podum

I fished Spearfish Creek in Spearfish Canyon a few years back. Small water but fun. LOTS of small browns (12 inches and less) in the upper end of the creek. Small caddis imitators and adams parachutes will do well. It is beautiful. Flows will be heavy in May. I fished in July when flows were low and very clear. Most of the streams in the Hills are small and stealth will be key. Spooky fish. Good luck.

I've never had a problem using back to back uni knots with powerpro/fireline tied to mono and flurocarbon. Key for me is to wet the lines and go slow with the cinch.

congrats doc! that's a bruiser

here piggy piggy. awesome fish.

Buzz, they were still in the skinny fast water today. Made my first trip to Hickory today with the bro-in-law. Started at the helicopter and went upstream. Lots of action in the fast, deeper runs. Not much anywhere else. Caught em on a #14 pheasant tail. First time fishing with flies I tied myself. Brought 6 to hand with my own handywork. I'm pretty happy tonite.

The truth is somewhere between fear mongering (we don't know the recommendations yet) and justified indignation (the threat of federal regulation of successfully managed state resources is frightening). We can probably all agree that the erosion of liberty and states rights seldom happens in one fell swoop. Once the feds involve themselves in the manner speculated about in this article, there will likely be a "creep" into areas that were not intended or thought of. The worst of this is that little attention is being paid to the significant successes of the state fisheries agencies' during the last 50 years in balancing conservation with utilization of fishery resources. I don't like the idea of national politics potentially affecting the management of Missouri's streams.

cold water, short strikes.

I'm interested in how different / similarly the river fishes vs. the park. I've never fished the park, but have fished the river many times.

The Bennett forum has had this thread several times, but I haven't seen a list of favorite flies for the river below the park. #10 olive woolies #14 egg flies in pink and chartreuse copper johns in all sizes

yo yo

it's the new "Missouri boat ride" for you Outlaw Josie Wales fans.

That's how me and my buddies would've handled it. And that's how I'd have written about it.

Check out this link for chigger tricks . . . http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2000/06/50.htm Repellent and/or a quick rub down with a towel are the surefire remedies. Everything else is pain/itch relief. I rub my legs and waist with a damp towel after being out and rarely have a bite. This works.

Further information please. Bank or boat? What are they hitting? I'm heading that way in two weeks. That Wiper is a bruiser. Congrats.

Last week on the Lake Fork of the Gunnison the stone flies were thick and there was a great hopper bite. The hopper bite should last into the fall.

me and a buddy (he may bail on me). All options on the table.

Does anyone rent canoes? Thinking about heading down Sat and Sun. this weekend. Thanks in advance

thank you sir. which side do you recommend?

Need a little advice for this time of year. (1) which side? (2) generally is fishing good between 8 and 12 at night? (3) suggestions on where in the water column (eg. light baits that drift vs. heavy jigs on the bottom). Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks.

I hope you find some. Best. Catfish bait. Ever.

Russ, thanks for the tip. Just what I was planning to bring. Question: Do you rent rafts at HH? I checked your site and didn't see that you did. We are floating the Elk for the first time and have some young kids (5 and 6) with us on this trip. We decided we needed a raft for them.

Hijack. What would you use during the middle of the day? I'm headed to the Elk on Thurs looking for google eye and smallmouth.

Hit this website: http://www.futurebass.com/articles/article.htm and read the articles posted by Neporadny. All deal with LOZ and several are summer patterns. Good luck. LOZ is loaded with bass and crappie. You'll find em.

All you need to fish the river is a MO license. If you want to keep trout, you need a yearly trout tag ($7 additional).

the wart says it all . . .