ozark trout fisher

There are situations where harvesting legal fish can result in better fishing. But I don't think that applies to the trout fishery in the Current. There are two things at play here: 1. This isn't a wild fishery, so the idea that fish numbers are going to somehow go unchecked unless we harvest them has no basis in fact. Browns can't reproduce in the Current. Rainbows can, but don't enough for that to factor in even a little bit. Especially in terms of the browns, I trust the MDC enough that they are putting the right number of trout in the river to meet their management objectives (rainbows are a little weird because they trickle down at their own pace, and I'd be slightly more amenable to some legal harvest of those.) Without our "help" there is going to be a ton of natural mortality anytime you throw a bunch of tame 8 inch trout into a wild setting. You've got herons, other predators, C&R mortality, and the 47 pound, 8 ounce rainbow that lives in the hole right above Tan Vat which accounts for at least a couple hundred/year (side note: I hear he loves #28 midge imitations and 7x tippet, and you should devote a lot of time and effort to catching him.) Anyway, the MDC is carefully managing the population, and while they probably figure some legal harvest into the equation, I can't imagine it's much. Unless they tell me to start killing fish, I'm not going to. And that's at least 98% because of philosophy. The other 2% has to do with the pesky detail of never catching legal--sized fish. 2. You could make an argument that harvesting some larger fish is actually the best method if we want to focus on producing truly massive brown trout in the Current River. But which is a more attractive, reasonable management objective: a solid, fishable number of 18-22 inch trout, that provide great sport and a real trophy to anglers...or like, a couple 25-30 inchers that no one may ever actually catch? It seems pretty straightforward to me.

Oops, didn't realize this was an age-old thread that got back from the dead...

You may consider Michigan if you're interested in sheer variety of species/water type. NW lower Michigan is something of an anglers paradise. You've got the Pere Marquette, Little Manistee, and Pine Rivers all in close proximity, all among the best wild trout streams anywhere. And you've got the Big Manistee, Tippy Dam Pond, Muskegon River, and of course the big lake for everything ranging fro smallmouth to pike to steelhead. Lovely country too, if you're into the aspen/pine North Woods thing. I just can't recommend it enough.

Rebel Craws. I do occasionally use something else for stream smallmouth, but it's pretty rare. I do this partially because I haven't found anything that works better. But I mostly do it because everyone looks at me like I've never fished before, and tells me that it's what "my Grandpa used 30 years ago." (Actual OAF gold on that last quote.) When you are consistently catching fish while annoying people at the same time, you've really found a sweet spot.

It does seem like these are coming hot and fast this year. I mean, there is always some anti-MDC legislation out there...but it's constant right now. It's hard to keep track of everything even for someone who spends a lot of time keeping tabs on it. The sheer volume is enough for there to be concern. Right now we have some measure of comfort in a likely veto, but that may not always be the case. When it's not, I fear what may happen to conservation in this state. In the meantime, we still have to worry about overrides, which anti-MDC folks have gotten dangerously close to in a few cases recently.

I wouldn't be so sure. This bill (and ones like the "MDC pays you $500 if you hit a deer bill") seem a lot more calculated and vindictive than anything. It's a statement to the MDC on the part of the legislators that they are not satisfied with game/fish management not being under their control.

This bill would kill a TON of great conservation programs. Any project where the MDC is working with TU, DU, or any number of organizations with hunting and fishing-friendly objectives and tactics would go out the window. It is almost impossible to come up with any possible benefit to this, unless you just have a beef with the MDC and want to piss them off with a bill, or on the off-chance it's successful, make it impossible for them to do their job. There are so many bills like this out there that it's almost impossible to detail all of them. I encourage you to visit this page. It's from January, but most of the bills listed here are still alive and still demand your attention. http://confedmo.org/legislation-threatens-conservation-authority-and-funding/ If you live in Missouri and care even a little about conservation...or even hunting and fishing in general, these bills turn everything that is awesome about this state into a massive question mark. Please, do a little research and email/write your legislator. Or don't complain when there isn't enough money or room to work for the MDC, and your hunting and fishing suffers because of it, as well as your access to it on public land. Because if the sales tax is reduced to 1/16%, the MDC has to pay folks who hit a deer $500, and they can no longer work with NGOs...there is going to be very little they can do. Then we can look forward to a politically controlled disaster for game and fish management. And in all likelihood, a lot of your conservation areas will be seeing "no-trespassing" signs go up in this way-too-real scenario.

I do that. If I ever took my phone with me in my fishing vest that would probably be the end of it anyway. It's just nicer to be able to say what amounts to "no, I couldn't get your call, because I was a bit too far from civilization to be within reach, while you were sitting behind your desk." Unfortunately, that's pretty hard to do these days. Even Little Piney now has cell reception by Lane Spring. The Current River is spotty at best, so I guess there's still that.

