Free Fishing Weekend in State Parks

[Steve Smith]

Just a reminder [or more of a warning] to everyone that this weekend in all four State trout parks is free fishing [June 10th & 11th]. No daily tag or license is required for Saturday or Sunday, so the park will be jammed with tourist and out of state folks. I can't speak for the other three parks, but Roaring River will be flooded with folks. It would be a good time to visit tailwaters. As for me, I'll be looking for creek smallies.

[timsfly]

Chicken

[catman]

This is the free MO weekend again, went to RR today did pretty well on a Y2K

[trout_bum]

I fished in the catch and release section on Saturday and was very suprised to see hardly anyone fishing in there. It was just me and another fella who was using a bamboo fly rod. I fished between 7:00am and 2:00pm and caught around 30 fish with 4 or 5 seventeen inchers and one 15 inch brown. There was a really nice trico hatch coming off between 8:00am and 9:00am that the trout were keying in on. After the tricos stopped coming off, I switched to a large size 8 foam beatle that Tim sells up at his fly shop. I also had some good luck drifting size 18 and 20 bead head pheasant tails. I actually hooked a nice fat rainbow that swam directly at me and jumped over my right shoulder (nearly took my head off).

[Steve Smith]

actually this year went to Taney [saturday] and scratched out. Running one gen all morning. All I saw was a fish caught on a little cleo and another on a SJ worm near the cable. Finally gave up and fished Roaring in the afternoon with the crowds. Fished again yesterday and did well on cracklebacks. A lot of people but plenty of fish to be caught. Meat hunters were out in droves.

[chub minnow]

The park was packed on Sunday afternoon so, as planned, the wife and I hiked down from the park. We didn't catch or see that many fish, but she caught the biggest rainbow of her life. It was over 19" and beautifully colored. It looked like it had been in the river for a some time. Watching her catch that big fish and being alone on the river made it one of my best days on the river even though I didn't have much luck (unless you count minnows).

[Kansas Fly Fisher]

That'a awesome! I remember when my wife caught her first trout on a fly rod! It was a great experience and I've had a constant fishing partner since. Congrats on the big fish.

John

[gonefishin]

The park was packed on Sunday afternoon so, as planned, the wife and I hiked down from the park. We didn't catch or see that many fish, but she caught the biggest rainbow of her life. It was over 19" and beautifully colored. It looked like it had been in the river for a some time. Watching her catch that big fish and being alone on the river made it one of my best days on the river even though I didn't have much luck (unless you count minnows).

Its that way when I take my wife fishing. She catches all the fish. Me I get to bait hooks, tie knots, untangle line and so on and so on.

[chub minnow]

Actually, she choses her own setup, tied it and caught the fish while I was busy trying to tie on my fly for the third time.