jdmidwest

You are right, the hook enters their mouth and if they spit the bead, you hook them. The right amount of spacing prevents from hooking too deep and hurting the fish. So effective that some streams have regs on them. Amazingly, the damage was minimal to the fish, I did not kill any or have any gill hooked. The only foul hooked fish were the salmon that were on the redds. Then, you would just pull the hook off with some rotting fish flesh attached to it. We were there just as the reds were starting to die, they would beach themselves or drift down into pools. I have never tried them locally, never had the opportunity of fishing a shoal with hundreds of spawning reds in MO or ARK. In AK, the rainbows and the dollies fatten up well on the eggs and the carcasses during the spawn. In Sept, their bellies look like they are going to pop. You catch a fish and they puke eggs up on you. The other post has the pics, this one happened by accident on my slow dialup.

The famous Alaska Trout bead. The ultimate lure for trout and dollies. Designed to imitate a single egg, a single fertilized egg that has started turning white. To fish it, you can peg it on the line above the hook. Depending on the stream or area you fish, where you peg it is important, the distance that is legal varies. Some parts it is not legal at all. It can be as deadly as bait. The trips to Alaska are strictly catch and release for any species other than salmon and pike for us. Last time we caught and released several trout in the Kenai that had been released several times. 30" to 36" fish were on every hour. The dollies were good sized and very colorful. The fish move into the rivers to feed on the eggs and the rotting flesh of the salmon. Like the bears, they gorge themselves to make it through the harsh winters. The beads are craft store beads in 6mm and 8mm, pink, red, or orange. They are then painted with nail polish to give them the white color. Everyone of the native alaskans have their own theories and formulas on the paint scheme. This one worked well last time. Heres mine. - Faceted craft beads, orange, 6mm or 8mm - Love My Nails Platinum nail polish The pics are of the production area and the veteran of the last time. Several hundred of these will be produced for the trip in different colors and sizes. Other flies will follow soon.

The famous Alaska Trout bead. The ultimate lure for trout and dollies. Designed to imitate a single egg, a single fertilized egg that has started turning white. To fish it, you can peg it on the line above the hook. Depending on the stream or area you fish, where you peg it is important, the distance that is legal varies. Some parts it is not legal at all. It can be as deadly as bait. The trips to Alaska are strictly catch and release for any species other than salmon and pike for us. Last time we caught and released several trout in the Kenai that had been released several times. 30" to 36" fish were on every hour. The dollies were good sized and very colorful. The fish move into the rivers to feed on the eggs and the rotting flesh of the salmon. Like the bears, they gorge themselves to make it through the harsh winters. The beads are craft store beads in 6mm and 8mm, pink, red, or orange. They are then painted with nail polish to give them the white color. Everyone of the native alaskans have their own theories and formulas on the paint scheme. This one worked well last time. Heres mine. - Faceted craft beads, orange, 6mm or 8mm - Love My Nails Platinum nail polish

Yep, doesn't sound like he was too happy. I hope the press did not see that article, the deadly grills will be outlawed. Who remembers the band "Boston"? Me. Dam I am getting old.

Rainbows taste better!

Or getting a trip cancelled is a frustration. Any day fishing is better than a day of work!

I have not floated the upper part this year either, was going to Sunday, but due to the weather coming in, we did the other float. I suspect the cattle operation above the gravel pits may be running cattle in the river or some runoff. By the way Al, nice carvings, I saw a yard full of them...

The only thing sprinkled on the charcoal is barley and hops to keep down the flames.

Historically, most Ozark streams have floated barges of logs. 2 logs tied together makes a old time barge. They still float barges created tying 2 canoes together to make a barge to sit on top with their lawn chairs. I have seen it and watched them get trashed by a sweeper on a riffle. I can float a kayak in 6 inches of water so most streams are navigable to me. And, historically, the stream flows of all Mo stream are lower than they are now, so all of the previous could have occurred in the past by others.

As I sit here typing on my laptop, smoking a few wings on the charcoal grill and reading the posts, I contemplate, WILL ALL THE SMOKE KILL ME EARLY? I ponder at the any hours of hickory smoke I have inhaled and wonder if it is hazardous? I worked as a manager of a BBQ place in college that smoked everything over a hickory fire. Man, I made a few good bbq's in my time. In reflection, life is good. I am going to Alaska again on a wonderful trip. I am getting ready to eat the great foods my garden has produced, lettuce, cucumbers, squash, green beans, and sweet corn. The neighbors purple martins are eating bugs. Rain clouds are on the horizon for later on tonight. The moisture is well needed. My forest has grown from the pasture that was this subdivision when I first bought this ground 10 years ago. I can pee in my yard and the neighbors can't see me! So, whats the verdict, do you think charcoal smoke is harmful? I am a non smoker except for the occaisional cigar on a good fishing trip. Will the smoke get me or should I just keep enjoying? Or maybe I should stay away from the barley and hops!

Rainbows put up the better fight, aerobatics. Browns tend to bulldog like an old catfish and are usually just too much wearing down. I vote the bow!

Wasn't that the boat parked in the channel at fall creek the other day?

My interpretations is that if you enter a stream on public land or county road and you stay in the water you are ok. I have notice some new signs along state highway bridges that state "state property, no trespassing" ??? Is state property private or public? Is it not the property of all in the state? MO has the navigable stream rule, if you can float it, you are not trespassing. The land around it is owned by someone and I would not trespass on it. Ark residents can lay claim to the stream bed under a navigable stream and I think you can be counted as trespassing if you are wading. I have seen a few county bridges in MO lately that have been "taken over" by landowners and are no longer public property. It is my understanding that you can not even launch a canoe from the bridge w/o trespassing according to the signs. When in doubt, stay out is a good practice.

