BrianK

talking about spawning..... how much hi water / flooding can these guys put up with before it adversely affects this yrs spawn??? I guess in real wet yrs they may not have a spawn at all in some rivers??? How much of a normal flow "window" do they need to get on the beds and do their thing? 1 wk, 2 wks? There's some real hi water on some of the streams right now....(not dragging too much on Jacks Fk today!!) Nice to see the drought over though. Hope to get out this wknd and find some fishable water. bk

A couple of great streams. They were my go-to spots when lived in columbia....then i found the NFOW. sad really. I need to get back there. Haven't fished Mill in about 6 yrs. I didn't use the flyrod as much then, so can't comment on small stuff, dries, etc. I'd agree with Gavin and throw craws, stones, eggs and get to the bottom (but thats just me) of any of the deeper pools,runs. I usually fished upstream from the bridge at Mill Ck Forest svc use area. Last i checked, there was some decent info on the MDC site for directions and maps, etc. Stay low and be very sneaky when approaching fishy water. Fish it on a weekday if possible to avoid pressure. small water. just a few other folks is a crowd. Little Piney- I usually fish the first low water crossing below hwy 63 bridge and wade up from there (or down). Vida Slab i think it is. some nice water but sometimes long walks between. Gavin- is Dr. B's entire stretch accessible now? I used to call him to get permission to fish but haven't talked to him in a few yrs. Brian- call me or PM if you need details. bk

thanks. i'll call you to set it up. b

Brian, How much to shuttle a vehicle from T-ville to CaneBluff? (pm sent too)Would prob put in Sat am and take out Sun. not sure which wknd yet. Thanks guys for some helpful info. Doesn't sound like the upper river sees much traffic....except cows. bk

Hey Conman- How did the tourney go this wknd???? what did you catch em on? bk

My first and only time from Cane to Greer was about 13 yrs ago (wow, I just had an early life crisis) so I don't remember too many details. Mainly just that i had my canoe on pads on the roof and it tried to slide down onto the hood coming down the road to Cane Bluff! Other than the road I don't recall any scary spots but sorry i'm not much help. I do remember the river looked fantastic and was surprised we didn't do better. It was August though and have learned a few things since then. I'm going to try to get down in the next few wks as well. Mother's day wknd not the best move though. Brian

So maybe it wasn't ALL me...... we were both out there sat am in same section of river. next time maybe i'll just book a morning with you.... b

Snap- thanks for the info. what time of year did you float it? yeah, it's always tough to fish a long stretch of river in one day. Most of us end up paddling past some good looking water at the end of the day to make it to the take out. That is one of the nice things with a 2 d float...you get the prime evening and next morning hrs when the bite is best. sounds like a nice stretch of river. will remember to pack light for portages. been needing to get a good dry bag anyway. bk

from one who's reply has been misinterpreted on the forum..... i guessing everyone was just messing with Sam a little (except Lilley) I was going to guess kitty strip leech. hmmmm, i have 2 cats...one kinda looks like a sculpin.....is that wrong?

Denny Hollow float camp still there? sometimes they get 'decomissioned'.

thanks guys. sounds good. Yeah, i remember almost losing my canoe off my truck the first and only time down the road to Cane Bluff. I'm guessing it might compare to upper Jack's Fork as far as size/ flow??? The paddlers guide says there is a float camp 6 miles down...still there? that is a good reference point to know where you are since i'm GPS-less. was planning on an overniter. bk

Good stuff! i'm still looking to break the 19" barrier. Corey, you never mentioned the size of the most impressive fish up on the Big Piney???? did he not make it in? I lost 2 fish last summer that coulda/woulda been 19+. one jumped and threw the hook. My son laughed, i cried..... bk

I've floated Cane to Greer but thinking of checking out Thomasville to Cane this spring with flows still good. Anyone floated / fished that stretch? How's the water thru there??? Any shuttle or access problems? The Paddler's Guide says 9 miles and not to attempt at low water. I don't mind dragging but there are no river gauges up there to know what the flow is. I've never talked to anyone who's fished it and no talk of it here? hmmmm. thanks fellas, bk

