Chief Grey Bear

Buzz and myself took a little trip to Crane Sunday. Dang was it cold early on! Turned out to be a nice day though. From the looks of the gravel bars, Crane has been hit pretty hard lately. Looks like herds of cattle stomping up and down the banks. We saw lots of trout. Very, very spooky though. I did manage to see two of the them doing a little courting. It was fabulous to watch. Until they caught me watching. We did like most everyone does and started in the park. Not much action though. Aw well, that is par for the course I guess. It would have been nice to get one. We headed on down to the MDC area. We walked down a ways and peeked over the bank to see them scatter. Boy are they touchy. I walked on down and started to work my way back. I thought I struck pay dirt, and did for about ummmmm, 6 or 7 seconds. I hooked one on on a crawdad pattern but the wonderful feeling was short lived. I hadn't fished Crane since about 1994 so it had been that long since I had a McCloud on. I kept making way up and ran into Buzz on his way down. We later met up and continued making our way back up stream. Since I wasn't too busy catching fish I snapped a few photos for you guy's. Buzz hooked into a good one as you can see from the photo. That is one of the nicest sculpins I have seen on the end of the line in awhile. Finally, on literally the last cast of the day, I hooked and landed one. I really didn't expect to catch him. As you see in the photo, we had just crawled through all that brush you see. I casted to the front end of it and WHAM! Thank goodness for that! When we left there, we were shooting the bull and missed our turn and off to the land of Roaring River we went. Buzz put it on me there as he caught 4 in less than an hour. Way to go Buzz. Here are some of the pics. Hope you enjoy them.

Thanks Fishhand. And also a big thank you for staying behind the idiots to clean up after them. And just think, these are the same people that then jump in a car to head home. I thank God Big Sugar and Elk are really the only rivers around my parts that play host to wannbe paddle jockeys.

That is what 160 people at St. John's in Joplin thought too.

You are correct. Just between me and you, I am not a huge Pelosi fan. But there are worse choices.

I was thinking along those lines. I'm not sure that my Wild Turkey would set up though. If they made a Coke flavored Jell-O, I would test it out.

Here is how up to date I am...what the heck is a "Jell-O shot"?

Hell yes! I'm all for it! That would be the best idea those two bumbling idiots had in the last eight years. But I don't think it quite works that way. I don't think Cheney gets to assign the presidency. But so what, they haven't operated by the law anyway.

Break my rods!!! Break MY RODS!!! I'll bring the brownies next year. I wouldn't wear waders!! Not unless you cut in an excape hatch and carry a roll of paper!!! (Buzz, don't eat the brownies!)

Not sure what 3000 + acre spead is yours, but there is public access. Not much though. A person can legally enter the creek at the Hwy 34 or Hwy C bridge or even at the countny bridge at Faulkner Spring. Now as for the druggies, poachers and those taking pot shots at your cattle, I will stand be side you. But those people are not guilty of tresspassing but guilty of what you described them of doing. And like you, I have no use for those types of people.

Good to hear from you KC. Get a hold of me anytime.

Or maybe its the other way around. Nice dodge.

I'm a little confused here JD. According to an earlier post "you will allow" someone to "fish thru my property in a peaceful manner" yet you don't seem to think those rules shouldn't apply to other waterways? It appears that you think you have the right to restrict what happens on Bear Creek because you happen to own land on both sides, much like any road, but don't think other waterways should have any restrictions that might interfer with your right to booze it up and see bare breast. Al- great post. I have the same feelings when I am on river. Any chance on getting a copy of those maps? Like you, I can spend hours looking at those.

In my opinion you couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Sure a nice warm spring day would have been nice, but wow, with the snow and all I just loved it. I can't wait until the next Olliefest. It was really a great time. You got lucky this year. I had my spinning rod with me but didn't get it out. Next year will be a different story! We will crown a third champion in three years!

Hey guy's, As it stands now I will be attending Olliefest 2008! Rock On!!!!

Navigable - to pass through or over. As in a fur trapper navigating the waterway for commerce. Precedence? I commend you are your great work of the MDC Stream Team. As you stated, it is a very worthy cause.

Chapter 20 Wildlife Code : Definitions # (59) It is the definition of state water. Walking the bank may be tesspassing. This only pertains to the water that some land owns seem to think they own too.

I was looking through the MDC Wildlife Code the other day and stumbled upon this: Waters of the State: All rivers, streams, lakes and other bodies of surface water lying within or forming a part of the boundaries of the state which are not entirely confined and located completely upon lands ownded or leased by a single person or by two or more persons jointly or as tenants in common or by corporate shareholders, and including waters of the United States lying with the state. Waters of the state will include any waters which have been stocked by the state or which are subject to movement of fishes to and from waters of the state. As I read it it looks cut and dry to me that any river stream creek or whatever you want to call it, that has fish in it, whether a land owner owns the land on both sides or not, can be legally fished by anyone gaining legal access to said body of water.

From the looks of the weather Sunday, you may not be missing much there fishinswmo.

I agree with you above the brigde. I do pretty good too. From the bridge to Shoal Creek is not as good for me. But boy do I love the looks of the water. Thanks for the invite to fish. I will take you up on that. Would like to do a trip on Crane with you too.

You just tell them that you have an accute case of salmoniditis and you must retreat to the Ozarks for healing. Besides, golf is just another one of the many sports they had to come up with for men that can't fish.

Thanks for the info tgard. Hope they can get back to normal pretty quick.

Hey, why don't you sneek over towards Capp's next Sunday? If you don't have a fly rod don't worry, I'll be bringing a spinner along with the flyflinger.

Again, these pics are just to give you an idea of what Capp's looks like, they, in my opinion, have no artistic value. Its funny that as I was fishing this lower section, I got to wondering if this section could actually be floated. In a kayak I think it could. I dismissed it as a crazy thought. Then I happened upon this brush pile and look at what is sticking out of the top. I guess somebody else thought they could too. Thanks for the paddle.

Well, I took another trip to Capp's. I went down stream this time. It recieves less fishing pressure than the other parts of the creek and for good reason too. At least for me anyway, it seem to have less trout. It didn't let me down this time either. All chubs today, not a salmonid to be had. The first pic here is where Capp's and Shoal Creek meet.

Friday started out ok other than the rain. I caught the one in the pic within the first 20 minutes or so. Then just up in the next riffle, one struck my strike indicator and then hit my jig. I turned him but that was it. I worked that spot over pretty well with no results. Right after that the rain set in pretty good and that was it on bites. I never even had any chubs hit. I found both of these trout in the riffles. As of now, it is my plan to attend Olliefest.