MarkinKC

That's great news. Was a name decided on? Hickory Creek Stream Team seems logical.

Good job. I've attached the latest version of the flyer, changing the part about this being the "first" Hickory Creek Stream Team since the HS beat us to it. Also added Ollie's info to the contacts, so it's ready to go unless someone wants to make improvements. I know zero about flood control, but if a decision is made to expand the scope of the project, there are some options that could be explored. As Ollie points out, keeping the residents and their homes and business above water will always be the city's top priority. As it should be. Hickory_Mark__s_Final.doc

Easy there Chief. Suggest any approach to city officials be in a spirit of cooperation, not to point out their failures. How about a representative of the newly minted Stream Team calling on them to tell them we want to be their new allies? Like I mentioned in an earlier post, we can always "escalate" our actions if the city proves uncooperative. I frankly don't know how any city in these days of shrinking budgets can turn down a request from citizens to help keep their main park (maybe only park?) clean. What do you say we try to get them on board with us first? Maintain the completed survey as evidence of public opinion if needed and...... keep those arrows in your quiver until we're sure who the enemy is? MarkinKC

I've tinkered with the flyer/announcement Travis drafted and it's attached (I hope). Anyone else that wants to take a crack should, but let me share some of my thinking. I tried not to put too much about fishing in there. Two reasons: those that enjoy fishing Hickory should quickly get it, and I think we also want team members who enjoy other activities on the stream, be it hiking, biking, etc. It may be we have some people who want to join and help that may not be able to wade the stream, climb rocks, and other rigorous activities. I suspect as we get organized there will be other opportunities besides physical work. Maybe even financial support for supplies or improvements. At some point we may want to consider some business support or sponsorship though I say this without knowing if it is permissable. Once the final version of the flyer is agreed upon, I would be happy to distribute in KC area also. We now have two Bass Pro Shops in the metro area plus Cabella's. I'm sure we have a few local flyshops too. Anybody up for being a co-contact with Travis on the flyer? Should the contact info include email addressess? Mark Hickory_Mark__s_Final.doc

Like your ideas Travis. I'm used to working with "virtual teams" where folks are scattered all over the place, so online meetings work fine for me. I would look forward to getting to know my fellow team members during our first clean-up, and perhaps a short meeting could be combined with that. I'll play with the flyer a little. Hope I can figure out how to attach any revision I might make. MarkinKC

A number of us have complained about Hickory, so my hat's off to Travis for proposing action. I was out of town for a week and just reading this today. As I write I have the benefit of several excellent ideas already shared here. More and better signage might be helpful, to include some signs that list the number to report poaching. This might cause a few poachers to have second thoughts. I may be kidding myself here, but a few trash containers nearer the stream might help too. When I pick up trash one of the first things I notice is there are few places to deposit it. I don't recall any by some of the places you'd expect to find them, such as next to the benches along the stream. The idea of lining up partners in Neosho is a good one. I understand the inclination to bypass the city - they have not exactly distinguished themselves when it comes to keeping the stream area and park clean. Having experienced my own frustrations about that, the idea of embarrassing them in the newspaper is tempting to me as well. That would likely erect a barrier to any future cooperation with the city however. Another approach might be to acknowledge that they are probably short-staffed (aren't we all these days?), make an offer to help, and discuss how we could contribute. I do agree with purefish in that we must be sensitive about being viewed as "outsiders". Clearly I fit into the outsider category. Should attempts to partner with the city prove unproductive, we could always "escalate" the issue via a newspaper expose'. Good idea by Flysmallie on the team, taking water samples, etc. Using the newspaper in a positive way, we could promote the formation of the Hickory Creek Stream Team and chronicle the first clean-up. Local papers are always looking for topics or events to write about, so coverage should not be a problem. The tone should be positive, i.e. what a great local resource, draws folks from other communities to the city thereby increasing revenue, etc. Some photos and/or descriptions of the amount and type of trash collected has impact. An invitation contained in the newspaper article to join the team would likely result in new members from within Neosho, and that would be where the strength lies. There is a good chance that we could get the Hickory Creek Stream Team profiled in the MDC Conservationist magazine. I see articles about them periodically, and the fact that this stream is somewhat unique, in a municipality and stocked by MDC, might increase our chance for success. It is always a good idea to promote what you are working on when the opportunity is there. It can generate enthusiasm from others, as well as offers of help or resources that might not be otherwise available. Understand that active participation can be more challenging for those of us that live in other parts of the state, but I think we have seen from the posts that there is a lot of interest in helping this little stream. I'd join the stream team and drive 3 hours one way to participate in clean-ups. Perhaps I could also contribute by drafting letters from the team, correspondence to the city of Neosho, etc. I want to help. MarkinKC

