Buzz

On flukes? That would be fun.

Now that looks a lot better than the way I spent my day. I'm a little jealous. OK, A LOT!!!!

I'll second that.

:have-a-nice-day:

My wife got some photos of a couple of suprises from this last winter.

I have spoken to Dan and agreed to hang signs at 7 Shoal Creek accesses and one at Hickory Creek. There are several more creeks over here that need signs. I'd be glad to help anyone who picks a creek in this area. Just let me know.

Thanks. That's what I figured.

What types of sign posts are you using? Or are you allowed to attach the signs to the exising MDC sign posts? And what is the best way to attach the signs so they last more than a couple of months? I would be more than willing to hang some on Shoal Creek and surrounding creeks.

Cool video. I actually learned a few things.

Looks like a great weekend. Thanks for sharing.

See ya Saturday.

Nice pattern.

Well said. I don't recall seeing anyone fishing Crane in the last 3 years that wasn't a fly fisherman. Hell, the last 3 times I've been there I didn't see a soul fishing one way or the other. Weekends should be full of fishermen if this creek is getting the publicity that it seems to be getting. I almost always hit Crane on the weekend and aside from just a couple of times, I have had each and every stretch to myself. Maybe it's all of the smallish fish that I post pictures of, I don't know. Maybe the poachers only fish it during the week or at night when all of us don't see them. I've seen a few worm boxes over the years and I try to collect them and as much trash as is possible. Honestly, the first time I fished Crane would have been my last if I didn't take it as a challenge instead of a defeat. I have yet to be skunked since. The fish may not be the size of the fish that I can catch from Roaring River or that might be caught from Taneycomo, but I enjoy them very much. I really believe that our presence as ethical fishermen, be that as fly fishermen or spin fishermen, will make it much more uncomfortable for the poachers to ply thier craft. I learned a lot about Crane from this site and a couple of others too. And, I was under no illusions that I would catch the fish of a lifetime. Although on my second trip, after learning all I could, I caught my personal best Crane Creek Rainbow. If I recall it was 17.5". I say, " Spread the word, Crane is a unique and wonderful place. Enjoy it, just leave it as you found it and report anything that should be reported."

Now that's a meal.

Nice. Looks like a blast.

The treatment plant is located near the end of Hickory Creek just below where it dumps into Shoal Creek.I'm not sure of the impact it will have on Shoal Creek, but Hickory should be okay. I'm sure it's already flushed out. I'm glad it happened when there was a lot of water flowing. I'm more worried about what will happen if we have another big rain event. I hope Neosho, at least, builds up an earthen dam around the breech to at least slow any run off until they fix the containment pond.

The Elk River is so clear in the summer you can tell what the most popular beer was for the day and you can see a beer tab at 15' easily. The Big Sugar is about the same. Ditto. I'm not too keen on fishing ultra clear water either. I would much rather fish water with some color.

Nice.

Wow!!! That's someplace I definitely want to see in person. Great pictures. Thanks

It was wasn't it. I'll work on it. LOL

That's the mentallity of a lot of people who fish Capp's. They know when the fish are stocked and where. They make multiple trips to the creek, sometimes in the same day, and wonder why you turn them loose. I remember once a few years ago when I came upon a couple of older gentlemen sitting on thier buckets waiting for a trout to bite thier worms or whatever they were fishing with. I started catching fish almost immediately, with my fly rod of course. The old man nearest me watched me catch and release probably 6 fish. He then told me the that I couldn't release the fish and had to stop fishing after I had caught the equivilent of a limit. I very nicely explained to him that I could catch as many fish as I was able as long as they were all released unharmed. All I got from him was a grunt. I did get a little satisfaction from that conversation I will admit. I soon left them sitting as I went upstream catching fish. Because of this mentallity, I'm surprised we catch the sizes of browns that we catch each year.

Great idea. Good for you.

Thanks for posting a pic. I see why it works.

They got crawdads over there in Kansas don't they???? Soft craws and tubes would be a good start. Work them slow, even let it set for 15 to 20 seconds before you move them. Then only move them with a small lift. If they are cold they won't likey chase anything, but if it looks good and you are in the right area you will probably get bit. Afternoons on the sunny sides of the creek will be the most likely spots. Heck, if I was going to Shoal Creek this weekend I would be throwing a spinnerbait too. LOL

I just bought a Medium Berkely Lightning Rod at Wal-mart for $30.00 (on clearance) and I'm going to pair it with a U.S.Reel that I bought at Academy for $ 59.00. I have never owned or cast a U.S. reel, but if what they say is even half true it will be my new favorite. Check Academy often because they run a lot of sales on combos that should fit your needs the Pfluegers and Pinnacles are decent starter reels. You really don't need to spend a lot of money on either a rod or a reel for creek/river fishing to catch fish. Most of the new reels need only a few adjustments out of the box to be fishable. Like Al said you should match the combo to what you plan on throwing. I will mainly throw big baits ,heavy metal as I call it, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits with the occasional topwater plug. Buy the rig you want and just go out in the back yard and practice for a while until you learn the rod and reel then put it to the real test on the water.