joeD

Why ruin potato chips with fish? Why ruin butter with fish and chips?! On second thought.... Mmmmm...butter.

Fished the upper Big this past Saturday. More of a scouting mission really. I'd only done the last half once, many years ago. Due to my late (noonish) start, my main goal was to finish in daylight ( it was 6 miles) and get a feel for the river and it's stated distance. My fishing was cursory at best, using many different lures, with no obvious pattern emerging. Fishing was good I thought, all things considered. No monsters, but the action was steady, albeit unspectacular. I will admit, however, that I absolutely loved this float. The water quality, scenery, fishing potential ( I did lose a nice one that never came up after a topwater boil and run upstream) hit me in the right way. Many of you will probably recognize this area, it's no secret. No big whup. I've never done it and was suitably impressed.

Where dya thank yer goin city boy?

Replacement trebles? Hmmm. What about, say, replacement crankbaits? Sorry, I forgot. Tinkerers. There is nothing out there that can't be improved through the judicious use of "fiddling about." Carry on.

Yeah, but. Sometimes easy is good. We can put the learning aside for a few minutes... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... See? Now that wasn't so bad was it? Now git.

Splendid fish Gavin! Photos too. Love it. Now, about those white legs of yours...

Scott- Good job getting out and learning. Unfortunately, you picked the wrong year and the wrong time to go fishing on that particular stretch of the Meramec. Really. The fish don't know whether to poop, or go sailing. They've had super high temperatures early, with low water, then high water, then freezing cold temperatures with murky water. Remember, it looks like June out there, but it's still April. A very changeable April. So, for what it's worth, you did fine. No one else is exactly knockin' 'em out. Basically, I think fishing on our Ozark streams will be a hit or miss affair, mostly miss, until summer.

I understand your points completely. I do. I get it. I've been involved in sports one way or another my whole life. As a fan, I root for my teams (SLU, Mizzou, St. Louis Blues, Rams, Cards) regardless of who they're playing. Rivalries don't affect my level of interest or viewing pleasure. I just enjoy the athletic competition between teams and/or individuals. And if I know someone who is a diehard, rabid fan of (name your team), I go out of my way, and take great pleasure, in poking him with a stick. Anyway, different strokes. No big whup.

Man, what is about rivalries? Rivalries are for high school. You know, when you and the Beaver put your Mayfield letterman sweaters on, get in the car and pick up Whitey and Lumpy (sorry, CLARENCE) and go across town to the "big game." This is 2012 college athletics. Schools are interchangeable. It's now a spectacle for fans to watch.

You have much to learn Scott. For starters. 1. Get to know the USGS Water level and discharge gauges for critical river info. In other words, Is it up? Muddy? Up but clear? Normal; but muddy? You get the picture. 2. Then call an outfitter in that particular area and ask them about water conditions. 3. Then, if you must go, then go. And when you get to your destination, you can then correlate what the numbers mean on the USGS to the reality of the water in front of you. 4. Right now, if I had to guess, the water around Birds Nest is a little too high and fast, probably murky, for any effective fishing. 5. Go up higher, or try another stream. 6. Finally, my best advise is to actually quit asking for advise. Just go and do what you want. While we can explain things, tell you where to go or what to do, at some point, you're gonna have to figure it out for yourself. And that takes time and effort. There is no other way. Go out and do it, report back, and we'll see what happens.

Let me get this straight. Many of you boo-hoo about the "loss" of "rivalries" and the "purity" of college competition. Because, of course, the "past" was better. It was more "real" and "meant something." And somehow we're all degraded because of the universities naked pursuit of money. So what? Why does it matter to the general populace, who have absolutely no stake in the matter, that an entity seeks to make money? Isn't that what we all do? Why is it so distasteful that universities do it? Don't they have an obligation to stay solvent and relevant for future generations? "it's all about the money." Good grief, I'm tired of hearing it. No kidding it's about the money. That's how we survive and thrive, personally, corporately, and culturally. There is absolutely nothing wrong about it. Random moralizing is of no use and is immaterial to any argument about monetary decisions universities make. Also. Please. How can a fan of college football seriously say that they would prefer to watch, say, Iowa State (now THAT'S a rivalry. They've been in the conference for DECADES!) at Faurot Field , than, say, LSU? What about Alabama? Tennessee? Florida? South Carolina? Gimme a break. Just because it's old, and just because it's the past, doesn't unequivocally make it better. Get on board. You don't take a horse to work, so don't take it personally, when we want to move forward.

