drew03cmc

We should really be worried about a spawning flat for a species that doesn't belong being messed up by one that does. I guess logic doesn't apply here.

That sounds like fun, but that is the wrong part of the state for the meth heads we heard about in other threads.

Thank you.

Scott, if I were closer, I might could take you up on something most Fridays.

Ness, I must be a bit younger than you, I don't recall 1918.

Great picture, hang that one on the wall!

I have caught drum on crankbaits, so nothing surprises me with them.

Nice fish.

I prefer Vicious Ultimate. I haven't broken it off yet and I have been fishing it on spinning as well as baitcasters now for two years. It is very affordable, find your best deals on ebay.

The bottom feeders do indeed eat and prefer crayfish, the smallmouth's favorite delicacy.

You are speaking of 3 streams as if it is representative of the Ozarks as a whole. There are spotted bass that occur naturally in the streams of the upper Osage basin, Spring, Elk and the entire White River system. Are they a threat to smallmouth bass that are also native to these creeks and streams? Of course they aren't, but we can't convince you, the expert of this. You also state that we fish for trout and smallmouth, but you neglect that there is are MANY other species in the Ozarks to fish for. If you wish to make these absurd statements, please do so and realize that nobody will take you seriously. I have to say that aside from JoeD, this conversation has been relatively subdued compared to some of our past smallmouth/spot debates. As soon as I say this, I must add my two cents. Spotted bass were likely NOT placed in the Meramec drainage by man directly. They have migrated to these streams and are here, unlikely to go away now. I wish there were a way to go back to the premier smallmouth fishing we used to have in the Ozarks, but let me tell you, there are streams in the Ozarks with both spots and smallmouth over 3 and 4 pounds within the same mile of water.

You are old, but not quite to that point yet, right? Eight is my magic number. If I am on the water, I can normally find and catch fish, normally being the operative term.

Aren't you in Colorado? In that case, cutthroat aren't invasive, they belong in Colorado.

This is a great resource to have close to home for you guys.

Bighead carp, silver carp, white perch, pheasant, need I go on?

How about the parks in town, Hinkson Creek flow through them and would hold largemouth, bluegill, green sunfish and probably cats and carp. It could be a fun place to take a short, mid weight fly rod.

Maybe carry some bolt cutters in your vest...might aid access to these places... I am being sarcastic, but be careful that you don't rip your waders, shorts or whatever you might be wearing.

I haven't gotten down there yet. I am going to try to get down there this fall sometime as work allows. My schedule is all messed up with me working Sun-Thurs and some Fridays, so I am down to one day. I will be in touch, but am boatless, so I might just go do some wading at and around Cross Timbers to see what I can scare up on some DDH leeches and other big flies.

Chief, I love that stream you speak of. That was my best day brownie fishing as far as numbers go. I can't wait to do a little fall fishing. Siu, stay safe and take lots of pictures.

Nice fish bud.

As I fish glass fly rods, I am a terrible person to ask. Since the question was posted, I will interject my two cents. I fish DT lines most often on anything 5wt and under. Right now, I am the owner of three glass rods that get fished, one is a 6'6" 5wt that I fish with an SA Mastery Trout DT5F line and it is still quick, for glass. Another rod is a 7'6" 6wt South Bend Classic IV that I fish with an Orvis Clearwater WF6F and the other is a Phillipson Powr Kast T80 that I fish with an Airflo WF6F. These rods have vastly different actions from fairly quick on the little feller to SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW on the Phillipson and changing lines isn't something I will be doing unless it is to toss a sinking line on them for deep water work. In my opinion, if the rod is too fast, rather than slow it down by overlining (one line weight is often sufficient, but I have gone two line weights up), why not buy a rod that suits your stroke better? There are a few rods that I have cast, the TFO TICR comes to mind, that are NOT happy with even a GPX on it. I had to go to a 7wt line on the 5wt rod to get the feel that I look for in a rod. You can do anything you want to as it is your rod, but I am of the feeling that rod builders place line weights on rods for casting rather than fishing. If you can cast 90 feet you can catch more fish, right? Wrong. The TFO TICR series is underlined by one or two line weights if you use the stated line, IMO. The reason for the AFTMA standards is just that, it is a standard. It is the weight of a fly line in the first 30 feet in grains. In this same manner, IMO at least, a 5wt rod should load with 30' of 5wt line out of the tip top, right?

I only carry green pumpkin.

Brian, you neat freak. I like dirty cork. It means I have done something right.

I fished Taney with a glass 6 weight. My preferred length was 7.5', especially for the outlets.

I never fish anything longer than 8'6" at the absolute longest. I prefer rods 8' and under. Last time I fished a park was in January and I fished a 7' 5wt Tonka Prince. If I were to go to RR right now, I would take my custom 6'6" 5wt glass rod and be confident in throwing anything I carry from #6 BH streamers to #18 dries. At Bennett, I would take my 8' 6wt Phillipson Powr Kast and I wouldn't fish Maramec right now. If I were taking ONE rod and fishing the parks for trout and the rivers below for smallmouth, I wouldn't hesitate with either a 7.5' or 8' 6wt.