2sheds

To: bkbying89 I undertook a similar endeavor to fish all of the WILD trout venues in MO and found to be incredibly educating: a) in terms of the incredibly encouragement from others members of this forum, and b ) for what I learned about our incredible resources in Missouri along the way. My advice: 1) Flies do not matter. I caught the entire spectrum on a pheasant tail nymph, but I suspect that was only successful because this was the fly I believed in. I fished summer, therefore sun and nymphs, but am certain I would have success with many other flies. Most important on these creeks/streams is stealth AND confidence. 2) These small creeks demand stealth. Others flies are much better than me. But read the posts that document trout behavior when they sense human behavior within 100 yards. I am fortunate to have learned by fishing behind the incredibly stealthy Jason @ Deercliff Furled leaders so I could learn from his actions. That is truly the most important characteristic to catch incredible wild trout in Missouri. My suggestion is that you hook up with a mentor. 3) Not only will you visit beautiful places, but you will develop the understanding of why trout can mature in this spot, but also what it takes for you to become part of the mystery. Please keep us posted with your success (and challenges). Know that you have plenty of champions supporting your endeavor.

Hey DainW, Glad you had success on a true wild-trout challenge. Great color in your photo. Some nice fish hang out near the ball fields, always a good place to enjoy the creek. In fact, I lost a very nice one last summer in the downstream shadow of the highway bridge. But there are lots of difference "faces of crane". Next time you get in the area, you would enjoy reserving time to explore Upper Access and Lower Access, in addition to downtown. Each has its own beautiful character. I don't know a closer campground than Roaring River, which is well-managed. You can also get some great RR & Crane insight from Tim @ Tim's Fly Shop which is about 1 mile north of RR toward Cassville on the left side of MO-112. Drove through Crane this Thanksgiving and found the "losing creek" aspect of Crane to have drained the Upper Creek almost 1/2 mile upstream of the southern Upper Access (near the railroad bridge). Got to walk the dry creek through some of my favorite fishing spots, but somehow did not recover all of my lost flies !

Great Day ! Thanks for sharing. Let's take care of this river (one of my favorites).

Are you sure this isn't a Carp or perhaps some sort of Smelt ? i think, as a group, that we are much too fixuated onto TROUT. I mean, what is the deal ?

Thank you each and all for the timely advice. Fishinwrench and Gavin, I got your replies before I left Dallas and continued per original plan. SpoonDog, I also appreciate your sage advice - it was a bit tricky to wade, but I was careful, picked my spots, and had no issues. Camped at Sunburst July 18-20 and had excellent flyfishing conditions. Perhaps not as many as I would have liked, but certainly larger trout than I usually catch - including a personal best 20" rainbow and personal best 15" brown. Witnessed a 20+" brown caught by a young lady who had never trout fished before. Best of all, the fast water had cleared out most of the mossy-snags that I have typically encountered when bouncing nymphs near the bottom on this river. Not many places in the Ozarks where you can camp within an easy stroll to great fishing. Having been a Riverside camper for many years (now closed - best wishes to Susan & Allen), this was my first trip to Sunburst. Amy & Justin run a high-quality campground. I will be back ! One of Jason Rudolph's flies - Brilliant Blue Hare's Ear Nice Dorsal - But what is this guy ? You can get anywhere from here

Planning to camp at Sunburst Ranch area for a few days, hoping to do some wade fishing between the bridges. But the water gage flow rate (Tecumseh, downstream) looks real high (> 1000 cfs vs 400-500 normal). Any recommendation on fishability at this flow rate ? or Should I head elsewhere for Plan B ?

Kelly Ford is a great place to Put In. You are not too far downstream from Rainbow Springs, so it is often possible to paddle your way upstream and hit almost all of the trout water. Can also take the easier drive up to Hammond Camp and paddle down to Rainbow/Kelly in less than an hour. PS - If you have some coin, the TreeHouse Cabins at River of Life are a special treat. Also Guide Brian Wise can put you on some fish with expertise that will pay back every time you fish the NFOWR.

At the lower access, how far downstream do you go ? Last month I hit some very deep & still water that I could not wade through. Was wondering if I should have walked around it on the south (right) side to re-enter further downstream.

Camping and fishing from Lane Spring over the next week or so for my annual C&R flyfishing trek. Any recommendations on what waters to try (LP, SC, MC, etc), given the recent rain conditions ?

Heading up to camp a few nights at RR, including some C&R flyfishing downstream of the crowds. Would appreciate any guidance on Zone 3 C&R fishing, including how far down to hike and what types of nymphs/flys to carry. Many Thanks !

If you are in StL, Tom Hargrove has them. Reportedly a pattern created by infamous "Ray from Crane" (rip) who has posted here. I could mail you a sample, but you really need to pay attention to Tim at Roaring River who is the Crane SME. Jigs with appropriate colors are also spot on - whatever you tie that sinks deep and behaves appropriately.

Unfortunately I live in Texas and only get 1 shot each year - mid-summer.

And I am serious about the crawdad patterns $ jigs.

It's all beautiful and wonderful River. Certain you will have a great time ! But if you get the chance, it's awesome to see the entire transposition from a creek (baptist camp) into a river (big spring). Keep that on your bucket list.

If you want to fish real hard, consider setting up base camp at Two RIvers, then float D1 from Jerktail to Two Rivers (6 mi), and D2 Two Rivers to Powdermill (8 mi) [plus a short hike to Blue Springs]. You can also make a nice D3 fishable float upstream the Jacks Fork from Eminence down to Two Rivers (8 mi). I would expect good smallmouth in each stretch. Two Rivers is one of my favorite PUBLIC campgrounds (less traffic, convenient river access).

Great !

Crawdad colors.

The Current is great from Baptist to Big Springs. I prefer the upstream sections. Not many trout downstream of Akers; smallmouth throughout. The downstream sections tend to be wider and slower. I can't comment on picking between your options, but would probably consider ease of access.

This summer I was able to fish a total of 6 days (3 sets of two-in-a-row); some starts as early as 9am, other starts as late as 1pm. Generally off the water by 6:30pm at the latest. Cannot say that I detected any difference in the fish activity/ response. Caught nice fish all times of day, provided I was adjusting for conditions of each spot. Biggest factor for me is getting used to (re-learning) stealth and approach requirements, plus adjusting my rig and flies for the fast+high water conditions present at that time. Every year I think I learn a little more, but forget lots during the long off-season here in Texas. Already looking forward to next summer's trip. Will be tying some heavily-weighted Don's Crawdads.

Day #2: Fished myself out of home-tied prince nymphs, but was glad to find Tim's shop open on my drive up from Roaring River campgrounds to replenish my stash. He guaranteed that I would catch things and you can see how I landed this nice sycamore leaf ! Deep holes at the base of each pier - be careful wading thru. Plenty of fry in the 1st quarter-mile downstream plus a few larger ones further down. Fish of the summer for me: Perhaps the cairn is designed as a photo-posing site:

Finally a chance to upload some photos from my favorite creek Day #1: Quite a bit of water flowing thru for this time of year. This one very near the downtown conservation area parking lot. Incredible colors ! Cooling 'em down.

Thanks Al, Great info

What section did you fish ?

Some fish were observed. Photos to follow !