Little Piney River Questions

[ozark trout fisher]

I fished Little Piney Creek on November 20, and was surprised to only see a couple trout, and hooked zero. I have a few questions about how I can more efficiently fish this pretty little creek. I both spin-fish and fly-fish, and practice catch and release

1. Does the White Ribbon area or the Blue Ribbon area generally produce more fish?

2. In the Blue Ribbon Section, should I fish near Vida Slab, or closer to Lane Spring?

3. What flies are productive during the winter?

4. What spinning lures are effective here.

I'd really appreciate any help I can get. I'm more used to fishing western streams, and the Missouri spring creeks seem kinda hard to figure out.

[willber]

I fished Little Piney Creek on November 20, and was surprised to only see a couple trout, and hooked zero. I have a few questions about how I can more efficiently fish this pretty little creek. I both spin-fish and fly-fish, and practice catch and release

1. Does the White Ribbon area or the Blue Ribbon area generally produce more fish?

2. In the Blue Ribbon Section, should I fish near Vida Slab, or closer to Lane Spring?

3. What flies are productive during the winter?

4. What spinning lures are effective here.

I'd really appreciate any help I can get. I'm more used to fishing western streams, and the Missouri spring creeks seem kinda hard to figure out.

I fished it in October and did pretty well, but have not fished it regularly in years, so am not an expert.

I fished at Lane Spring and Vida Slab. Numbers were comparable at each place. I know they stock somewhere downstream, but I couldn't give you an exact location.

The wild trout are almost impossible to see. I was fishing mostly blind, looking for the right kind of water, more than trying to pick out specific fish to target. Of course, the lower, clearer water in winter may allow you to sight fish more effectively. I try to cover a lot of water, hit the very best looking holes, and move on. Typically, I have found the trout in faster water where there is an obvious pocket or seam for them to hold in. I had almost no action in the slower deeper pools.

A friend of mine used to fish with spinning gear and tear them up on vibrax spinners and small crawded crankbaits.

I don't have any specific winter flies to recommend. In October, I was fishing san juan worms, psycho princes, rubber legs, mohair leeches, a lot of big flashy stuff. This worked well in October, but I am not certain about the winter. Good luck!

[jdmidwest]

It has been years since I was there also. It was always a put and take fishery, stocked from March to Oct. with exceptions during the summer when water temps were above 70. Fishing was good for several weeks till all were caught out. I have in the past fished it during the winter months and picked up a few nice holdovers.

[ozark trout fisher]

Thanks a lot. I'll definitely keep all that in mind, and hopefully I might catch a couple. Cheers.