ozark trout fisher

That sort of how I got started on the technique... Awhile back while bluegill fishing, I hooked a nice sunny, and just before I brought him ashore, it was engulfed by a very large bass. Of course the Bluegill had swallowed the hook, so there was no way for me to actually bring the bass in, but it was still a pretty cool experience. The next cast, I caught a bluegill, rigged him on a plastic worm hook, and caught a 4# bass. It's been one of my favorite techniques since. An interesting not... In years of using this technique, I can count on one hand the number of times I have deep hooked a bass using this technique.

Thanks for the informative post. I don't personally fish table rock, but it will be helpful to those who do.

The Little Piney is a great little eastern style trout stream, really fun to fish. Your right that the fast water is best for trout. It's my favorite spring creek, heck that's a picture of it on my avatar. If you don't mind me asking, were you at Vida Slab or Highway 63/Lane Spring?

So this is kinda random, but I'm just curious if a lot of other people out there use live sunfish when fishing for bass... This time of the year, its about the only bait I'll use for bass, as it almost always produces a few nice bass. So does anyone else out there use this

I don't necessarily oppose all expansion of C&R areas. I can think of a few spring creeks in the ozarks where I would actually like to see it happen. I am opposed to extending catch and release areas on waters that receive thousands of trout per mile each year, and already produce more trophy trout than just about anywhere in the world. Frankly, I'm not sure the Arkansas tailwaters are in any need of improvement. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Also, as rps pointed out, there need to still be some places for the run of the mill spin and bait fisherman to catch some trout. That's how I prefer to fish, and I'm pretty sure that's true for the majority of trout fisherman. Maybe not on this board, but in the general public.

You'll have fun. I fished there this July, and we slayed 'em. Lots of good sized rainbows to be caught in both the fast and slow water. The bonus is that the scenery is truly world class.

That's truly amazing. I knew the Arkansas Tailwaters produced a lot of big browns, but I wasn't aware that so many all tackle record browns had been caught there.

What area are they considering restricting? As a general principle, I would be opposed to further catch and release water on such a heavily stocked waterway. Am I correct in saying the Norfork is already a world class fishery? Bait fisherman are all too often forgotten in these arguments. They are a large percentage of the fishing community.

Congrats on the huge smallie, fish of a lifetime. Can't say so much about the hat.

Well George Constanza is always right .... Just kidding. In all seriousness, despite what I said earlier, I'm not sure if the topic should be closed. I'm not one who likes forums that are tightly controlled. With that said, it doesn't seem as if this topic is going anywhere meaningful.

mine too.

Well said. I have nothing against guides, as I matter of fact I hope to be one someday when situations permit. It would be an awesome way to make a living, and I understand its very hard work. But, if I spend $300 on a guide, I expect to be able to use some of the patterns he shows me. Chances are, that's why I hired the guide in the first place.I'm not going to mark spots on my GPS or anything like that, but I may fish a few of the same places later on.

What I mean by this is I won't stay in that spot all day, and dredge up every fish around. I may stop, take a few casts, and hopefully catch a few fish before I move on. There is a big difference between the two.What I wouldn't ever do, is follow around a guide that I didn't pay. I tend to agree this topic has run its course, and is descending into a pissing match.

It was a lot of beautiful country,especially around Vermont and New Hampshire. I did go by myself. The only problem whatsoever, is that it was a bit more touristy than I was expecting around York, Maine. The good news is, lobster is only 4.99 a pound up there

Here is my opinion. If you spend the money to hire a guide, there is nothing wrong with using the general patterns that you used in your own fishing. The main reason why I hire guides actually to learn how to catch fish later in the trip. I may go back to a few of the spots that the guide took, but I won't fish it hard, and I will release all the fish I catch from these places. If the guide comes back with another client, I will leave immediately. For the most part, however, I will use the general pattern of the guided that I hire, and fish in different, but similar areas. Following a guide that you didn't pay is just wrong. Plain and simple stealing. Technically, it may be legal, but it is really crossing an ethical line that shouldn't be crossed.' By the way, I've been gone awhile, and I haven't had a chance to read all the posts in this topic. If I am repeating what someone else said, I apologize.

