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Uh, that's my friend Mark's fish. I was the one taking the picture. I also recorded some HD video with my Lumix camera of him catching the fish and releasing it. I just have to figure a way to post it. I guess I need to link it to YouTube or another video sharing site. KC, I think the JF is a splendid choice. Well, ya see, Norm, it's like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members! In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine! That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers." Cliff Claven

Crooked Creek. This was caught 2 weeks ago between Pyatt and Kelley's. Many more just like it. BUT, there's nothing wrong with Bryant, NFOW, or any other smallmouth river. Go where you want. Don't be a politician and let opinion polls guide your choices. Instead, say: "I wanna go HERE." Then go.

Now, if you really want to prolong your orgassss...Oops, sorry, wrong Forum. Nice fish, er, babies, er camera. Now what site did you say this was? "There is only one most beautiful baby in the world, and every mother has it." Anonymous (sniff)I love you, man.

"my set up" ?? I have a wife and three self-centered teenagers, it's a nightmare down here. Why do you think I escape any chance I get? I'm joking of course. I think.

Smalliebigs, I get excited just waking up in the morning, let alone fishing, trust me. Your friendly sarcasm is duly noted and enjoyed. I absolutely love stream fishing for smallies. Just because I don't measure all the time, doesn't mean I don't get excited about catching fish. As you age, your wants and needs change, in this case, with regard to fishing. They become more refined and focused. Its what I want out of it, everything else is secondary. I fish the way I want to fish. That's it. It's not right, it's not wrong, it's just the way it is. (Sorry Bruce Hornsby). You'll see.

The MDC sells 18" sticker rulers that you can put on your canoe, either on a gunwale or the side. Honestly though, the only time I measure a fish nowadays, is when I think it might go 20 inches. I've caught enough 16 17 and 18 inch fish to know what they look like. However, if a bar tab is on the line for the biggest fish, then of course I would measure...

Depends on the angle of the backrest. Plus, I find a higher back (I'm 6'2") is more comfortable. I've always thought that a padded folding molded boat seat would be good, especially with your modifications.

Nice woodworking Eric. I wonder, if you went through all that effort to make the seat, why not finish the job with a wood seat back, kind of like the Old Town slat back. Then put a Therma-A-Rest seat cushion on the seat. I have those GSIs, and I think they're just OK, even though their about the best I've found so far, given my lunkerish proportions.

I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2, it is waterproof, takes HD video, 14 megapixels, Leica lens, and is orange (which is good, because it makes it easier to find underwater if you accidently drop it, or you get flipped out of your canoe in rapids, which I did last weekend on Crooked Creek). But, the reason for my response is how does one post HD video to this forum? It is 64.5 MB.

I agree with Taxidermist 100%. Big lures, big fish. Small lures, small fish. If you hook a nice one on your ultra-light with 4 pound test, it'll break you off and break your heart. Spoons, Rooster Tails, jigs, they'll all catch fish, and how, but your chances of hooking, let alone landing, a lunker are greatly diminished. That is if you want to catch big fish.

Jigs will catch small trout without fail. Every so often, I mean rarely, you might get lucky and catch a lunker. Instead, buy gold and black F11 Rapalas and flail away. You'll be amazed how many, and how large, the fish you'll catch. Use 6 or 8 pound test. It's not glamorous, but it is effective, especially if you want a decent chance at scoring a trophy. If not, well... The above applies to the Current River. The Meramec too.

D'OH! Sorry. On a more topical note, is there a decent river map of Crooked Creek? I have one from the Arkansas Floaters guide, I guess put out by Arkansas Tourism (which I also saw on the Southwest Paddler website). It's OK at best, I'd like to see river miles on it. Last time I did CC, I printed out a bunch of topo maps to take with us (we did a 3 day float). Ok, but cumbersome, and you still kind of had to guess. Just wond'ring aloud.

I just might do that muddy. The gauge at Kelly is at 13 right now. For some reason, I have it in my head that 12 ft is a real good level for CC, especially in the summer. I don't mind dragging here and there, it's to be expected in the Ozarks, in the summer, but I shore don't like dragging all day long. It gets wearisome after awhile. Anyway, good pics. (Though, when I look at FT57's hat, I get an urge to eat rice. Wonder why?)

