GloryDaze

2.0 ft is ideal for floating, any lower and you will probably do alot of dragging. 4.0 and above, it gets really fast and powerful- I once did it at 4.4 and it was a blast. I think ideal level would be between 2-3 ft on the Mountain View Gauge.

Eric- We always put in at South Prongs and I have never had a problem with my car being vandalized (it's been left there as long as 4 days). It's a really big gravel bar and you won't have any problems camping there. I'll be doing that same float the first weekend in May!

No Trout- I beleive it's a 1 smallie limit of 18" Should have a good float in May, water should be warming up and they should be a little more active. Can't really go wrong with that section any time of year when it's floatable. I'll give a report after I get back the 1st weekend in May

KC- I've floated it 2 times, both when the gauge at Turner bend read right at 2'. At that level you would be good in your Old Town, but I'm told if you really want to hit the big water go when it's over 3' and an open canoe with no flotation will get swamped. There are definitely some hairy spots even with the water level low- it has alot of ledges on the lower section and alot of twisting and turning through tight sections on the upper. My buddy, who floated it for the first time last trip said "It has just enough rapids to keep you on your toes, and just enough breaks between them to get your heart rate to slow down" Don't know about fishing- although I did catch the fish of the day- a 16" largemouth on our recent trip. Russ (Wacky Worm) has the pics on his camera.

Here are a few pics- like I said, don't hold a candle and not all nature shots but here is some from our trip. http://www.flickr.com/photos/glorydaze/sets/72157623563561959/

There is Turner Bend and Byrd's - Great Pics! I just floated the Mulberry 2 weekends ago, I should post some pics, but they don't hold a candle to the one you took.

Buck to Bay Creek is great- you could put in at the Prongs, but the fishing and scenery aren't that great up there. By the way, I'll be doing the same section the first weekend in May- I floated that section 3 times last year so it's one of my favorites!! Have fun-

I think you are in for a real treat if you haven't floated that section-- here's what you can expect to find when fishing..... location undisclosed, but the fishing is terrible- never hurts to spit a little Grizzly long cut wintergreen on your bait ! By the way, in my experience when the level on the USGS is at 2.0-2.5 at Mountain View, fishing is the best- if you get where it's above 3.0, hang on tight it can be fast and furious!!

I must admit- I like to take some risks, but floating by myself this time of the year is one that I would not tackle. However, you could always try the Current or even the lower Elk... both pretty simple floats in my opinion. Me and a buddy are talking about a weekend in January.. if you would be interested, we could talk. Pics from our trip last December on the Current if you are intereted- http://www.flickr.com/photos/glorydaze/sets/72157620124240643/

I use a thermarest Trail Pro- large since I'm so tall.. you can get one for $90 or so. My buddy saved a little money and purchased the type that doesn't extend the whole length of your body- it ends about your thigh but keeps your core parts off the ground. What I like about mine is I can put it inside my bag so I'm not sliding off of it all night. That may not be the best way to do it, but when it's 0 degrees out it seems to keep me warm- my bag is also rated to -15 as well. They patch easy to- this summer I had a litte too much to drink one night and decided to just lay it on the Ozark rocks instead of putting anything under it- woke up to a deflated bed... oops By the way- Don't Flip!!! That water's freaking cold

I love winter floats as well- Floated the Current last year right before Christmas. Daytime highs in the low 20's with nigh time lows down to 0 and into the negatives. It was great- I did learn on that trip though, if you have a way when your sleeping to get your body off the ground it's much more comfortable and warm. Hence my purchase of a Thermarest after that trip- Enjoy.. I've alwayd been a fan of some Spiced Rum on these winter trips myself

Try this- http://www.modot.org/

http://www.catfishgrabblers.com/Products.htm Need I say More??

Heck, you could even offer the sponsor a "click through" option where we would have to click on their url to vote- that way you could have a guarantee that folks will visit their site- or just use the tool as an "add on" to their current sponsorship. Or they could provide a monthly drawing for a small giveaway for voting... sorry Phil, don't mean to be intrusive to your business just my sales background coming out in me.

darn Chief- I love all of your reports, I mean the quantity you give. It keeps my hopes up that I may still have a chance to sneak away. Here's my local report, I'm sure there are many similar- Left the house at 7 this morning with my mind set on catching some fish- It all went down hill quick when I walked into the office and realized the chances were slim of me wetting line unless I wanted to drop a line in the urinal The day ended with me dreaming of catching some fish but it's a challenge fishing in the dark while in my car stuck in traffic on the way home from the office. Oh well, looks like another long winter reading all of your reports..... Maybe next time I make the trip to Joplin to see the in laws, I can touch base and we could sneak away for a quick trip!!

I think it would be kind of cool if folks could submit photos every week, maybe 2 weeks and then narrow it down to the top 5. The the members could go in and vote for their photo of the week, month.. whatever it may be. It could be highlighted on your main page.. who knows you may even be ableto find a sponsor- "Kodak" photo of the week....

I have a little vacation time saved up and am off the week before Christmas and the week week after- I was thinking about trying to sneak away and wondered if I am the only one that's got the itch to get out no matter how cold the weather. Would like to spend 2 nights on the river, maybe fish but more importantly just enjoy the winter floating season.

