brianbarker

I can probably come closer to telling you whats in the water at Lake Springfield than whats in those McDonalds cheeseburgers everyone eats every day. I hardly keep anything to eat but I have been told by MDC agents down there that they are perfectly fine to eat.

I haven't floated it this year but the last time I was around Licking it was about right for floating. That was before this last big storm though. My favorite floats are Boiling Springs to the new Mason bridge, Hazelton to Six Crossings or High Logway eddy to Slabtown. Only the last float is less than a long full day, the other two take a while, we usually go daylight to dark. I have caught tons of big smallmouth on each float, and never fail to catch a limit of goggle-eye. The biggest smallmouth I've ever caught on piney was a 22 incher from a logjam just a few hundered yards above the takeout at Six Crossings, last year it was still there. Lots of smallies and goggle-eye on all of the floats. Any float around Ft. Wood is always good unless its Memorial Day weekend, there is some trophy water through there with lots of 15-18 inch smallies. I usually don't take anything on piney besides some 2-3 inch crawdads and 1/16 or 1/8 jigheads, and the smallies like zara puppies and pop-r's.

Thats one huge catfish for Springfield lake. 99% of the ones I've caught or seen caught arn't bigger than your hand. Nice

A friend of mine from Success caught 2 flatheads over 20 pounds in '07 less than 1 mile below Hazelgreen where they usually camp. They catch catfish on trotlines in the Gasconade throughout the year. I've only seen 1 gigging on the Piney but a friend also fishes the bluff below Mason bridge at night and catches flatheads all spring and fall. I've only caught 1 channel cat from the Gasconade and that was right at the I-44 bridge on a 6' curly tail worm fishing for smallmouth. He wasn't huge, only 15 inches.

Don't believe there is any hybrids in Fellows. None have been stocked and without stripers, there couln't possibly be any hybrids. Fellows only connects to the Little Sac river and McDaniels lake, neither of which have stipers or hybrids, so they were surely big whites. With all of the shad I would never figure a white to be feeding enough on bluegill to be productive bait but who knows... I've seen weirder things fishing.

Best place to almost always find crappie is McDaniels bridge. I don't think I've ever been down there and not seen atleast 1 person catch a crappie. Even though sometimes it is only 1.

Along the road where it crosses the lake, especially where the chute lets water run under the highway, on both sides. I catch more out of the lake side than the no-boat side, but have caught them from both. Lately its been a chart/yellow sassy shad on a 1/8 white jig head. I've been using the 2 1/2 inches, they seem a little big but something smaller won't get hit and the bigger stuff fished slower pickes up even little crappie. Haven't caught anything huge but lots of keepers, but I haven't kept any. I usually try letting it sink diffrent depths before I start reeling until I find them. Use the count-down method. Also... 1 white bass last week that was 17 1/4 inches...a good fight on my crappie rod.

Is Burrell park open to fishing right now? I have heard some say yes and other say no. I have been down there once and the only fish I saw were huge goldfish or koi. I would still try it if it was open for fishing.

I did drive down to Sequiota when someone said they used to fish it and it was closed, and I did see alot of bass in the brush and limbs around the walkway but the biggest one was only 10 inches. Probably wouldn't be worth fishing if you could. Anyone caught anything big out of there before?

I read about this trout in Outdoor Life, they said that ice tore through rearing tanks, something like that, and spilled all of these mutated trout out into the lake. I don't think they would count as a record, unless it was a seperate class for geneticaly altered fish.

Nice bucketmouth for Springfield Lake... really nice. I've been looking for that guy all spring, but looks like you got there first. I really think there are some really nice bass in there, but finding them is pretty tough. Awesome fish! Congrats

Caught this bass at a pond on my dad's farm last weekend. I know hes a pond bass and all, but he makes a good pic. Didn't measure his but he weighted 7.8. Caught it on a super fluke.

I was down there the 4th, and they were open then. He mentioned something to some guys feeding the ducks that it was his first day open this year because the dock got washed out into the lake and I guess they had to put all new floats under it. I only fished one day this month down there, the 12th, and found a guy who was catcing them at the earth dam, where the road crosses it, all along the bank on the East side of the highway. He was using chart/yellow sassy shad and all I had was white, which didn't do so good, probably 3/1. Get some sassy shad and 1/8 jighead and fish the sides of the highway and you'll probably catch a few. McDaniels is OK, only stopped by and didn't fish. It is a little off-colored. Was last weekend anyways. People were catching small crappie from the west end of the bridge. Everyone I saw catch any was on minnows.

I don't flyfish but I love trout fishing and though everyone might like this video. It is underwater footage of some huge trout just lounging and taking insects off the top.

