podum

Wow. Very nice!

tons of caddis on the Niangua yesterday. t'is the season

interested. and a TU member.

I'd call NRO. They have the cabins and the contacts. So long as you go before the silly season (after Memorial Day), you should be ok.

jealousy

Very jealous. Iced in at Kansas City. Cabin fever working me over. These pics helped.

Oh man. From informative to funny to uncomfortable silence in 6 posts. I like.

You can catch dace and chubs with a Griffiths gnat on a fly rod...

"a beer" wrench? Economy of scale demands at least a sixer. I'll subsidize if he's serious about a musky and there are pix

Listen to Jamestandy. Lake City is where it is at. Great water on the Lake Fork (above and below the lake). Cebolla creek is fantastic. Lots of camping (electric at Henson Creek), primitive along Lake San Cristobal. Fantastic fishing and miles of it.

Below the dam, typical heavy pressure tailwater fish. Size 24-28 freshwater shrimp will get you bit and broken off. Use a foam terrestrial for an indicator and hope it gets slammed. Beautiful canyon. Fun river to raft midsummer. Lower river has steep gradient. Most fishing is pocket water. High sticking nymphs. Lots of really fun water close by. Gunnison, Lake Fork of Gunnison, Cebolla Creek, etc...

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Great stories. I had one this summer in Lake City, Colorado. The Lake Fork of the Gunnison River is interrupted by Lake San Cristobal. It's a big western trout river below the lake. Above the lake it's a smaller stream with big holes and deep cut banks. It has some big browns and rainbows. I was struggling so I tied on something I've never used in the smaller water above the lake - a big olive articulated streamer. Truthfully, I was just planning to screw around with it as I just started tying these and thought I'd be cool to see how it moved in the current in the clear shallow water. Second or third cast, I start a backcast pulling the streamer up from a hole and a big brown (I'm sure well over 20 inches) comes completely out of the water chasing the streamer as it had just left the water. Big splash and gone. I sat there dumbstruck. You only get one shot at fish like that in a small stream. I'm still wondering what would've happened if I was a split second slower at pulling that streamer out of the water.

Oneshot, do it. I floated the upper Kings last June for the first time. Fantastic place. Go in the spring when there is some water. I'll be back for sure. If you aren't floating, there are some good accesses within easy drive or Eureka Springs. Red Bud Resort is a nice place to stay. Cheers!

Wow. Just wow. I have a family with a strong military background in my family history and I saw so much of my grandpas, uncles and cousins in this film. The baggage that these guys carry - physical and mental - is not something that its comprehensible among those that haven't lived it. I love my Country and those that serve(d) it.

Catch and Release in the Parks after Nov.1. You can keep fish in the white and red ribbon areas all year. Example: you can fish Bennett during the C&R season Fri - Mon and fish the Niangua below Bennett with the same catch and keep regs that apply all year long. Right now through the "too cold to stand it" weather is my favorite time of year. Lots of no people on the streams.

There is no easy answer as to where to go. I'm with F&F on not getting surprised. First line of defense is my Iphone with a real time radar app. Get out beforehand. If that doesn't work, a swale, low area, undercut, cedar trees that are much lower than nearby oaks or sycamores... As for pucker factor ... I fish alone often and in places that are remote. Every time I misstep, slip on a rock, etc.. I think about a broken leg/ankle. I've been fortunate, but continue to get a higher "pucker" factor as I get older. I now carry a survivor kit in my backpack (it's packed in a metal water bottle and is based on post on this forum). I also send a "general vicinity" email to at least two people when I get where i'm going.

Podum approves of Al's message and states that podum did not fake the photo, but merely did a google image search that brought forth an image of an alleged hognosed snake that fit the description of our suspect.

Early spring = uncle josh split tail eel. All other times, matching plastic with curly tail or paddle tail.

LOL! One gully wash rain will undo it. Glad manual labor was involved.

I second the shallow wind blown flats on the reservoirs. I've done a lot of white bass fishing on LOZ, Truman, Smithville and Stockton during the last 5 years. The fall is the best season (starting about now through water temps dropping below 50). True statement: shad are everywhere. There have been 4-5 shad spawns since spring. Bait is all over. So why wind blown points? First: Shad eat algae. Algae is easily wind blown. Algae accumulates on shore lines - especially on the main lake points. Second: Whites (like all predators) like easy pickins. Accumulated shad + shallow water (the bait can flee in 4 directions, not six) = easy pickins. I've seen the backs of whites up out of the water pinning shad against the shoreline. Cliff's Notes: Find a wind blown shallow point. Fish there. Fill a stringer.

I had a young hognose as a pet years ago. It had only black and tan markings. I saw an adult on the Kings this past June that was greyish brown with no markings at all. When you google the images of the thing, it should be called the rainbow snake.

Looks like the herp is right. I googled images of the hognose and, man, there is a wide, wide range of color variations.

Mark, I know that "hook" from a trip last June. I don't know if you can really successfully negotiate it. At best, you slam into that cottonwood with the side of the canoe. At worst, you are swimming. Though we managed the former, I'd walk that run next time for sure. To OP, at normal water levels, you should be fine with your kid if you are cautious. Have fun!

Bummer. That was a sweet run and a good place for a shaded nap when the fishing was slow.