Why do you want to give your sister and her family second best? Why scrimp and equivocate about an Ozark experience? Do they have a phobia about driving south of I-70? Quit cheesing out on her and take her (them) to a proper Ozark stream. Give her the truth. Anything less would be...

Billethead- Don't worry. You didn't miss the boat. There was no boat to fucking miss. You're in a dither about selling a 12 year old canoe? Sales tax? The DMV? Good grief. Title? To a canoe? Forget it. You and your buyer deserve each other. I hope you two spend months dickering about...nothing. Trust me, you two took a simple transaction and made it unnecessarily complicated. Sorry, I gotta go before I get too worked up. I've got a toaster cozy that I'm knitting that I MUST finish before Friday.

Title app? Bill of sale? DMV? For a canoe? Hopefully you're jesting. If not, then, well, hmm, ...good luck! "Leads?!

Go to Chuck Tryon's "200 Smallmouth Adventures" book and look in the counties you desire. I wouldn't consider these "Ozark" streams, but...maybe they might suffice.

I have an older version of that shoe. I think three years old. They're perfect. I especially like the hard toe. I also bought the Simms neoprene wading sock to go with. It's very thin, and does a decent job keeping rocks out. Very satisfied. Expensive, though (what Simms product isn't?). As far has traction on slick rocks, I don't know, because if a rock is slippery, I try not to stand or walk on it (them).

I posted thrice?! What a moron.

Dear Earth: Sorry for our existence. I'm sure you'd be better off without me. Your perfection is undeniable. Sincerely, humans PS: We love to fish for smallmouth bass in the Missouri Ozark streams. Is that wrong? Even if they weren't there "originally?" PSS: We know. Sorry. Will do better next time. Bye.

Dear Earth: Sorry for our existence. I'm sure you'd be better off without us. Your perfection is undeniable. Sincerely, humans PS: We love to fish for smallmouth bass in the Missouri Ozark streams. Is that wrong? Even if they weren't there "originally?" PSS: We know. Sorry. Will do better next time. Bye.

Dear Earth: Sorry for our existence. I'm sure you'd be better off without me. Your perfection is undeniable. Sincerely, humans PS: We love to fish for smallmouth bass in the Missouri Ozark streams. Is that wrong? Even if they weren't there "originally?" PSS: We know. Sorry. Will do better next time. Bye.

Mitch. That fish and that record have nothing to do with you. It's in Oklahoma. On a lake. He caught it. Bully for him. Your consummate skill on our Ozark streams is still viable and in play.

It is not the current. It is not the Meramec. It is not Castlewood. And honestly, I'm not sad either. Young people die all the time doing dumb dung. People drown because of poor decisions. Those poor decisions are made by people who in all probability DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SWIM. The percentage of the populace who lack basic swimming skills is very high. Yet, they still play in and around waters in an unsafe manner. Think about it. What sensible person would look at the Meramec at Castlewood and think it would be a good idea to go swimming? In April? Make no mistake. This scenario will be repeated year after year. Time or place will vary. The end result will be the same. Youthful potential gone in a watery second.

Just do the Piney. You know you want to do it. You would prefer to catch smallies. So, go do it. Pick a section, and sally forth. All the above suggestions are fine. Think long, think wrong. There is no such thing as the "perfect float." I understand your desire for reliable beta, but, at some point, you'll reach an informational saturation point where you will still be hamstrung on where to go. It's your life, you decide, and then tell us what happened. It's better that way. Or. Go to the 11pt. Whatever. Nevermind.

My wife has been married to me for 21 years for some reason. Are there better husbands than me out there? No question. But, apparently, she likes me enough to keep me. Same with Power Pro. I've used it for years and am quite satisfied with its performance. Are there other braids out there that are just as good? Absolutely. Are they significantly superior? No. Conclusion? Easy. Buy what you want and are happy with. You are missing absolutely nothing choosing one brand over another. Just ask your wife.

I wouldn't worry about gully-washers, because you have no control over the weather. But, since you've brought it up, I would get to know the USGS water levels and flows for your four rivers, particularly the areas you plan to fish. I think the rivers you mentioned are in different watersheds, so, whereas one or two streams might get blown out after a rain event, the other one or two could be fine, depending on the paths of the storms. Plus, having a contact or two (an outfitter for example), on each of those streams will also help in your decision making. That is, if you are a 100% lock in coming this May. Also, I believe big lures attract big fish.