timinmo

Red I have fished out of the Deer Leap Access several times. We always caught fish but never killed them. Fished out Doniphan once or twice without much success as I remember. I liked the water at Deer Leap better and have fished there more times but really do not have enough experience at either location to be an authority. Tim

My great insight is to spend time on the water. If you can do this with a knowledgable fisherman all the better. The biggest tackle box filled with the best lures and the finest rods with top of the line reels will not make you a better fisherman if you don't spend the time getting your line wet. Being proficient with the tackle you have is better than being a novice with equipment that is new to you. Certainly read everything you can about whatever fish you plan to purse and there are also alot of great videos on different types of fishing. After you have read or watched about what you want to catch go out and try it. Like others have said fishing familiar water can help and you can transfer knowledge gained there to new waters as you expand. Everything else aside the best way to make yourself a better fisherman is to fish.

there is a united country realtor in west plains. they have shown me some property in that area. there is also baker realty in willow springs. as far as first hand experience I real don't have any. we used to live in west plains but that was over thirty years ago. tim

Mitch or anyone else Couple more thoughts that are not at all orginial. As Hoglaw states the mhx blanks seem to be a good value. I have not built as many rods as he has on those blanks but I have been happy with the ones that I did build. I believe those blanks were designed to match the blanks that Loomis used to sell to rod builders but does not any more. So if you find a Loomis that you like you might find a mhx blank that matches it. As Al stated to properly cast any lure your rod should load from the weight of the lure. Certainly a reel that is build to throw light weights is part of it and you must consider the total package, rod, line, reel and the weight to be thrown. I have a friend that can throw the lightest of lures with a medium heavy rod and 16lb line but I can not and I think most of us can not. As far as not being able to build a rod. I really think anyone can build a rod that wants to, it is not very complicated and if you can tie a fly or jig you can build a rod. Al mentioned something about the Gary Loomis story and you can find some of it on tackletour.com if you search for Gary Loomis. It is a very interesting story. His blank company is North Fork Composites as previously mentioned and I would have total confidence in anything he builds. I just have not felt the need to spend the money that he charges for his blanks. For anyone interested in building rods you might express the interest to the people at MSA as we have been kicking around the idea of having some kind of seminar on rod building/repair, jig making, and soft plastic making. I think we need a location for it and it probably would not be part of our regular meet schedule but nothing has been worked out as yet. I don't know about anyone else but I am bored with the old spinning verses casting debate and think that being comfortable and proficient with your equipment is more important than which type you use. Tim

Mitch This maybe a little late to your topic but the are several options. Yes you can make a casting rod out of a spinning rod blank. I have done it several times as I'm sure most of the rod builders on here have. In my rack right now there is a casting rod wrapped on a St. Croix SCIV 5'10" "Skippin" blank. The Mudhole catalog shows this blank as 3/16 to 5/8 but they also show a 5'9" "Classic Jig" blank at 1/8 to 1/2 these SCIV blanks are a little on the pricey side at $130 and they are both extra fast actions. They also show a 5'9" SCIII blank and a 6'3" blank both extra fast actions and both rated at 1/8 to 1/2 and priced at $90. I have not used the 5'9" blank but have built several rods on the 6'3" blank both in casting and in spinning. Anyone can make a casting rod out of a spinning blank or the other way around. The SCIII 6'3" is one of my favorite blanks and will do alot of the things that need to be done on the river. All of the blanks I have mentioned are listed as spinning blanks. The Falcon rods that I have used have not left me disapointed and I believe someone mentioned a Loomis 721 which I think I have in the garage wrapped as a casting rod and a spinning rod. There are certainly brands other than St Croix and if you take a look at the Mudhole web site I am sure you will find some posibilities. The best option is to use one that you are thinking about before buying or having one built but obviously that is not always possible. I am a believer of fast and extra fast action rods for the reasons that you have mentioned and think they really shine when using lures that are on the bottom. In any case if you start on the path of building rods or having them built the possibilities are endless and it can get expensive. I did not mean this to sound like a plug for mudhole and there are other suppliers but they seem to have one of the largest selection around.

No trout within 15 minutes of Willow Springs. I know that wasn't your question but if you look at the maps southwest from Willow Springs is the North Fork which certainly has trout but is a little further than you desired. Southeast is the Eleven Point once again further. Northeast would be the Current all of these are further away than you wanted. There is also Rock Bridge which is a put and take pay operation west of Willow Springs. This doesn't mean Willow Spring isn't nice and you might try the local United Country agent. I also think there is a Baker Realty in Willow Springs. I can not help you on golf courses. I lived in West Plains for a while and I know there is one there. If you want smallmouth fishing the whole area is great. Tim

Roller I am much like you and have went to mainly soft sided with plano boxes inside. The only real difference is that my soft plastics are stuffed into the outside pockets on my soft sided bag. I really liked the falcon boxes for crankbaits, jerkbaits and hooks and weights but they seem to have disappeared, maybe I haven't looked hard enough. The other change I have is a dedicated wading bag. It is really just a soft sided should bag that will hold three of the smaller plano boxes and some soft plastics. It is also set up to carry an extra rod, knife,pliers and cutters. Tim