As a member of the "Computer Game Generation" (20s) I often get laughs out of these discussions. As if there weren't people who stayed inside and didn't do much of anything 30 or 50 years ago. I live in a largeish, pretty liberal college town, and if I want to go fishing/hunting/anything else outside, I never have the slightest trouble finding anyone who is willing to go with me. If there's a problem at all, it's that people feel just fine about saying that a whole generation doesn't "have the desire to do anything anymore." Generalizations are often wrong. I just got a smartphone for the first time a few months ago, and only because it was an absolute requirement. I still hope it doesn't have reception wherever I'm going fishing. And if you're posting on an internet forum, whilst complaining about computers, forgive me if I'm confused by that.

I thought it was interesting too, but I think there's an explanation. Reading through that list, it seems like a list of rivers that are most in danger among those that are currently either pretty pristine, or are not an impossible distance away from being so. That's an important distinction, because at this point there is quite a bit more value preserving something that's still in decent shape vs. trying to bring, say, Hinkson Creek back from the dead. Both are worthwhile, but the former is a lot more cost effective and palatable than the latter. People not understanding this is how everyone got up in arms when the Current/Jacks Fork was considered "endangered." Sure, it's in pretty good shape compared to some of our less protected river systems, but it still was/is being treated in a way that isn't remotely commensurate to its incredible value. Just because a river isn't a disgusting, sewage polluted, fishless mess doesn't mean we're doing enough. Our standards have to be higher than that, especially where we still have the chance to maintain relatively pristine conditions.

I'm choosing to interpret the "Lifetime Member" thing as a symbol that you've been around long enough that there's a decent chance you won't get banned, but you probably should have been a few times.

Yep, I'm as guilty of any here. When I'm in country with really pretty water (ie out west) it's a wonder that staring at rivers instead of the road hasn't had some sort of consequence by this point. Though I wasn't actually in the driver's seat at this moment, I remember clearly driving along a branch of the Rio Grande in SW Colorado, literally pointing out which boulders I thought the trout were hiding behind. There could have been an albino moose standing in the road and I would have been too busy staring at the creek to notice. A few days ago, I added a significant distance to my trip home from the Ozarks just so I could see the Gasconade and upper Bourbeuse River, even though I've been on/fished them them too many times to count, and I didn't have any intention of actually stopping to fish. After awhile I'm pretty sure it becomes something approaching a magnetic attraction.

It is not hard to catch the small ones in any of these little trout streams if you know how to read water and drift nymphs. Finding, and hooking into anything big enough to break a 6x tippet is definitely a puzzle. They are in all of these streams though, if only a few. I've spooked them and briefly tied into a few of those small-creek freaks of nature, but for the most part they feel as much a myth to me as the Loch Ness monster. If it were easy there would be pictures of them all over this forum. And yes, a "freak of nature" in this case is a 20 incher that would be pretty run of the mill on the Current. These things are relative.

Got out to the LP for an enjoyable few hours on Saturday. The water was that greenish cast you get after a rain and that can occasionally get the trout off their guard and make for some great fishing. That did not really pan out on Saturday (all attempts to catch larger fish with streamers were rebuffed pretty emphatically) but as always the little ones were out in force and friendly as ever. For anyone who cares, a #18 Hare's ear was the best fly....though I have a feeling I could have thrown out any nymph #14-18 and gotten exactly the same results. There were quite a few rising as well to some sort of a mayfly hatch, the details of which I didn't check into. Anyway, pictures:

It's also accurate, to any degree that matters. http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/4/10/5594348/college-football-bag-man-interview The only significant difference between programs is how much of the shadiness that coaches know about. If you don't think, for example, that the vast majority 4 and 5 star recruit is getting some form of compensation beyond what's allowed in the NCAA rulebook, then you are blinding yourself to reality. There are no clean programs, just programs that are better at hiding things/plausible deniability. That's why I'm saying DGB is a perception hit, which nationally, it is, despite whatever delusions there may be within the OU fanbase. It's also why I'm not calling Bob Stoops a scumbag, because if he is, all major football coaches are.

Got down to the Current for Saturday.....stayed along the river Friday night, and then headed to Parker Hollow to see if we could scare anything up. When I got out of the truck, the temperature read an even 0 degrees. The fog coming off the river had frozen on the branches of the streamside trees, forming a wintry scene that I won't soon forget (yes, I have pictures that I'll try to get posted later today.) It was lovely, but also a little intimidating from an "I'm about to go stand in a trout stream" point of view. The river was beautiful that morning. Crystal clear, morning sunlight reflecting off it like a mirror. The river itself was of course flowing along as it always does, but every little pocket of standing water along the edges was frozen solid. The river was also dead. Not a trout flashed, you couldn't see anything nymphing in the runs where you can almost always find a few feeding trout. Perhaps we should have gone further upstream, closer to the springs where the water was warmer. In any case, the fly rod had to be constantly dipped in the water, and the reel as well. It took mere second in the frozen air for every ounce of liquid on either to become solid. Given all this, it was a bit of a challenge to take the task at hand too seriously. I battled the elements and the entirely unwilling trout for a couple hours before I momentarily retreated to the bank for some lunch and the much needed warmth of a fire. As pretty and relatively deserted the water around Parker was, we knew this wouldn't be the answer from a fishing perspective. We traded out our pride for a better hope of success, and headed up to Montauk State Park. The fly only section of the park is really a great place to be during the depth of the winter, relatively bereft of crowds, but full of stupid, willing trout. You know these fish are tame and straight from the hatchery, but it looks natural enough and it's possible to delude yourself for a few pleasant hours. We did just that, until we were taken out of our reverie by the dreadful interruption of the one thing you don't want to hear on a river-a siren. Ok, so that ruined the illusion, but there are still worse ways to spend a winter day. But seriously, we all have watches. Lose the siren.

