ozark trout fisher

Well, glad no happened to be canoeing or kayaking down one of those twisty, narrow riffles when those guys came through...Otherwise we'd be hearing about this on the news.

It will probably have to be a major all day or all night type of rain to effect the river much at this point...The ground is so dry that even a a relatively signficant rain will most likely get soaked right up. But the cooler temps on the way should moderate stream temperatures slightly, which is a bit too little too late, but better than nothing I guess. Not that it will matter much unless we get the kind of rain we need.

I would encourage you not to fish that far downstream in this heat. I don't know the exact temperature at Parker Hollow but after days of 100+ and extreme low water, I would bet on it getting above 70 degrees a considerable percentage of the time-which would mean very slow fishing and almost certain death to any trout you release. I'd go further upriver-think Baptist, Tan Vat, or Montauk.

What helps me get on the water a decent number of days each year is my willingness to fish anywhere...Like the stream I've probably fished more than anywhere else this year, a little creek that is so polluted that I'm a bit surprised it isn't a superfund site...but it's close and has a few smallmouth, so I roll with it. Though I've already been smallie fishing right around 50 times this year, only 15-20 of them have been spent on what you'd call honest to goodness Ozark streams. A lot of the time, it comes down to either fishing marginal water for an hour or two or not fishing at all, and I'll just about always choose the first option there.

It depends on how busy I am any given year. I'll get out anywhere from 30 or 40 days in a bad year to sometimes over a hundred.

We've gotten several rather severe thunderstorms here, but they have all had very little to no rain. On Monday it appeared that we were going to get significant rain, but after a few minutes it just fell apart. The stream levels are a bit alarming, granted...but it's not what I'm worried about at this point. My concern is the near-record low water mixed with the record high temperatures. On smallie streams like the Bourbeuse and St. Francis that are not heavily spring-fed, this could end up being trouble if this type of weather continues. Not to mention some of the trout creeks...I don't even want to think about where they will be at after this is over. I know I'm staying off those types of streams now and only fishing the heavily spring-fed waters for smallmouth as well as lakes for largemouth. But even there the fish don't seem to have much fight in them, though the fishing has been ridiculously easy in some places. It all gives me a bad feeling strong enough for me to consider putting up my fishing rod until this crap ends. Because goodness knows how much catching and releasing fish stresses them out right now.

Chief, I'm glad you didn't have to deal with the crap I'm talking about on your float. And I'm not saying that it is rampant everywhere. It seems like there are certain stream stretches that are much worse than others, and I'm not even talking about the most crowded areas-just places where the wrong type of crowd tends to gather...everything from drunken jet-boaters, to drug use and nudity in the canoe rental crowd. It doesn't seem to me that it's a coincidence that those are usually also the areas where law enforcement presence is minimal. I don't have major issues with big crowds. People have the right to enjoy the river. But the relative lawlessness that pervades some stream stretches needs to stop. That's where this little tax could come in-patrolling these types of areas.

Thank you for bringing up something I've had on my mind for a long time. I can't figure the math on people consistently having 100+ fish days-except maybe for bluegill. Just for the the heck of it I've kept count this year, at least most of the time. I've had lots of days, especially when smallmouth fishing where it's felt like I've caught 100 fish, but in reality most of the time it's only 30 or 40, and even that's only on very the best of days. I figure if you catch 25 or 30 trout or smallmouth in a full day on the water you've had a day worth remembering. Not so much with smallmouth fishing, but fly fishing for trout I'm usually well pleased with a dozen or so. Granted, I'm at best an average fly fisher and I've regressed a bit since I've started fishing for smallmouth more. 100 fish days might happen, but I suspect they're basically a once in a lifetime occurrence for most of us.

This sort of links back to the other thread about enforcement of rules on Missouri streams...No one is wanting anyone to "conform" to our standards. All we're looking for a significant enough law enforcement presence to curb some of the blatantly illegal/dangerous stuff that is going on. Three dollars just doesn't move the meter when you're talking about a service that already costs between $25 and $40. It wouldn't by any stretch fix all the problems, but it can't hurt to have a few more boots on the ground, can it?