I don't know about your area but in the streams south of St Louis the goggle-eye are on fire. In the areas I fish, this time of the year, you can hammer the goggle-eye and two months from now you will be hard pressed to catch any. My son and nephew were out yesterday on a local creek/river and caught about an equal mix of goggs and smallmouth. By the time June rolls around if you catch 10% goggle-eye it would be a surprise. I assume it is about their spawning cycle but if you really wanted to exploit a resource it would be pretty easy this time of the year. Tim

have you checked milage? Not trying to be dilfficult but surely pomme is not as far from Rolla as Pony Expresss. If you are going from Fulton have you tried Hazel Creek near Kirksville. My brother who lives in Columbia and usually fishes out of a canoe has made a couple of trips to Hazel Creek to try to catch a muskie. As of this time I don't think my brother has caught any but it is anotheroption for you and it is a electric only lake I believe .

Like others have said, I would let what I want to throw dictate what I buy/use. Under 1/4 I usually use spinning, over that it is usually casting equipment. This is certainly not a hard fast rule but it is one that generally works. Yes you can throw under 1/4 with some bait cast outfits and can go over 1/4 easily with any but ultralight spinning. Most of my small stream (think wading) fishing is done with spinning. If I am in a canoe I usually have both, but on some of the bigger rivers and most lake fishing bait casting may do everything. I do think the learning curve is a little steeper with casting equipment and if you are already comfortable with spinning equipment there is no real reason to switch, especially if you plan on using smaller baits. The rods you have will handle a wide range of lure weights and you could get two decent spinning reels for the money you want to spend. Others may disagree but it seems to me that the cost of entry into the casting equipment field is higher. Either way the whole key is to get out and use them.

Stl you can access the Mineral Fork from the Hwy 47 bridge west of Hwy 21 down a steep hill. Kingston access is a little ways downstream and is accessed from Kingston Road also on the west side of Hwy 21 just north of the Hwy 21/47 junction. The Mineral Fork is pretty much all wadeable. The upper reaches of the Big River are good to wade, check out Bootleg Access just off 21 south of Potosi. Hope you find some good spots. Tim

Chief Just read your post about putting up some signs at bait shops. I think it is genius. Several in my area have a photo board somewhere near the front and one of the signs would look real good among all the fish and deer pictures. Tim

Guys it always seems like we worry more about our differences than bond with the things we all agree on. To be honest I do belong to MSA and I joined because overall I think they represent my interests in preserving and improving river fishing. I have always felt that a unified voice was much stronger than several single voices. I joined the Conservation Federation of Missouri for the same reason. While I go to most of the MSA meetings I have never been to a CFM meeting and doubt that I ever will but I think they represent my interests. I want my voice amplified and I think these organizations do this. TU does this for trout fisherman as DU does for duck hunters. I also feel that there are always voices on the other side of any issue, I want my voice to be as strong as I can make it. If I lived in an area that I did not feel was represented by MSA there are no rules against forming my own organization. My concerns are not that anyone join MSA, its the separations that always seem to divide us. Whether it is rural verses urban, canoeist verses jet boater, or St Louis area verses the Southwest Missouri area. I not pointing any fingers, surely there is enough blame to go around, but the old divide and conquer might apply. Tim

Paul Hope you enjoyed the new solo. Do you have one of the seat backs for that thing? They really help my back, that and getting out some like you said. Tim

Many dealers have Paddle Days where you would be able to paddle a variety of boats. I'm not sure any whitewater boat would make a good fishing boat but that may be more my opinion than truth. In any case check out as many as you can before you buy. I know that the Alpine Shop in St. Louis and KC Paddler in KC both have Paddle Days but don't know about any in your area.

Obviously Brian knows what he is talking about. I would like to echo his recommendation for Morgan Spring, neat place. My only real input is that Thomasville to Cane Bluff in a day can be pretty ambitious if the water isn't fairly high and you aren't willing to limit the amount you fish. Everyone goes at a different pace but I have a tough time rushing past good looking water. In any case if you are able to go I am sure you will enjoy it and be the envy of all. I have done almost all of that stretch but not at one time. There are more gravel bars on the upper end than the middle section of the river and we have always found camping between Thomasville and Cane Bluff easy.

