GloryDaze

Can someone give me some help- I'm camping at Bay Creek this weekend and will not be arriving until around midnight Thursday evening- I cannot seem to find what the gravel road is called off HWY 106 I will need to turn on. It looks like it's closer to Alley on the south side- I'm guessing it's about 4 miles to the river once I turn off?

I have always had my best luck with Smallies from Round Spring to Two rivers. From Aker's to Round it seems like I have only caught trout and never a smallie. I remember the boats hauling a%$ up and down the river on that section as well- As for camping, there is a spot that is just beautiful if there is enough wood. Here is the link: The pics of the campsite are labeled Current #5-#9 http://www.flickr.com/photos/glorydaze/page8/ This camp was about 13 miles downstream from Round Spring or 4 miles above Two Rivers.

It's called a BWI- Boating While Intoxicated... They can take you to jail if they choose, but the offense will not show up on your driving record (automobile)

Al- I'm pretty much a novice on the topwater action and wanted ask a few quick questions if you don't mind helping? 1) Do you fish this lure out of your canoe or only from the shore while standing? 2) Do you fish it through the rapids like you would a tube or Chomper? What;s the best spot to target? 3) Does the time of day or weather dictate whe you use the topwater? Thanks for the great report- I remember my dad taking me to the Big River when I was a child

Ozark- What a great trip you are in for! That section up by Cane Bluff is beautiful and holds quite a few smallies before you hit Greer. There are no rapids to worry about on this trip= heck, last time we went right past Mary Decker shoals and didn't even realize we did.. absolutely no worries about that rapid. As a matter of fact, I think I posted a trip report on my excursion from Cane to Riverton on this forum. I have attached a link to some pictures of my trip if you are interested, not many but few- http://www.flickr.com/photos/glorydaze/page7/ By the way here is my trip report: Saturday August 2nd: Left this morning at 6am from the house to meet Nolan in Salem. We left my car at Wal-Mart and loaded his up for the trip to the river. We put in at Cane Bluff around 2pm right in the heat of the day. This was my first overnight trip with my Tsunami 125 so I was pretty loaded down and curios to see how she handled. This upper section of the river was surprisingly narrow (I’m talking some spots 3-4’ wide) But it was also very pretty and the woods were filled with green. The smallmouth were biting for me, but I hooked nothing bigger than about a 10-11” every now and then. Nolan figured out this new jig called an “eakin’s jig” that put him on some pretty big fish. The problem was, I was so impatient and have trouble fishing those slower lures I didn’t even get to see his fish until he showed me the pictures. Once I saw the pics I must admit I was a little jealous. It did seem like this upper section went from really narrow chutes to long slow pools for most of the day. This section was a pretty easy float with no real challenges or obstacles to avoid. We decided to camp about a mile upstream from Greer Spring for the evening around 8:30. We settled in with a small fire, a chicken and rice foil pack and had a few Rum and Coke’s, Vodka and Redbull’s and we were sawing logs in no time. We traveled about 6 miles today in about 6 hours. Sunday, August 3rd: Even thought the day was hot, it was real comfortable sleeping last night. Got up around 8 and had some scrambled eggs and lil’ smoky foil packs for breakfast. We had to wait for the fog to lift before we could go anywhere. Soon we came across the entrance of the Greer Spring branch on river right. It is unbelievable how much water is pumped in everyday and how cold it is. We decided to do some wading and fish for some trout here. I caught about 8 in an hour and I know Nolan caught about the same. All mine were a decent size and mostly Rainbow. What a difference the spring branch makes in this river! I could not believe how fast and full it was the rest of the trip. The water remained cold, which hurts smallie fishing but the trout were still biting. We had been anticipating the rapids at Mary Decker Shoals, however when we arrived…. Umm well, there just wasn’t much of a rapid?? After this we ran into a lot of Jetboats!! It seemed like they were running a shuttle service there were so many zipping up and down the river. This section of the river had a lot more bluffs and scenery in my opinion and was just beautiful to float. As we started to look for camp, the fog started to settle in on the river and it was unbelievable looking. It was only about 5 foot off the water, but it just made things seem so pretty. We settled in right after Greenbriar float camp on River left. Tonight it was traditional foil packs with a little Bud Light, PBR and the last of our Rum and Coke. The biggest memory of the night was these little black bugs that just attacked us for about 2 hours. They were real small and rolled up into a ball when you scraped them off of you. Today we traveled about 16 miles in about 10 hours of floating. Monday, August 4th: Last night actually got chilly so it was real comfortable!! We had to wait for the fog to clear again before we took off. Our goal form day one was to be off the water by 10am so we could both get home at a decent time. We had some pancakes and took off for Riverton. Nothing real exciting today on the river- However we did find some fishing line hung up in a tree and it was dangling in the water. On the end of the line a bat had gotten hung up and was dead from drowning. Well, the uneventful day changed when we came around the corner and hit a major ledge and drop off. We didn’t even scout it, but we stayed river right and it was actually quite a ride!! If we would have gone river left, it would have definitely been some big waves and a fun ride as well. This is the biggest rapid I have seen on an Ozark stream. I can’t remember the name of it though?? Believe it or not we arrived at the bridge in Riverton at 10 on the dot- The funny thing is our car wasn’t there for us- Oh well, we can wait a few minutes.. well at 30 minutes we asked the Parks Department lady if she would call Richard’s canoe and let them know we were there. An hour and 20 minutes later were both pissed and cussing the rental place. Nolan decides to walk up the parking lot an “I’ll be darn” there’s the car. It has been here the whole time and we managed to not think about looking in the parking lot. Needless to say the trip ended with a little humor and laughs at ourselves. We traveled about 6 miles today in about 3 hours.

