shadman

i ran into a very angry landowner on jenkins creek, that cussed me and my brother up and down and immediately called the sheriff, we were just wading with a pole and a bait bucket, nothing else, we accessed the creek via county property at a low water bridge, we left the way we came in and went to a diff location, sheriff caught up to us there and took our info but no citation was given. week later i recieve a court summons for 1st degree trespassing!.. here is the catch, yes the law states the if u can float a canoe down it then it is public as long as u dont access from private property,,,. here is the doozy, jasper county MDC agent told me that if a stream has not been legaly classified then it defers back to being private property. only spring river and center creek have been deemed as such. Jones creek, white oak, Jenkins, dry fork creeks all have not been deemed by a state agency yet. my day in court is coming and my voice will be heard. these laws need to be fixed.

The sheriff that responded to the call told me, and the conservation agent also said, that i entered the creek from county property. we parked on side of road at low-water bridge and entered the water there. Also we left on our own accord. Sheriff also stated that its only trespassing if u refuse to leave. Conservation agent said that law enforcement hands are tied if the landowner wants to prosecute.

[ I myself have recently been cited for trespassing on Jenkins Creek in jasper county. I made a call to the MDC office in springfield b4 ever entering the water. The landowner saw me and my brother in the stream and became very violent and obscene! all we were doing was wading for perch to use as limbline bait for cats in another river. i myself love wading for smallies and recently been doing well at wading for cats and i never leave a trace that i was there, i have no desire to trespass, litter, or even keep the fish i catch. i usually carry a pole and a small tackle box that fits in my pocket, and a bottle o water. thats it,,, but to my point.. there is a loophole in missouri law. there are 3 classifications of missouri streams... PUBLIC NAVIGABLE PUBLIC NONNAVIGABLE PRIVATE NON-NAVIGABLE. most of our streams fall into the catagory of public non-navagable which MO law states is any stream that u can float a small watercraft on such as a canoe and the old law even mentions if u can float a log down it as well. this is what the springfield office told me as well, so i waded that stream which was clearly large enough to float a canoe down,,, well im here to tell u now that that info is incorrect,,!! yes the law is correct but only if a stream has been designated as such which requires a state judgement. this is a major flaw that needs to be fixed

I have waded for smallies since i could walk,lol... anyone who wades small streams for bass should know that any taken out have a drastic effect on the overall population. when the action is hot, u can easily take all the dominate fish out of a particular hole, then wade to the next,, it doesnt take long before that stretch of creek will no longer produce and it can take many years for the population to return to what it was. PLEASE... RELEASE ALL SMALLMOUTH AND PROTECT OUR SMALL STREAMS

Conservation agent for Jasper county also told me that Dry fork, White Oak, Jenkins and Jones creeks have not been classified at all, therefore they are private, non navigable streams that are controlled by the landowner. In order for them to be "classified", it has to be done in a state court. county judges do not have the power to do this. He also said that these streams are large enough to float down but no one has ever taken it to court. This is a loophole that needs to be fixed.. Anyone who has waded those streams know that they are definately capable of floating a canoe down. who is in charge of deeming these streams public non-navigable?Only creeks in this county that have gone to trial, are center creek and spring river. One of the great things about this state is our public waterways,(or so i thought they were public) which nazi landowners are trying harder and harder to control. I think its time to stand up for our rights as fisherman and bring this issue to the public! In the last 5 years, 3 cases on Jones creek, and 3 cases on Jenkins creek, have gone to court, and in each case the judge ruled in favor of the landowner. Before long Missouri regs will be as messed up as Kansas if we dont do something.

i agree about spinning reels. Quality is better and better every year. Drop shots on tablerock with ultra-light gear has been producing around docks

Hello, I am looking for a small farm or 2-3 bedroom home with some land or access to some.Anywhere in the Springfield area.I am a single dad with 2 children and 1 dog.Anyone have any info that could help or know someone who has a home that is vacant? I have a deposit and can afford 3-500 dollars a month 4 rent.I am also a subcontractor so i can do any home repairs that may need to be madeor maybe even fix an old place up.I am a Marine Corps vet from Desert Storm that is trying real hard to find a home in the woods 4 my kids to grow up on.

i have heard of some good fishin down on swan creek definately gonna try it out but its a little drive, just waitin on that water to warm up

this is a great site. I grew up the same way buddy. my father tourny fished. was on the lake every weekend. but now i am addicted to live bait fishin for cats and like you the all mighty Brownie. I have been wadin creeks for over 15 years and love it. dont do the fly rod thing but know it is good too.I like to take off walkin upstream with my ultrlight and spendin the day on the river cathin fish from hole to hole till im wore out.Great to know that its not a dying breed of angler.look forward to sharin info.

u talkin about headin south or east? 50 miles almost gets me back home where i know the rivers like the back of my hand. But im open to anything, anywhere. I would like to find somewhere i can sit on the bank and catch some yummy cats. i havent found a secluded stretch of river where i can pull out somethin over 15 inches. small channel is a i have been able to catch in my short time on the water around here.

thanks guys. i may not be yr typical wader and then again i might be. I start walkin right down the midlle of the creek and fish the deep holes and the banks. I usually just keep goin from hole to hole and walk for about 3 hours then turn back. Its nice to be all alone on the river away from everything. I release all fish always.Its about the expierence.I understand that good spots are secret,but I am not goin to fgive up. I have the fever.wont be long till the water warms up enough to get in and im ready.Let me add by tellin about my secret weapon, Rebel crawdad crankbaits.If u havent tried usin these on the shallow rivers try it. I only take about 5 crankbaits with me when i go.Softshell green seems to be the best color with the teeny craw, but sometimes they want the bigger one. Well theres Shadmans secret weapon.

I havent been here very long, Im from the Joplin area so I dont know where the good access points are to go wadin. If anyone else knows where to go within 20 miles of Ozark, plz help me lol. I have tried a few spots, once on the james off of hwy 125. I have caught fish there, but alot of people go there and i like to get away. Fished the finley around Linden without much luck,again the young kids partyin ruin the trip for me and my kids.there has to be some low water bridges somewhere where i can go get lost in smallmouth heaven.

ty for the link. There out and im missin out now i have a better idea where to look. Im gonna get some tommorow

I spent all mornin lookin for mushrooms and nothin. Mayapples are just now comin up here but since I am not from here i dont know where to find them. Anyony who has found morels on public land or has information about how to find them, please share somethin. I relize mushroom spots are sacred but any information would be helpful. Do they have a favorite place they like to grow? I have heard south slopes, west slopes, rocky soil, sandy soil, tree stumps, mayapples,old woods, so many places which ones are true? Im confused. lol. I just want to eat some.

i have heard rumors thatMDC actually released cougars across the state to combat the deer population problem.Now they deny cause no one wants predators runnin around thier woods. Who will have to fix the problem? MDC. I dont think they want to admit they messed up or have to pay the cost of removing the cats they placed.

i am curious about the blues u caught. what depth ? time of day?

i have noticed alot have orange or red eyes but not all

Hello, great site, look forward to seein more. I live in Ozark. Love to catfish on local lakes. I also spend ALOT of time wadin criks for smallies with ultrlight gear. I am the small river master 4 bass and wish more people would leave the boat and get wet for some real nature lovin, fish catchin fun. Hope there r more like me out there to meet.