There are several sort floats on the Big River from Washington State Park down. Put-ins at Highway 21, Mammoth, Merril Horse, Browns Ford. From 21 down to Washington State Park is, I think about 3 miles the others are about 5. I have floated all of them but have no idea of travel time for a float tube compared to a canoe. The shuttle from 21 to the park swim beach is short and so is the float so that is where I would probably start. While the Big River is not the most scenic of streams but the fishing is usually OK. Lots of Spots. Not much tricky water so I think it would be good to learn on but I have never been in a float tube. Hope this helps. Tim

I find this thread interesting in that, as already noted, smallmouth can be caught on many things. I really enjoy topwater, mainly walk the dog lures. Those always get a chance and must prove they are not working. Lately I have been fishing more shallow crank baits but have and will continue to throw alot of soft plastics. I really don't think it makes much difference as to shape, be it beaver type, soft craw, or tube. I have caught many fish on the Rebel Teeny Craw but it seems to me they loose alot of fish also. I have changed the rear hook on all mine to one size larger. It does not seem to hurt the action, but the jury is still out as to whether the fish stay hooked better or not. That Teeny Craw will catch anything and if your main target is smallies I think there are better cranks, but it is a lure I use when nothing else seems to work. As for the WTD lures I throw Sammies of several sizes with success but have also been using an Ima Skimmer and wondered if anyone else has tried it. The action is a little different from a Sammie or Spook but it walks quite well and in my limited use it has worked well. I used to use spinner baits alot but for some reason, stupidity possibly, have not been using them much lately. Deep diving cranks are another lure that I don't seem to use much anymore maybe because I tend to fish smaller streams then I used to. Reading everyone's response makes me think I should reassess some of my choices.

You could write this off to the winter time crazies, but I have been thinking about it for quite sometime. I have been doing Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring for a couple of years now and would like to expand my involvement. As a way of doing this I would like to extend an open invitation to any OA member. I will come to your river or stream and with you and anyone you would like to include (friends and family welcome) we will check the water quality of your stream. The VWQM program is a joint program supported by MDC, DNR, and the Conservation Federation of Missouri. If you would like to learn more about it the Missouri Stream Team web site(Mostreamteam.org) has information. My reasons for doing this is to introduce people to the program before they commit to taking any of the classes. You may decide that it is not for you. I hope that you will decide to become more involved. Either way there are no strings and any future involvement is up to you. I also hope to see some new water. There are numerous streams that I am not familiar with and would like to see. Most of the time when we do monitoring we have a chance to do a little fishing. That would be up to you and the amount of time available. Do not think that you stream is too small. Actually smaller streams seem to work better than large rivers but both are doable. Reason number three is that it will give me a chance to meet some of the people on OA or get to know people better that I have already met. As something of a disclaimer. I do work and am married. So I can not have every weekend tied up doing this but I am willing to commit several weekends and or days. Currently I am off on Sundays and Mondays. I am open for almost any suggestions but most of this will involve me traveling to your stream doing the monitoring with you and returning home. I live just south of St. Louis. Obviously this would eliminate much of Southern and Southwestern Missouri but I am willing to commit some full weekends to this project. My home stream is the Mineral Fork and if you would like to help monitor it that is also possible. If you have a interest in doing this contact me (03041978@msn.com) and we will see if we can work something out. Tim

I will say HI on the river. If you show up at my door and ask to see my daughter the gun comes out.

After reading the article, two things stuck out in my mind. One, no matter what regulations are enacted the things that the writer loves about stream fishing in the Ozarks will not change. The landscape and the clarity of the water will not be changed by the regulations. The bluffs will not tumble down if the MSA wish list is enacted. Two, the Mineral Fork is already a Special Management Area and from his tone I don't believe that fact ruined the fishing for the writer and his father. Certainly MDC must serve many masters. They try to balance all the wishes and come up with a viable plan. MSA is just one voice and I am sure they hear many others. I advocate for my desires and interests and make no apologies to anyone. If you have different interests and are not making your voice heard it is certainly not my fault. In the recent past they eliminated commercial fishing on the Missouri River, at the time I'm sure the commercial fisherman were not pleased, but every one seems happy about the recent large catfish caught there. In short somebody's ox is going to be gored I will try my best to see that it isn't mine.

I think we need to go to a secret handshake and maybe some of those special glasses that let you see hidden messages. Seriously I wince whenever someone talks about some of the small creeks. I think even heavy pressure from a bunch of CR anglers will have an negative effect. It is great that so many of us like to fish the creeks but they are a much more fragile environment and I know we all "handle with care". I would like to bring up another issue with many of them. My experience is that many of the holes in the small creeks and the head waters of some of the smaller rivers seem to be filling in with gravel. Is anyone else seeing this or are my memories just colored by too much time? Tim

I build almost all of my rods so blank availability is an issue. Have several Loomis, couple Rogues, several St. Croix, factory rods show Shimano, Fenwick as well as some store brands. The biggest thing for me is to get an action I like. Brand isn't a big decider if I like the action. Lately most of the rods I build have been on St. Croix Avid blanks. They just seem to be great value for the money. Tim

Welcome Norm I have admired your posts on Riversmallies for quite a while. Enjoy your dedication. Although I have never been much of a winter fisherman, people like you have enticed me out several times this winter. The jury is in and I suck. Can't wait till warm weather. In the mean time I enjoy your posts and hope to increase my winter fishing knowledge and success. Tim

I'm a little late but Paul's Bait and Tackle in St. Louis does reel repair.