Paola Cat

I may head down later on in the week ..... how long are U staying?

Pat .... Yep .... been doing some fishing. No luck on a job yet. It's been about 3 weeks since I've been to BSSP. Thinking about going down later on in the week. PC/Mike

Fished the park on Sunday. It wasn't as good as the week before but still OK. Fished with KSBASS and his son. Fished the C&R and down in the campground area. Primary patterns: beetle (KS caught quite a few), zebra midge, olive leech, crackleback, micro egg, EHC, and renegade. Pretty hot in the PM but not too bad. Snapped quite a few off today using the 7X. PC

JONBOY ..... send me a PM. No special pass required to fish RMNP other than the normal CO fishing license ... I'd be glad to give you some info. on patterns I've used successfully on the Big T. Ozarkgunner .... I hear ya on the South Platte. PC

I'm headed to Dillon in a couple of weeks not too familiar with the area. Looking for some guidance on where to fish. I've fished the Big Thompson when staying Estes and have fished the S. Platte when in Colorado Springs. PC

Awesome ... will try it out next time down in that area. Sounds fantastic. I'm confident that the better half will enjoy it .... PC.

Never fished Rainy (I've driven by it several times) but have fished north of there near Dryden, ON at Dinorwic/Wabigoon. I take: 1 medium to medium/light spinning rig for walleye/perch. Lots of jigs heads (1/8 - 1/4), fuzzy grubs, and grub plastics in multiple colors and sizes. I also bring some lindy spinner rigs. Bring an assortment of hooks, weights, and a few slip bobbers. I bring 2 Medium 6' 6" baitcasters for smallies and smaller pike. I use husky jerks, wiggle warts, X-Raps, tubes, spinnerbaits, and few poppers (Pop R's, Skitterpops, Ricos ..... etc). I bring 1 Medium/heavy 7' baitcaster for big pike and muskies. I like to use Mepps giant killers and the old standby Johnson silver minnows (3/4-1). I bring some large grubs to use as trailers on the Silver minnows. The only bait I use is a few minnows when walleye/perch fishing. I tip the jigs/jig heads/spinner rigs with minnows. I bring a jaw spreader for the pike .... and a glove is good also. Bring a good pair of needle nose. Bring a rainsuit and don't forget the deet insect repellent. You'll need a flow troll type of minnow bucket of some sort. Also, a portable depth finder is good if there's no electronics on the boat. I like to use Power Pro line on all my rigs. I hope this helps. PC

I own a pair of the Toggs waders and I've got a pair of the Toggs Hellbender waist high wading pants. They've been great for me. They've survived several seasons of fishing the Ozark trout streams and I've also hauled them all over the country. I've had no problems with them. I'd recommend them. PC

I'd float 39 to EE. The creek is low and gin clear. You'll have a great time. Standard smallie fare is all you need. PC

Grant, All I can say is ..... move a lot. I'm pretty much a dry fly guy this time of year and there's good dry action right now. Target specific fish .... active fish .... rising fish. I don't make any more than about 15 casts in a specific spot. If there's no takers .... move on. If they're hitting you can stay in one spot for quite awhile. Right now the water is low and clear. Look for concentrations of fish. I think I do more watching and looking than I do casting. A drag free drift is key. On Saturday the action very consistent for me on a classic olive crackleback fished wet (just under the surface in the film) early and dry later on in Zone 2. It changes depending on the time of year. Take Tim's advice .... he's the expert. Heck .... I even caught a couple on a green ant (Tim's pattern). I usually don't fish upstream from Dry Hollow .... I'm more of a C&R and Zone 2 guy .... but it would take me no more than an hour to go from Dry Hollow upstream to the first bridge. PC

Britt/Pat .... not working yet. Actively searching. Great action down there at RR. Very active and aggressive fish. I really like fishing the C&R. The rest of the park was just a crazy free-for-all. I personally confronted 3 different folks fishing illegally in Zone 2. The worst thing were the "crowders" ..... I'd search for a stretch with nobody close by and target some active fish near the surface ..... bring a few fish to hand ..... then look up and there's people everywhere. I'd immediately move to a new spot. I actually had some folks come up and ask me if they could have the next fish I brought to hand (they noticed that I was releasing everything). It was kind of freaky. I had a great time though. Gonna go sometime during the week .... maybe it won't be so crazy. Didn't stop by to say howdy to Tim. The warden just cringed when we drove by ..... being unemployed I'm using up my existing inventory if you know what I mean .... and you know I've got some inventory to burn. Been tying up cracklebacks ..... used the classic olive in #12 down there .... never changed. Worked great for me. PC/Mike