Now don't tell me you havent' spent a little time jammin' to some Twisted Sister in your day......Not even a little "I wanna Rock" when you're having a rough day and just want to rock out?? Believe it or not- he is playing a pretty big role with an event I have coming up in September.. can you imagine the crowd that's still coming out to see him- it should be priceless!! And given the fact you actually recognized him tellls me you are smewhat familiar with the likes of "We're not Gonna Take it" 'Destroyer" and "Let the good times Roll"- all of which are classic rock hits!!

Say it ain't so Joe- I'm not usually a keyboard warrior and rarely stoop to the level of silly online banter, but your post is just a softball waiting to be hit out of the park- Obviously you can read my previous posts, however comprehending them seems to be the disconnect here. I never once stated I had any problems with the Federal Agent questioning me. As a matter of fact, I welcome the interrogation- rather my concern was the tone and rudeness in the way I was questioned. I believe he has every right to ask me as many questions as he feels necessary until he can decide if I am threat to him and (or) the river. It is my opinion that if his tone and demeanor would have been friendly I would have never posted this to start. Please refer back to the orginal post regarding the fishing license and parking. However, just to clarify for the 3rd time regarding the fishing license. At the time he questioned me for my license I was not attempting to take fish- heck, the poles were not even out of the car. So while I appreciate your observation and accusation I was breaking the law, you are wrong bud. As for the parking- if you read the original post, the agent made it clear there was no way for me to know I was parking illegal and it is their fault they do not provide better signage. So, once again- it is obvious you can read but it is very clear you cannot comprehend. So Joe- I will go back to my original stance...... All I wanted to do is enjoy the weekend on the river. I had a bad experience with an agent and shared it with the board here. When doing that, I understand my opinions and story are open for scrutiny. Quite honestly I rather enjoy starting a little fun conversation once in a while on these boards. So thank you for scrutinizing my story- heck what's that old saying "opinions are like a-holes, everyone's got one" I hope your experiences with agents on the river are good in the future and you never have to deal with an agent like this. - Cheers

Soggy- I agree with most of what you said, however a few things maybe not so much- Let's just say the agent made me feel like I was guilty until I could prove myself innocent. You wouldn't have written me a ticket because my fishing poles had not even left the car, so you would have did what he did check it out. And you would have then believed me that I had a license, but called it in on the way down and just simply forgot the 8 digit confirmation number they gave me. Him not knowing me from Adam, I would maybe expect a decent encounter and maybe try building some rapport before treating me like I was doing something wrong. All he encouraged me to do was not come back- now I know for some of you that is a good thing.... but for every one of me that doesn't come back- there is a good chance the person who replaces me will not treat the river and it's surroundings anywhere near as good as I do. All I hope is they are catching people doing things illegally and can do it often enought to clean things up and make a difference.

Don't have a great answer- just loook at the archives and their are plenty of trips discussed. I think the out of state license is like $10 a day....

