ozark trout fisher

I hate to nitpick, but I believe that's actually a spot. I could be wrong though. A great picture all the same.

I'll definitely be bringing a spinning rod for insurance. I'll probably try fly fishing, and if they doesn't work, well then.... Thanks for the advice.

Thanks... I was definitely planning on heading above the spring because of the water levels-it looks pretty high down at Steelville and Sullivan at least according to the gauge. What flies do you think might work? Just the normal assortment of Leaches, Woollies, and Crayfish?

I was thinking about going after smallies on Saturday on the Meramec, probably somewhere above Highway 8. Has the bite gotten going again, or is the water too chilly yet?

In my opinion, there's no need to get there early. I got down there on Saturday around noon, and did fine. The fishing was particularly good in the late afternoon because that's when the most bugs were on the water, but the fishing was just fine all through. That'll change when it starts getting hot, but I usually don't worry about get on the water early until sometime in May. All those flies you mentioned (minus tricos until quite a bit later on) should be good.

It was mostly cloudy with a little rain here and there. Right after dark on the way back it started to rain like crazy, but it mostly held off through the day. I don't think the river went up too much though. I was mostly fishing about a half mile below Baptist.

I got down about noon yesterday to Baptist camp. Fishing was pretty good all day long, with scattered hatches of mostly Caddis, but also a few various mayflies here and there. I spent most of the day fishing the dry fly (Elk Hair Caddis mostly, with a bit of success on a #18 Adams) and did fairly well. When there weren't any bugs on the water, I caught a few on nymphs, mostly Copper Johns. No big fish, just a bunch of nice Current River trout. There's a lot of worse ways to spend a day anyway.

Yeah, I went down to Baptist yesterday... The rain, despite the dire predictions by the weatherman, pretty much held out through the day, besides a few short, insignificant showers.

I'm glad to hear that. I set down last night down in the basement to refill my fly box, so I should have plenty of those patterns you listed. I'm really looking forward to getting down there today, even if the fishing isn't too good. Would be on the water by now, but I had to take our dog to the an emergency vet appointment in the middle of the night, and didn't get back till almost 4 AM... I couldn't get myself up too early.

Against all reason, I've decided I'm gonna head down and see what can be done. If ya'll never hear from me again, I've either been struck by lighting or washed down to the Gulf of Mexico.

Thanks for being honest. Does the catch and release area in Montauk, just below the hatchery usually stay fishable when the rest gets too high? I know it's a mighty short piece of water to drive two hours and fish, but I'm not being too particular at this point.

Yeah... The weather's looking terrible, but I think I might still try Montauk or the Current River today. The flood watch kinda worries me though.

I'm trying to make a final decision whether to head down today... Do you think it will get blown out with today's weather? I know that's a hard question to answer, but I thought some of you guys that are closer down might have a better idea. I don't really mind the nasty weather, I just don't want to get flooded out. Thanks

It's been good for me this year on Hare's Ears, Eggs, Woollies, and Prince Nymphs under an indicator. I've also gotten a few on an Elk Hair Caddis, but nymphing has been best for me. I'm headed down tommorrow and will give a report.

I've been fishing below the park a few times. It's been good with scuds, eggs, and various nymphs, also a few on dries. I don't have any report for inside the park though.

That's one thing I've noticed about DeLorme atlas. NEVER TRUST WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT FISH SPECIES! According to my Missouri DeLorme atlas, the Jacks Fork has a good population of striped bass and one stretch of the Mississippi has a trout population too. Also, Truman Lake doesn't have any catfish. Hmm......

Great looking stream and fish... You're right in not telling where that is, it'll be overrun if you do.

They don't have to be big to be pretty. Nice pics

Hey! Those little guys are fun to catch. But seriously, if this is his first time, I really would go with an ultralight, 4 pound, and a few small spinners and jigs. You'll catch plenty of smaller fish (and the small fish aren't too small really on the Current usually about 10" to 14"), and maybe have a shot at a good one too. You have a better chance of getting a big brown with a jerkbait, but then again you may not get a single bite. Just something to think about. #1 spinning lure for the upper Current, in my opinion is a 1/32 Ounce Panther Martin with a silver or gold blade. There will be folks who vouch for jigs, spoons, and plugs, but that's where my confidence lies when I'm using a spinning rod down there.

I know what you mean about their pale colors in the early season. They just look so cold! I haven't gotten into the redears yet, but they ought to come in soon. I always look forward to when the redears are on their beds in the spring.

I went back out again today... All the ponds were muddy, so I tried a Crystal Woolly, thinking that would be my only chance to get anything on a fly rod. It was pretty slow, but I have a soft spot for fishing alone in crappy weahter, and I did manage a few more Bluegill as well as the first largemouth of the year. It wasn't too bad at all really.

I'm glad to see the smallmouth fishing is up and going again on the Meramec. I haven't been after smallies since December. I need to get on that...

That's right, the ones in the White are only Golden Phase Rainbow trout. True Goldens are a natural species, and they're actually very pretty. I don't think I can describe them in a way that does them justice, so here's a link to a picture. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.pikepoke.com/golden_trout.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.pikepoke.com/&h=245&w=640&sz=195&tbnid=AhDg6K5ldOY5eM:&tbnh=52&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgolden%2Btrout&usg=__msQMUf54JyJeNrDCO8aaM0DN5w8=&ei=qiycS-DaKZGQNf3tkOYN&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=2&ct=image&ved=0CAgQ9QEwAQ I have caught a few true Goldens in high mountain lakes of Wyoming. They're not technically native out there, but they sure seem to belong. Goldens are about my favorite species of trout, and it's a shame they're so rare.

Yeah, that's how I taught myself to fly fish too. There's nothing like standing on a pond on a summer evening catching bluegill on a popping bug. It's a kind of fishing where you don't actually have to take things seriously, and I like that sometimes.

Admittedly bluegill aren't my favorite fish in the world to catch, but I always find myself pretty happy every spring when I'm able to start catching a few Bluegill in the regular spring spots. It's kind of the first real sign of spring for me. I've caught a few through the winter in deep water with live bait, but now they're finally in shallow water, and it's awful nice. Anyone else enjoy it when the bluegill move in for the spring?