Those Poor Tortured Niangua Fish

[Ham]

Drinking the rapala koolaid I see. You really ought to try the no barb gamakatsu trebled. You might lose a fish every now and again, but you can release them easier and get more fishing done AND much easier and less painful to get out of yourself.

[FishinCricket]

Drinking the rapala koolaid I see. You really ought to try the no barb gamakatsu trebled. You might lose a fish every now and again, but you can release them easier and get more fishing done AND much easier and less painful to get out of yourself.

If I give you my address, will you mail me some?

(thanks for the advice! And yes, I've been drinking the Rapala kewlaid for a couple years now.. Good stuff)

[ozark trout fisher]

With that said, some people say the same about me and using live worms to fish with. I have a system where I use a lift to drift a tight line through a hole. I might gut hook one out of 30 fish. I either cut the line and donate the hook or take them home. Either way, nothing is hurt.

That is a technique that I employed for many years and also rarely gut-hooked fish... I have almost entirely given up bait and spin-fishing for trout and bass in flowing water (with the exception of some smallmouth trips when I break out the Rebel Craws), but it doesn't have much to do with the deep hooking aspect-if you're doing it right fishing with a tight line and setting the hook right away you won't deal with it much. That is a point that got me into a lot of arguments in my first year or two posting on OAF when I still bait fished a lot, but it is one that I still stand by.

The problem is, most people don't do it the right way. If you just let your bait sit on the bottom of a pool and wait for the line to go tight, you'll deep hook them about every time. That is the reason why bait fishing has to be banned on so many stretches of good trout water. It's a shame really. If folks were just responsible about it, it wouldn't have to be that way.

[mic]

The problem is, most people don't do it the right way. If you just let your bait sit on the bottom of a pool and wait for the line to go tight, you'll deep hook them about every time. That is the reason why bait fishing has to be banned on so many stretches of good trout water. It's a shame really. If folks were just responsible about it, it wouldn't have to be that way.

I sort of agree. This is a personal opinion, but I love "zone" fishing, and I fish in different types of zones with different gear. I think different strokes for different folks and zones keep one approach from ruining another. I am rooting for the "Gold Ribbon" areas, and my biggest bitch is...why is there no catch and release zone at Bennett Springs? The perfect location would be below the first waterfall through the first or second handicap ramp. I can just image some big old browns and rainbows in that washout below the falls. Just my two cents.

[Wayne SW/MO]

You'll never harm as many smallies with a Rapala as you will with a tube, but no one worries about tubes.

There are big trout in Bennett, the lunker hunters make it their mission to find them.

[ozark trout fisher]

I sort of agree. This is a personal opinion, but I love "zone" fishing, and I fish in different types of zones with different gear. I think different strokes for different folks and zones keep one approach from ruining another. I am rooting for the "Gold Ribbon" areas, and my biggest bitch is...why is there no catch and release zone at Bennett Springs? The perfect location would be below the first waterfall through the first or second handicap ramp. I can just image some big old browns and rainbows in that washout below the falls. Just my two cents.

I agree with you about the zone systems at the trout parks. It bothered me at one time, but now I'm pretty sure that it is the best way for every one to have a chance at an enjoyable experience at the parks. I don't know about Bennett specifically, but I do think all the parks should have at least a short C&R section.

Gold Ribbon Areas... An interesting idea. I am assuming that would mean catch and release, artificials or flies only? I can think of several areas that would benefit from that management right off the top of my head-mostly stretches of water that receive very heavy fishing pressure, where just a small percentage of folks keeping a legal fish can really hurt things. The Current between the lower boundary of Montauk and Baptist Camp would be one good candidate. That stretch of the Current is very small (its really a creek, not a river) and it gets enormous pressure. A stretch of stream like that can only produce a limited number of trophy sized fish, and I think they should stay in the river. There are more deep pools below Baptist, and there is also less concentrated fishing pressure, so I think the management there is fine as it is. Also some of the smaller wild trout streams that have very few large fish would be good candidates- Blue Springs or Mill Creek for example-no one needs to be keeping any of the few trophy fish on a creek like that.

I got a little far afield on that one, didn't I?

[mic]

Also some of the smaller wild trout streams that have very few large fish would be good candidates- Blue Springs or Mill Creek for example-no one needs to be keeping any of the few trophy fish on a creek like that.

I used to think that way also until I read a report (sorry don't have the link anymore) that found that due to slow growth rates of those small creeks, any fish that made it to 18 inches is at the end of its life cycle and probably wouldn't make it through the rest of the season. So...the report concludes that it better to harvest the fish for consumption. I would never keep one for personal reasons (keeping the fish fresh back to St. Louis), but I no longer have a problem with someone else doing it.

[Trout Commander]

I used to think that way also until I read a report (sorry don't have the link anymore) that found that due to slow growth rates of those small creeks, any fish that made it to 18 inches is at the end of its life cycle and probably wouldn't make it through the rest of the season. So...the report concludes that it better to harvest the fish for consumption. I would never keep one for personal reasons (keeping the fish fresh back to St. Louis), but I no longer have a problem with someone else doing it.

That's a good theory. But how do you explain the 20(+) inchers that we have seen come from those stream "Xs"? Also, I don't know about you but I want the fish that did make it to 18" to spawn that final year.

It still makes me sick to see people keep fish like that.

[mic]

That's a good theory. But how do you explain the 20(+) inchers that we have seen come from those stream "Xs"? Also, I don't know about you but I want the fish that did make it to 18" to spawn that final year.

It still makes me sick to see people keep fish like that.

I'm not sure as it wasn't my report. However, I believe this assumes the season referred to starts after the spring spawn. I do remember another post on this forum that showed an estimated growth rate of 2 inches a year. That means an "keeper" would be at least nine more years. Considering the top end of a trout in an exceptional stream is 11 or 12, it seems reasonable to me that 8 - 10 would be the top end for BSC or Mill. Don't get me wrong, I would love for both of them to be C&R, but it not worth putting someone down for keeping. Finally, I think I'm quoting Al, when I say that older fish are going to be tough to catch, only caught by a dedicated fisherman, and most of them are going to release it. I would estimated that three or four trophies pulled out in a given decade isn't going to hurt anything.

[Trout Commander]

I'm not sure as it wasn't my report. However, I believe this assumes the season referred to starts after the spring spawn. I do remember another post on this forum that showed an estimated growth rate of 2 inches a year. That means an "keeper" would be at least nine more years. Considering the top end of a trout in an exceptional stream is 11 or 12, it seems reasonable to me that 8 - 10 would be the top end for BSC or Mill. Don't get me wrong, I would love for both of them to be C&R, but it not worth putting someone down for keeping. Finally, I think I'm quoting Al, when I say that older fish are going to be tough to catch, only caught by a dedicated fisherman, and most of them are going to release it. I would estimated that three or four trophies pulled out in a given decade isn't going to hurt anything.

Can't say I disagree with much here. I just want people to know what kind of impact that taking a fish like that out of one of these streams would have before they do it.