You'll probably get 20 responses on what lures to use, but I'll bite- Wacky worm- green Tube- Green Craw- crankbait That's all I would bring, but like I said everyone has their "go to lure"- Where in TN?? I used to live there and was limited to the Harpeth just outside of Nashville.

Sounds like there are a few guys here from KC, including me- maybe in June we could plan a trip to the Big Sug, Little Sug or Indian some mid-week. The problem with the Big Sugar is all canoe traffic starting on Friday. Creek Wader- If you go with the Big Sugar- the outfitter you want is Hog Heaven (ask for Jean Ann or Russ)- they have been taking care of me for over a year now and I've floated that river no less than 15 times. They have a nice campground and only allow a certain amount of people to camp there- They DO NOT LIKE dealing with the river yahoooo's and will not tolerate it. I need to fish Shoal with you guys someday- I'm there quite a bit as my mother in law to be lives in Purcell and my fiancee is from Webb City.

I would go to the Big Sugar if you want more smallies- If you take a look at the link for that river you will see there are alot of good fish caught on that river! It's also my personal favorite in SW Missouri- Have fun!

I'm planning a trip on the Big Piney- Mason Bridge to Ross the first week in May. I haven't floated this river in 3 years and forgot what level (near Big Piney according to USGS) is considered good for fishing and when it is considered high and dangerous. Can anyone help me with this??

So let me set the stage for Red's fish: We were throwin' everything we had at them- heck I even tried a crankbait I was gettting so desperate. There were so many spots that looked good but we were not even getting a nibble. Well we're at Gracies (I think) and within a mile of being finished when I feel that tug on the end of the line, not once, not twice but three times- well it had been so long since I even got a nibble I was half a sleep (or maybe drunk) and totally missed him. Meanwhile Red is floating behind me and asks me if I missed one? I said it had been so long I forgot what the nibble of a fish on the pole felt like- I was no sooner done telling him that and he says- "You mean THAT type of nibble?" I look over he's setting the hook like it was a 20incher but in reality it couldn't have been bigger that 8"- It didn't matter though because he landed it and then screamed so loud the folks down at Low Water probably heard him. Needless to say it was pretty darn funny, but what made it worse was we had a bet: 1st Fish Biggest Fish Most Fish He won all three with a darn 8" dinker!! He was a good sport and only claimed prize for the 1st one caught- Overall, it was a blast and despite the lack of fish we had a great time and everyone ran Craig O Lea except Redfish- See you guys soon-

Those two options are two totally different mileage's- One is 9 miles and one is 16 miles! If you wanted to do 16 miles or so, you could put in at Rymer's and float down to Alley Spring. If you wanted to do less, maybe 9 or so you could do Rymer's to Bay Creek. I just wouldn't feel comfortable leaving all those cars at Bay Creek though. I did this trip last week and when we passed Bay creek there was a huge group of locals drinking, hollering and blaring their music. As you know, the upper section is just beautiful being in the mountains and all- If it were me I would go from Buck Hollow to Bay Creek and just make sure there were no valuables left in the car. Harvey's is who we used for the shuttle and he charged my $45 to shuttle from Buck Hollow to Alley Spring ** Not sure if you have seen this mileage map, but it sould help: http://www.missouricanoe.org/river-maps/jacksfork.html

Don't sweat the forecast too much- I mean hell, these guys get it wrong 70% of the time 2 days before, especially in the spring so 7-10 days is darn near impossible. I don't use the weather channel- I have had more luck with the NOAA website. When you read the USGS gauge, look at the little yellow triangles on the graph- that gives you a general idea of what the average flow is during that time- I may be wrong, but I would think much above that average would cause the water to turn brown and be fast. As for the class III to start- what a great beginning to a trip (fully loaded boat, just settling in and bammmmm, here she comes!!!) Man what an adrenalin rush you could get early on!!!!!! YEEEHHAAAAAAAAA............... PS- I floated from Pruitt to Mt. Hershey in early March and caught a few smallies (4-5) all around the 12-14" range.

NEVER LANDED? Now come on folks, I'm a fisherman too and I know we all have that one story that we can tell when we're sitting around the campfire, exaggerated or not, let's hear em' - Mine is this: I was yak fishing for smallies on the Elk River in Missouri when I landed a biggun'. He started pulling my 12.5' yak around in the water and the drag started screaming. I just knew I was about to land a 20" smallmouth when....... I'm pretty sure I saw him jump, and I'm pretty sure he was a greenie, and I'm pretty sure he was 3-4lbs, but I'll never know because he spit out the lure!! As you can tell the first half is 100% true and the second half, I'm pretty sure I continue to use my imagination to have it be as big as it was, either way it was the biggest fish that I half caught that got away...

