stlfisher

ha...I like the way you think!

I don't think it meant that rainbow's were non existent and that brown's made up a higher number of actual fish in that stretch (could be, but I don't know). I took it to mean that of the 30% of fish that are brown trout the highest concentration of that 30% was in the Ashley creek area. That area could very well hold the highest concentration of brown trout percentage wise compared to brown trout percentages in other parts of the river, but the actual number of brown trout could still be well below the actual numbers of the rainbows. There are just a lot more of the rainbows to go around. Browns are much more difficult to catch so even at a 50/50 populations split you will still catch many more rainbows than brown's.

The last I read from the MDC the split is 70% rainbows and 30% browns in the blue ribbon stretch. Most of the brown's are down around Parker and Ashley creek. The rainbows drop of dramatically as you work down below Baptist, but that first run is pretty nice. I certainly catch vastly more rainbows than browns. Brown's are tougher and I think you need to decide if you want to catch a lot of fish or catch a few big fish. Lot's of fish...fish the wire to Baptist. Big Brown's...Baptist on down with big streamers or rapala's and expect a long time between bites and possible skunkage. However, the payoff can be huge when it happens.

Good for you Cricket. I am almost 3 years to the date I quit. It wasn't easy, but man is it nice. The savings is great and I can actually run more than a few yards without my lungs exploding.

If that is your price range I would spend it on the reel. I second the Citica..I think it runs $120 or so. Put it on a cheap rod and buy a better rod at a later date. Cheap baitcaser's are like cheap fly lines...it is not area you want to skimp. Cabela's used to have the Citica reel with a prodigy rod for $189...that is a fine set up for the price.

I missed the Pirates game, but a pretty bad call. Cardinals received a gift on Pujol's home run as well. Glad to see Rasmus go..he reminded me too much of JD Drew. I am not sure I am real pumped about the return, but we had to move him. We could potentially be without Berkman, Pujols, and Carpenter next year. Yikes!

I agree.

Yep, seems like we remember that ones that got away as much if not more than the ones we land.

Nice job and sounds like a great evening. I have been on a smallmouth research mission the last month with the heat and wading in cooler water has been nice. Sorry to hear the bass got away and I feel a bit of your pain, but glad you enjoyed the evening. I had a toad smallie swim up and literally kiss my slumpbuster last weekend. Couldn't have been any closer than he was. I was completely floored to see the size of the fish in the water we were fishing. It was a true trophy....couldn't believe he didn't take...ugh!

I haven't spent a lot of time at Dick's, but I have always had good customer service from them as well.

Sounds like a combination...kinda what I figured. Too bad the habitat isn't better, but probably the right management all things considered. Thanks for the info guys. BTW Cricket I never did make it down to the Niangua on my trip to the area in June. I still have the info you gave me though and hopefully can make it down for a day during the winter.

I agree. Nice summary. Glad to see we are back to the topic at hand. Why do you think the Niangua is managed as a white ribbon section? I guess i am curious as to why there are not as many big brown's as in Current. Is it due mostly to habitat or management practices? Maybe a bit of both? The water looks good, but I have only driven down to see it and haven't been able to fish it.

Big gills are a blast to catch...love catching them on top during the spawn.

Your views on trout in Missouri are well documented. Keep making the same argument if you wish. Keep trying to steer the thread in the direction you want it to go. I don't care to go down that road again. You are right each night I crawl into my trout shaped bed and pray to the trout buddha before dreaming up ways to ruin smallmouth fishing in Missouri.

I agree I doubt we will see any changes and the trout parks are managed as put and take...lot's of anglers enjoy that. There are plenty of fish and fisherman should be able to harvest some trout. It just seems a little inconsistent to me in the Montauk/Current area regarding the browns which seem to create more interest and excitement among anglers. Rainbows are managed as one fish over 18 in the blue ribbon stretch so yes they are managed the same way as browns in the Blue Ribbon stretch. The main difference between the two would be rainbows don't have any length limits inside of the park and there are vastly more of them. I think the spread in the Blue Ribbon Stretch is 70% rainbows above Baptist and 30% brown trout mostly below Baptist although they migrate quite a bit. Anyway, good luck fishing.

