ozark trout fisher

Well that is good news. You have to give the Missouri Department of Conservation credit for being proactive about this, and not waiting until we are already infected to do something about it!

Listen, this sucks for all of us. I just recently bought a pair of felt soled boots too. But the question is, are we going to put our money and our convenience ahead of the health of the streams? I think that for those of us who care about these streams, and their health, it is time to put our money where our mouth is. If we only are willing to help protect these streams to the extent that it doesn't cost us any extra money or convenience, well I don't think that says anything particularly good about fisherman. Of course it is possible to use felt soles and not transport didymo, if you are more or less religious about not using them out of state, etc. But the fact is, not everyone does that.

Okay, maybe you could be right. Seems doubtful to me, but all the same... I don't like it any more than you do, but isn't it worth an extra $70 or so if there is any likely hood whatsoever that it will keep didymo out of our streams? I think the health of my favorite trout streams are well worth that. Because once we've got didymo the way I see it, we're stuck with it pretty much permanently. It's no good waiting around, discussing the issue until our streams are already infected with the stuff.

Notice that I carefully said, "in some cases" I never said it made streams a barren wasteland. I did say that it has the capability to greatly reduce the number of aquatic insects in a stream. And there can sometimes be pretty extraordinary negatives effects from that. I would suggest that you do some reading about Rapid Creek in South Dakota, or Esopus Creek in New York. Those are just two of many once great trout streams that have had very significant negative impacts from didymo. I don't know why it has not had that much of an effect on the White River. But it is certainly not because it can't have such an effect. You are basing your conclusions on too little evidence, on one stream that is infected with didymo and hasn't suffered visible negative consequences. For detailed info on didymo and its effects, I would suggest checking out this link. http://seagrant.psu.edu/publications/fs/didymo.pdf

I don't think that the MDC is so much worried about the trout as the streams that they live in. All possible effects on trout fishing aside, didymo can be an ecological disaster in some circumstances. It can have the effect of greatly reducing the number of aquatic insects in a stream. It makes it so that mayflies, caddis flies, stoneflies, and other insects have a very difficult time completing their life cycle. And this is very important on coldwater streams, because the entire food chain starts with these aquatic insects. This makes the issue important to everyone that cares about the health of these stream systems. Not just to trout fisherman. So I'd say it's well worth a little inconvenience on our part to keep this stuff out of our streams. I just really wish the MDC could do a better job about getting information out on this, as I've said before. Also I wish that they would be willing to go all the way with this and make it statewide. Why just on our trout waters? I'd like to hear a good reason. I'm sure other streams would be susceptible to it as well.

Well this heat is changing plans somewhat. For ethical reasons I don't want to fish for wild trout when the temperature is pushing 100 degrees. So, it looks like for Friday and Saturday I'll just have to deal with the crowds on the Current, where if nothing else I can at least find cold water. It's supposed to cool off and stay in the 70s on Sunday and Monday, that should be my chance to hit some of the wild trout streams. I don't like this heat much, but still I'm really looking forward to the trip.

Have a good trip. Bring Panther Martin and Rooster Tail spinners.1/24 ounce, as well as the smaller Rebel Craws..You'll catch both smallies and trout on those in the 8 to Scotts Ford stretch. Most all of your trout will come within a couple miles downstream from the spring branch, it'll be mostly all smallmouth above and below that in this heat. I think you're wise to focus mainly on smallies though. The trout fishing could be more than a little slow, they aren't much for this 100 degree heat.

I have fished the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. What a wonderful place, great fishing! I've always fished the North Tongue River (full of cutthroat, brookies, and rainbows) and some other smaller surrounding streams that I won't name. That area is reminiscent of Alaska to me. Beautiful mountain meadows in all directions, moose everywhere, more trout water than you could fish in a lifetime. I'm sure you'll have a great trip. Now as I'm sure you know the fish up in the mountains as far as size goes aren't anything like in the Bighorn River...But the scenery more than makes up for it.

I can assure you that if I regularly spent $15 on lures, my gas money would be gone and I wouldn't be able to make it to the river at all. It's sort of like the $700 deer rifle that is written about so glowingly in some outdoor magazine. Sure, it would work great, much better than the old lever action 30-30 that I use. But I'd rather spend that money on actually being able to afford to go on the hunting trips I want to with my less than state of the art rifle, than having a really great deer rifle and never being able to use it. Plus I'm just cheap. It is so engrained in my nature that I can't really change that. If I see an expensive, name brand lure, my first thought is "Okay, so what else might work?"

I thoroughly enjoyed your blog post. Great pictures! I've been meaning to get up to the driftless area for quite awhile now, but I've never made it. I might just have to do it sometime soon.

Enjoyed the report greatly. Cottonmouths...That might tell me what stream you are talking about. But I don't care, you can have it all to yourself as far as I'm concerned. I am not particularly fond of poisonous snakes.

