Floods!

[ozark trout fisher]

Wow! Our trout streams are truly flooded. The water gauge at Little Piney hit around 4000 Cubic feet per second, and it averages about 200. That is 20X bigger than usual if my math is right. I almost would have to think this would cause a fish kill, or a least send the lion's share of the trout downstream. Just curious what you guys think. I hope it didn't wreck this little stream. Also the Meramec hit about 400 CFS.

[fishinwrench]

Just flushing the leaves and debris from last Fall, which was a welcome event from my standpoint...... They'll fall out quickly I think, there's no more significant rain in the immediate forcast.

Shouldn't be any "fish kills" because of it. Doesn't look like the Current, or NFOW got hit very hard in comparison.

[ozark trout fisher]

Just flushing the leaves and debris from last Fall, which was a welcome event from my standpoint...... They'll fall out quickly I think, there's no more significant rain in the immediate forcast.

Shouldn't be any "fish kills" because of it. Doesn't look like the Current, or NFOW got hit very hard in comparison.

Glad to hear it. I was unaware how such a surge would effect the fish used to such a slight, calm flow. I am glad to hear you don't think it will cause any big problems. Does anyone have an idea when the either the Meramec or Little Piney may be fishable again?

[ozark trout fisher]

I'm not at all familiar with the Little Piney, but from the looks of the gage it should be "fishable" tomorrow.

The main Meramec will take a few more days, but the smaller creeks (within the trout holding portion) that feed into it might be fishing really good soon. A lot of guys dred fishing the fallout, but it can actually put fish into a managable pattern along the banks, as long as there isn't alot of debris still being stirred up. My motto is: if it's safe to wade and visability is 8-10 inches, it's fishable.

The timing of this gulley-washer kinda sucks for Blue Ribbon (natural reproduction) streams though. Probably lost the spawn this time around. maybe not though, they are more resilient than we give them credit for I think.

Thanks for the info. The Little Piney might be feeling this a few years from now.

[Gavin]

The LP is known for flash flooding...but it doesnt seem to affect the trout water all that much...The guage is on the bridge in Newburg about 5 miles below the blue ribbon trout water, and there is a magor tributary that doubles the flow about a mile above that bridge Corn Creek or Coon Creek if I remember correctly..I usually wont wade fish it if flowing at over 300-400cfs at Newburg...wont float it if its below 175 or 200 at Newburg. Should be fishable again by tomorrow.

The Meramec isnt a good bet right know...I'd wait till it gets down to 450cfs at Steelville before I'd hike down Cardiac or Suicide Hill to wade fish, though I'd float it of fish below Maramec Spring at a slightly higher water level. The Meramec comes down slower than most of our trout waters.

Current, NFoW, and 11pt seem to be in good shape..The other blue ribbon creeks near Rolla should be OK as well. Cheers.

[Al Agnew]

Yeah, I'm a little bummed out about the magnitude of the flooding...I was hoping for a little high water after these relatively warm rains. The fishing for winter smallmouth would have been excellent today and tomorrow if the rivers were fishable. But it doesn't look like any of them will be. Then it's supposed to get cold again.

Since I probably won't go smallmouth fishing, guess I'll have to head down to the Current tomorrow and do some flyfishing. Dang, hate it when that happens!

[ozark trout fisher]

Yeah, I'm a little bummed out about the magnitude of the flooding...I was hoping for a little high water after these relatively warm rains. The fishing for winter smallmouth would have been excellent today and tomorrow if the rivers were fishable. But it doesn't look like any of them will be. Then it's supposed to get cold again.

Since I probably won't go smallmouth fishing, guess I'll have to head down to the Current tomorrow and do some flyfishing. Dang, hate it when that happens!

Thanks for the info everyone. Kinda odd, it seems that the Current is really not affected on the same scale as the Meramec or the Little Piney. It looks like it would be fishable already.

[RSBreth]

That's funny, I was thinking mostly about some prime Smallie fishing, too. Warped minds think alike...

I didn't say it first ( I think it was A. K. Best in one of John Geirachs' books) but if floods killed trout, there wouldn't be trout. Look at the White River. I've seen Crane get really gnarly, and then bounce right back. My river (you didn't know it was mine, did you?) the Finley, and I know it's not a trout stream, but it's gone out of the banks 3 times this year. Yet the greatest threat to the fish is poaching giggers, poaching fishermen, and ignorant landowners.

[ozark trout fisher]

That's funny, I was thinking mostly about some prime Smallie fishing, too. Warped minds think alike...

I didn't say it first ( I think it was A. K. Best in one of John Geirachs' books) but if floods killed trout, there wouldn't be trout. Look at the White River. I've seen Crane get really gnarly, and then bounce right back. My river (you didn't know it was mine, did you?) the Finley, and I know it's not a trout stream, but it's gone out of the banks 3 times this year. Yet the greatest threat to the fish is poaching giggers, poaching fishermen, and ignorant landowners.

I guess you're right. It has to kinda be a shock to those fish to have 20x the normal flow coming through though. I guess like you say we wouldn't have wild trout if they died every time there was a bad flash flood.

[hoglaw]

I guess you're right. It has to kinda be a shock to those fish to have 20x the normal flow coming through though. I guess like you say we wouldn't have wild trout if they died every time there was a bad flash flood.

I would imagine that the rules of hydrodynamics stay the same even in raging waters. No matter how fast the current gets, there are still boulders, cuts, overhangs, trees, etc. that provide sheltered areas. I've caught fish floating obscenely fast water by bonking them on the nose in current breaks.