Niangua 8/28

[XP 590]

I floated from Bennett to Barclay last Friday. It was overcast and cool all day but the fishing was OK. I caught a few in that long stretch below Riverwood cabins, that always seems to be good. There's a monster swimming around in there somewhere with my purple woolybugger in his mouth! I saw a huge flash and felt one massive headthump and he snapped my 5x like it wasn't there. I didn't fish much below NRO until I got to Barclay but I caught a bunch there, all on woolybuggers swung deep or soft hackles swung shallow. There were a bunch of those little ones I was telling you about in that area, but I also caught 4 nice browns in the 12-15" range, and about a half dozen rainbows.

I floated in my water skeeter and I like it OK but in low, slack water, it takes a lot of effort to get downstream. Does anybody have any experience getting around in a kayak? I'm not that concerned about fishing from the boat, mainly just in getting around from spot to spot.

Thanks

[fishinwrench]

Sounds like you had a pretty decent day. Awesome ! Wanna swap soft hacle patterns ? This one always comes through for me on the Niangua....

TMC 3761 #14.

olive 6/0 uni-thread.

Rib: gold wire.

Body: lt.olive uni-stretch.

Thorax: peacock Ice Dub.

RN pheasant hackle.

With the conditions you had Friday I would have had a #4 shot about 2ft up on 5x, and feed alot of line into the swing.

The toon is perfect for the Niangua when the river is between 2.0 and 3.0, but I know how it is when it's down below 1.5 (I have an 8ft. Outcast that's hard to keep straight in slow water...and God help you if the wind picks up).

Personally I'd go Canoe before 'yak...but that's just me. I use a OT147 Guide, it's a bit heavy but it's solid as a rock, floats shallows great, and solo's just fine. I like to pack a lawn chair, cooler, and some backup spinning gear for Smallies. Plus and I have to have room for my fishin'hound so a 'yak or little solo canoe would never work for me.

[Flysmallie]

Good looking fly wrench.

I really should fish soft hackles more. I always do well when I fish them. Have even caught some nice smallies on them.

[XP 590]

Sounds like you had a pretty decent day. Awesome ! Wanna swap soft hacle patterns ? This one always comes through for me on the Niangua....

TMC 3761 #14.

olive 6/0 uni-thread.

Rib: gold wire.

Body: lt.olive uni-stretch.

Thorax: peacock Ice Dub.

RN pheasant hackle.

With the conditions you had Friday I would have had a #4 shot about 2ft up on 5x, and feed alot of line into the swing.

The toon is perfect for the Niangua when the river is between 2.0 and 3.0, but I know how it is when it's down below 1.5 (I have an 8ft. Outcast that's hard to keep straight in slow water...and God help you if the wind picks up).

Personally I'd go Canoe before 'yak...but that's just me. I use a OT147 Guide, it's a bit heavy but it's solid as a rock, floats shallows great, and solo's just fine. I like to pack a lawn chair, cooler, and some backup spinning gear for Smallies. Plus and I have to have room for my fishin'hound so a 'yak or little solo canoe would never work for me.

Thanks for the info and soft hackle pattern. I'd like to swap but don't tie my own flies....yet. I just bought a starting set up and have managed to churn out a few basic woolybuggers. The soft hackle looks like another easy one and I'm going to try it next. I've been buying mine from Brett Rader at Chartered Waters on Taneycomo. He's the guide that showed me how to fish them a few years ago and I'm hooked on them. His patterns have killed for me on the Current and Niangua. Soft hackles are so easy to fish and I love the feel when they yank that line out of your hand on the bite.

[eric1978]

I floated from Bennett to Barclay last Friday. It was overcast and cool all day but the fishing was OK. I caught a few in that long stretch below Riverwood cabins, that always seems to be good. There's a monster swimming around in there somewhere with my purple woolybugger in his mouth! I saw a huge flash and felt one massive headthump and he snapped my 5x like it wasn't there. I didn't fish much below NRO until I got to Barclay but I caught a bunch there, all on woolybuggers swung deep or soft hackles swung shallow. There were a bunch of those little ones I was telling you about in that area, but I also caught 4 nice browns in the 12-15" range, and about a half dozen rainbows.

I floated in my water skeeter and I like it OK but in low, slack water, it takes a lot of effort to get downstream. Does anybody have any experience getting around in a kayak? I'm not that concerned about fishing from the boat, mainly just in getting around from spot to spot.

Thanks

I had a Water Skeeter a few years ago, and liked it well enough for some bigger rivers, but it just wasn't very versatile. Too wide for skinny water, to heavy (and not really tough enough) to drag over shallow riffles, was like paddling a barge upstream and through slackwater, and was really a pain to set up and break down. Sold it and bought a solo canoe, and never looked back. My advice would be to look up some of Al Agnew's posts on the toon vs. kayak vs. solo canoe debate. He really breaks down the pros and cons of each one and has a TON of experience to speak from. He makes a really strong argument for the solo canoe, and I have to agree with him 100%. I'm not a flyfisherman, though, so the stability issue may be a bigger factor for you. However, the solo canoe beats the Water Skeeter in every other category.

[ozark trout fisher]

Sounds like a nice trip. The Niangua's still on my to do list.

[Paola Cat]

XP ... thanks for the report. It's about time to get over there. PC