MOFishwater

we knocked the float out in exactly 3.5hrs the other day on kayaks with some stops for kid to swim and goof around on beaches. been meaning to hit that for many years so finally had wife dump me and daughter off. First part to 109 bridge is fast and great current, really dwindled and river got wider and flatter. The last couple miles were very slow with wind coming up the river, if you stopped to make some casts you would be going backwards, zero current...very slow and lots of paddling to finish. We were just scoping the route out more than anything but fished the good looking spots. Throwing whopper ploppers, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, buzzbaits, grubs and jigs off and on. Zero bites, zero fish seen other than one gar. Other than being able to take out in essentially my backyard that stretch seems pretty worthless, would be worth it to add some drive time if you were serious about fishing I would guess and find a float further upstream... We are going to keep working our way up river when time allows, we'll hit Pacific to Allenton another weekend than Labor Day and then up from there, that's the idea at least.... Water quality is definitely a disappointment compared to what you'll find at Bourbon, etc upriver. Hard to beat any free local float though!

Seems like a topic for a different forum, or perhaps I'm in the wrong place if this is where OAF is headed.

Seems pretty straightforward: Northern Pikeminnow are a native species that eats millions of juvenile salmon and steelhead each year in the Columbia and Snake River systems. The goal of the Pikeminnow Program is not to eradicate Northern Pikeminnow, but rather to reduce their average size by removing 10 to 20 percent of the larger fish from their population. Reducing the number of larger Northern Pikeminnow and thus shrinking the average-sized fish in the population can greatly help juvenile salmon and steelhead make it to sea, since smaller sized Northern Pikeminnow eat fewer smolts than larger fish.

how long did the allenton>Rt66 float take you? Been meaning to hit it one sunday but not sure how long I'd need to devote.

Sounds awesome Al! Do you have any pics or videos of the former setup you had? I've been really wanting to put in a pondless waterfall/bubbler for the birds but it seems overwhelming at the moment after scouring various websites and youtubes for too long. Might have to wait for the 'next house' like all of our other grand ideas and dreams. If any of you other folks have some pics of your setup I'd love to see them also. Its amazing how much of a wildlife attraction a small water feature can be.

sorry to hear about your buddy, sounds like a great guy.

Appreciate the info on the utility rock.

anyone able to provide any info on this one? Found in a creek in JeffCo by a friend. Assuming a bird or fish point of some sort? Many thanks in advance. Pic of the find

Delayed opening until April or May of '23 https://spectrumlocalnews.com/mo/st-louis/news/2022/11/17/sunset-hills-bass-pro-location-won-t-open-until-spring-2023

Drove by a couple days ago and it looks very far from being operational any time soon.

Awesome!

never stopped me from trying to hook up with pike or muskies! As my obsession with fishing has waned over the years and moved into other outdoor activities, hobbies, family obligations etc I've gotten pretty stuck on certain lures and havent been using cranks or jerkbaits much. I'll have to dig a little deeper into the tackle box and revisit some old friends. I'm admittedly pretty green on my river fishing abilities and knowledge and usually just fishing something I can cover water quickly with while moving and trying to not get snagged. appreciate the tips and the photos. Hope to get out a few more times before school and sports (and archery season) fully engulf our lives.

Thanks for all of the suggestions folks. Will give some a whirl when the river is back to normal conditions.

Thanks Dave! I will definitely give that consideration on the next outing, I'm more than happy tossing a fly for my rig. Also appreciate the suggestions for being patient with hookset. quite possibly ripping it out too fast due to seeing the oncoming strike or just setting way too hard.

Been out with kids quite a bit this summer near Route 66 and we are encountering a lot of gar. Nothing too big but they sure get the kids excited when they come after a lure and you can see the approach in the (somewhat) clear water. We must've missed 8 bites in a row and never hooked up last time out. Any favorite lures to tempt one of these fish? Kids just want to battle one finally, I am not worried about losing a lure or two in the pursuit. I was actually tossing a craw jig when the action started over the weekend and had one hit it 3x before it tore the bait off completely. I know most of what I have read suggests live bait and i've heard the adage about frayed rope tangling up their teeth but would prefer to just toss some artificial baits. Thanks for any suggestions if you know something that's worked decently.