exiledguide

Thanks for the photo. I used to fish there in the 70s. We always saw a few muscrat in the old drainage ditch below the lagoons that platform and the stone walls around the lagoon used to be full of crawfish and the bass would load up in there. Under the bridges and below the spilways on the drainage ditch were productive. I used to get off work in the morning at 7 and drive home on the Forest Park expressway once you got on the fish you could stay on them all week long. Never caught any thing over 4 lbs but a lot of up to 15" bass but never caught a decent sized crappie catfish or bluegill, I fished there on a regular basis until my terminal moved out to the county. I still fished there until the the late 70s when I found a body and decided there was to much wild life in the park. Has anybody fished the park recently? I had heard they were redoing the lakes and were planning to create quality urban fishing. Whatever that means.

I have to take my bride to Silver Dollar City end of may for the Bluegrass want to stay at Indian Point and fish at night. Any recomendations of places to stay or to stay away from. I would no problem spending $100 a day for a nice room and dock space. We have kinda decided that we are not going up north any more at our age to fish. It looks like I can stay and fish a lot cheaper at Table Rock or Bull Shoals than Minnesota or Ontario. Any help will be appreciated because she is really stating to bug me about making reservations.

I buy most of my jigs from this guy. Quality Product good price and fast free shipping. He also will make them in about any color you want. I've bought from him for over 2 years and still am buying from him. Float n fly is a popular method in the highland revoirs in the southeast states and I really believe it it would work on Table Rock. Long rod fixed float small hair jig 10 to 12 ft below bobber= big Dale Hollow smallmouth.

Normaly I would say I'll drink to that. But you made me remember my bottle of The Glenlivet in my desk drawer so I am drinking to that and here's to you, welcome and I hope you will let us know some of your tips how to fly fish for carp.

The only thing i would add is a 4" to 6" worm Zoom, Chompers or Power Bait Finnesse or needle worm Texas rigged on a light wire wide gap red worm hook with a 1/32oz to 1/8oz worm sinker and a 3" Gulp Alive Chartruse Shad minnow on a 1/16 or 1/32oz jig on a size 1 or 2 Matzuo red cycle hook that I get from a guy in Florida. The Gulp alive minnow was my most productive bait last summer and fall on the James river. I've got to agree the teeny craw is the best crank bait next to the pre Norman Bass Magnet the ones made by Norman are pretty good but nothing is as good as the old ones that were made, I think, in Indiana. I also believe that stream smallmouth are the easiest to catch game fish there are if you know how to read the water and make the right presentation that is why they should be released immeadiatley unharmed to the water.

When I lived in Benton, AR and fished the Saline River that was my take home and eat fish and actualy in some areas the spots seemed to outgrow the smallmoth. Down on the Ouachita River from Remel Dam down to Malvern the Smallmouth were much bigger and seemed to be more numerous. Also in the Ouchita Goggle Eye were a lot bigger. Walleye seemed about the same and the Saline had no Rainbow trout in it. But I got to agree if the MDC decides these fish are not wanted shouln't they lift all restrictions as to size and number.

Yep, every administration since the 80's sends up trial baloons to see what can be cut with least amount of political fall out. If we don't let the folks in Washington know we want to keep our outdoors for our use don't expect people in NY citi or LA to care about it. The percentage of the population fishing or hunting keeps declining. I know I'll be on the phone Tuesday.

Good point. I'm not talking about myself alone what about the people from KC or STL? Kind of hard to get to a meeting at St James or Cassvile at 6:00pm when you have to work and if people didn't come from these areas you wouldn't have the motels and campgrounds around them.

Right, thats why they should they should have a meeting in the bigger cities.

Good points were not that far apart. My concerns are that most the people that fish these streams do not live near the meetings that are scheduled. Also if your talking about Taney couldn't the water left in my engines cooling system after leaving The white river end up in Taney? I first waded an Ozark Stream in 1957 at Alley Springs State Park and almost all of my adult life my free time has spent chaseing smallmouths and the last I want to see is anything happen to these streams but I find it kind of funny that this has become an issue only after a new sole has been marketed by Sims, Orvis, etc. that don't work as well as felt. My whole issue is safety, if these new soles worked as well as felt I,d be the first one to buy them. The only info I get about them are from the marketing division of the manufactures. If someone who wadefishes the James or the Finley, Castor,Upper Big Piney, Marble Creek, East and middle forks of the Black river,St Francis tells me that these soles work as well as felt I will have no problem using them.

Here we go again someone is going to tell me that my felt soled waders that have been nowhere but Missouri waters will infect the streams of Missouri with an algee found nowhere in Missouri. I'd like to see the science behind that. I also think that if the MDC really wanted input from the fishermen and women they should hold there meetings in the populated areas of the state where most of the fishing permits are sold and most of the fisherman live.

I agree, fish is food. If anyone has a problem with that, too bad. Saying that, I don't keep any Largemouth over 15" or any Smallmouth at all. I also release unharmed immediatly any fish I'm releasing.

I just do what the voices tell me...

I kind of thought that too but I'm toonice of a guy to say anything......until he bought it.

If it would look good on your wall buy it. Of course, some folks would say rude and profane things about you because you didn't release it. The actual length would give you an idea of what its weight might have been.

I don't even try in Jan or Feb anymore. Probably in the last 20 years unless I've fished by a power plant warm water discharge, except for a club tournament that I won on a cold Febuary day in 2003, I probably have not caught more than 10 fish. I actualy have had a lot more luck fishing streams for smallmouth in the winter. I've given up on winter lake fishing the fish are smarter than me.

I guess it a generation gap thing. I would eliminate the problem, if I couldn' do that, I'd leave or just try to ignore it.

If I wanted to find out about Taney, I would ask you Phil. I moved here A little over 3 years ago and this forum has provided a lot of info to me. Also the people working in BPS fishing department have been very helpfull with specific info I needed. I don't understand what our way of fishing would be. I have found the only change to my way of fishing would be adjusting to water clarity, lake depth etc. That should be provided by the resort owner where you are staying, if not, I'm not staying there. One other thing, anyone who goes to a new lake cold and doesn't hire a guide is in my humble opinion, stupid.

Doesn't the wildlife code say something about the fish shall be released immediately?

I don't know how it works in MO any more since I lived in Arkansas for 8 years and prosecuting attorneys alwaysfound reasons not to bring these folks to court depending on "whatever". I guess money talks here too.

We need more people like Chuck Tryon.

We are living longer. I went to my wifes 50th Class reunion very few of her classmates have passed away thanks to better health care. People our age do not consider ourselves old anymore thanks to modern medicine. Shortly before I left Arkansas in 2007, Baptist hospital in Little Rock was offering free nursing school if you would agree to work for them for a number of years.

Way to go Joe. Folks over in Tennesse swear by Float and Fly for winter smallmouth glad to see you you used it. What lenght rod did you use on the river?