That is wonderful that they posted it on facebook, but that is not generally how a state agency should get out information to people. Not everyone uses facebook with regularity, myself included. Looks like I can wait a bit on the new wading boots though, which is good...I was gonna be a little upset if I had to spend 80 bucks on a new pair before this weekend. Not that I thought that was really a possibility, but one likes to know for sure.

They actually have orange and pink "indicator flies" that are for that very purpose. Never tried them but it might be interesting. There have been days where it seems like they have more interest in the indicator than the fly below it. Then I'll try a dry fly with an actual hook on it and of course they'll have no interest whatsoever. It's enough to make you wonder whether fish really do have a sense of humor.

I've got no problem with the proposal. I just want the MDC to put some information out on this. They are generally pretty good about getting press releases out on this kind of thing, and I wish they would do that here.

Just one other thing. Whatever your feelings on this, it is kind of an important issue to trout fisherman. I think that the Missouri Department of Conservation has an obligation to get more information out on this. So far it is only that one little paragraph in the August 2011 Conservation Action page. No press release on this, at least that I can find, and I have carefully searched the MDC site. The information we have isn't enough. We need to know when this ban takes effect, and exactly what the specific trout waters are. So if anyone from the MDC should happen to be reading this, I think we all would really appreciate a press release on this thoroughly explaining these issues.

Well, I must say this is very inconvenient. But if this is really going to help stop the spread of didymo into our trout streams, then it's worth it. I've never retired my pair, just because I do not use them out of state, period, to insure that I am not spreading didymo. But I understand why the MDC did this. (Heads to bass pro to buy some new wading boots) I agree with Outside Bend though. If they are going to ban them on our trout streams, then they should ban them everywhere. It just begs the question, do they only think our trout waters important enough to protect with this ban?

There have been times when I have had crazy terrestrial fishing on the Current. But you're right, if the fly isn't within just a few inches of the bank you're pretty much wasting your time...Last fall with during the drought I had really great hopper fishing every time I went down, they were all over the place and the fish were really keyed in. The hopper fishing stayed good late last year, when I was down there late October they were still eating hopper imitations. It was to the point where I wasn't even using a dropper. Why would you when you can catch as many fish as you want on big dries? I wish it were like that again this year, but that would be hoping for too much.

I don't know the Big River well at all and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that part of the stream that has been pretty devastated by mine tailings. That might have something to do with your results. Sounds like a nice day anyway.

Bummer.I was kind of looking forward to the possibility of some good hopper fishing...Oh well. Maybe with the warmer water temps they just aren't looking up, who knows.Sounds like I'll need to bring the stream thermometer if I go down there.

Thanks for the report. I am somewhat disappointed to hear that the Parker section isn't doing that great. I like that part of the river a lot, but it is definitely more of an on/off proposition than further upstream. Sometimes you can't keep the fish off the end of your line, other times it's all you can do to pound up a few. Oh well. A few cool rains and the river should be back to its normal self again. I may make it down to the Current for an evening over this coming weekend, depending on how the other streams I'm gonna be hitting fish. If I do go down there I'll definitely be fishing the Parker section to get away from the crowds a little. Did you try any hoppers/terrestrials? Sometimes those can be real good this time of year down there.

I've always heard it was tough. To be honest I had completely forgotten about its existence until you just mentioned it. It's out of the way but I would kind of like to try it, a little bit of a challenge is always a good thing. Don't know if this will be the trip for it though. I'm planning on doing something fairly similar to what 2sheds said. Chances are I will be down in Sunklands CA to hike this October, so maybe that would be a better time to hit Barren Fork. Okay, so maybe this won't hit all of the wild trout streams. But three or four of them at least , and that's plenty for an extended weekend.

I hate that feeling too. But don't beat yourself up too much over it. Any honest fisherman will admit that this kind of thing just happens occasionally, no matter what you do to prevent it.

Thanks for the advice. I probably will base camp at Lane. I'm not entirely sure whether I'll make to the Current at all, but if I'm gonna be that close anyway I probably will at least go have a look and see what the crowds are like.

I've been planning to head down to the Current River on the weekend of the 3 and 4 of September for a long time, to sort of kick off the fall/winter trout fishing season. Of course I never had the brains to figure out that is Labor Day weekend. When I finally put that together today, two thoughts went through my mind simultaneously, one positive and one negative. A. I have three days to fish instead of two. B.I will not be fishing the Current River. I was bummed out about the second part for all of about 2.5 seconds, until I came up with an alternate plan. Instead of heading down to the Current River, I'm going to be sort of going on a three day tour of as many of the good Missouri wild trout streams as I can. Of course I have some plans, but more than that I'm just gonna let this one go the way it will. The only public wild trout creek that I probably will not fish is Crane (I would love to but it's just too far away.) Anyway hopefully it will go well and I'll give a report when I get back. Now I actually know how to upload pictures too, so I'll do that. I'll be leaving on the afternoon of the second, and am planning to get back some time on the 5th.

Thanks!