I have the opportunity to spend a few days in Cape Girardeau, MO in the near future. I'm wondering if anyone has some ideas of rivers or streams I could float and fish for smallies on?? Any thoughts would be great!!

We floated Pruitt to Mt Hershey- I have to say, every river I float has it's own personality and I have trouble settling with just one. While the bluffs are great here, the trout and flow of the Current are also great. I am pretty lucky to have a job and fiance' that allow me to spend sooo much time on these rivers!! I'll be back the first week in April to either the upper Buffalo of the Upper Jack's Fork. I'll keep you posted-

Here are a few- They are labeled Buffalo 09'..... http://www.flickr.com/photos/glorydaze/

We ended up floating Pruitt to Mt. Hershey this weekend- Has anyone else had a run-in with agents in that area?? Mine was unpleasant to say the least- First of all, I am a law abiding citizen that loves the rivers and outdoors as much as anyone. I don't expect to be treated like I have done something wrong even before I get on the river. Here's the story in a nutshell (sort of)- we ge to Pruitt around 6:15 Friday night and pull down on the gravel bar to unload our kayaks. No sooner did we get out of the car and an agent and his trainee pull up, walk over and start the interrogation: Not even a how are you doing, or hello, instead- Can I see your fishing license please? My buddy had his on paper and I had called and got mine on the way down and then forgot the # they gave me (my fault) I explained to him I was in the system but forgot the #- He demanded our drivers license and then sat in his car for 5 minutes. He comes back and tells us we are both in the system but he was giving me a break since I did not have the piece of paper. Then he proceeds to not so nicely tell me that where I am parked on the gravel bar is illegal and that I drove over an embankment to get to the gravel bar. He admits they could do a better job of signage, so I really couldn't have known but none the less I was still illegaly parked. The rest of the conversation was him asking me questions- "Have any glass on you?", "Is this car registered to you so if I run your plates it will come back in your name?", "Do you have any trash sacks with you?" and on and on and on.......... - By the time we got on the river, I was pretty frustrated with the whole exchange and figured it was justa slow day and he needed something to do or show off in front of his trainee- I do have a question about the fishing license though- What is the law around when I need to have purchased one? Is it when I have physically cast one time into the river? Or is it when I step foot on a gravel bar? Or is just having poles in my possession without a license illegal?? Other than that the trip was beautiful and we enjoyed that stretch of river with decent weather- The most excitement we had on the trip, other than my buddy flipping his canoe about a half-mile down from Carver (just after the tree that has the wooden pallot hanging in it about 10' in the air) Was Sunday morning, we came around a bend and I looked to the left to see a female Elk just laying on the bank soaking it all in. She just sat there as we paddled closer and closer- We got within 10' and took a bunch of pics and some video. She eventually ran up under the fence and into a field. But being a city boy from Kansas City, it was quite exciting to see her in the wild like that!! ( I will post some pics tomorrow) Thanks everyone for all the advice about the trip in advanca!! Oh, by the way Bobber- I will not post any pics of the fish we caught, but I will say your Cyber-fishing guide service was pretty accurate.....

Thanks for the info about Jesse- I talked with him yesterday and he is going to shuttle us this weekend- Are you guys suggesting to fish in the long deep slow stretched between riffles?? By the way, I never keep smallies- only rock bass..

So my rain dance didn't work today so I could float the upper section- I think I'll give the Carver to Woolum stretch a whirl, I hear that's good smallie fishing. Anyone have advice on how,where and what to fish this weekend with the weather really cooling down??

Hey Bobber- How much rain would you guess would be needed to float Ponca to Pruitt this weekend- I'm watching the forecast and it seems "iffy" to get any?? Secondly, I have never been from Pruitt to Mt Hershey (can you eve take-out there)- If I did that section, would it be reasonable to do 1-2 miles Friday night, enjoy Saturday and be off the river by 12 on Sunday??

Russ- I would love to come down and help depending on what time you would be heading out on the river. Do you guys have any idea what time you would head out?? I would be driving down and back the same day- I'll drop Keri off in Joplin and head your way if I can pull it off.