"wondrin' Aloud"

[snagged in outlet 3]

Thank you Coldwater, well stated.

SIO3

[Ted Calcaterra]

I hear their catching huge browns in River Des Peres.

[snagged in outlet 3]

They're not hatchery fish either Ted!!

If anybody goes, post up some pics.

[Outside Bend]

Are you serious? I see a HUGE difference. Taney gets a couple million trout dumped into it per year vs. what, a couple thousand at the Current? Also a LOT more fishable water on Taney, compared to a few select holes or runs on the 7 miles that is the Current. The Current isn't going to have a FRACTION of the 20-inch plus fish per mile that Taney does.

I've seen a big increase in the traffic on the Current outside the park in the last few years. Granted, fishing the Current with big stickbaits is hardly a secret anymore, but fish porn posts like this certainly don't help.

...The Current comes out of one of the state's most popular parks. MDC has placed trophy fishing regulations on the water. MDC regularly makes public the status of the stream and its fishing through the fishing prospects. It's been written up innumerable times by MDC and other authors, from books to magazines to online sites. The cat's out of the bag, the Current's no secret, and the "fish porn" isn't anything which hasn't been done before.

It really shouldn't surprise anyone that peak times are going to draw peak crowds. Give folks a pleasant weekend with good weather and yes, the accesses along the Current are going to be packed- and you really can't fault anyone for that. But pick a weekday, a trip when the water may be a little up or off-color, or when it's cold, rainy, or blustery, and you'll often have the place all to yourself.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Yeah, yeah, well the same could be said of Taney with respect to the crowds and weather conditions and regulations. The difference between it and the Current comes down to how much pressure is too much pressure. One can handle a LOT more than the other -- I think thats pretty obvious.

[snagged in outlet 3]

"But pick a weekday, a trip when the water may be a little up or off-color, or when it's cold, rainy, or blustery, and you'll often have the place all to yourself."

That didn't work for me this year or last.

SIO3

[Smalliebigs]

I hear their catching huge browns in River Des Peres.

I think those are the Mr. Hankey strain of big browns that are in River Des Peres.I heard they are not good fighters and they kinda smell funny????

[Outside Bend]

"But pick a weekday, a trip when the water may be a little up or off-color, or when it's cold, rainy, or blustery, and you'll often have the place all to yourself."

That didn't work for me this year or last.

SIO3

That's a bummer, I went down the weekend after the opener and had Baptist all to myself Saturday, and only 2 or 3 other anglers that Sunday.

With all that added pressure, about 20% of the river's browns are 18 inches or better. The fish are still there.

[Kayser]

Last time I went to the Current, I couldn't find a parking spot at Tan Vat, and saw at least 8 fishermen from the parking lot. I decided to fish from the cable down, and passed at least 5 headed back up as I was headed down. Caught three fish, worst trip since the first year I fished outside the park. The first two years I fished these stretches, two or three other fishermen was a crowd. And while my numbers of big browns haven't gone down, I don't see nearly as many of them as I used to- so my sight fishing has kinda suffered. While the increased pressure hasn't decreased the number of fish in the river, it seems to me like they are constantly spooked and not nearly as interested in eating as they used to be. Except when I can sneak out on a Wednesday afternoon.

Rob

[rps]

That stupid movie .... ruined my solitude years ago.

SIO3

I am preparing to share an anecdote. Like all my anecdotes it is absolutely, completely true - if you want it to be. Lest I offend any high brow purist, please know in advance that this anecdote is not about you or any of your friends. Those nobly called to the fly wand are practitioners of courtesy and grace. This anecdote is about the other guys. ;-)

A group of us, some of whom are gone now, made a White River trip every year from the late 70's until the 90's. What began as a "Rowdy Boys drink beer and do some corn fishing" became more serious as time passed. It became our habit to arrange shuttles and fish artificials from near the dam to Buffalo Shoals. I remember clearly the first trip after that movie. It was a low water year with narrow, almost non-existent, chutes through the shoals. At every shoals until Ranchette there were at least 3 and sometimes as many as a dozen brand new fly fishermen, complete with tiny willow creels and exquisite wooden nets sized for Eastern Brook trout. Rim Shoals looked like a casting call for the musical stage version. Every last one of these wannabes stood square in the only chute through the shoals. When we asked them to move so we could pass, the kindest response we got was dagger looks. Larry, our most eloquent Rowdy Boy, dubbed them Wading Pukes. My God I was happy when the fad ebbed some.