Thanks for the info FT57. 11 miles in 10 hours is a pretty good clip. I imagine the river was moving you along pretty good. Don't know what we'll do yet. Harmon to Pyatt, Snow to Kelly or Georges to Kelly. We might do'em all if the Buffalo sucks. Thanks again.

How long did it take you to float that section? And how many miles? I'll be down there this weekend, fishing both Crooked Creek and the Buffalo.

Funny you should mention Big River, Al. Last Sunday I floated from 21 down to the park, a float I used to do all the time in the late 90's and early 2000's. Back then, for me,it was close to home, easy to fish, and had a lot of big smallies in it. I caught my first 20 incher there in 1998, on the Blackwell to 21 float (I think). But after 2000 though, it seemed the Big didn't fish well where I wanted to float. It stayed too murky for too long, and the spots seemed to overtake everything. So I avoided it. A month or so ago, I drove to the Mineral for grins to mess around with my fly rod. Passing over the Big on 21, I noticed how good it looked (hmm). So, with a rare open Sunday afternoon, I decided to go to the Big for old times sake. Washington State Park could shuttle me to 21, even at 3 pm. I launched in a steady rain, which then turned into an hour-long thunderstorm(but I knew that was coming). I was all alone on stretch that I hadn't done in years. The pleasantly surprising thing was, I caught only one spot, while catching a bunch of smallies in the 14-16 inch range. I missed two others that were definitely bigger. In all, a worthwhile trip, one that I'll again keep in mind when I want a quick fix of smallmouth action.

Master: I was there June 20-26 for a golfing tournament/family vacation. We stayed in Pawleys Island, which is just south of Myrtle. There are plenty of things to do there, regardless of your children's age (unless they're babies). When we were there it was brutally hot and humid, they were getting August weather in June. The best time to go to the beach was from 4-7pm. Less crowd, more breeze and comfortable temps. Plus, it will probably be your best time to surf fish. I didn't fish, so no advise there, but there are plenty of fly shops in the area you can call. I would imagine Clousers, glass bead minnow and shrimp imitations are standard. Murrells Inlet is where most of the charters go out of, a lot of them just tossing bait overboard for sea bass. Whatever is running in August when you go is what you'll be surf fishing for. Expect a lot of traffic going to and from Myrtle, especially on the main drag. We went through Chattanooga and Atlanta, down to Charleston, and up to Pawleys with no problem. So, that's my fast reply. Also, remember, they don't sell liquor at grocery stores. They're sold at ABC (or red dot) stores which are not open on Sundays. As I always say, rehab is for quitters.

Atta boy Gavin! You tell 'im. I would have done the same thing. But probably less tactfully. In response to jah's original query: There is a path across that gravel bar that leads all the way down to Ashley Creek, but it's probably overgrown. But why would you want to do that? It's June and 90 degrees. Stay in the water for Pete's sake and wade down. You'll catch more fish that way rather than bushwacking and swatting bugs and getting your rod all tangled in the brush. Not to mention poison ivy. Unless you're wearing waders. You're not wearing waders are you? In June? In Missouri?

Good on ya. Nice fish. Keep it going.

The upper Meramec is always a quality option. Good fishing, close to home, more time spent fishing than driving. This fish was caught last week. Sorry about the phone pic.

Never mind. Camp. Fish. Have a good time.

Zack - I like any blend that will fit in my mouth. Right now, I'm tending toward the smaller Maduro torpedos. I like the way they taste, they smoke evenly, and don't last overly long on the river. When I smoke bigger cigars while fishing, I wind up chomping it toward the end, so it looks like a St. Bernard has been gnawing on it. Definitely not good eats.

I thought poling was for people who don't have paddles. Or for women with tatoos who work in Sauget, IL.

There are a few there. Some old ones are gone, and some new ones have cropped up in different spots. No big deal though. Doesn't change the fish population. They're still there.