I called about ValleyWater Mill lake and it is closed "for quite a while" because they are building 3 fishing peirs and some walking trails so I guess its out for a little while, and I can't find anything about Sequiota park allowing fishing so I guess I'll drive out and check it out, I'm really close to it. I went out and fished the little pond East of Fremont right by JR Freeway this morning and dispite the light snowing and cold I caught 2 little largemouth on a 8" worm and 1 palm size bluegill on a road runner. I'm going to go check out the ponds on Scenic by the golf course latet today I think. I don't guess that it is a park, can't find a name for it anywhere. If there isn't any signs I'm fishin'. Thanks for all the info!

I found the pond on Fremont, oppisite from the Burrell park/children's center, I'm going to try it out tomorrow. I'm wondering about this Doling park, I've been there once to check it out but don't guess you can fish the lake? Anyone know if any of these are public? Sequiota Park, the holes along Jones Spring, and the 3 large ponds between Sunshine and Battlefield and Schoolcraft Freeway on the east side of town? I'm just seeing these places on Google Earth, so I just know there is water there. Also, anyone know if the Burrell park lake is open to fishing? Wouldn't think it would be where it is but who knows... Thanks a ton

May be a dumb question but I just moved here and have had a handful of people tell me they have fished golf course ponds/lakes before but never around Springfield. I was wondering if any locals knew if the million golf courses around here alowed fishing? I have heard if you find the right spot they can be awesome places. Don't want to just start calling but I will if nobody knows anything. Thanks a bunch

The C&R closes when the whistle blows, like anywhere else inside the park. I'm sure it was right at the whistle, or else he just didn't land it untill dark. I have seen that happen before, which is OK as long as its hooked before the buzzer. (I'm sure...might check with CA though)

HAHA this thing looks like some of the new bass boats I've been seein' lately. Wow!

I would buy a "gigging tag" either by day or year. It might put a stop to alot of the people who are just out there to gig anything they can stab. Then you have to keep in mind that lots of people fish with a liscenes, shoot deer out of season, keep short fish on a float trip, or load the livewell up with whites and head home. Might be worth a shot, but I think if someone is going to gig bass hes going to gig bass, even if he has no "tag". I would consider it though, if it came to that. Thats really neat that AK has the one 24"er per year in effect. I hadn't heard about that, but were planning a trip to the Little Red soon.

Yesterday evening (7th) right at dark me and a friend were walking down the road where it crosses the earth dam and watch a very unskilled, holding his spinning reel upside down and reeling backwards since the antireverse was on, guy catch 5 crappie in propably 10 casts standing on the steps that lead to the concrete platform on the east side. The concrete is far underwater but he was on the last step just haulin' em in. He was throwing a chart/white sassy shad on a 1/8 ounce jighead, looked to be about 2 inches. I had 2 white ones we threw 3 times but didn't get a hit. Headed down there this evening if this rain breaks because they must be doing something. I'm sure they are still bunched up together though so if you can catch one you might do some good.

I've been fishing down there the last 2 evenings and have only been able to catch bass along the north bank not far below the bluff. It is fairly deep in there so I've been throwing shad raps and caught one really nice one about half way between the bluff and the big wooded point running out into the lake on a sexy shad strike kind jerkbait, mainly fishing as slow as I can. A prowling CA caught up with me to see how I was doin and told me he checked a guy last Sat. fishing close to the bluff and had 9 crappie, the biggest about 14 inches. Seems far out but who knows... they have to be in there since nobody catches them. With the crowd lately I haven't been able to get to the hot water outlet where I usually catfish and catch a few small bass, so I'm off to discover. Good luck down there...some days you will really need it.

ColdWaterFishr listed some of my fav. smallmouth rivers, might try the Gasconade. It broke a 30 year old record recently during our "flood" so I'm not sure how it will be this May, but I'm headed there. I caught 3 smallmouth last summer over 20 inches during my 5 floats on it. There are some excellent smallies in there.

Right on Riverman. I grew up gigging the Big Piney and Current, not becase we had to to eat or anything, its because thats what my grandpa and dad did and thats what I do and my boys will do, and I'll take any of you out who want to argue the smallie population with me. I see more gigantic largemouth and smallies every winter than you could EVER pack into my johnboat. And I have NEVER gigged anything besides suckers and redhorse. I made the mistake of taking a guy out for his first time 3 years ago and he gigged a smallmouth that went jetting up the river, and not just a smallmouth, a 20 inch smallmouth. I made him report the fish, which we took with us, to the agent who had been checking boats all night (yes, they do check boats sometimes, but it is rare) and the agent was understanding and put him on the "one warning for life list" and did not get a ticket. Not sure what became of the bass but that is the only illegal fish killed in my boat in 6 years, since my first trip. There are ALOT of ethical giggers where I grew up, mainly because nobody wants to chance loosing the ability to go. Not the greatest reason but still keeps them from killing the other fish they might like to. Anyways, I'm done. Just thought you guys might want to know that some of us gig ethicaly and fair and I will fight anyone who wants to put a stop to it tooth and nail.

Speakin of...I just posted in the Conservation forum about 3 big largemouth I found cleaned out in the Little Sac yesterday. Might check it out. Hope the pictures loaded. Never uploaded any before