Thanks for the report Brian. I fished a little Saturday and this am but didn't do as well this wknd. Not sure if it was me or the fish but conditions couldn't have been much better. Good water level, perfect weather. Fished Casey sat am for an hr or so and caught 4 on eggs, black stones, and olive wooly. Talked with a couple guys in kick boats who were down from KC (you guys on here??) and seemed like they were doing very well on black stoneflies also. The kids and I floated down to Blair behind 5 guys who looked like they knew what they were doing....i guess i'll use that as my excuse for not catching very many. Caught another 5 all day. one was a nice 18+" brown though. Got out earlier this am before the sun hit the water and thought i'd really stick it to em. Couldn't have been a better morning...one hook up, no fish in an hr or so. so maybe it was just me..... Brian did you make it out this wknd? Anyone else? bk

The Big Smallie thread has evolved... I mentioned my report on the Niangua R. forum also but just wanted to followup here as well. Got out this past Sun to do some scouting and check out the river around L. Niangua. Tunnel Dam pretty cool but hi traffic area. Bigger than i thought. First bridge below the dam also very hi traffic but both good accesses for a canoe. Tried to find access below that but the 2 roads i was following both ended in a gate short of the river. I know there are other accesses before the lake. Just need to track em down. several other gravel roads on the map that may have ended in the river but didn't have time to check.(anyone know?) Bill- as for white bass, may need to put a boat in and motor up. not sure. Oz' book i think talks about an access on the east bank in LOZ to take out... Also drove up the west side of L. Niangua and along the river but no luck on any other access. all "gated communities" as well. bk

Thanks for the info Wayne. I may look one of em up. I was mainly thinking though that i would want to wade upstream from wherever the most popular upper access is(Windyville???). To avoid the crowds that is. Wouldn't mind floating the whole dang thing though either. Good thing i'm still young... bk

I'm definitely not a big lake expert. Try to stick with smallies in moving water....2 days ago however, I thought i'd go catch a few crappie off the dock and they weren't doing much so I figured i'd take a few casts to see if any bass were in shallow water. Was using a tiny torpedo wade fishing the bank and caught 3 nice fish in a 150 yd stretch of water. A 21 "(guessing around 5 lbs give or take), 2 19's and missed several others. All in just a couple feet of water toward the back of the cove. I didn't see definite beds so maybe "prespawn" where i was? Went back out tonite and took about 10 casts until I broke off a nice fish on the hook set. ( If you think about retying, do it. I should have) same spot. I just feel bad cuz some nice bass has a big topwater plug hanging out of her maw. ( was barbless though so maybe will work itself out. let me know if it turns up) By the way, i was around the 20 mi marker, main channel, across from the Grand Glaize bridge. Go topwater and let us know how it goes. Brian

Hey Joe- Good to see you back out and thanks for the report. I was also dinking around the Niangua Sunday afternoon. Mainly did some 'scouting' for this summer. Hadn't been to Tunnel Dam and went to check it out and the river below it. River high and very murky like above the lake. nothing biting in the plunge pool below the dam.very hi traffic area for the locals though. drove up river and tried to find some accesses but all private roads and gated off. looks to me like the last 2 public points on the west side are LeadMine and the Lake ramp. 10 Hp limit on the lake. Went up to Chapel Bluff and looked down...way down. it is a pretty big river down there. Had to bribe my kids with gas station junk food to let me keep checking things out. Looked at the lower river a little on the way home. Similar problem. Tough to access. Decent looking water though. Wondering about the white bass run up the river. Not sure but you may need to motor up from the lake to get there???????? I've got the upper river on my list this spring. Have heard good things up around Windyville. Anyone know what the usual uppermost put-in is for the canoe outfitters? Definitely want to try to stay above the aluminum armadas. thanks for the report. Not much help here except that i burned up some gas and saw some nice country..... I did fish LOZ for an hr or so sun pm and found a nice little topwater bite wading along the shore.hmmmm. maybe it's a sign of things to come. Caught a fat 21" lgmouth and 2 19's on a tiny torpedo. missed several others. Now i really have the bug! bk

great report Al. thanks. I fished the current about the same wknd last yr (first wknd of Turkey season) and was also not disappointed. hoping to make it down in 2 wks. bk

I'll probably try to get down again this wknd with the kids. looking like better weather. Did you guys get out yesterday? anything to report? b