It was a lot of fun.

This is true. People generally either love trout parks, or hate them. Personally, I really enjoy them. I know the fish aren't as hard to catch as in a Blue Ribbon area, and I accept that. But a trout is a trout, and I enjoy every one I catch. Also, Montauk is rarely crowded on weekdays. Actually, compared to trout in the mountain streams of the west, I believe trout park fishing is actually harder, with the possible exception of the first 15 minutes after buzzer. But frankly, I enjoy trout fishing of any color. Would I rather fish a wilder stream? Yes. But if you can just mentally block out the crowds, you will realize that you are on an awesomely beautiful stream, and the trout are plentiful. That's all you can reasonably ask for in a good trout stream.

I just got back from a long trip across the northern US and Canada. I decided to drive into Canada at Port Huron, and drive across the southern part of Canada looking for places to fish. In this, I was pretty dissapointed, as the majority of the drive seemed to be through big cities, as opposed to countryside. I did, however, find a nice spot on the St. Lawrence River, where I stopped and caught a couple smallies. I didn't find any of those Canadian brook trout streams I was hoping to. The fishing got better almost instantly after crossing back into the states south of Montreal. I drove through the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire, and managed to find a few pretty brooks there. Two of the the three I tried didn't produce, but I did managed to catch a few pretty 5 to 9" brookies in the last one I tried (this one was in central New Hamphshire, in a particularly mountainous and beautiful area) , using a size 14 Elk hair Caddis on my 6 weight. The water was pretty warm everywhere in the other two brooks, which could explain the poor fishing. Wet wading wasn't really even uncomfortable, which is a bad sign. Finally, I arrived at the place I decided to stay a few miles from York, Maine, at about midnight (stopping to fish can explain the late arrival). The next morning, I went out on the surf, and went fishing with my 8 weight that I bought specifically for this trip (I decided to not bring the spinning rods on this one, just to see how I could do). I fished all day, with not a single tap. Finally, late in the evening on a rising tide, i tied on a 2/0 Clouser Minnow. On my first cast, the line went tight, and I was on with a heavy fish. It took a while, but I finally brought the 20" striper to shore (he was released unharmed.) The next morning, I went out on the charter boat. This was the one day that I wouldn't be fly fishing on this trip. The guide provided tackle. We used a three way rig, with a full 24 ounces of weight. The guide took us out to 300 feet of water, and we got to fishing. We were fishing on the bottom with cut clam. The catch was pretty good, with a nice mix of Haddock and Atlantic Cod, as well as more dogfish than you can count. I released the cod, but brought home one haddock to eat. Make no mistake, reeling a 5 pound fish up 300 feet with 2 pounds of weight already attached is hard work. I once timed how long it took to reel up without a fish on the end, and it took a hair over five minutes. Of course it took signicantly longer when I actually hooked up. The next day, I went fishing in the tidal York River, where I managed to catch one more small striper, also on the clouser. A guy fishing near me caught one that measured 48", using cut herring. As for pictures....Tried to take pictures of Niagara falls just a little too close on the way home, and the camera didn't survive the mist .

Considering how close it is to the hatchery, I would say your chances of getting away with it would be pretty slim.... Still an idea worth considering :lol:

This is scary stuff.... Even if this wouldn't affect fishing, it would certainly effect hunting.

Your right... The trout parks are definitely an acquired taste, but after awhile, I just got used to the crowds and the kinda ugly fish, and began to just enjoy fishing a stream with a higher density of trout than any stream out west. That sucks about the salmon and steelhead runs up there. Just one example of something dams have ruined.

Does anyone know if the walleye spawn down there?

I hooked into one at Montauk Lake on a White Marabou... Snapped my 4# pound test before I even really knew I had him on.

If your around Estes, fish the Big Thompson. You won't be dissapointed.

That sounds like a good plan. Like you say, the Pan above the lake is awesome, and not nearly as heavily fished as below,