eric1978

Beauty!

This is what the actual LC Pointer "Table Rock Shad" color looks like. Anything similar to this would surely work.

That's what I hear and I'm ready and willing to be outfished! Whenever I'm outfished I take solace in the fact that I'm learning something. Being around a better fisherman than you inevitably rubs off, whether you notice it or not. You pick up subtle tips and tricks without knowing it. I never learn anything from my regular fishing buddies. They stink! One of them spends more time picking up little creatures and inspecting them than he does fishing. He's a biologist. The other one gets hung up more than a 5 year old girl, and we spend half the day spooking the best holes recovering his lures. You guys can rest assured that I'm very gentle on rivers. You'll never know I was there and the fish stay where I found them.

It's not that I don't have much to say, it's that I don't know what to say on this thread, since it's really not about anything. So, I'll just add this in the spirit of notes about nothing (ten points for whoever gets the reference...cricket?): Salami, Salami, Balogna

Skip thinks you're about the best fisherman on the planet. I think he felt comfortable giving me advice since I told him you sent me to him, so you dug your own grave there! I'd love to do a float with you some time so you can tell me the rest of your secrets. It sounds like we have very similar fishing styles. Skip looked down at my Plano box and said, "that's just about all Joe ever uses, that right there." "Same color, same size?" I asked. "Yep." I'm guessing there are some whoppers in that stretch I floated, though I didn't catch any yesterday. You catch any big boys there in the winter?

What he's calling stickbaits I think are actually jerkbaits if they are Pointers. Hopefully they're SPs.

No worries, Joe. All your smallies are back healthy and happy safe in their homes. I was gonna do that stretch eventually anyway.

Beuller?

I'm positioned perfectly to do a butt-load of driving every time I want to wet a line. I wish I lived somewhere along the Big Piney. That'd do it. No stream too far for a day trip. Retirement plans: COMMENCED

Yep, the more tangled, twisted up logs and brush there is, the more homes the smallies have and the fewer people trying or able to access those places. That's when "the more you put in, the more you get out of it" aspect comes in to play. I don't mind putting in the work if I think theres a pot of gold at the end of some rainbow.

I would find pictures of the shad and minnows and other baitfish on TR and replicate them as best you can. Buy a lot of white, silver and gray.

There is an interesting conversation about baitcasters, from A to Z really over at RS. We started discussing which side people like to cast from and crank from and how to hold the rods and reels...Thought I'd bring it over here since I can't post these pics on that website for some reason and would like to hear OAF opinions. Al, is this what you mean by "palming" a reel? Two fingers in front of trigger, two fingers behind. Side of reel fits in palm. This is how I usually grip a BC: Because I find I have a much better rod balance, more hooksetting power and more comfortable feel altogether than with this grip: Index finger in front of trigger, other three behind. Thumb on spool and otherwise your hand is not really "palming" the reel at all. Just curious.

Thanks bm. Yeah smallies are my favorite, too. They're so pretty and they fight really hard, but what I like most I think is the habitat they live in. So if you're not catching any, at least you have nice scenery. I like the logjams for providing habitat and thinning out the crowds. I don't mind a few. They get a little old though, one after the other. One of the portages today was a bit of a chore. I wound up lugging the whole canoe with all the contents still in it about 50 yards. I'll tell you, I was panting after that. I should have made two trips but out of laziness I just made it harder on myself.

Posted a report under "Upper Meramec 10/21/09." Looks like things might change tomorrow, though, with more rain coming in. Hope you guys can still fish this weekend. Good luck!

The river was incredibly beautiful today. Floated an upper stretch. It was still up about a foot or so from last week's rains, but was relatively clear, about the same as normal. Had to portage a couple new log jams. Very comfortable temps, topped out at around 65. Mostly cloudy. Nice weather. I didn't know if I wanted the sun to come out or not. The bite wasn't too bad, at least it was better than two weeks ago. I thought I was in for a really great day when I hooked this largemouth on the very first cast. 16 incher right off the bat. Turned out to be one of only two LM all day. I wound up chucking the spinnerbait pretty much all day and it produced the most consistently. Threw flukes a little, caught a couple. Hairjig, a couple. Wart, a couple. Pointer, 1. The fish were holding TIGHT to cover, didn't really find any roaming around. Most strikes came as soon as my spinnerbait rolled over a log or was pulled past a rootwad. All fish caught in 3-6 feet of water, as usual. Most fish came in the 12-14 inch range like this one This was the best smallie of the day at just over 15" I had another one on from the same pool that I think was a little bigger, but I set the hook in an awkward position and he threw it. Ended up with 26 fish total, 24 smallmouth and only 2 largemouth. Not too bad for 5 hours of fishing. It was a nice day. Caught a glimpse of a small doe on my way out. Crappy photo.

