chub minnow

I think it is something like 7.6 miles to trigger gap, if I'm not mistaken. With the water over 3 on the gauge it does move fast though. I'm down for doing the whole (from Marble down?) later this spring when we don't need all of the warm gear!

Our friends son - goofing off after the fishing trip.

That was my experience on Sugar. I think you have to fish as slow as you can stand, and then slow it down a little more! Movement of the lure seemed to spook them, only to become interested again once it stops moving.

Great post and pictures! That hole at the bend where you had the double is always my "go to" hole. Looks like you had a great time. Thanks for the post..

We did a short three mile float and fish last Saturday. It was a beautiful day and the water level is perfect for an easy float. We did have to portage around strainers a couple of times, but not far. I fly fished with my new full sink line and clousers and got skunked. She was spin fishing with bitsy tubes and and x-rap I believe, also with no luck. Maybe some bites, but no fish. Still a great time out alone on the river.

Did you catch any? We fly fished a little on Big Sugar without any bites. I think, obviously, the bluebird skies don't help any. Looks like the river is in good shape. How was the floating? Did you encounter any obstuctions? Thanks for the info, I plan on getting down there soon.

The Beaver Lake Tailwater (White River) and Roaring River are relatively close together and offer very different fishing opportunities. If it were me I would camp at Beaver Tailwater, hit the early morning wade fishing and then move on to the more fruitful waters of Roaring River. Let's be honest, if you can't catch a fish at Roaring River you are really doing something wrong. Camp there or in the Mark Twain National Forest the second night. Hit Roaring River again in the morning before packing up and moving on. From here there are two divergent trips that I would take depending on whether I wanted more fish or more solitude. FISHObviously you have got to head east and spend a day at Taneycomo. Rent a boat and you'll have some peace. Bank fish and make a buddy. Stay in Branson and take a hot shower. Head for the 'real' White river below Bull Shoals Lake the next day. Spend the rest of the trip, however long that is, fishing the White and Norfork (White River tributary) Tailwaters. Don't overlook the excellent float fishing above Norfork Lake as well. Consider paying a guide for at least half a day - it will be a blast the rest of the time. Serenity: If it's peace, quiet and nature you're after you are going to be fishing smaller water. From Roaring River head north to Capps Creek near Monett Missouri. Monster browns lurk here. I would spend the night in Aurora if you are doing the Hotel thing, or back in the Mark Twain Forest if you are camping. Head for Crane Creek in the morning -EARLY! You'll need all day if you plan on catching a fish. Talk about serenity, I doubt you'll see anyone else there. Please read up on Crane if you plan on visiting, it is a special and fragile place. From there I would either spend more time on Crane Creek if things are going well, or I would start heading North towards home with a stop at Bennet or Montauk "on the way". These two are not in my territory, so accomodations are up to you. There are so many great rivers with differing characteristics in this area, we really are lucky. There are forums on all of aforementioned rivers, so start reading and have fun. I'm jealous, sounds like something I would plan. I guess I did plan it - just can't take the time to do it. One of these days.............

Thanks for the offer, I don't think I'll get the wife out that early, and she has her heart set on a short float in the "warm" part of the day. Let me know how it goes with the fishing and I'll do the same on our end. Hopefully the weather holds.....

Here's a handy link for Arkansas gauge heights: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/current?..._no_station_nm=

The gauge height is 3.05 at Hwy 62 Bridge. This is a great height for an easy float from the Rockhouse access on down. Above that is probably still floatable but it could get hairy. We were discussing doing Kings River on Saturday as well, but maybe on down towards Table Rock. I bet we end up on Big Sugar or White River though.

For me it's definitely about using a lighter rod/line setup. The medium light St. Croix spooled with 6lb Fireline and a 6'-8' length of 6# fluorocarbon on the end gives me incredibly sensitivity to feel the bite. Sometimes I find myself trying to set the hook on some really small fish (Bluegill, Goggleye) because their pecks feel like a bite!

