eric1978

What kind of hybrid is that third one? It's kinda got the body of a rock bass and the colors of a sunfish...can they breed?

Thanks Al. Never would have thought of that.

Hey Al, some friends and I were wondering...why do some smallies have red eyes and others don't? Figured you might know. Any idea?

Yep. I had one of those experiences last weekend on JF. I had paddled down a quarter mile or so ahead of my buddies when I caught my only decent fish of the trip. I snapped a couple "fish on the paddle" pics real quick, and just as I was about to release the fish, a young couple came floating by. I asked if they would take a pic of me with the fish and they happily did. The guy said, "Wow, that's a nice fish. I got a stringer if you wanna keep him." That fish was only about 17 inches, so it would be illegal all year on JF, but he was also oblivious about the closed season for the spawn. Now this was just a nice young guy who simply didn't know. He was no poacher. I politely informed him of the regulations and he seemed surprised but thankful for the info. He did say he caught a few smallies the evening before where they had camped, so I figure they were probably part of dinner. I can't imagine how many illegal fish are harvested by people that simply don't know the rules and would follow them if they did.

No banjos, but we kinda walked down the river a bit from the access to see if there was a spot we could inconspicuously camp, and the guy who owned the adjacent property came haulin' down the road to shoo us off (I'm guessing). We had wandered back up to the access by then and he never saw us. If it hadn't been for his stupid dog that never shut up he would have never known we were there. He must make a trip down to the river 10 times a day. I doubt he had a banjo, but he may have had a shotgun, and that's good enough for me to want to avoid him.

Yep CGB, we camped at the Prongs Fri. night (actually we had to float down about half a mile in the middle of the night because camping is prohibited at the Prongs access and it's surrounded by private property...that night floating is always interesting...in a kind of stomach-churning and butt-puckering way. ) Then we camped somewhere past JamUp Cave Sat. night.

now

Sometimes you can find them a little cheaper on ebay if you can wait a few days.

Yeah GD, we wanted to float the Prongs mainly because we never had before. It was a nice stretch...more paddling fun than anything. It was kinda technical in spots, but a real blast with the water moving. I think the next time we do JF, I'll plan on doing Buck to Bay. That's my favorite stretch and a perfect distance to float and thoroughly fish the best spots in a day and a half or so. I really don't stop much either, but I like to be able to if I want. 25 miles was perfect last weekend, but at normal summer levels that might be a bit of a haul. And as for the fishing/floating equation, I'm the opposite...the fishing is primary for me and if it's a tough bite then I'm happy to be able to just enjoy a nice float. But I don't care how nice the river is, when I get skunked it really sticks a thorn in my side. Just one decent fish can cure it though.

It didn't really look that bad when we crossed over it on 44 last Friday. I'd say it's definitely fishable up by MR, although maybe not so wadable. There are a couple neat spots a mile or so down from that access. I prefer to float the Bourbeuse though...there's just too much unproductive water to get through.

Weird wild stuff. Sounds like one heck of a diverse little stream. The only Mississippi creek I've fished is Joachim, and only about a mile of it (where it had all that bedrock). Sounds like a cool place to explore, fishing or not.

Thanks buddy! I'll let you know how it turns out. Appreciate the help.

Would you have been happier with a peach? I think you would.

Thanks for the advice bobber. There are a few types of G-Flex I've found...didn't find any that costs $75 (do you buy bulk quantities?) And do you guys use the 655? West Systems 650-8 G/flex Epoxy Kit $16 West Systems 650-K G/flex Epoxy Repair Kit $21 West Systems 655-K G/flex Thickened Epoxy Adhesive Repair Kit $25 They all say they repair plastics, but only the 655 actually mentions plastic canoes...sounds like a winner to me!

It was in the Prongs section, a mile or two above Buck Hollow. It was this stretch of about 20 yards or so that was just a mine-field of boulders and probably had a gradient drop of two or three feet...almost looked like the stream-bed of a shut-in, minus the smooth, deep gorges and the rhyolite. Anyway it was probably a stretch you would have to drag through at normal levels, but with the river a foot high it was navigable and looked like a fun but tricky class II, maybe an easy class III even. I made it through almost the whole thing no problem, but blasted that one hidden rock at the end when I was really cruisin'. It just came out of nowhere...simply didn't see the thing. It wouldn't have been an incident if I didn't have my tackle box under my seat. Lesson learned I guess.

Do I patch both sides, top and bottom? And also, should I try to heat up the problem area enough to smooth out the dent, or is it just going to be that way from now on? I'll look into that g-flex stuff...thanks for the tip.

So this past weekend on JF we were barreling through this boulder field at warp speed and this rock jumped up out of nowhere and I came down HARD on it. I had my tackle box tightly squeezed under my seat thwarts, so when I hit that boulder at the exact wrong spot, the hull couldn't flex and that rock just about went all the way through. It left a dent about the size of half a plum in the bottom, and about an 8 inch crack on the inside. Anyone know how I should go about fixing it? It's not leaking yet but I'm sure after I bounce off a few more boulders it will be. It's an OT with the superlinear material.

I personally don't, but it might be interesting to explore sometime. Maybe wade up there in summer when it's low. You may run into access problems though, because ONSR doesn't own that part of the river. I'm sure there are plenty of fish up there.

Thanks fellas. Yeah KC, we fished the whole thing. The Prongs section down to Buck Hollow was pretty but a little underwhelming compared to the following 15 miles or so, and then it starts getting a little wide and shallow a couple miles up from Bay. I'd say Buck to Bay would be the best possible choice, though the whole river is really fishy looking, and you just want to stop and cast everywhere. The last time we floated it in June it was at normal levels and we did a little dragging, mostly at the end (we went to Alley Spring that time...probably won't ever again). Forgot to mention earlier that we saw two ospreys and a BOBCAT!!! He was crossing Hwy 106 on our way to the put-in. We thought he was a dog at first, then we thought holy crap what a giant cat! and then we realized what it was. First time I'd ever seen one in the wild. Really awesome.

I know, I keep telling that guy to stop going for seconds, but he never listens. I'm gonna need a bigger canoe soon.

Weather and river levels were perfect. Fishing was really tough. Picked up a few dinks and this one on a Pointer, and a few more on a fluke. Threw everything I had at 'em, but it was really slow. Maybe the bluebird skies, who knows. Great weekend though.

Ah, topwater. That's what I like to see.

Yep, they WILL put you on the sex offender's list for public urination...it happened to a friend of a friend of a friend at Mardi Gras a couple years ago. You get the wrong cop, you're screwed (pardon the pun). It's ridiculous to equate a desperately full-bladdered person having no place to pee with a sex offense, but no one should be whizzing in our waters. Go a few yards up the bank so it can just wash down to the river the next time it rains.

Pretty good article. Nice and biased in our favor...just the way I like it. I wish they would have pushed for the 18/1 area to extend to Meramec State Park on the Meramec River, but oh well, it's a really great start.

This thread from Al is a good tutorial: http://ozarkanglers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8669&view=findpost&p=52210&hl=usgs&fromsearch=1