I would be a big supporter of this. I think I might just write my legislator-but with the blanket hatred most have of any sort of taxes these days, I don't like the chance of it getting anywhere...Just a sad reality of the political climate now.

Maybe we've had more rain and cooler temps north of the river...but that ain't saying too much this summer. I'm liking the idea of taking my kayak out tomorrow for some fishing from dark to about 2 AM on one of the local lakes. As much as I hate this heat, at least it should be conducive to good night fishing. Goodness knows the fish aren't getting a whole lot of their feeding done during the day.

Newburg Bridge is a pretty decent spot for smallies. Also right down by the G'nade/44 bridge can be good. There are several places you can get on it near Jerome if you want to fish the lowest reaches. Most of the smallmouth do run a little bit small on the middle/lower LP, but they are numerous throughout most of the river. It's a very nice creek to fly fish for smallies; actually I think it might be one of those places where it's the most effective way to fish for them.

For the next week (or until the triple digits end) I'll be night-fishing and nothing else. Been too long since I've gone out after dark with a tackle-box full of jitterbugs anyway...

Can't wait to get to Upper Michigan later this summer. This weather just plain sucks.

All I can say is thank goodness that there are still rivers that are deemed by the party/canoe rental crowd to be far to slow, muddy, shallow, or inaccessible to be attractive. The only clear benefit of the insane crowds on some of our streams is that it concentrates most of the craziness in 10-15 rivers and leaves the rest pretty much to those of us who are actually interested in enjoying the river more than our beer.

I look at the 10 day forecast for around here, and about all I can see is triple digit highs all the way through and lows in the mid-70s after today. Given the low water conditions that are already affecting area streams, this is going to be bad news for some of our trout waters, especially the smaller creeks where the spring flows are less consistent in times of dry weather. As water temperatures on some of our trout streams will almost certainly be rising to the 70 degree mark, I just want to ask fisherman to be aware of this. When water temperatures get to 70 degrees, the likelihood of trout surviving a fight and release quickly begins to plummet. Please invest in a stream thermometer if you don't already have one (you can get them for $10), and either move upstream, chase smallies, or take a break from fishing when the water temperatures are at or above 70. There will continue to be many stretches of trout stream in our state that will stay fishable, so all this requires is a little thought into where you choose to plan your trips. Think bigger rivers with good, consistent sources of cold water, like the Eleven Point, Current, and North Fork of the White, as well as the tailwaters and trout parks . Some states have made a practice of restricting trout angling when water temperatures rise into the danger zone for trout. The MDC doesn't do this yet, so it's up to us to use a bit of common sense.

The honest answer is that unless we get major rain or cool weather, if you are going to trout fish, I would hit the Current, Eleven Point, or North Fork of the White. All those rivers should maintain a reasonable flow and decent temperatures for most of their best water. You could find a few areas where the water temps are fishable on the creeks you mentioned, but generally you might think twice before fishing our small wild trout streams in the middle of a drought summer. The fishing will most likely be extremely tough, and in these conditions catching and releasing trout is hard on them. Even where temps are ok, low water is stressing fish, and making them much more vulnerable to overhead predators. Better right now to fish for smallies, and your options are basically limitless, even given the low, warm water conditions across the region. In that area you're looking at, if you try wading the lower Little Piney around and below Newburg or the upper Big Piney you probably won't come away disappointed. This is just going to be a tough summer on the trout, unless the weather pattern really changes quickly.

That is the way to look at it. I've spent a lot of time over the past year fishing central and western MO streams that sort of meet the same description as the lower Meramec...Somewhat urban, polluted, off-color, generally unattractive to most people. And you know what? A lot of those types of streams have some good fishing if you can set aside preconceived notions. I've caught good smallies (as well as largemouth) in polluted, often turbid flows that most people assume can hold at most a few carp. So I'd say keep exploring that stretch of the Meramec-once you learn its ins and outs you'll find something there that's worthwhile, I can just about promise. The concentrations of smallies that far down aren't high, but it never lacks in variety. Catfish, drum, largemouth, bluegill, whites, and walleye are some of the species I've encountered. Even some of what most people call "trash fish" can be fun to catch. Bowfin, a rather frightening looking fish which are relatively abundant in that part of the river and especially in the backwater lakes, are a great example. And they'll bite on almost all the same things you'd use for largemouth or spotted bass. They are ferocious fighters and if you can get over their looks are generally great sport and worth targeting. I wouldn't eat one though... One piece of advice... If you can get ahold of even something as inexpensive as a $70 inflatable kayak, it will really open up a lot more productive water.

