Fishing Rated 'fair'

[Nortrad]

I shouldn't complain, 2 decent 'bows landed, one in AM in upper Tan Vat, the other in the PM below Baptist, the others were smaller, including a dinky planter brown. Lotsa snag-ups, changing rigs, etc. Explored downstream from Baptist, new holes, some filled in with gravel. Had some luck at the horse shoe and above there. Saw two big tom turkeys with long beards on the pavement heading down into Baptist. Ran into a snapping turtle on the trail and took some pics of him. Encountered a group of Mizzou students who had crashed their canoe into a boulder above the horse shoe at Baptist. It was wrapped into a U-shaped piece of fiberglass! They were all fine, no injuries. They had already set up camp on the gravel bar. They had two other canoes that were fine. I told them that a storm was probably coming and they said they knew about it. I contacted the sheriff's office to give them a head's up when I got back home last night. No pics, forgot the digital, just a disposable for the few I took.

The fish must have filled their bellies with cicadas on Sat. Saw no surface feeders, heard some in the trees in the afternoon. Al, you guys must have worked them too hard on Sat.

Ran into hard showers when getting back to Springfield.

[jah]

I shouldn't complain, 2 decent 'bows landed, one in AM in upper Tan Vat, the other in the PM below Baptist, the others were smaller, including a dinky planter brown. Lotsa snag-ups, changing rigs, etc. Explored downstream from Baptist, new holes, some filled in with gravel. Had some luck at the horse shoe and above there. Saw two big tom turkeys with long beards on the pavement heading down into Baptist. Ran into a snapping turtle on the trail and took some pics of him. Encountered a group of Mizzou students who had crashed their canoe into a boulder above the horse shoe at Baptist. It was wrapped into a U-shaped piece of fiberglass! They were all fine, no injuries. They had already set up camp on the gravel bar. They had two other canoes that were fine. I told them that a storm was probably coming and they said they knew about it. I contacted the sheriff's office to give them a head's up when I got back home last night. No pics, forgot the digital, just a disposable for the few I took.

The fish must have filled their bellies with cicadas on Sat. Saw no surface feeders, heard some in the trees in the afternoon. Al, you guys must have worked them too hard on Sat.

Ran into hard showers when getting back to Springfield.

Thanks for the report! It's funny because I haven't seen a rising fish down there the last three times I went down. Perhaps it's the time of year, time of day, etc. It seems as if they are either all rising or none rising on that river. Hardly anything inbetween, in my experience. Feast or famine.

[Nortrad]

Thanks for the report! It's funny because I haven't seen a rising fish down there the last three times I went down. Perhaps it's the time of year, time of day, etc. It seems as if they are either all rising or none rising on that river. Hardly anything inbetween, in my experience. Feast or famine.

There's only been two times that I've fished and been successful when the fish were top or surface feeding, both in upper Tan Vat. Once when they were sipping midges, and once when they were keying on caddis. I'm envious of the guys who got some cicada action. Hopefully I'll get back when they are keying on those big bugs. Tied up some foam flies that should work.

[Al Agnew]

Well, we pounded on them again yesterday, Monday, in the rain, and did it ever rain. Steadily and from gentle to pounding from about 11 AM until just before we quit at 7 PM. Three of us probably caught at least 80 trout, on nymphs with an egg pattern being the killer for the dumb rainbows, and on streamers, which produced lots of action from good fish but few hookups. My Missouri fly fishing buddy, however, caught the biggest brown he's landed in Missouri in several years, well over 6 pounds, and I caught one that was 21 inches and very thick and heavy. Oddly enough, I fished streamers all day again, and that was the only brown I caught, although I caught plenty of park escapee rainbows. No cicada action--they were all drowned before they could climb a bush and drop into the river, I guess. I got to Tan Vat first and had to push a small tree out of the way that had collapsed across the access road. We had the whole river to ourselves from the rock garden above Tan Vat to 2 miles below Baptist.

[jah]

Wow, a 6 lb brown??? Awesome! I didn't think they got that big on the Current!!

[Al Agnew]

Well, I gotta admit that I'm taking his word for the size, but he usually doesn't lie and he's caught a lot of big trout. He was separated from us when he caught it and he doesn't carry a camera. So take the story for what it's worth. As for my fish, I didn't have a camera either but my Montana buddy took a photo of it with his cell phone. Hopefully he'll send it to me when he gets back home. I was somewhat amazed at how thick my fish was across the back, I'd say five inches wide behind the head. Those Current River browns are almost all as fat as pigs once they get some size.

[Nortrad]

Well, we pounded on them again yesterday, Monday, in the rain, and did it ever rain. Steadily and from gentle to pounding from about 11 AM until just before we quit at 7 PM. Three of us probably caught at least 80 trout, on nymphs with an egg pattern being the killer for the dumb rainbows, and on streamers, which produced lots of action from good fish but few hookups. My Missouri fly fishing buddy, however, caught the biggest brown he's landed in Missouri in several years, well over 6 pounds, and I caught one that was 21 inches and very thick and heavy. Oddly enough, I fished streamers all day again, and that was the only brown I caught, although I caught plenty of park escapee rainbows. No cicada action--they were all drowned before they could climb a bush and drop into the river, I guess. I got to Tan Vat first and had to push a small tree out of the way that had collapsed across the access road. We had the whole river to ourselves from the rock garden above Tan Vat to 2 miles below Baptist.

Once again, you are the man Al. What did your fishining bud get the fish on? Trade secret?

[Idylwilde]

Picked up 4 of these little jewels for today below the park. Can't wait to see a big bow or brown chew one up.

[ozark trout fisher]

Well, we pounded on them again yesterday, Monday, in the rain, and did it ever rain. Steadily and from gentle to pounding from about 11 AM until just before we quit at 7 PM. Three of us probably caught at least 80 trout, on nymphs with an egg pattern being the killer for the dumb rainbows, and on streamers, which produced lots of action from good fish but few hookups. My Missouri fly fishing buddy, however, caught the biggest brown he's landed in Missouri in several years, well over 6 pounds, and I caught one that was 21 inches and very thick and heavy. Oddly enough, I fished streamers all day again, and that was the only brown I caught, although I caught plenty of park escapee rainbows. No cicada action--they were all drowned before they could climb a bush and drop into the river, I guess. I got to Tan Vat first and had to push a small tree out of the way that had collapsed across the access road. We had the whole river to ourselves from the rock garden above Tan Vat to 2 miles below Baptist.

Egg patterns always seem to work on that river. It actually gets to the point where it's kinda weird. Even the fish that are 5 miles below the park and should know better go crazy for them, and all year long too. Not only that, but there are times when you really just can't catch them on anything else. It's not complaining, I'm just as happy to catch them on an egg pattern as an Elk Hair Caddis, but it's the only river I've ever fished that is like that.

Anyone have any theories on why?

[Guest]

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