MODOT could do just one thing right. We can be proud to live in a state with some of the worst roads in the country. Look it up if you dont believe me! Dont know which states could be worse! Ill get off my soapbox

The park will most definitely be crowded this weekend and even outside the park will receive a little more pressure than usual but it should be alright. Ill be leaving tomorrow night and heading down there for the weekend, it should be a great time. Ive fished outside the park at night and the area around baptist isnt bad, although I havent done it too much I think you cant go wrong with a dark bugger. Ive caught quite a few fish that way around tanvat. Good Luck!