Insightful comments, both from redbird and mrbuz..... I always try to pick up some trash as well, but must say I felt a bit overwhelmed at Hickory. I wish I lived closer. I'd love to kind adopt the creek, pick up trash, maybe create better habitat in some spots if MDC or the city would allow it. I hope to join in on a clean-up day some time, but what Hickory really needs is frequent attention.

I made the drive down on Friday 12/26 and fished until late afternoon. Very windy, but mild temperatures so it was not bad. From the low-water bridge downstream to the highway bridge I didn't see a trout or have a bite. Fishing from the low-water bridge upstream to just beyond the pedestrian bridge I managed five rainbows and missed several others. Due to a bad knot, there is now a trout under the bridge sporting a bright green egg in his upper lip, which makes him easy to spot! All fish were caught on egg patterns. It appears to me that this area was only lightly stocked, though I am not sure what is customary. Perhaps since it's catch and release season they are very conservative as to numbers? There was one spin fisherman working the deeper water just above the low-water bridge and he was catching a few also. The portions of Hickory which I have waded has long stretches of very shallow water without much to hide a fish. I did notice that downstream from the highway bridge, behind the old shelterhouse, a small waterfall exists where I had not seen one before. It backs up a good bit of water bank-to-bank several feet deep, but I tried several patterns and never had a strike. A comment on the trash at Hickory. I know it has been talked about a lot here, but it's shameful that there is so much litter on the banks and in the water - far more than any of the other Ozark streams I've fished.

Does anyone know if the stream has been stocked for the catch and release season?

Hmm. You can tell I don't reply often. Spent about 2 hours at Hickory on the 4th. After driving through the battle zone described previously, I fished the section that is upstream from the bridge by the 66 station. Caught and released 3 frisky rainbows on a small orange egg. I very much enjoyed the wade and solitude. I don't think this stretch had been recently stocked. I expected high water, but was pleased to find a nice flow and very clear. This was my second trip to Hickory. I really enjoy reading about your fishing trips at Hickory and a few of the other streams I've now tried. It is so helpful to those of us that can only make it south a couple times a year at best. MarkinKC

Sounds like a great idea. I hope the folks living in the southern part of the state know how fortunate they are to be able to slip away for a couple of hours and fish. A trip requires significant planning for us. Mark

Concur, nice job! My first time to write - though I joined the list a year ago. Unfortunately I haven't had much to report. With a 3-hour drive one way, trips are few and far between. Friday 1/25 marked my 2nd fishing trip to Crane. Similar experiences as TroutBum (without the fish). I spent most of the time tying on flies and trying to get my line out of the trees. I guess I need practice on close-quarters casting! Nevertheless an enjoyable experience even though I got skunked. Shifting from skunks to otters now. As I was fishing at the CA near the dairy farm, I notice two men wading up the middle of the stream carrying buckets. It certainly appeared very strange until Kent introduced himself to me. I apologize if this has already been covered here, but Kent is aggressively trapping otters at Crane on behalf of the MDC, and gets an assist from his pal Jason. Otters consume large amounts of trout and crawfish and can decimate populations in a small stream. He takes all trapped otters by the local MDC agent's home for measuring, etc. Kent tells me he has trapped several otters at Crane already, including animals of 48 and 42lbs. Big critters. He's the nicest guy you'd ever meet, and it seems he is doing fisherpersons a big favor. Buy him a beer if you have a chance. Thanks to all for the many tips on flies, tippet size, and strategies for fishing Crane and other area streams. I really enjoy reading about your exploits. I've only been flyfishing about 2 years or so, but I'm confident I'll break through and catch one or two. Maybe next time. Not wanting to return without a single fish on, I stopped by Hickory late afternoon and caught and released several before heading north on 71 Hwy.