eric1978

Just to clarify, I didn't ever float Crane...I said I easily could. A canoe can float in a little more than 4 inches of water and get through spots that are 3 feet wide. That means Crane is navigable, to me. Are you saying that any stream where you have to drag a little bit is non-navigable? How about Jack's Fork in the summer?

When we were on Crane in December we were greeted by a nice gentleman with a revolver and told we were trespassing. I don't remember seeing any signs. I don't have a smart phone with gps, but I do have a canoe that would easily float down Crane with a little bit of dragging. It's navigable in my book, but I'm sure the local "authorities" have a different opinion. Just sayin'.

http://www.thequackpit.com/quackpit/index.php?Itemid=120&id=2986&option=com_content&task=view

I had similar results to yours on Thursday in the same spot, below Baptist. I caught 3 fish bright and early stripping a brown pine squirrel leech, one good rainbow, no browns. Then it seemed to shut down entirely and I was skunked at Tan Vat and forced to hit the park with my tail between my legs. The morons up there readily ate the fetal emerger, but that got old real quick. Wading was tough, and so was drifting. I had to put on a split shot the size of a monkey fist to get a nymph down. The caddis and midges were hatching so thick they were caught in my teeth by the end of the day, but I didn't see many fish rising. Caught a few shiners on an 18 EHC, but nothing else on top...or bottom.

Yep, it's starting to happen. My rhododendrons have a few struggling flowers on them, the elms and soft maples are budding, and I even saw the first touch of yellow on a forsythia the other day...which means the grass is about to go crazy. The Missouri autoclave will be cooking in no time. Time to start polishing the topwater plugs. Pretty pic, BTW.

6.89 Sorry Gavin

I stand with you Cricket. I thought it was impossible to detect strikes without one, but a wise master and fervent bobber-hater who goes by the name Wrench taught me, and now I use them not. It's much better.

Wading below the park yesterday was a little tough, but manageable. Had to move about mostly on the trails. I'd say the Current is probably a better option than the Bourbeuse for you at this point, especially if you need to rent canoes. I don't know of any liveries on the upper Bourbeuse. Be aware that any additional rains could make the river dangerous in a hurry with the ground at complete saturation like it is. Montauk Spring and Pigeon Creek are both gushing right now.

I saw the Bourbeuse at 44 yesterday and it was rolling creamed coffee...within the banks but pretty high. I would go way upstream to Mint or Tea if you're gonna attempt it this weekend. More rain forecasted might make it a wash. Smallmouth should be getting active soon.

Eh, kinda slow. Below Baptist gave up a few on streamers early, one good one about 18". Got skunked at Tan Vat up to the rock garden. Surprisingly I didn't see many fish rising with all the bugs around, and I tried every stage of the cycle, both midge and caddis, with no takers. Went slumming in the park to finish the day and caught a dozen in a couple hours on fetal emergers. No browns today.

The caddis and midges were so thick on the Current today I was choking on them. They started hatching pretty early morning, too. Sign of the season turning...finally. Get your a$$ down there and do some fishing, screw the crowds.

Next time you venture out there, stop in Nashville for a night on the way home and go to Layla's Bluegrass Inn for cheap beer, greasy burgers and great music. Perfect end to the trip.

Anyone know how long it lasts? Is it a collection of short movies or one long movie? Is there anything else to the event other than the film itself? Looks pretty cool. I'll try to go.

A set of five Chinese finger traps hopefully.

Pretty obvious you're a good dad, Mic. Thanks for the vid. Can't wait 'til my daughter is old enough to go with me.

Nope, neither. But the pants are irresistable to women and strike fear in men (apparently). I haven't discovered any magical healing ability in them thus far... I had to look up both of your references, BTW. You boys in Ozark, duh have strange taste in clothing.

No comment.

Nice video...some really pretty footage there. What camera did you record with?

Sorry guys, I should have posted...lures are sold.

No, but I do believe they make a hippie tie-dye Charlie Manson psychopathic axe-murderer style you might be interested in.

Just clearing the way for new and better toys...

Thinning the herd a little... Megabass: (2) Dog-X (2) Pop-X (2) Griffon MR-X (1) Griffon SR-X Lucky Craft: (1) Sammy 50 (OOP I do believe) It's been a long time since I've been obsessed with these, so I've forgotten all the wacky color names, but you should be able to tell from the pic. A couple of these have been used once or twice but are basically still like new, and the rest have never touched the water. Great river smallie lures. Looking to get $65 for the lot, shipped.

I see 4 rainbows in one picture, and a brown at least 18" long in another. Two guys. Below Cedar Grove is a White Ribbon section, so I can't figure out what infractions y'all are talking about.

Sure, but that's gonna be work. And remember all the frogwater you paddle through going upstream you have to get through on your way back. I've ended up paddling in the dark on that river because I underestimated how dang slow it is.

It's easier wading at the Tea Access than Mint Spring. There's a deep pool there at Mint, and you have to bushwack through private property and across the spring creek to get to wadable water, then downstream from there it's shallow for hundreds of yards...but if you walk far enough, or find a way to make it upstream, there are some good holes. Mint is good for launching a canoe, but I wouldn't recommend trying to float the Bourb any higher than Wenkel under normal flows. Tea is not a great canoe launch, very steep. Mill Rock and Wenkel are both good canoe accesses, mediocre wading prospects. As the others have said, the Bourb is a slow river with lots of LONG stretches of frogwater. It's better to float it than wade it if you're lookin' for smallies, because they generally won't be in those dead pools and many of them are nearly impossible to wade through to the next riffle. There are also no liveries up there that I'm aware of, so you have to set up your own shuttles, too. The Bourbeuse is a little work to fish, but it's worth it if you're on the right stretch on the right day. Keep those spots if you catch any!