You know Phil, the one thing I didn't mention about all of this- the story in itself is quite hilarious and I can only imagine the ups and downs everyone had while this whole thing played out- priceless I would imagine! New debate here- (sorry just can't resist) Would you have been more pissed if you would get this monster half way in the net and then the line breaks... then you spend the rest of your life wondering what might have been OR Land the thing, put it in a freezer, have someone accidentally throw it away never to be found and have to tell everyone you had the record but it's just not official??? I think the pain would be less in scenario #1

You see- it is a good topic after all. I think the thing that I appreciate is that I'm not even a trout fisherman, so just reading this thread has me more educated: Things I've learned from this thread: #1) A brown trout this big was probably at the end of his life cycle #2) Brown trout feed on Rainbows #3) Respect is in the eye of the beholder #4) Mark the 28lb fish in the freezer as "please do not throw away" #5) Some folks get so worked up over opinions- man, that's what makes the world go round....... Can't wait untilsomeone breaks the smallie record in the state- man that one could be a blast!!!!

Now you all know as well as I do all the stars that had to align perfectly for that guy to catch that fish. Think of how many lures passed in front of that dude in his day and he never got caught (well, if he did the he would have been released obviously). I mean really- I wonder how many lures that guy saw in his day and that was the day he finally decided to give her a try - - bad luck for mr. fishy Does he deserve a nice compliment for landing the fish- absolutely, but as for the respect card.. seems a little extreme to me.... I am not trying to take anything away from him, hell what I wouldn't give to be so lucky to land me a monster like that. Whether or not the fish lived, died, whatever- I really don't care either way I just thought it was a a real nice fish that seemed to go to total waste. Now Chief- this was not intended to be an ethical debate, rather me just curious as to why kill (freeze) the fish. Then I learned on this post alone the fish was at the end of its life cycle, I would have never known that had I not asked. I thought this would be a good conversation, debate whatever you want to call it, and it has been for the most part. Now on a side note- I will give the guy a little respect for being from Arnold, MO- that much we do have in common

That was funny Eric- if I didn't live so close to Tonganoxie, you might have got me on that one.

If any of you have read the article Phil wrote on the main page about the state record Brown Trout- please help me understand and comprehend a few things. I realize I run the risk of getting pummeled here but that's why we have discussion boards right? Help me understand why the joy and excitement of catching that monster is not enough- why would you want to kill it and then not even eat it? I understand there is a state record at risk here, but aren't the pictures, witnesses and scale you use enough proof you beat it. Does it really take freezing the fish and getting your name in a few books to close the deal? I do understand he is completely within his rights to do what he did- I was just wanting to hear a different perspective than mine on why he might have done what he did- - Just seems to me like a waste of a hell of a fish- Thoughts??

Hiring freeze is over, I am looking to fill 3 professional positions here in Kansas City: #1) Special Events Director- http://www.npconnect.org/page/jobs/?cl_v=r...mp;cl_aid=64300 #2) Special Events Director Bikers for Babies- http://www.npconnect.org/page/jobs/?cl_v=r...mp;cl_aid=64299 #3) State Director of Communications- http://www.npconnect.org/page/jobs/?cl_v=r...3&cl_six=20 If you are interested in applying, you have to follow the directions on the posting. However, if you have any questions, shoot me a PM- All three position will report directly to me.

Here's a pic of a big dude I caught 2 weeks ago- sure was fun! http://www.flickr.com/photos/glorydaze/4133006325/sizes/l/

I've posted this under the "short stories" before, where it has some pictures- it's under the topic "Snap, Crackle and Pop" but still my best story ever: OK, so this is not an Ozark River- but a trip report on a beautiful river in Northern California called the Russian. After 4 years I finally convinced my wife to jump in the canoe with me and enjoy the Russian River on our vacation to "Wine Country" I decided to keep it simple (I thought) and not fish and only float 5 miles. We took off on Monday morning from River's Edge Canoe rental in Headlsburg, CA with a loaded cooler and a camera: about 1 mile in the river winds through a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains, redwoods and big rocks. You see, I thought it would be a cool idea to step out of the canoe, climb those big rocks and have my wife take a picture of me. As I am standing up with one foot in the canoe and one on the boulder my wife says "be careful, you are going to hurt yourself. I respond, "honey, I have floated my whole life....................................." next thing I know, I hear a snap. crackle and paop and am in the water with my right arm sticking straight up in the air like I am raising my hand in school. Was it because I chose to do that- nope, instead I had slipped bounced off the rock fallen in the water and SEVERELY DISLOCATED MY SHOULDER!! I managed to somehow at least pull my arm down and swim to shore. My wife took this picture as I was trying (with no luck) to pop it back into place. So here we are- 2,000 miles from home, floating on a Monday with a wife that has never paddled a canoe. It's hard to describe how it felt but not good to say the least. I told her she had to paddle as fast as possible for 4 miles so I could get to the ER. Luckily we came upon some people and they called the rental company, who picked us up and took me to the ER: Where they pulled and pulled but could not get it back in socket- 2 hours and counting from the time it happened- finally, they hook me up with an IV and pump me full of pain killers and pulled her back in. As soon as the drugs wore off it was off to the wineries to sooth the pain with some bubbly!!!