drew03cmc

http://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/galle...brown-trout-cau I saw this today at work and was baffled at the sheer size of this fish. Guess it didn't come from Taney afterall, but I am sure there is one larger in the Ozarks!

Works for me Chief! I am psyched about it.

From Wikipedia: During the mid- to late 1800s, smallmouth were transplanted via the nation's rail system to lakes and rivers throughout the northern and western United States, as far as California. Shippers found that smallmouth bass were a hardy species that could be transported in buckets or barrels via the railroad, sometimes using the spigot from the railroad water tank to aerate the fingerlings. The Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus) is a species of freshwater fish sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. One of the black basses, it is native to the Mississippi River basin and across the Gulf States, from central Texas through the Florida panhandle. Its native range extends into the western Mid-Atlantic States and it has been introduced into eastern North Carolina and Virginia. It has also been introduced to southern Africa, where it has become established in some isolated waters. I would venture to say that smallies, for the most part, have been in the Ozarks for about 150 years...Anywho, does anyone know where, nearest to Lawrence, KS one can go to tangle with stream spots and smallies?

Very nice fish!

TU, I hope, would step to the plate.

I LOVE that last picture!

Laker, I am trying to convince the soon to be wife to move our a$$e$ back to MO. In Kansas, all waterways are private with NO access without permission. The only public stream accesses are at dams and parks. There are FEW conservation areas. I want to be around Springfield or Rolla, but I know that is too far from her parents. This state does not have access to its native spotted bass streams (Flint Hills), some of which reportedly rival Ozark streams in beauty. There are native smallies in a couple streams in the southeastern part of the state, most of which are private access only. Kansas is one of the streams that the landowner owns the streambed as well as the water and fish. Rivers like the Neosho which hold spots, while navigable, are private. My favorite Kansas stream is the Wakarusa below Clinton Lake. It is public in the COE owned areas, and fishes well once in awhile, but not for bass. I lived in Missouri for 21 years and am longing to move back due to the amazing bass fishing in the creeks and rivers of central and southern Missouri. The trout in the wild creeks are just a bonus.

I have finally struck a chord. Trout in Missouri just do not belong. Bring the natives back, knock ALL dams down and I would be happy. I realize this will not and cannot happen however, and have gained a little understanding that the MDC's views on trout in MO have been passed down to the anglers. I am not against catching wild trout in Missouri, but stocked trout and trout populations that persist only due to stocking are artificial and are taking area from native species such as smallmouth bass, walleye and suckers. I can personally guarantee that in the larger spring streams such as Bennett, Maramec and Roaring River, there were smallmouth bass there all year long as in the winter, the springs provide warm water and in the summer, they provide cool water. This may explain why, every winter, there are smallmouth stacked in the Suzy Hole at BSSP. Why else could you catch smallmouth bass up to the rock dam in zone 3 at RRSP? Maramec has smallmouth bass in the spring branch ALL YEAR LONG. You can catch smallmouth, including some of trophy proportions all year long on Taney, however, due to the immense size of the trout population in the upper 6 miles, they choose (I believe) to avoid this section of lake in favor of the relative solitude that the middle and lower lake provides them. Can you deny the fact that the TRD displaced walleye and smallmouth bass as the primary predator species in what is now Taney? Check out the tributaries of the Ozark streams to catch one of the prettiest native species you will ever find; the longear sunfish.

I feel as though the line of native or non-native has been blurred almost to the point of nonexistence. Trout are in Missouri to stay, but unlike Arkansas streams where fish can actually sustain themselves, our trout are hatchery sustained. Those fish are a drain on the hatchery system and only serve to provide a meal of Purina Fish Chow to someone. Taneycomo, while a world famous trophy trout fishery, has little credibility in my eyes due to the lack of successful reproduction. Crane Creek is as close to a native trout stream as we have, having natural reproduction and self-sustainability for over a hundred years. Those trout have displaced some of the native species however. Among these are smallmouth, chain pickerel and sunfish. Now, does anyone complain that there are trout in Crane? Nope. This is likely the most challenging trout stream in Missouri. A successful nonnative species is one that can sustain themselves without constant stocking from the state. Trout only do this in a dozen or so streams. Every red or white ribbon area, and a couple blue ribbon areas do not have sufficient reproduction to sustain trout, and therefore, in my opinion, the trout should be allowed to expire to have the native species fill the void again. Many people bring the forage preferences of smallmouth and trout into play, but have you ever caught a bass on a #16 nymph? I have. They eat insects just as trout do, so trout are in fact outcompeting bass for these food items. Get rid of all trout that do not self sustain and you will make me a happy camper. MDC would never consider this due to the fact that trout are their cash cow. Great topic, and I hope that I have offered a little to the debate.

