joeD

We're fishing. But, let's be real. The proverbial ball has to get rolling. An innocuous Friday started with a 3 miler about 4pm.( Did the same float last October with excellent results paddling upstream from the put-in, fishing a longish pool in rainy 50 degree temps.) No such luck this time. Beauty riffle half mile above put in produced fish . We turned around and headed downstream. Out of nowhere,( unpredicted on weather apps) (no signal btw in Saddle), a squall line descended upon us, while we were in a long slow and deep hole the middle of the river. The noise of the wind and the steady violent movement of the trees making its way upstream towards us made fishing moot and we tried to scurry to the bank. Too late. Heavy wind gusts actually tipped us over. We were close enough to the mud/tree bank to get to safety. My partner, however, lost two rods in the debacle. With wind and thunder and lightning around us, M bailed water out of the canoe while I dove into the stream to find his rods. And I did find one of them. After 45 minutes. Then, after bailing the water out of the canoe, my partner took off his wading boots and walked out into the stream with just wading socks, hoping to get a better feel of the bottom and recover his number 1 (and most expensive) outfit. He did. We laughed and shook our heads. Everything recovered, nothing lost, and most importantly, we're safe and unharmed. And we moved downstream. Caught fish too. A lot them. Nothing huge, but steady and healthy. Topwater action deluxe. Saturday was a 9 miler. A lot for us. The water level . We didn't know. There were quite a number of sporty, butt clencher rocky, tricky rapids. But we made it. If the water level and cfs were lower, it would actually have been worse. Getting out and dragging all the time on slippery rocks. Regardless, we caught so many fish. Lost just as many. Topwater action on fire. This stream just has so many personalities/characteristics its not funny. And fish. It's just different than Missouri. Part of it, I think, is the structure of the bottom, rocks and more rocks and slab rocks. They don't have the moveable gravel and mud that Missouri does. Whatever. Our Sunday plans amounted to packing up and leaving. F***! Rain. And more rain. Which turned out to be the right call, since the stream rose 6 feet. Some pix, Great trip. We caught so many fish Saturday, especially on top . This post has been promoted to an article

About 18 inches. We caught easily 30 of these. Between 15 and 19 inches. They fought like gangbusters. They always had two or three just like them checking out the commotion as they were expertly brought to the canoe for release. We just cackled with laughter after awhile. Didn't bother with pix. An extraordinary day on a stream that still, to me, remains undefeated and untied as the best in Missouri.

I understand your fishing v basketball struggle Al. I can fish anytime. March Madness occurs once a year. I gorge on hoops.

Washington State Park puts in at Blackwell during the season. I’ve heard a couple stories. The guy who runs Cherokee Landing owns that access below CC. Or, he doesn’t, someone else does, and has an agreement with the vendor who runs the float operations at the state park. Anyway, I know the lock combo. There’s also a spot to put in above CC.

Loneliness

Wouldn’t it be nice? Left for dead only to resurrect hope with an improbable 10 game winning streak. Goodness knows St Louis could use a positive storyline.

Two words: Mmm mmh. 4 words then.

I think I would have liked my dad taking me to Mauntauk for the trout opener, camping and fishing and fires. He wasn’t that guy and neither was I. No knock on him. I played sports and fishing wasn’t on my radar until my 30s. I certainly don’t harbor the eye rolling of “us” fishermen with regard to opening day at a trout park. There seems to me an undercurrent of hostility and lack of empathy for others who just want to fish and have fun. Who says we’re the ones who are right? Because we use a fly rod and throw fish back? Prolly. My knees will certainly hurt getting off my soapbox. Nothing a one hit and whisky drank couldn’t help.

OOpsie. Yes. I smoke cigars. Thing is though, can I catch a "big" one without a tobacco stick in my pie hole? I don"t know. Just saying. Evidence is there.

No Mr Brownbass. I was fishing with friends in a friendly place. The fish was neither female nor male, therefore I used my right as an American to properly dispatch that aberration by sending it back to the godless place where it came from.

Oak Orchard in upstate New York. My second year there. First week in December. I get to fish with an old and dear friend from St Louis who now lives in Maryland. Steelies were hard to come by. This fishery has been unfortunately labeled "blue collar." Basically , you have a couple miles of water, Everyone knows about it. There are absolutely huge browns in there at the right time. Salmon too, but who cares. Steelies come in after the spawn, which is when I make my ineffective appearance. It is definitely a stream where position is everything. And in some spots, there will be someone casting into the same run as you, except on the other side. Hence, the blue collar moniker, People want to fish, there are limited spots, competition is rife. It is still awesome. There are big fish there. You meet different people and it is actually pretty cool. I had a position A spot in the classic Archer hole and hooked up on so many fish, but failed to bring them in because of my misguided laziness in not fixing a simple snarl deep in my fly reel. I was breaking fish left and right. I thought the cold was causing my drag to seize up, when in actuality it was a line snarl down in the reel. Snap. Break. Snap off. > . Double . Big fish not brought to a net. My fault. Lesson learned. Anyway. There it is Mr Wrench. Somewhat of a disjointed story. Prolly cuz Im still unsober.

1970 . My apologies, I have no memory BTW Mr T-man, 1970?

St. Louis has a Super Bowl ring. Yet, we now have no team. So, KC, would you rather have a championship and no team, or a team with no championship but you still have a team? Stupid question, I know,, But I live in St. Louis where we have been doubled divorced. Then again, it is Kansas City MO right? Missouri? Not Kansas.

Accredited Missouri schools don’t let people bring in home made “lunch.” Especially hot dog casserole.

Only in America can someone be so good at a job, and yet be so hated.

Roll Tide Roll!

On ESPN. Must watch if you love basketball. I do. Wonderful, well done. Filmmaker was on sports talk radio in St Louis last week. His passion comes through. Love it.

Moral of the story: Don’t go to Bennett Springs. You’ll just get angry. Don’t fish angry. Mitch’s hellgrammite color washed out in Friday’s rain proved fruitful in Sunday’s sun.