12/1 & 12/2/09

[Brian Sloss]

Took Bob and Joseph, members of Ozark Fly Fishers in St. Louis, out for 2 days fly fishing in the drift boat. Tues, though the weather was great, the fishing was rather spotty. Wed the weather was cold and rainy, but the fishing was much better. The river is currently running in the 900s cfs and continuing to recede. As it does the river should continue to fish better. There are also a number of post spawn fish swimming around, so be sure to handle any of those tired fish with care. There are still plenty of feisty, hard fighting fish to be caught though. We caught quite a few wild trout on Wed, plus four smallmouths and a goggle eye. Heavy stoneflies, crawdads and eggs were the trick. A white marabou jig (1/16 oz) under an indicator about 6ft caught trout and all the bass. For the bass, we tossed it near the cover and slowly twitched it back. Worked great during the first short run we fished. A good time was had by all.