Thank you all for this info. It is good to know that there is more wadeable water other than the area up close to the dam in low water. The only time I was down your way, it was a cluster resembling a trout park on the upper river. I like my solitude and will look for the area around fall creek next time down. Or I will trip over to Roaring River for a different experience. By the way, I thought it was dangerous to "anchor off" in a tailwater area. I thought it was frowned upon by the water patrol?

Are you running an antivirus? Maybe your machine is infected.

We took the Kayaks out to the Big River near Bonne Terre yesterday. Fished from the gravel pit on Highway 8 to Terre Du Lac. Upper float was poor, water was cloudy and nasty. Had to wait for 2 groups of cattle to cross about a 1/2 mile below the bridge. The water cleared up below the cattle and the fishing picked up. Lots of green sunfish and bluegills, a few smallies and large mouth. No Kentuckies. Largest smallmouth around 18".

From the Anchorage Daily News... Color coding for problem bears suffers fatal error BRIGHT DYE: Tranquilizer dart misses rump, strikes female grizzly in the liver. The Associated Press (Published: June 21, 2007) A grizzly bear tranquilized so it could be painted with pink dots has died. Biologists said the tranquilizer dart hit the Kenai Peninsula bear in the liver. The female yearling was darted June 13 as part of a program by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game plan to mark bears with dye if they had become habituated to humans. Department officials hope that marking bears with bright colors will help identify them and head off problems between humans and bears looking for easy meals from backpacks or fish caught by anglers and kept along riverbanks. Biologist Jeff Selinger, who heads up the program, said the bear death will not change the program focus. Anytime a bear is shot with a dart, there is a risk of death, he said. The bear's death was unfortunate, he said, but the program will move ahead. Selinger and his team tranquilized the 2-year-old female last week after reports it was frequenting the Russian River area. Five spots on the bear's hide were bleached and dyed in bright pink. The bear was tagged and fitted with a radio collar. "The color codes will allow us to positively identify individual bears and to get reports from the public and other officials in the area of specific bear activity," Selinger said. The bear was released, but when Selinger tracked it Monday with the radio collar, he found it had died. A necropsy indicated the tranquilizer dart hit the bear's liver. "I was confident that I had the aim in the right spot on the rump, in the heavy meat section of the rump. The dart just traveled a little higher and got up behind the first rib," Selinger said. Animal protection groups have said it's a bad idea to mark bears with bright colors. They said colored bears will socialize differently, a claim bear researchers said likely will not happen. "Bears cannot see colors, or if they do it's just minor shades," Selinger said. "Most of what they see is in black and white, so color coding would not have an effect." John Toppenberg of Alaska Wildlife Alliance said tourists visiting Alaska will be put off by the markings. "Certainly, very few people would come up here to see bears colored like clowns," Toppenberg said. Selinger said the bear coloring program was designed around four bears that frequented the Russian and Kenai River areas last year. If an opportunity comes up to mark them, Selinger said, his team is ready to do so. There are no plans to mark a sow and two cubs spotted lately along the Russian River. The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge closed off wooded areas near the ferry Tuesday because of those bears and others. Sounds like the plan works, we don't have to worry about that bear!

The Hummingbirds always disappear for a few weeks in the month of June, I assume to raise their young. Only a few males will use the feeders. After the fourth of July, things should pick back up. Smear vasoline thick around the stem of the hanger or pole to keep ants out of the feeders. The ants won't go thru it.

As far as flies go, poppers, nymphs, san juan worms, small streamers, and terrestrials for the blue gills. Smallies are pretty well the same but on a larger scale. Later in the summer, Smallies hit poppers and terrestrials better than early on. You will fish the same cover and fast water as you would spin fishing. A good pair of polarized glasses helps with the sight fishing. Depending on the fly, you will strip it accordingly to entice a strike. 4 to 6 wt rods and lengths to suit the stream type you fish. An 8' to 8'6" rod being the norm.

For which fish? Smallmouth Bass, Goggle Eyes, Pickerel, Walleye, or Rainbows?

Terry, I think you are supposed to punch a shark in the nose, you shoot a bear! How else can you make a rug?

Orvis has womens breathables down to sizes small petite, size 5-7 boot and boots to match. Give them a try, they have a trade in program now that will give credit for old waders and an excellent product and warranty.

I came across a reg that said it was unlawful for a loaded gun on or near a ramp or public fishing access areas. Mo has a similar one in the NPS areas. You have to load your pistol after you get underway or get so far away from a public access? I saw those regs pop up after each state passed concealed carry laws.

Those of us who are well armed and well prepared are still at the top of the food chain!!! The hunter in the fisherman helps on things like this. After the last trip to Alaska, my awareness of my surroundings followed me back to MO. It took several trips before I could relax and not look over my shoulder all the time. Stream banks up there have dense cover, not farmed to the edge like most streams around here. While fishing one day, my buddy and I were separated by a distance of only 80 yards but connected with personal radios. I heard "bear, BEAR" and looked up to see him back peddling across the stream. A nice size young grizz stepped out next to him about 15 yards away and started foraging on the salmon carcasses. We watched him across the stream feeding on carcasses for 30 minutes then he vanished into the brush. Of course up there, you have both black and grizzly, angry moose, and felonious humans as threats to contend with. I agree with CC, any self defense weapon is better than nothing. Its a shame that Ark does not allow any weapons around any public access or ramp. How do you get one in a boat?

Anyone have any numbers on how West Nile has affected the bird populations? I know crows and bluejays were hit hard. I have noticed the whippoorwills have been quite, did not hear many turkey season or out camping.