Niangua Saturday 1-3-09

[FishinCricket]

Well Shut My Mouth ! ....Here's the latest word on the stocking of Browns, per Weaver's:

{quote} The annual stocking of brown trout in the Niangua River took place on December 18 & 19, 2008. Five thousand browns were stocked, with an average length of 11½". Individual fish varied from 9" to 13" in length. The fish were stocked at 6 locations between Niangua River Oasis (NRO) and Ho-Humm Campground. {un-quote}

5000 Browns released along that 5 mile stretch of river the day before I last floated it in the toon. And I thought I had really figured something out that day ....LMAO What a bubble-buster

I gotta challenge those numbers though, the most I've ever known them to drop in one place is 500, 500x6=3000 Still a very good thing, but lets keep it real. Knowing their movements after release(90+ percent immediatly head upstream) the fishing at NRO should be amazing.

Probably why our buddy Cricket got all quiet

Yep, that's it! The last time I caught this many browns at NRO was literally 10 years ago. You can sit just above NRO in one deep hole and catch 10 inch browns till you feel sorry for them!

Sorry about the lack of a report, the economy has me so depressed (GM salesman)that's it's hard to be my regular chipper self.. I don't like being cranky with fellow anglers so I have been staying quiet...

[fishinwrench]

Yep, that's it! The last time I caught this many browns at NRO was literally 10 years ago. You can sit just above NRO in one deep hole and catch 10 inch browns till you feel sorry for them!

Sorry about the lack of a report, the economy has me so depressed (GM salesman)that's it's hard to be my regular chipper self.. I don't like being cranky with fellow anglers so I have been staying quiet...

Aw hell, you can't offend us, vent on here and spare the family. LOL

So, you think there's 5000 in there ? I bet the Smallies are pissed. How would you like for a fleet of greyhounds to pull into your neighborhood and unload 5000 hungry and disoriented Germans with poor manners...and then just drive off ? LMAO

[oneshot]

Talked to a couple Friday said they caught hundreds of Browns up towards NRO.They had couple nice Stringers of Rainbows.

oneshot

[grassjd]

Yeah that would seem odd if that large amount of fish were put on that stretch and no one has reported slaying the browns other than someone saying a couple said they caught hundreds. Sounds like a fish story. I bet Weaver's is looking for business in this tough economy or they just made an honest typo of 5000 instead of 500.

[Dave Cook]

I can believe the 5,000 stocked browns number, which is way higher than any number I've seen before. Browns are all they stocked in the KC winter fishing lakes this year. 2,000 in just Coot lake back in November. I think they have to "dump" those 9" -12" fish because browns any bigger than that just don't do well going from the hatchery to the river, so there is no point in keeping them in the hatchery any longer. I also can believe the reports of some folks catching 100's. I have found large schools of small browns in the Barclay area before, so I am assuming they don't scatter that fast after they are stocked.

I would like to know the real story for that year class of fish they hatched. Why they apparently have a surplus of hatchery browns. Did they hatch more than normal with the new facility, or maybe more survived than they expected? All the browns in Missouri start at Shepard of the Hills Hatchery and this year was a tough year for hatchery conditions due to the warm water coming out of Table Rock. If someone has already given a SOH report can you direct me to the thread?

[fishinwrench]

I can believe the 5,000 stocked browns number, which is way higher than any number I've seen before. Browns are all they stocked in the KC winter fishing lakes this year. 2,000 in just Coot lake back in November. I think they have to "dump" those 9" -12" fish because browns any bigger than that just don't do well going from the hatchery to the river, so there is no point in keeping them in the hatchery any longer. I also can believe the reports of some folks catching 100's. I have found large schools of small browns in the Barclay area before, so I am assuming they don't scatter that fast after they are stocked.

I would like to know the real story for that year class of fish they hatched. Why they apparently have a surplus of hatchery browns. Did they hatch more than normal with the new facility, or maybe more survived than they expected? All the browns in Missouri start at Shepard of the Hills Hatchery and this year was a tough year for hatchery conditions due to the warm water coming out of Table Rock. If someone has already given a SOH report can you direct me to the thread?

For what it's worth I did email Weaver's and asked if the "5 thousand" was a typo, their reply was kind of PCP (politically correct Pissy), leading me to assume that they read the Niangua forum on here, and took a slight bit of offense at me "challenging their numbers" (as I put it) in my earlier post. Personally I do not think they fudged the numbers for business sake... they are CLOSED now anyway. I'm sure that they honestly and accurately reported what they were told. But nobody except the 2 guys driving the truck, and the hatchery manager actually know how many Browns were stocked into the river...and by "river" I mean THE RIVER outside the park .

In my attempt to read between the lines I'd guess that they "RECIEVED 5000" browns from SOH, of which most will go into the spring branch, and maybe 500-1000 went to the river...but hey I could be totally wrong, wouldn't be the first time.

On one hand I think it would be great to have that many browns swimming that section of the Niangua, and on the other hand I feel that it is TOO many. After all, none are legal keepers, and won't be for a year or so. What is the estimated growth rate on Browns, anyone know ?

If 5000 (in the "RIVER") is true, then there should be about 1500-2000 hanging out below the Whistle bridge, if not now, then real soon.

[Paola Cat]

I hear ya wrench. Haven't seen them in the river around the BSSP access yet. I brought to hand ony (1) right below Whistle about a week and a half a go. I did see about 1500-2000 micro goggle-eye in the Suzy Hole . PC