That is great news regarding the angler in question. Congrats to him for his catches. Better than I would have done. You are right fish will move and will put themselves at risk, but I think the habitat is different between the Niangua/Bennett and Montauk/Current. I believe the Niangua below BSSP park is managed as a white ribbon section...possibly because the habitat may not be as good as the Blue Ribbon stretch. It makes sense to me to have the Niangua managed as a White Ribbon stretch. I am sure there are big brown's in the Niangua, but I don't think the potential is anything like the Current. It seems counter intuitive to what the MDC is trying to manage to have a 4 brown limit of legal fish in the park while a few yards downtream they are trying to produce and maintain a trophy type fishery with one fish over 18. This seem counter productive since migration between the fish in these areas is well noted. I don't have enough personal experience regarding taney besides what i have read so I can't offer an opinion on that water...besides that i need to fish it soon. Another thing I always found odd at Montauk/Curent is that sections of the bait water (the area these fish were taken) above the blue ribbon stretch on the Current are closed during the winter. I don't know why that is, but it seems strange. I found it very surprising you could keep 4 browns of legal size a day in a trout park when they are stocked and managed quite differently than rainbows. I found it odd the MDC wasn't even sure of the regulations. It almost seems like an oversight or a loophole to me.

Interesting. I made two posts and not 4 pages of them. This wasn't a debate it was a civil discussion and a clarification of the regulations and a possible illegal harvest. You many not agree with the proposed regulations, but that does not make your opinion any less self serving than any other. This instance is unsettling because it is close to the Blue Ribbon stretch. I do think that some brown's move up into the park...especially in this heat and certainly during spawning time. Maybe not all the way from Baptist, but it does happen. It seems counterproductive to have it managed this way when brown's move back and forth between the two areas. Safe in one area and white jig in the stomach in another. It seems inconsistent to me. We are all aware what trout parks are for...and rainbows in those parks are stocked to catch and eat. I think that is fine for those that want to do that. Brown's are not managed or stocked that way in any area. I would disagree that all regulations would need to be changed as it seems to me that Montauk and the Current are unique enough in both the setup and potential to be managed differently than a blanket regulation. Taney is if my understanding is correct. I think it could simply be better...for everyone. This would included better management of those smallie streams that may be overpopulated in your area.

This topic is about adopting stricter regulations for the harvest of brown trout. It would actually save money and improve the fishery. Just change the rules....no additional management or expense required. It is quite clear and quite simple. Let's not steer this into another tired debate regarding the merits of stocking trout Missouri. We have been over that enough.

Because I don't shoot the trout in the rearing pools. Well not since the incident. j/k.

What ever you decide to use take the waste material from your rabbit strip and use it as dubbing for scuds. Work great for me. I know people us squirrel strips for slumpuster flies as well...they are a bit smaller than rabbit/zonker strips. They all work well though.

Kind of amazing the MDC doesn't even seem to know the rules they are suppossed to be enforcing. Maybe this will draw attention to the issue. I also don't understand why anyone would keep a big trout to eat. IMO the smaller ones taste better. I think this is true of most fish species. I'll eat a few 12 inch stocker rainbows and a 2 1/2 lb channel cat over a 10lb brown anyday. Eat a few smaller ones and let the bigger browns go so someone else can catch them. A picture is just as good IMO.

Saw a giant one last year at the first bend below the wire. At first I thought it was a rock. Then it started swimming. Rocks can't swim in case you were wondering. It was massive.

I think they keep out personal boats etc...because of all the pressure it receives. There really isn't a boat ramp on the lakes either. I also think they want to keep out kayaks, float tubes and stuff. It can get really crowded so I think they try to limit the area to fishing only...that way it keeps the party people of the lakes etc. I spend a lot of time out there though and I grew up fishing the area so it has a little nostalgic feel to it for me. My father landed a 18lb channel cat on a plastic worm out of lake 34 years ago. Thought he had the mother of all bass for a second!

Looks like a nice vacation! Enjoyed the blog post...good stuff.

Lake 33 is quite shallow...you won't find any real deep water. I am guessing the average depth is 5 feet or so. It is a great bass lake though and if you want to catch a big bass that is the lake to do it. There is not much cover in the lake so you will have to look for structure on the bottom or beat the banks. Load's of small crappie in that lake as well. Some big carp and catfish as well. Lake 35 is a nice lake. There are some large muskie in the lake (I have never caught one), but they might be pretty tough this time of year. It is a much deeper lake than 33 and lot's of submerged cover...especially along the dam. It is a more scenic lake than 33 IMO. Some giant Catfish in the lake. Not a bad bass lake at all. I would target the dam and be prepared to loose some tackle...lot's of submerged brush especially the last 1/3 toward the spillway. Busch get's a lot of pressure so fishing can be tough. If you can target it midweek that would be your best bet. I believe the boat's are $5 to rent. Not sure about the trolling motor...but I am pretty sure you can rent one and they won't break the bank. Lake 37 has loads of bass in it...all small though. 34 is the same way, some big Catfish as well. 38 has some nice size bass in it as well...not very scenic, but the dam is overgrown and you can't fish it with out a boat. Might be a diamond in the rough since I bet it doesn't get hit as hard as others. If you get bored plenty of smaller lakes to hit from the banks. Some big bluegill in the C/R release lakes if that interest's you. Load's of small bass in these lake as well, but don't except to catch many if any over 15.