I Talked To A Native Of Yellville Today

[gotmuddy]

A guy came into the shop today for some repairs and we got to talking about things and I told him that I liked fishing CC. He said the fishing isnt near as good as it was 30 years ago, then told me about going on trips and having stringers held up by 3 people full of smallmouth and frogs. He said now you would be lucky to catch 2-3 good fish. I told him that smallmouth have a slow growth rate and over harvesting have cut down on trophy fish.

[jdmidwest]

Don't forget the added pressure when it was highlighted in an article years ago and all of the increased fishing tourists in the area.

I used to fish it back in the 80's, had a few nice trips. We would always hit it in the summer when Norfork was pumping too hard to wade.

No bigger than it is, increased fishing pressure was probably the hardest thing on it. Plus, it is a sinking creek, the water tables have changed and the flows seem to be lower than before.

[Gavin]

You never know....Tales tend to get told, embellished, retold, & embellished till the teller actually believes what they are talking about...Best you can do is to enjoy what you have, and work to improve it. Cheers.

[gotmuddy]

Don't forget the added pressure when it was highlighted in an article years ago and all of the increased fishing tourists in the area.

I talk to Jimmy walker every time I rent from him(you have no choice in the matter), and he always says that the people who rent from him are sportfishermen, they never keep any. I imagine most people who fish CC do it for the fun of it, but I could be wrong. A friend of mine caught and kept a 24" smallie from the mouth of the buffalo this summer

[jdmidwest]

Even though they catch and release, the addition number of fishermen seem to wise up the fish making them harder to catch. And of course, there is the water quality issues from the gravel pit to the lower flows due to droughts the past 10 years.

Unfortunately, nothing is never as good as the one great trip you had on there one time years ago.

[gotmuddy]

Even though they catch and release, the addition number of fishermen seem to wise up the fish making them harder to catch. And of course, there is the water quality issues from the gravel pit to the lower flows due to droughts the past 10 years.

Unfortunately, nothing is never as good as the one great trip you had on there one time years ago.

I would love to get out of the drought we are in now so I can float it.

[flytyer57]

I would love to get out of the drought we are in now so I can float it.

Not till I get that new yak ready.

I'm giving away the old one if ya want it. It's FREE. Great bargain for ya.

[gotmuddy]

Not till I get that new yak ready.

I'm giving away the old one if ya want it. It's FREE. Great bargain for ya.

I'll take it, one of the kids can use it this summer on NfoW

[eric1978]

A friend of mine caught and kept a 24" smallie from the mouth of the buffalo this summer

24 inches? That's more than likely a state record, and would almost surely be a record for an Ozark river smallmouth if it wasn't completely emaciated. Given it was caught in the summer, I doubt that would be the case. If you look at the state by state records for smallmouth bass, only two of the fish with documented lengths are over 24 inches, and they both weighed in at over 9 pounds. I think your buddy needs a new tape measure.

[gotmuddy]

That was my reaction also to a reported 24" smallie coming from the Buffalo, that thing has got to be over 8 lbs. Are there any pictures of it? What did he do with it?

22" largemouths are in the 6-7 lb range based off my own measurements. Granted there are some really big fish in the wilderness section of the Buffalo.

Are there records kept for ozark streams?

He didn't elaborate when he said it was in the freezer. Maybe I should go over and see.