drew03cmc

They will definitely shuttle you. The issue you will run into on this river is the distance between high quality pools. You can pull an 8" fish from about anywhere on the river, but for anything over 12", you need to be in the combination of current seams and slack water. There is some great water on this river, but the quality fish do not appear to be present in all of the prime areas. I have not fished this stream in over 2 years due to the lack of finding quality fish.

This might be the best statement on this entire issue. It might give enough reason for a court to rule in the outdoorsman's favor.

I could not tell honestly. I appreciate the landowner's perspective on this and that is probably the right way to handle it, but this incident...just wow.

We mentioned that, just saying. You can see the log he tossed into the river before he went all Rambo on the water. I found it comical to some extent. We tried to explain to him he was in the wrong, but he was completely uninterested.

@Terrierman There ya go Rick. Our buddy who was with us did make a report with the sheriff and warden in Mac county. The landowner was told in no uncertain terms that he is 100% in the wrong and was told that if they hear his name on the river again, he is in deep trouble with the county and the state.

Messenger_creation_E6C5C5A3-3603-4BD7-A98A-4483C41BFEAE.mp4

Per biologists I have listened to that are experts on the Alabama Bass issue, this is increasingly common in streams as far north as Virginia and as far west as Tennessee. Anglers or bucket biologists have moved Alabamas all over the place and have caused havoc in fisheries management in every state they have been moved to. They are in a reservoir on the New River now, Claytor Lake, which threatens the world class smallmouth fishing below the lake if, no, not if, when they get through the dam at Claytor. The real question we have to consider when managing Alabama Bass and smallmouth is how hardy are the Alabamas? Can they withstand a Pennsylvania winter? How about an Ozark winter? They are already present just across the state line in Kentucky Lake, so what is to stop anglers from bringing them to the Current or Black? They will hybridize with everything short of Largemouth.

Yes sir, my son posted it on Facebook. Definitely Little Sugar in Missouri. This is what I was referring to. This is a common access that is used a lot by anglers and floaters. The landowner said he would permit floating in a kayak, but that his property line ended in the middle of the river. We made sure to stay within 12", one boot length, of the water, never encroaching on his property, or even desiring to. My buddy, who lives down there, wades and drags his kayak upstream to this pool several times each winter without issue. We encountered another landowner upstream who has a big Pyrenees for a guard dog and was as sweet as the day is long. This guy just wanted to be a dick for no reason whatsoever. Nah, Ronnie, some of us have to work and have young kids at home, so we can't always be sitting here waiting for responses. I had a few minutes to log in and check this thread as I have not been on here in a couple days. Just wanted to warn others who may fish this watershed that there is a renegade landowner above Pineville a few miles, but below Griffin Ford.

I have a few under 3 hours. I've spent years finding these and the accesses on them.

If I recall correctly, Elder v Delcour dictates that, from a legal access (which in Missouri is a state or county bridge or MDC access), the fisherman is legal up to the high water mark. Also, harassing an angler is illegal in most states, not 100% certain how Missouri reads on that one.

For numbers, it is a hit or miss river. I've had 35 fish days and I've had 7 fish days. There are fifteen rivers I would choose over this one for numbers and I often go to the Lil N for its proximity to Kansas City.

My son and I went to do some early season wading with a buddy in the Pineville area on Sunday and, lo and behold, we found ourselves at odds with a renegade landowner who, just happened, to own land right against the inside gravel bar along the deepest, slowest hole we found in a mile of river. This guy was certifiable. We waded upstream, in the water, accessed from a legal bridge access, and were setting our heels on the gravel to fish the far bank in this pool when he walked out and told us he does not allow fishing from the bank. We all took a half step forward into the river and continued to fish while he carried on about us being on the river illegally and trespassing. We didn't pay him much mind and kept fishing to see if we could entice a strike from a brave Neosho that wanted to eat a glide bait. Well, after we didn't appear to take him seriously, he proceeded to grab about an 18" chunk of log about 8" in diameter and exclaimed, "This will make good target practice!" He, then, pulled his pistol out and, after throwing the log into the river about fifteen yards upstream of us, put about 7 rounds into the water all through the pool. We laughed at him being an absolute fool and continued fishing. I didn't mention that my buddy pulled his phone out and began recording right after he mentioned target practice. After he saw the phone recording him, he holstered the pistol and pulled his phone out to record us, for what, I cannot possibly pretend to comprehend. We continued to wade upstream, staying in the water, where he blows all of his leaves (evident by the deep piles of leaves just below the water level all around his gravel bar) and kept casting. Not two minutes after he discharged his weapon, my son hooks up a nice 14 to 15" Neosho on a 7" glide bait, lands it and releases it. We kept going around the bend and there are big trees all along the outside bend here, so he fired his glide up into the tree lined bank, working it back to him and his rod bowed under the weight of a nice Neosho that measured every bit of 17" (measured on a tape). We all knew this landowner was still recording so I turned around to him and asked him, probably foolishly, if he would mind sending that video of the fish catch to us. We kept wading upstream trying to process what just happened and even laughed at it. The day went well besides that and my son has a great new memory and a story to tell.

Honestly, I've had more luck in the lower stretches, but a kayak or a canoe is the best way to access this river. Check it out and get back with us. It is a fun river, but I have not had a ton of luck for size. My first 16, 17 and 18 were all from this stream on the same day many years ago, but nothing over 14 since.

This makes sense. I enjoy watching people paddle and observing how they manage currents and other things of that nature.

This is something I have discovered. The more I kayak fish, the more power fishing I do. When I stop to wade or rest is when the jigs or finesse stuff comes out. I can fish a fluke decently from a drifting kayak, as long as the current isn't too swift.