Tim would know better, but the rain yesterday probably wasn't enough to do anything but raise the water level a little. It takes a LOT of rain for Roaring River to flood.

I believe that there are two Wire Road Public Access points. The area above the bridge at the Conservation area below town is private property to the best of my knowledge. The Wire Road Conservation Area is split by town. The area below town by the dairy farm has been fishing well, but I haven't had much luck above town by the springs and Little Crane. I'm hoping that area is improving with the recently improved flow rates. Two years ago there was no water there aside from a few pools. Saw a few chubs and that was about it. Check out this link for an accurate map: http://mdc.mo.gov/documents/area_brochures/8307map.pdf

Go with the lighter action for Tablerock. I have a medium action Loomis GL2 that seems perfect for this application. I think it was a little over $100.00 and has been tough as nails. I have a Falcon in Medium Heavy weight and I pretty much end up throwing heavier stuff like crank baits with it because I generally use lighter jigs when I'm using the worm. I have brought in several fish in the 4lb +/- range with no problem on the Loomis. The most sensitive spinning rod I have used, by far, is a medium light St. Croix which also has enough backbone for most largemouth. It does get interesting bringing 'em in at times with the St. Croix, but you can feel everything....tap...tap.

Tim-that was me in the Toyota. I guess we talked to mrbuzib1 in the parking lot at the dairy farm-didn't realize it at the time. We hiked down to the end of the Conservation Area and worked our way back up. I had some takes on the #14 B.H. H.E. nymph and she had a bite or two on the bugger, but in the end it was just too cold to fully enjoy Crane Creek. We left earlier than planned, but it was nice to see the creek in such good shape and with so many fish (relatively speaking).

We called the Dam Store to get a fishing report last weekend and they told us about the tournament. We actually decided to stay away because my buddy is learning to fly fish and we thought it would be crowded. It sounds like we might have been able to effectively compete. Too bad we didn't go down there but we had a good day exploring Hickory and Capps Creek.

Heck of a deal-snap it up!

Yes-you definitely want to do the lower part with the family.

Did I forget to mention, for smallmouth action, the Kings River? Probably about 5 hours away, but if you go up above the WMA you will be alone with all of those hungry smallies. Beautiful scenery and shore camping, but maybe not the best for the inexperienced. You do start to feel a little isolated out there and help is far away, but that's why I love it. Use Kings River Outfitters or the Kings River Resort for the best boats and info on the upper section.

Even though it is a little further, don't overlook The Jack's Fork. It will be fairly easy for the unexperienced and the scenery can't be beat. You can also start on the Jack's Fork and finish on the Current which, in my opinion, is one of the best float trips the Ozarks has to offer. If you go in May the party crowd on the Current will still be hibernating. There are tons of caves, springs and ruins to visit along the way. Definitely in my top three along with the Buffalo in Ark. I vacillate on my third choice, but if you want to know about some small streams a little further away that are chock full of smallmouth pm me.

I have the 16' explorer and love it. It's not the flat stern, as we tend to do smaller rivers (Kings, Buffalo, Sugar Creek). It is very stable, maneuverable and has proven to be pretty tough on the Mulberry. One of my favorite features is the IQ rail system which allows me to mount a gear bag up, off of the floor as well as my KOOZIE holder!

We went and checked out Capps today and the flood damage is extensive. The park is still closed and has lots of damage, as mentioned before. We saw several areas where the water was well up into the fields, and trapped small fish in puddles as it has receeded. This has definitely had to have an effect on the fish population there, but it was really still too blown out for us to even try to fish. Too bad, but at least the mill and bridges were spared.

We fished Hickory this morning and things were pretty slow. The water is very high and, although they are there, the trout don't seem particularly hungry. We also went and checked out Capps creek - What a mess!

Yep - sounds like his chopper. Now that's the way to avoid that long drive to the river!

Gary Combs, the owner of Basic Construction, flies his chopper everywhere. It is not solid green, however. How big a chopper was it?