ozark trout fisher

I don't think this is about fair chase vs. fence hunting. That is a long, tiresome debate all its own that I've never cared to wade too deep into. It's just about making sure those establishments are not the cause of CWD (and other disease) problems among wild deer in Missouri (and more accurately, assuring that the MDC is the agency with the power to make/enforce regulations to prevent this.)

Good idea. That'll make for a much better trip IMO. Hope you catch some fish! Not a secret, but the area around Welch Spring may or may not be worth a long look for rainbows.

This is the "Conservation Issues" forum, and this is a pure conservation issue-albeit with a tie to the state legislature/governor, because that's the mechanism at play here. I have zero intention of going into party ties of anyone at play here. It's not all that relevant and something like this doesn't have to be partisan at all.

I was glad to see Nixon veto this. Apparently his speech was very eloquent and strongly in defense of the MDC's power to manage our wildlife, which is exactly what it needed to be. I know a few people that made it to CoMo that day and it apparently was pretty intense, but a breath of fresh air. Very real danger of an override on this, though.

Back when I used to spin-fish there I have done well with 1/32 Panther Martins, 0 Mepps, and Rebel Teeny Craws. You honestly won't catch as many fish as you would on a fly rod but they tend to average a little bigger. Please pinch the barbs down at least when you're fishing the Blue Ribbon stretch. Especially important when you are fishing anything with a treble hook.

Did pretty well yesterday floating from Springfield Lake on down to a private take-out. Good bass fishing, especially on Rebel Craws and just about every other type of smallish crankbait. I've never fished there until yesterday so I don't know what the normal clarity is, but it was about 2+ feet of visibilty and cloudy. But not off-color enough to do anything but make the fish less suspicous. Pretty little river, even in that relatively "urban" stretch.

Pretty stretch of river, regardless of how the fishing is. A 17 incher is nothing to sneeze at from an Ozark stream. I'd take that any day.

This. You really need to consider cutting the mileage. Seeing more river doesn't necessarily equal a more enjoyable experience. It only insures you'll have sore arms at the end of the day and no fishing time. I only stress this so much because it's cost me a couple of what could have been enjoyable, relaxing fishing trips that instead turned into daylight to dark death marches. There are few things worse than paddling past good bluff-hole after good bluff-hole without a cast in order to avoid paddling an unfamiliar river in the dark. I'd start at Baptist and either take out at Pulltite (8+/day, 25 total) if you are insistent on a longer float. But realistically, I'd just take out at Akers (about 5 miles/day, 15 total) and stop and fish whenever you want. One thing to consider: the upper Current above Welch is very small, and fishing out of the boat is a losing proposition. You'll have to get out and wade to be successful. So plan for plenty of stops. If this is just a paddle trip, then it's alot more manageable. But if fishing is a priority then I think Baptist to Round is to much to bite off in 3 days.

Baseball isn't 1/10 as physically taxing as soccer. Especially in a tournament setting like the World Cup. We are talking about players standing around/sitting about 95% of the time vs. almost constantly running. Big difference.

A 15 incher is a beauty for a little brook like that. Nice fish.

When you see that games often go 90 minutes without a score, the need for a shootout becomes pretty clear.

That's the awesome thing about the Yellowstone/Teton area......Better chance at catching native strain cutthroat than just about anywhere else. So often across other parts and Montana (and the mountain west in general) even when you are catching cutthroat they are completely the wrong strain for the watershed you're fishing. Since I can't always tell the different strains of cutthroat apart while I'm on the water, it's always a slight disappointment to catch a bunch of "native" trout and find out later that they were Snake River cutts where they should have been Westslope cutts....or something along those lines. It seems like Snake River cutts are everywhere in the west, only starting with the region that they are native. In a few Colorado lakes I know, they've even replaced rainbows as the generic "stock 'em once a month and let people catch their limit" fish. This always feels deeply weird, because most of us associate cutties with wild fish and even wilder country (not to mention an almost absolute catch and release ethic.) I guess the Snake Rivers are a lot easier to raise in hatcheries than other subspecies. But I suppose, in the final analysis, the wrong type of cutthroat is still closer to the real article than a rainbow or brown.

I don't actually like the fact that brook trout exist in western streams, but I sure like fishing for them when I happen upon them. Heck, I've planned entire western fishing vacations around brookie fishing, which seems weird and counterintuitive, but almost always it turns out well. There's nothing like a guilt-free wild trout dinner around a campfire on a high-elevation stream. Though it's not particularly sound from a conservation perspective, I still tend to release most western brookies, because goodness, are they pretty, and most are too small to fool with.....but there is no tinge of sadness when I keep a brace of them for dinner, and if there is, I can tell myself honestly that I'm just doing this to help the cutties. It's pretty rare that we can ever say that anymore when it comes to wild trout.

