ozark trout fisher

Wish I could help, but unfortunately I haven't been in a bit. Ironically I'll be floating on Sunday. Sorry about your transmission. I know how that feels unfortunately. Gavin, ironically I'll be floating that same stretch on Sunday. I'm gonna be ready to fish slow.

'ppreciate it.

Take a deep breath, go fishing, and think for a bit about how out of sorts you sound.

Nope, I doubt if it was you... Most of the incidents I'm speaking of occurred on the river up above Meramec State Park. Again, nothing against jetboaters... It's a fine way to fish,just not my cup of tea.

Unless I'm wrong, the picture on your avatar looks like the Green River. It really is a great river, but it's so crowded up in zone a. That's why I prefer it's tributaries in Colorado, mainly the White and the Yampa. But the Green is a great river, don't get me wrong.

Here's a good map at least. http://www.missouricanoe.org/river-maps/jamesfinley.html

Jitterbugs are the single most overlooked bass plug these days... There not really used all that much anymore, but pretty generally when I'm fishing topwater I'm using a jitterbug. I think they work great for stream smallies, as well as pond largemouth.

I've heard that too. I have also heard that it makes it much harder for trout to hold feeding lanes in fast water when the adipose fin is cut. I don't like the practice.

Nice pics

A 22" trout is darn big for the freestoners around here. I bet that put up a good fight in the high water.

Yeah, that sucks that that happened... It's even worse when said drunken idiots have jet boats... I do not mean to offend the jetboat crowd out there, just the ones that are hopelessly drunk while they try to motor around the river. I have had several near miss incidents with that crowd. Kinda scary

Agreed. I thought it was awesome.

I'd say that sums it up pretty well........ Just look at any floater on the Meramec River between Highway 8 and Meramec State Park between May 1, and September 31, and you can probably bet that they pass the idiot test. That's why I stay off it then for the most part. Not saying I'm not an idiot though, just I don't quite fit the above description.

Yeah, I gotta agree. Better to get out and help than to vent about it on a forum... People make mistakes, right?

Well, I figured this was coming, but oh well. I'm an adult, and I've been fishing many years, and I think it's plenty fun to go out on a stocked trout stream, and use the good ole jar of Powerbait to string up a few stupid rainbows. Is it the most enjoyable kind of fishing for me? Heck no. I'd much rather be on the Little Piney tossing spinners, or stripping streamers for wild trout and smallmouth bass. But, I will admit that I have plenty of fun bait fishing. It's not really all that sporting in some situations, and that's why it's not my favorite way to fish. But there is something to be said for sitting back, relaxing, and just watching the line. And I feel more than satisfied if that rod bows and I reel a ten inch trout in. Also, when I lived out west, I learned how to become a pretty effective bait fisherman. Not just cast a kernel of corn out, and sit and wait... More like searching and reading the water just like a fly or spin angler, just tossing a live worm in there instead. It is a deadly technique on most rivers out west, and it works pretty well here too, where bait is allowed. But, honestly, it does get a little boring, and that is why I'm trying to become a better fly fisherman. But it ain't worth arguing about. We could probably piss and moan at each other for days on end about this, but I don't think it's necessary... I think I'll go fishing tommorrow morning instead. Maybe even fly fishing I think we both care about conservation and the like, and that's the main thing.

I agree...........................................

By wild trout creek standards, a 14" is almost a trophy. Great catch. Hope folks will still be able to catch wild trout in Crane here in a couple years with this whole dam idea.

I got good old Loch Ness in an aquarium in my backyard... I feed him stunted farm pond crappie every day.

In my opinion in streams (for trout), live bait will catch more and bigger fish about 95% of the time more than other methods, where legal. That's an opinion that will probably be beaten to to death, and to be honest I don't really have much hard evidence to back it up. Just personal experience. There are exceptions that I've experienced, mostly on faster moving "pocket water" type western rivers. Also, sometimes on the free flowing streams around here bait doesn't work well, but it's pretty rare. For bass, artificials usually do best for me, cause I can cover more water. Plus on streams warm enough to hold bass, while live bait fishing you have to worry about picking 5-10 suckers or bluegill of the hook between each bass. Also, with native bass, I'm starting to feel a little so-so about the idea of throwing a bait that they can so easily swallowed. It really up's the mortality, and with none stocked you can really jeopardize the population that way. Not worth it. I feel fine about using bait in heavily stocked trout water though. It's all a matter of opinion, and those opinions vary a lot on this forum. I'm moving more toward the artificial/fly fishing side of things for trout, because on many of the best streams, it's the only legal (and ethical) method. On the smaller, more sensitive trout streams, I won't use bait even if it's legal, because I feel it's not good for the fishery in places like that.

And I'll bring the Loch ness monster over there to help you thin the crappie/pirhannas back out.... Plus maybe a blue whale or two.

The river look's nice... It might be just the right level to get some of the bigger fish moving around. Usually its dead low this time of year.

I hope so too. I got some indication from them that they would if it came closer to fruition.

Thanks for the compliment.

This *$#&@#*% used to live out west, in Colorado to be exact.... It ain't bad out there, trust me.

Nope, it's your forum to do as you please with.