That's an incredible fish! Might I ask what you were throwing?

I think that depends a good deal on what river you're talking about. Some rivers (even those with fairly heavy traffic) just don't attract as many of the trouble makers as others do. Actually the river I have the most "horror stories" from isn't even one of the 10 or so most popular float streams in the Ozarks. Try floating the Big Piney from 6 crossings to Ross Bridge on a weekend and I guarantee you'll have some fun stories to tell...A lovely stretch of river that is just about completely ruined in the summer, not by the numbers of people, but by percentage of those people that are hammered drunk, stoned, or both, and make sure you know about it. If someone wants to float down the river, get drunk, and stay relatively quiet about it, then it's absolutely none of my business or anyone else's. But many (and let's be honest, probably most) of the party crowd has no respect for others on the river. Drunk and disorderly conduct is drunk and disorderly conduct as much on the river as anywhere else.

It would be heavy floating traffic in the weekend right now, but during lower traffic times I've enjoyed some very nice wade fishing in Huzzah Creek Conservation area, right down near the confluence with the Meramec. There are some deep holes you'll have to get around, but if you're willing to work it's definitely worthwhile. Fish it late evening or early morning during a weekday, and it should be fine. Otherwise I'd take the advice of others on here, and wait until about October to think too much about fishing the Huzzah. It's an awesome place to fish in the fall and spring down there when the crowds are gone. An absolutely beautiful creek, with good numbers of bass, even if they run pretty small. Leave the spinning rod at home too-that's a perfect fly fishing creek.

Exactly Feathers and Fins!!! How many times have I been paddling around a bend in a river and some hammered drunk jet-boater barrels right past, not seeing me 'til the last second...It gets old, but more than that, it gets dangerous. How many times do you about any deaths or serious injuries on our lakes and rivers that don't involve alcohol? Try never, except in the rarest of cases.This sort of crack-down is exactly what we need.

Sounds like a great day on the river, glad you had guys had a good time out there. I always think it's a special day on the Bourbeuse when all you're catching is a whole bunch of native smallies and largemouth.

I have concerns about the slot limit idea, as I believe I've already stated in some cases. I do think they could end up working well on larger rivers with abundant smallmouth populations, like the Gasconade, Current, Big Piney etc. But if they every became statewide, what would happen to the rivers that had much lower density populations? I'm talking about rivers like the Bourbeuse, and a whole bunch of smaller creeks that I can think of that already have precarious smallmouth populations due mostly to habitat issues like gravel mining, erosion etc, and in some cases competition with non-natives. A slot limit would encourage more harvest of small fish, something that could end up being devastating to these types of waters. So I don't mind slot limits in some special management areas with healthy populations that are capable of producing quality fish, but I don't think they are the answer statewide.

Even if you don't believe the concerns about possible poisoning of drinking water, earthquakes, or some of the other "dramatic" effects, the process of hydrofracking definitely requires the dewatering of nearby streams. Where else will they get all that water from? That in itself is a major concern, especially considering the general trend towards more drought-like summers. It could easily be the last straw for some of the effected watersheds. And then there are those more dramatic concerns already mentioned, which we haven't fully seen yet but seem like more of a ticking time bomb than anything else...It appears to be just a matter of time before something goes terribly wrong. How would we know all of the possible negative effects of such a new (and potentially harmful) method of gas extraction? We don't, and with some of the chemicals being used, just guessing and finding out we were wrong later doesn't seem like a good plan. We've tried that approach too many times already and usually haven't liked the results...See the BP oil spill and similar disasters.