Minimally harming the existing ecosystem? Have you looked? Are you crazy? It would cause the creek to change permanently and for the worse. The trout would be gone, and replaced with green sunfish and largemouth bass, not to mention silt, mud, and algae. Please reconsider your feeling here.

Did you read what you wrote or did you just let your fingers do your thinking? How would these native, rare-strain rainbow trout be helped by another warmwater lake? simple, they would be killed. The cool spring creek would back up a bit, causing water warmth and the trout would be killed. The only way any trout could survive would be if they huddled in the springs. You have just opened a can of something I wouldn't have opened here in your 40th post. I am willing to fight to save Crane Creek. I have not fished there, but I want my grandkids to be able to fish there for these gorgeous redband trout. Your reality is something that may be reality to you, but to others here, that reality is nothing but a pain in the butt. This creek will not be dammed if we have anything to say about it. This is a RARE jewel, and it happens to be in Missouri. Do you feel no pride about that? Do you care? Are you willing to give up another free-flowing stream for yet another lake, and probably a lake that cannot support general use?

What the hell does being open-minded have to do with ruining a natural free-flowing Ozarks spring creek? This issue is pretty cut and dried. Do we want to lose Crane Creek for an unnecessary impoundment?

Dutch, I have a serious question. If you do not care about preserving our outdoor heritage, why do you frequent a site that houses many hundreds of conservationists and conservation minded sportsmen?

The plan is not to increase fishing, but water supply. I believe there are plenty of lakes and rivers in this area already. Honestly, what good would damming a true American trout fishing treasure do?

Does Crane get business when we go down there to fish? Yes. There you go, no creek, no fishing, no money. Taneycomo did run out the native species. They stocked the lake with nonnative species that cannot self sustain, and as such are a burden on our hatcheries that are already strained. So, what is your argument to this? I would like to hear this. I am not a fan of nonnative species if they cannot reproduce. I love the fact that the rainbows in Crane have sustained themselves for 130 years. This dam, or should I say darn dam, will put an end to this and end the trout fishing in this southern Missouri jewel. The significance of this creek is the fact that this creek holds one of the last remaining populations of pure McCloud River Rainbows. If you are willing to throw that out, expect a BIG fight from TU and FFF.

This entire situation is terrible. I hope some of our politicians can put the kibosh on any of this stupid talk, but I doubt that...

Email sent re:1492

How was the fishin?

Plain and simple, this is a piss poor idea, which if passed, will kill the town of Crane, and hurt the wild trout fisheries in the midwest, as the rarest jewel of them all would be gone. I would like to see this go down in a ball of fire, but we know how these things work.

Guys, I am envious. The fishing here locally has slowed, but I am anxious to get out to fish more and more often.

Hey all, I am getting out of fly fishing, returning to my roots with the spin tackle. As such, I am selling my stuff. Pictures are available. All prices include shipping. If these prices don't make you smile, make me an offer. I accept paypal. Temple Fork Outfitters 6'9" 5/6 glass rod. It was built from a blank by a buddy. $110 Pflueger Sal-Trout 1554 with Orvis Clearwater WF6F $15. SOLD PENDING FUNDS Bug Luggage Trout Box $10 SOLD PENDING FUNDS Orvis Foam Box, filled with trout flies $20 Flies include nymphs and dries. Fly Tying materials-marabou, hooks, beads, 2 capes, bucktail pieces, deer hair pieces, chenille, Cabela's $30 vise, tools, and other miscellaneous materials. $100 Landing Big Fish on Light Fly Tackle- Wendelburg $5

A few years back, I fished a pond behind my ex's best friend's house. I fished a 1/16oz Rooster Tail and caught a couple 4 pounders.

If carp are up in the shoreline weeds, they are spawning and more than likely will not hit anything.

It takes a lot of heat to heat up something like the Missouri. I could see you chasing these cats into July and mid August in your backwater slough. As for the bighead carp, you may well catch them on woollies, Clousers, leech patterns, cottonwood seeds, etc. They are very opportunistic, and we can catch them in the high water every spring here on the local water.

Esox, that sounds like bighead carp. If and when hooked, watch out for your reel handle. It will draw blood from your knuckles. On another note, I saw a black buffalo jump two feet out of the water the other day, not five feet from where my fly was, but, lo and behold, it didn't hit. Darn it. The thing about catfish disappearing makes me laugh. To consistently catch them, you have to find their hidey holes and fish it near the bottom, not on the bottom as channels and blues are NOT bottom feeders by nature. If you fish an olive, brown or tan leech pattern from 3-5" long, you will catch fish. Also, in deeper flowing water, learn to read the water and use a sink tip or sinking line (Type IV Rio 15' DC or Teeny T-series, sized for your rod) will get your flies down in the runs the fish are in. Enjoy!