The Maries is responsible for my river/stream fishing addiction. It was during the "Great Flood" and no fishable water in STL area. Headed south into the ozarks to explore some creeks after reading an article in MO Game and Fish about the Maries. 14 yrs later...here we are, all in the same boat. I'm mainly familiar with the area from Hwy 42 bridge down to Hwy P (i think)west of Freeburg. good fishing but sometimes a long hike between good water. Gets paper thin in the summer. Creek wader, you must live pretty near by if Tavern and Maries are your local waters. I know solitude is nice but let me know if you ever want company to check out some new spot. Looking forward to warm weather as well. i'm about 40 min from tavern and an hr or so from maries. Brian

smart move.

After rain / snow Saturday am and rivers rising, I decided to chance it and do some fishing Sunday anyway. River was in the 800's cfs and rising when i left so just kept fingers crossed that it wasn't going too high. Looks like it peaked about 1700 and was starting to fall yesterday am. Was still up about a foot and very murky. My 10 yo caught a little rainbow on his first cast with a rooster tail...we all know that is a bad sign! Fished for a couple more hrs in the am trying everything I had- nada. Fished another hr or so in the afternoon and did manage to avoid a shutout. Caught one 13 1/2 " rainbow. Guess if there is a plus to high water...they fight HARD. May be good for the white bass run too? Water dropping fast and should be back in good shape in a few days. was already starting to clear when we left . Brian, did you get out yesterday????? bk

Just got back from the N. Fork, couldn't stay away. Figured with the crazy weather lately, i'd stick with the cold water fishery. Well, not much to report. 2 rainbows in very high water...but that's another thread. nice day though. Thanks guys for the good info above. Creekwader, you must live nearby now or else that's alot of trips from StJo. I do appreciate the info on your home stream and from previous threads/posts, i think we all agree to protect especially the small gems. I've been canoing more the past couple summers and thought i'd do some more sloshing and exploring this year with the kids. I've fished the Maries alot and figured Tavern would probably be similar. I'll know it's you if i see anyone else out there. Bill- I agree with talking with local agents or the biologists. They have always been a great resource. Last summer was the first time getting on the middle sections of the Niangua. was very nice. I'd like to also check out the stretch from Lead Mine to L. Niangua as well as below the dam. If the weather stays warm this wk maybe i'll check out Tunnel dam next Sun afternoon??? thanks for your help. Hank- you mentioned O Fork. Have only fished it from Dryknob to Davis and upstream from B bridge. Driving home today, i drove down to the Orla bridge (hi, muddy) just to check out access. Mr. Plaster (Empire Ranch) has a big sign posted basically saying no wading up from bridge and that he owns the air, water, fish, streambed etc up from there. He has the same sign posted on the first crossing upstream of Hwy 5. That is a pretty long private and probably very fishy stretch of water.(7.3mi) What's it take for a guy to get in there? May be a question for the local agent and Mr Plaster. Anyone ever ask him? Anyone ever float through that stretch? Can you take out on the downriver side of the Orla bridge? (didn't look posted)Do you have to go all the way up to Hwy J and put in there? ok , that's a lot of questions..... I'm somewhat familiar with the wade/ tresspass laws. My interpretation: It basically varies by stream, definition of navigability, landowner, conservation agent, police, town, etc. If posted get permission to wade or take your chances. If nothing posted then more like 'don't ask, don't tell'. If posted but floatable, need to access at a public spot and float thru. That is where it gets a little cloudy though since I (and most of us) will be getting out the canoe to wade and fish. This may open a can of worms and i know this is an age old debate. Any thoughts? Brian

I got an old Wilderness Systems 2man kayak last summer so i don't have alot of experience. Low profile is more stable than a canoe. Very fun and effortless to paddle. For me the 2 man is nice for more space - extra gear or extra person. but i'm 6'4" and space is good. Still gotta go canoe for overnite trips. i'm not that much of a minimalist yet........ Oh, mine has 3 big cracks in it and i'm still experimenting on which repair will hold the best. so far a "high strength" sort of heavy duty hot glue gun has held up. melted the glue thru the cracks to itself and into the plastic of the boat. duct tape is always on board though in a pinch. bk