ozark trout fisher

I don't know Crane specifically, but by fishing Missouri's other wild trout streams, I would say on the tippet I would go 5x or smaller. In other streams that are pretty similar to Crane I have had a lot of luck on Pheasant tail and Prince nymphs size 16 or 18 with a bead head, without a strike indicator. I have also gotten them on olive bead headed woolly buggers size 12, as well as San Juan Worms. Or you could just use a Mepp's Spinner..........

Fishinwrench, I gotta disagree. The White Ribbon Area may only have a few trout bigger than 15", but the Red Ribbon Area has a lot more trophy trout than you may think. A lot of people don't catch them, because Roubidoux Creek Browns go almost dormant in late summer, and they are hard to catch all year long. (Any trout that has been right in the middle of Waynesville for a while is going to get smart) but there are most certainly some 20" trout there. I have heard too many reports of trophy fish caught there for that not to be the case. There may not be as many trophies as some of the other Red and Blue Ribbon Areas, but they are there.

Nice fish. Bet I know what stream you were on, but I won't say.

Nice fish!

You sound like one tough fellow. I'm sure you'll really love getting back into the sport, congratulations that you're able to start again.

Interesting... I done pretty well wade fishing for smallies and goggle -eye between Highway 8 and the spring branch, but I've never even seen a trout. It's such pretty water just upstream from the spring branch, I think even prettier than below, and it would be nice if there was some decent trout fishing to be had.

Wow! Are you sure that's not a steelhead?

I was just curious about the Meramec River between Steelville Ford and Meramec Spring Branch. This is listed as a part of the Red Ribbon Trout Area, but I imagine it gets too warm in the summer. Does anyone catch any dring the cooler seasons in this part of the river, or do they just not exist?

I would also reccomend Ozark Taxidermy... Even though it is a little far. I believe it's the same guy who does Missouri Trout Hunter.com, by the way a great site.

Smallmouth sure are an amazingly fun fish to catch. Sometimes it makes me wonder why I don't fish for these more often than I do...

Eleven rainbows out of the Blue Ribbon section in one day. Wow! That is an epic day. I fished Little Piney about five times now, and have never caught more than two or three in a trip. But I spin fish, and I guess it is more of a fly fishing creek. I did, and this still makes me a little sick, long distance release a massive trout in the Blue Ribbon section one time. At least three or four pounds, possibly bigger. And when I was reeling him in, there was a fat, fifteen inch or so trout right beside him.

These are the ones I am a member of, but I use Ozark Anglers more often than all of these combined... There are a few more, (including the one I was complaining about in the first post) that just aren't worth naming, so I won't. http://www.shomeoutdoors.com/forums/index.php http://rockymtnfly.com/forums/index.php?act=idx http://westernslopeanglers.com/forum/index.php http://forums.riversmallies.com/forums/

Yeah, the Yampa is a pretty great river. Awesome smallmouth and pike fishing anywhere around Hayden, and excellent trout fishing from Stagecoach to Hayden. It's in my opinion about the perfect river.

It's all good. Small disagreement, no big deal.

After my experiences on a few other forums, wow. It is has become abundantly clear the Ozark Anglers Forum is really well managed. With a few exceptions, I've noticed that most other forums on the web either aren't moderated enougn (read: fill up with spam). Or are moderated way too much (I was just chewed out by a moderator of another forum for asking a question about a thirty foot wide trout stream.) I think that OA has the perfect balance. Forums like this are few and far between, and those of us in the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas are lucky to have it, an we have Phil Lilley and the other moderaters to thank for it. Enough said.

I've been spending most of my time fishing a winter trout lake for the past few months, so I've been kind of neglecting the Bourbeuse. With this new stretch of warm weather, is anyone getting some bass or catfish? If so, what are they hitting on?

I just wanted to tell Lilley that this new forum is a great idea. Stream teams are a great thing, they really help are Ozark streams.

When I mentioned other species in the lake I forgot walleye, there are quite a few. And Walleyedmike is right on, they are pure strain musky. If you did hook one on a fly-rod, wow what a fight that would be. Most of the Muskies in Pomme de Terre are in the 35 to 45 inch range, and some are bigger. Catch rates are actually better than in most lakes in classic musky states like Minnesota and Wisconsin. Just don't expect it to be much like Northern Pike fishing in Colorado. Musky are infinitely harder to catch. But they are usually much bigger.

I'm not too sure we are referring to the same stretch of stream... The part I am referring to is in the wood, a ways the road, so it would be pretty hard to stock. But I could be wrong.

I don't know much about this, but I'll tell you what I do know. Pomme de Terre is considered one of the best muskie lakes in the region, it is certainly the best in the state. (Missouri has five muskie lakes.) I'm pretty sure they stay fairly shallow during the fall and spring. May and October specifically. I've never heard of anyone fishing for Pomme Muskies with a fly rod, but it could work. Most use big spinners and crankbaits. Pomme de Terre also has plenty of largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and bluegill, and to be honest they are far more abundant than the musky. By the way, I also used to pike fish a lot in the Yampa River of Colorado when I lived in Craig. Great river, lots of trout, pike, and smallmouth. I don''t know if you just moved here, but Missouri also has some great year round trout fishing, which surprised me when I got here. Good luck fishing!

Do you mean eradicate trout from Lake Taneycomo? If so, I have not heard a more ridiculous thing since, well, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. It is probably the best trout lake in the U.S, maybe the best in the world, and brings in so much money to the area. It will someday produce the next world record brown trout, and in the meantime plenty of stringers of rainbows. Missouri has plenty of smallies, they certainly don't need Taneycomo. Maybe I'm reading you wrong? If so, I apologize in advance.

Great fish. Don't worry about the people that get upset at you for keeping the fish, they are legal and that's that. And Taneycomo is nothing more, and nothing less than a great trout lake, not really a smallie lake at all. With the exception of largemouth fishing down near Powersite. I would like to see put and grow fisheries for smallmouth and walleye though. I think that would be a great idea.

Have fun. The Red Ribbon area can be a lot of fun for brown trout this time of year, although it can get pretty slow in the heat of summer. The White Ribbon Area is pretty dead though before the first stocking truck run. For about a week after it does arrive, expect a trout park atmosphere... Lots of stockie rainbows, and even more fisherman. Just don't expect a the creek to be too wild as it is right in the middle of Waynesville. But it has its own appeal.

The upper Current sure is pretty. Nice fish, that's a hog.

In my humble opinion, Montauk is the best stretch of freestone trout water in the state. I've done well on egg patterns, marabou jigs, and woolly buggers when I've fished the fly section there. I prefer the last quarter mile of the fly-only catch and keep water, but it's all good. Also, in the anything goes stretch, a few hundred yards below the waterfall that seperates the two zones there is a pretty and secluded run, that is far enough from the road that it doesn't recieve direct stockings, or much fishing pressure. I lost a massive brown trout there a while back that must have migrated from the Blue Ribbon Area, and I always get some rainbows that act more wild than in the areas where they are stocked directly. Have fun.