It's no loss on the field. A huge hit to the perception of the program, though. Combine that with this past season and you have people half seriously talking about Bob Stoops being on the hot seat. Granted, it has a lot more to do with the latter, but the former isn't doing anything to help him. All major football programs have their dirty laundry probably about to the same degree. We all know that, if we're paying attention. But, bogus as it might be, perception is still huge and this was all risk and very little chance of reward for OU.

Nice win. We know almost for certain that this season will end following the SEC tournament, so you just get to enjoy every win for what it is without worrying about the implications. They've played a lot better over the past four games. If they can sustain it they could end up close to .500 in the SEC. That would be a great result after the way the season started. I hope they continue to prove me wrong. I thought the near upset of Illinois was a fluke, but they've backed it up against Oklahoma State and now finally getting a win against LSU. That's now three straight "good enough to win" performances against teams that could be in position for an NCAA tournament bid in March. That's impossible to ignore. There is definitely improvement, and now we just get to see if they can continue that without too many backward steps. The game @Auburn is a decent opportunity to start 2-0, but it's also a chance to revert back to old ways and get stomped on the road. We'll see how far they've really come Saturday night. Obviously a win is preferable, but we're still at the stage where a down-to-the-wire loss would be an acceptable result on the road. What you don't want to see is a blowout, and with the excitment Bruce Pearl has brought (despite play at least as bad as Missouri this season) the crowd should be pretty wild in Auburn.

Just a mess for everyone involved. Oklahoma has to regret giving him a chance. Now they get the PR hit without the on-field production. It's a disaster for them.

It was a decent win for Mizzou in an otherwise disastrous day for the SEC. Not good at all. This season was about sustaining success....we lost too much and Maty Mauk was too inconsistent to challenge teams like Alabama and Georgia. But nonetheless, still a good season when you can get to 11 wins. . This team felt a lot worse than last year, but the results were essentially the same (SEC east win, along with a SECCG blowout and a bowl win.) That, despite this they still only regressed by one game, is a huge testament to Pinkel and the rest of his staff. Next year shouldn't be a lot different, honestly. We'll lose Golden and Ray, but Brantley and Augusta should keep the d-line strong. The offensive line will be experienced, along with RBs and (for better or worse) QB. WR is obviously going to be the major question for the second straight year. I expect a lot more ugly wins and a few ugly losses. The SEC east being what it is, should be attainable. Tennessee will get hype after their bowl win, and Georgia always does, but neither should approach elite status. It should all be on the table again next season. The next thing is to figure out how to win the conference itself, which still seems like a pretty significant leap even after two east titles.

Ugh. I'll be there, but I'm not looking forward to it. As for the fair-weather fan stuff....no. I love this program. It's just that I don't love where it is right now. I don't blame much of it on Kim Anderson....there's a lot at play, including Frank Haith, the emphasis on football over basketball, a million different things. I didn't think this team would be great. But they just play dumb, consistently, even for a team that is this young. I'm cheering for them, but getting emotionally invested at this stage just isn't healthy or worthwhile. Kim Anderson will get this going eventually, but the best thing for me right now is to have a healthy level of detachment from what's going on. I expected this to be rough, but not "losing to UMKC and losing to everyone with a pulse by a thousand" type of rough. Seriously, UMKC? I can deal with a lot and stay engaged (ask Frank Haith), but that's asking too much. I need more than one competent performance to think we're past that. I do think at a point the message has to be sent that they can't just trot any horrible product out there and expect me to support it. It has to be better, even in a total rebuild. That was better against Illinois. Show that you're interested in at least being competitive a few more times, and I'm in. I don't need much, but I need that.

They are where Missouri should be right now.....probably a non-tournament team, but they beat the teams on the level below them and are competitive against major conference teams. No reason Mizzou shouldn't be able to do that, even with an inexperienced roster. There is A LOT of 4 star talent at Mizzou. Kim Anderson will get plenty of time, and he should, but the results are downright unacceptable to this point. I can't take any comfort in a three point loss to a halfway decent opponent who, well, we should expect to always be competitive with.

I'll be real...I didn't even watch the game, given how bad they've been and how I expected a total beat down. But it looks like they were more competitive. But still a loss. And still 5-6. And that still really sucks.

The way you know college football is out of hand is when you see an HC making over a quarter million and you say "really, that's it?"