Floods!

[ozark trout fisher]

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.

Glad to hear it. Looks like Little Piney is at fishable levels of 286 CFS right now, I'll have a fishing report pretty soon. Hopefully the high water will make the trout a little less spooky...

[fishinwrench]

Here's a good mohair combo for really dirty water, I think it's the little bit of contrast that gets their attention.

Mustad 9672 #10

1/8 black tungsten bead w/ 10 turns of .020 leadwire behind the bead.

black marabou tail.

black mohair body with 3 turns of white mohair for a collar behind the bead.

[ozark trout fisher]

Here's a good mohair combo for really dirty water, I think it's the little bit of contrast that gets their attention.

Mustad 9672 #10

1/8 black tungsten bead w/ 10 turns of .020 leadwire behind the bead.

black marabou tail.

black mohair body with 3 turns of white mohair for a collar behind the bead.

Thanks a lot. I definitely try that. Last time at Little Piney (the only time I've ever been) I got zilch, but I am gonna make myself try again, because I really want to catch a wild trout. Hopefully that pattern will be the ticket. Thanks again.

[Al Agnew]

The biggest problem with floods in Missouri, as far as trout are concerned, is on streams that have a lot of escapees from the trout parks. A hatchery trout that hasn't been in the river long probably isn't nearly as well-equipped to handle flooding as one that has lived through a time or two of high water. Two times, I've been on the Current below Montauk after big floods, and found trout stranded in puddles up in the bottoms that had been flooded. A wild trout knows better than to get stranded.

Warm water gamefish may have a few problems with wintertime floods, especially if it's a flood that resulted from snowmelt or very cold rains and you've got a lot of 33 degree floodwater. The fish are sluggish at that temp and may be washed out of their sheltered places. But I don't think it happens often even with warm water fish, and since trout are a cold water gamefish to begin with, they shouldn't be much affected by cold water, I wouldn't think.

All streams aren't equal. I once floated the upper end of Huzzah Creek, which has a lot of wide open gravel bars and shallow water at normal levels. I was floating after some really big spring floods, and many of the smallmouth I caught were pretty scarred up, with scales missing and frayed fins. Looked like they'd really been battered by the flood. I guess that they didn't have good enough places to get out of the current in that kind of habitat. But mostly the fish don't seem much the worse for wear after big floods.

[ozark trout fisher]

The biggest problem with floods in Missouri, as far as trout are concerned, is on streams that have a lot of escapees from the trout parks. A hatchery trout that hasn't been in the river long probably isn't nearly as well-equipped to handle flooding as one that has lived through a time or two of high water. Two times, I've been on the Current below Montauk after big floods, and found trout stranded in puddles up in the bottoms that had been flooded. A wild trout knows better than to get stranded.

Warm water gamefish may have a few problems with wintertime floods, especially if it's a flood that resulted from snowmelt or very cold rains and you've got a lot of 33 degree floodwater. The fish are sluggish at that temp and may be washed out of their sheltered places. But I don't think it happens often even with warm water fish, and since trout are a cold water gamefish to begin with, they shouldn't be much affected by cold water, I wouldn't think.

All streams aren't equal. I once floated the upper end of Huzzah Creek, which has a lot of wide open gravel bars and shallow water at normal levels. I was floating after some really big spring floods, and many of the smallmouth I caught were pretty scarred up, with scales missing and frayed fins. Looked like they'd really been battered by the flood. I guess that they didn't have good enough places to get out of the current in that kind of habitat. But mostly the fish don't seem much the worse for wear after big floods.

Glad to hear it.

[ozark trout fisher]

One last question, with the flash flood, should I expect the trout to be in a spawn pattern?