New To The Ozarks

[WVUMountaineer]

Hey guys, I'm a avid outdoorsman. Born and raise in the West Virginia Appalachian's. I am a 100% trout fisherman. Normally I'm a non-fly fisherman but can do both. I've been wanting to fish the lower illinois with my spinning rod. Any advice from you guys who know the stream? I'd love to catch a brown trout. I've seen some of you guys talking about trying to catch a Striper.. would I need special gear to land one of these babies? I've never seen one before.

I have a black truck with a large WV (West Virginia) sticker on the back window. If you see me out there stop by and hollar at me.

[ozark trout fisher]

  WVUMountaineer said:

Hey guys, I'm a avid outdoorsman. Born and raise in the West Virginia Appalachian's. I am a 100% trout fisherman. Normally I'm a non-fly fisherman but can do both. I've been wanting to fish the lower illinois with my spinning rod. Any advice from you guys who know the stream? I'd love to catch a brown trout. I've seen some of you guys talking about trying to catch a Striper.. would I need special gear to land one of these babies? I've never seen one before.

I have a black truck with a large WV (West Virginia) sticker on the back window. If you see me out there stop by and hollar at me.

I don't know a lot of about the Lower Illinois, but I know its a quality year round trout stream, and that rainbows are way more common than browns. I've also heard there's pretty good striper fishing up by the dam. I'm sure the normal small spinners and spoons will work for the trout if there anything like the tailwater trout in Arkansas, but I can't help you with the stripers.

Good luck fishing, and welcome to the forum. You should try the trout streams in the Missouri Ozarks as well sometime. They're not that different from the Appalachian streams your probably used to fishing.

[Danoinark]

Thanks for signing up...Dano

[WVUMountaineer]

  Danoinark said:

Thanks for signing up...Dano

Thanks! good to be here.

[Wayne SW/MO]

If you're near Tenkiller than you're not too far from Taney.

[chub minnow]

There are a few places on the Spavinaw near Maysville that you could find some nice bows.... you'll just have to poke around and get friendly with some of the locals.

[WVUMountaineer]

  Wayne SW/MO said:

If you're near Tenkiller than you're not too far from Taney.

I live in OKC but I miss trout fishing so much I'm gonna drive out there. I wanted to go this weekend but I have to go to work tomorrow morning.

[BFTMASTER]

Taney is about 4 more hours. Not really the same area at all. Try below the dam at Beaver on the white. Next, Roaring river, though you'll have to bring the "A" game to catch a decent Brown there, but you'll catch plenty of stocker size rainbows. You can fish both of these rivers in the same day,but the are in two different states(two licenses and tags). You can still have plenty of fun on the Lower Illinois. Roostertails, small jigs, small rapala like crankbaits.

have fun