I honestly didn't like soccer, but I really enjoyed watching our team play in the World Cup. It's pretty easy to just dismiss the sport out of hand, because all of the critcisms are basically accurate (long time between scoring, the possibility of a tie, the weird dilemna of the team celebrating after the loss to Germany based on some obscure tiebreaker.) But late in the US/Belgium game, can any honest-to-goodness sports fan say that they were not completely on the edge of their seat? And that was in a game that was scoreless in regulation, the prototypical "boring" soccer game, if you didn't actually bother to watch the thing. Sucked the way it ended, but after actually forcing myself to pay attention to the games I have to admit my perspective has changed quite a bit.

Definitely a good point. This is why I'll be around the house taking care of every chore imaginable this weekend. Need to give the fish a break anyway.

Well that's about all I know regarding the lakes up in Northern Missouri. Never have spent much time fishing in that part of the state though I find the country itself pretty (and I love the rabbit and bird hunting in some of the conservation areas!). But suffice it to say that if you are ever in the eastern/central part of the state let me know and I might be able to help you out.

Haven't fished Hazel Creek at all, though I've heard good things. From my little bit of experience up at Thousand Hills, the banks tend to be pretty rocky. There is some timber, but not a whole lot. In most areas of the lake I saw, there is a thick, 5-10 foot wide weedline about 20-30 feet out from the bank. Midday, I was doing best (for largemouth, primarily, but also some crappie) fishing the outside edge of the weeds with spinnerbaits and jigs. Yesterday, I did okay fishing off the bank working the water inside of the weedbeds, but it wasn't nearly as good. I've heard good things about the walleye fishing if you're into that, but I didn't go after them. It's a really pretty lake, with not any development except by the marina/kayak rental site. You'll enjoy fishing there, I think. This is the first time I've ever fished up there and it was a quick (less than) two day run through, so I apologize that I can't be all that helpful.

Just got back. Very, very nice state park and lake that is. Bank fishing was largely unsuccessful, but when I finally sprung for a rental kayak and fished out past the weedlines and along a couple of main-lake points, I got into some good fishing. Bass, crappie, and bluegill were all hooked into. A nice time in general and I really want to go back when I have more time to really explore.

How far can I paddle and how far can I effectively fish in a given period of time are two entirely different things. 40 miles in 2.5 days is easy if you aren't fishing, but would be an absolute nightmare if you are. I wouldn't consider more than 30 under any circumstances, and would lean more towards 20 or less. I'd just do Baptist to Akers over the three days and take it really easy. The trout fishing never tails off much throughout that stretch-and you don't have to ever worry about leaving a good hole because you're short on time. That's no way to fish a river like the Current, because fishing from the canoe/kayak is rarely the best option. You'll essentially be paddling from one wade-fishing location to another.

Okay, I've decided to head up to Thousand Hills SP on a total spur of the moment camping/fishing trip tomorrow and Wednesday. Anyone fished up there in Forest Lake? To avoid the trouble of hauling mine up I'm planning on renting a boat from the marina at least for Wednesday, and just doing some bank fishing tomorrow evening after I get up there. Edit: checked rates at Marina. In totally unrelated news, I will be bank fishing.

Sounds like a good learning experience if nothing else. If you want to wade and not get overrun by boats, I'd suggest you go way up on the Meramec, up above Maramec Spring. Fishing is still decent, wading is easier, and the only floaters are generally serious anglers. Otherwise, find a feeder creek with smallies (there are plenty) or get out on a weekday and fish wherever the heck you want. Mostly, don't get discouraged. There's plenty of good fishing to be had in the Meramec basin, and you have plenty of it to yourself even on summer weekends. Just stay away from anywhere with a canoe rental (or at least multiple rental services), and you'll be fine.

It is visible from the road. Only barely now with leaves on the trees, but unless you are trying hard you won't miss it. I don't think there are any other turnouts in the direction of the river nearby. Of course being that it's close to the park and easy to find, you'll have plenty of company, probably including swimmers in the hole by the access. Be prepared to walk long distances to find elbow room.

Looks like a fantastic time, good pics too. But let's keep perpetuating the completely accurate narrative that the Bourbeuse is a poisoned ditch full of bottom feeders and nothing else.

6-10 miles a day for a normal fishing float on a river like the Current. 10-12 is doable but more than you'll want. 4-5 miles if you want to spend a number of hours wading/swimming/relaxing on the gravel bars with a little paddling in between. It all depends on the experience you want, at the end of the day. Do you place a higher priority on seeing a lot of water or getting to fish the water that you do see hard, and relaxing?

Yeah, that's about what it is.....an awfully fun diversion when you're in the area anyway. I'd never drive across the state to fish it if I lived, say, in the KC area, but being that it's a relatively short drive and near some good smallie fishing it's just a place I tend to end up at. There are parts of the Meramec that I would put up there with any water in the state, but that's smallmouth fishing, and about 50 miles down the river. But then those areas aren't nearly as wadeable and don't serve as well for a spur of the moment trip for that reason.