The warden and I were in the area Saturday and she took pity on me and let me fish for about 5 hours. Had a good time .... used nothing but an olive crackleback. Started out in the C&R and then moved further down in Zone 2. Great action the entire time. The C&R was smokin' hot for the first hour and a half. Fishing dead downstream and stripping the crackleback just under the surface. Used 6X. Moved on down from the C&R and targeted active fish near the surface .... fished the crackleback dry. Lots of lookers and takers. Used 7X exclusively after 8:30 AM. Pretty big crowd, poor etiquette, and illegal baits. I'd find a small stretch to fish .... land a couple of fish ..... then look up to find myself surrounded by the "crowders" .... I'd move and it would immediately happen again. I saw it all and made several attempts to stop the insanity .... people fishing with plastic worms and power eggs in Zone 2 .... 5 fish on a stringer .....etc. Anyway ..... the weather was fantastic and the fishing was equally good. Lots of fish in the river. No lunkers today but tons of action. PC

Wrench .... Yep .... it's one of those blue and yellow Planos .... I didn't have to minimize on the gear at all. Holds plenty of gear for me. I carry everything from cranks and topwaters to a bunch of plastics. Works great. Perfect for river/creek SMB pursuits. I also have a Wright & McGill fly fishing waist pack that just didn't cut it for the spin fishing pursuits .... but is great for carrying the fly gear. PC

Wrench .... I use a Plano waist pack/belt for my spin fishin' creek/river SMBs. I've had it for several years .... seems to be holding up well. Has plenty of room for all of my SMB spin fishin' stuff. It's comfortable to wear also. PC

Are you guys talking about green sunfish? I didn't know that Stockton had any perch in it. PC

Hey guys ... I'm all in for a float. I've got a bud on the forum .... KSBASS ... who'd be interested also. Flat is an awesome place. There's 2 stretches that are great. I've also got some floats on the upper Niangua (I'm talking way up .... starting at Charity) which come close to rivaling the Flat. Very similar water .... skinny water .... but the holes can be fantastic. A 50-100 fish day on those floats is not unheard of. We should hook-up. Send me a PM and maybe we can work something out. This is strictly fishin' water. Walkin', draggin'and fishin'. PC

I've fished the Flat for many years. When fishing Flat Creek I use Teeny Craws (shallow or deep runner depending on the water depth) and follow up with slider worms. After catching the real active fish on the Teeny Craw .... I throw the 4" slider worm. I rig it Texas style and use a long shank cricket hook and about the smallest worm weight you can get. Try the salt-n-pepper color .... it's always been good on the Flat, Osage Fork, and the upper Niangua. PC

Rich (No Luck) .... Right on! I think you nailed the analysis. Bennett is just tougher to fish right now. We were spoiled in the past. You've got to change to be successful now. The same old tried and true patterns just don't do it consistently now. I'm trying different patterns .... some decent .... some not so good. Last time down I likewise had a good day. PC

Great job Chief. Flat Creek can be very productive. I agree .... lots of skinny water but the holes can be fantastic. Did you guys float from Jenkins to 39 or EE? I caught my biggest SMB (over 5) on the stretch from 39 to EE several years ago. Awesome place to fish. PC

LM: Texas rigged Zoom lizard - Lake Huites, Mexico - 9lbs-15oz. SM: Texas rigged Brewer's slider worm - Flat Creek, Missouri - 5lbs-6oz.

Terry .... I feel your pain. I took a couple of weeks off and just started looking. Good luck man..... try the linkedin website. It looks like a good resource. PC

Troy .... Awesome .... I've got to give that a try. Good luck at Taney. Use your scud and sowbug patterns just like in the river. I'm going to hit the Corp. outlets this weekend and hope to hook up with some of those carp. PC

Thanks guys .... it's been a tough 24 hours. I'm kind of coming out the shock right now. I was totally blindsided by this. Looking forward to getting down to the park and the Niangua and taking my mind off of the situation. Checked with the real boss and it looks like I'll be fishing Sunday and Monday. PC

Well, after 29 years with the same company, I got my pink slip yesterday . The 24/7 work week is over. I guess that's how corporate America works. Anyway, thinking about taking a couple of weeks off. Was wondering what's been going on at the park ....seems like it's been kind of tough. PC

Thanks guys. PC via San Jose.