Wow. This is getting NOWHERE.

Welcome to the forum. I would suggest going back and looking at some of the old threads. Chances are any questions you might have have already been answered here 100 times. It's a great resource and you can learn a lot from these guys. Some of them are expert fly fishermen. Enjoy!

From what I hear there are far less floaters up there. Skip told me to bring a bow saw in case I need to clear a couple lay downs. Think I'll just portage around them, but that sounds like a good sign to me. Should be a great day for fishing today. I'll let you know......

Absolutely, especially on my way to a float driving through the country. Part of my routine is to put on Sweetheart of the Rodeo as soon as I hit Hwy 44. Gets me ready for a day in the wild.

When I hear "rainbow" and "pride" in the same sentence I get a little suspicious. Is there something you fellas feel you should share with us...???

Alright. You boys set the date and river and I'm there. I'm afraid of being legally pursued by Kevin now anyway, so I guess canoe theft may not be worth it.

Not sure I quite follow your logic there, Buck. The locals hate the rich and the law so they trash the place up? I think litterbugs litter because they're disgusting, thoughtless people, not because they're angry. They just have no respect for anything and don't care who it effects. Everyone has an equal right to use the rivers, whether you live right next to it or hundreds of miles away. They're public. But no one has the right to throw garbage around and ruin the natural beauty for everyone else, I don't care if they were born and raised in the dang river, it's not theirs. Just because the locals were there "first" doesn't give them any rights you and I don't have. I don't really see the correlation between the persecuted hillbilly and abuse of the streams. You'd think the locals would want more than anyone to keep them clean, but ironically, they're usually the ones doing most the damage. Most of us who travel far and wide to visit a stream, usually make that voyage because we love the water and therefore tend to leave no trace. There are of course major exceptions, the aluminum hatch in summer being a big one. They disgust me, too, as has been noted. There are of course many respectable locals, and some of them will have a great knowledge of their stream. I've met quite a few good people over the years who have been generally helpful. But I wouldn't expect most of those folks to be spillin' the beans about their best spots to perfect strangers. How's the saying go? Those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know...I've learned that very rarely do you get a big talker who really knows anything. So I generally expect to go out on my own or with a buddy and explore, and discover, and sweat, and turn my ankles, and find disappointment, and exhilaration, and my wallet empty, and my time spent. And I love every minute of it. It's part of the fun. It's part of angling. I've hired guides before on a few lakes. They put you on their boat. They take you to their spot. They tell you what to use. They tell you what the fish are doing and where to cast. You catch fish. Fun? Kinda. In a way. I mean I was catching fish. But that's not angling. Angling is testing, trying, changing, adapting, learning, fixing, modifying...I just don't get it that some people don't want to put in any effort. It's all good stuff. When you land a big, pretty fish you get to look back on all your trials and tribulations and say "Ahh, I did this on my own and it was worth it." Catching that fish was only a tiny part of the project, a great part, a pay-off part, a climax. But everything you learned and all the work you put in that led you to that moment was part of it, too. A satisfying part.

Or...you could pay for it over the phone with a credit card, let me pick it up and meet you halfway at say, one of the Pineys or the Gasconade and do a float. If I don't show up it will be because I've stolen your canoe and traded it in for a new tandem to match my new solo.

I'm with you buddy. Ever since I found this site I've developed a hankerin' to learn to catch some brown trout. They sound like a really challenging species though, and I've still got my hands full trying to figure out smallies. I don't think I'll be able to resist much longer...I was looking at fly rods the other day. I'm gonna be in deep doodoo with the wife when she finds out I want to spend more money.

Well the mechanic said he couldn't find anything wrong with the truck, and even though I know he's wrong since it's making a god-awful noise, I'm gonna drive down tomorrow anyway. It only seems to do it if I'm pulling the trailer. So if any of you boys see a broke down gray F-150 on Hwy 44, help a brother out, will ya? Gavin and OTF, I'll be floating a stretch way up high well above Hwy 8, and last I heard the weather might change some after tomorrow, so I don't know how relevant my report will be. But I'll post it anyway when I get back. Hope I make it. Wish me luck.