13 Lb Brown Landed Oct 1 @bssp

[Bman]

Nice fish Jack, I've seen Jack Buchschacher spot fishing Bennett since the 80's when I first got into flyfishing. Jack has perfected the art of spot fishing to a fine art. Jack can find, stalk, put his name on a fish, catch and release as good or better than any I've seen. He treats the fish with respect and insists that others do the same.

I don't know about new rules. I used to tie a nymph with some rubber, or plastic on it and fly ish in the middle of zone 3. I think it's the prettiest spot on the whole stream, and no one hardly ever fished it. It was explained to me at the time that if you wrap a rubber band on a fly, it would be legal.

Tight lines, Bman

[edward]

I have tried my hand at sight fishing for larger browns a couple times, mostly in the fall when it seems the bigger browns are more numerous. I can honestly say that I have thrown everything under the sun at these fish and not a single time have I even turned a head in interest. Does anyone have an approach to take at these larger fish (that no doubt have seen every lure and bait under the sun)?

[flyfshn]

Nice FISH! I can only dream of catching one half that size!! By the way, the brown pictured in my avatar was caught and released in zone 1....biggest I have ever landed!

[Kayser]

I've had good success on bigger fish in the C&R at Montauk dead-sticking (thats dead drifting with a taut line, no indicator, and rod held high) a #4 rabbit strip leech. Best day was 6 fish between 16-20" on 10 casts, broke off on the hookset on two of those casts. Also hooked about a 7# rainbow in the fly water doing this a couple weeks ago, but logjams and 2lb test dont mix.

Rob

[laker67]

I have tried my hand at sight fishing for larger browns a couple times, mostly in the fall when it seems the bigger browns are more numerous. I can honestly say that I have thrown everything under the sun at these fish and not a single time have I even turned a head in interest. Does anyone have an approach to take at these larger fish (that no doubt have seen every lure and bait under the sun)?

Edward,

10 pointer gave you the correct advice. The easiest way to catch a lunker is to know where he is located before you ever wet a fly. You stated that you had tried fishing to a big fish a "couple" of times. Try that technique 98 more times. By then you should have had a dozen looks, a couple of takes that you miss, and maybe one good hookup that you will probably end up losing. After that point, things will start getting somewhat easier. On average, if you can hook one in 20, land one in five, you have done good. Guys like Jack, Jeff, Dave and the others that I mentioned, are willing to walk the creek bank for 8 hours and hope they find a fish or two to fish for. At Bennett, right now, that is as good as you can hope for. When I fished it in the, 70's and 80's, you could find 30 fish a day to fish for. Not so now. Roaring and Montauk have a "few" more big fish. In comparing "catching" large browns to large rainbows, there is no comparison. Rainbows are a "walk in the park" compared to a brown. And I'm not saying that catching a large rainbow is easy. Just easier than catching a large brown. The strain of brown trout in missouri is different than most. Most states have the "german brown", including Arkansas and the great lakes. Missouri has the "sheep creek brown", which is as shy and wary and more easily spooked than any other strain of brown trout. Guys like Jack and Jeff, are true artists in their pursuit of missouri's brown trout. I've been around for a long time, and in my opinion, they are the "best of the best". Each and every person, that I mentioned in a previous post, are excellent sight fishermen and have caught hundreds of lunkers apiece in the past 25 to 30 years. Most still fish the trout parks as they have done for years. Myself, Kerry, Dave and Jim, moved off to Taneycomo for the night fishing and the solitude. No solitude anymore, it is quickly becoming Missouri's largest "trout park". About Oct. each year, people come out of the woodwork in hopes of catching Missouri's next state record. They tromp around and pound the water so hard, that the waves roll upstream. It's like reliving opening day, every day. At night, they do the same thing, tromp around and shine their lights continually. I have night fished Taneycomo for the past 33 years. What was once solitude and pleasure, has turned into a Halloween nightmare. I have learned to adjust, outlast the crowd, and go with the flow. Edward, if you pursue the sight fishing, I wish you the best of success. It has been a most rewarding experience over the years for me. You need to set some goals and be sure and keep a log book. My first goal in sight fishing was to catch 100 lunkers, without a log book you might lose accurate account. When you catch a lunker, write down the date, where you were fishing, fly, tippet size, weight of the fish, whether it was kept or released, etc. I have always used a large net to land the fish, weigh him in the net, and release. I hardly ever touch or hold the fish. All is done in the water. The only time the fish is out of the water is for a quick weigh in with the scale attached to the net. Subtract the weight of the net, and there you go. Fly selections are a trial and error kind of thing. With your log book, you can look back and see some patterns developing after a period of time. I caught my first lunker on Oct. 18, 1975 and have kept a log book ever since. I caught him at the Sycamore hole, in zone 1, 2lb tippet on a salmon fur bug and the fish was kept. He weighed 3 pounds, 11 ounces. This is the kind of information that your log book will tell you 33 years later. Good fishing to you Edward.

Laker67

[FishinCricket]

Lebanon Daily Record just reported that this fish was actually 18 pounds and was a new park record!! Also they reported that this isn't the first time you've held the record, sir.. Congrats on that sir, will you take me fishing next time?

[bigredbirdfan]

Has anyone thrown trout food into the feeding tanks at the hatcheries? I have seen trout race twenty to thirty feed for a single piece of food that lands on the surface of the water. Their eye sight is incredible. I wonder how close your fly needs to be to a big fish for them to see it? I think more than anything they are defended their space in the case of browns. Just my thoughts. BTW in regards to sight fishing is it illegal to have spotters with binoculars and two way radios? I think it should in Missouri. Again my 2 cents.

[fishinwrench]

in regards to sight fishing is it illegal to have spotters with binoculars and two way radios? I think it should in Missouri. Again my 2 cents.

Nothing illegal about it, far as I know. It is fun to watch your buddy work a fish...but to be honest it really doesn't help having someone on a high-bank playing guide (narrating each drift and coaching you where to put your next cast). The spotter should keep quiet and control himself unless asked to do otherwise. JMO

[bigredbirdfan]

Nothing illegal about it, far as I know. It is fun to watch your buddy work a fish...but to be honest it really doesn't help having someone on a high-bank playing guide (narrating each drift and coaching you where to put your next cast). The spotter should keep quiet and control himself unless asked to do otherwise. JMO

What every happened to just the "chance" of catching a nice fish. Everyone wants to control it to the point where they have a "better chance" of catching a record. Personally, makes me want to puke. How about just head up to the outhouse whip out your willy and see who's is bigger . Not every thing in life has to be a pissing contest .

[fishinwrench]

What every happened to just the "chance" of catching a nice fish. Everyone wants to control it to the point where they have a "better chance" of catching a record. Personally, makes me want to puke. How about just head up to the outhouse whip out your willy and see who's is bigger . Not every thing in life has to be a pissing contest .

Well...that's the cool thing about "fishing", you can take it as slack and leisurely.... or as fanatical and serious as you choose.

It's a personal matter as to which level of enthusiasm leads you to the feeling that you are enjoying yourself. Sometimes I go at it like I'm splittin' wood and fish with the mindset that I wanna catch every fish in the stream, sometimes I just sit and look at the water most of the day, and other times I strike a pace somewhere in between. As long as it is legal, ethical, and doesn't offend anyone that matters...then all is right with the world. No?