Roubidoux Creek 6/14

[Kayser]

After going stir crazy in my room, I started looking online for somewhere to fish. Finally settled on Roubidoux because I heard a rumor of there being browns (as well as rainbows) in the creek, so it was off to Waynesville after class let out to chase big fish.

Get to the Conservation area, only car in the lot- cool. Can't see a trail to the stream, or a stream. Just fields of poison ivy and blackberries- not cool. Bushwhack for a couple hundred yards in 90 degree heat, and finally find the creek! Appeared to be where 17 left the creek at a bend in the creek. But I've never been so happy to find cold water to jump into. Slide down the bank, and see fish rising, so I put on a cicada and start fishing. First drift- I get a hit, but the fish missed, so I throw back to him. This time I see him rise off the bottom, smack it, and just kinda hang there with it- definitely not a trout with that short body, but now I'm curious. So I set the hook and haul in a 8" goggle eye! Definitely my first one of those on a dry. Forget trout- new target species!

After another 4-5 goggle eye and several empty hooksets, the action dies down and I switch to a #10 olive slumpbuster that's been taking up space in my box for a few years. Cast- strip, strip, BANG! Not a goggle eye, too big. Maybe a smallmouth? Nope- I bring a 12" stocker rainbow to hand, my first Roubidoux trout. Another 5 trout and a couple goggle eye later, I should probably start moving downstream, see what there is. Keeping with the slumpbuster and hard, fast strips, I get another 6 rainbows. Not quite the colors I had hoped for, but still aggressive and hard hitting.

Now that I've got a Roubidoux trout under my belt, and decide to start chasing big browns and/or smallmouth- whatever wants to hit. After a couple hundred yards of hitting rootwads and seams with a big streamer, it's back to the cicada for some fun. Couple more goggle eye, and then in some flat water I had no faith in, a tan-looking trout leaps out of the water to take it! So as I bring my first topwater trout from Roubidoux to hand, suspicions comfirmed- first brown from the creek, all 8" of gold sides and black dots. After a couple more misses, time to start nymphing. Three more rainbows, and then get a call saying I needed to go back to Rolla.

And now the evening takes a turn for the worse- I'm in new territory, don't know where I really am, and definitely don't know of any trails back. I start back upstream, walking gravel bars, then hop onto the bank and start walking. Happen upon a set of 4-wheeler tracks and start following them. Although easier walking, I don't like all of the tall poison ivy I'm going through. After about 10 minutes of hard walking, I'm at the car and afraid to even touch my waders or boots. So it's back to Rolla with waders at half mast, rolled down to the boots so my legs can dry.

Overall- As much as I loved the creek and catching warmwater fish alongside trout and keeping me guessing about what I'll hook next, I cannot bring myself to go back in the near future due to the poison ivy. But for those that don't have to worry about it and need a quick fix, I'd definitely give it a shot.

Rob

[flyfishmaster]

Great report Rob. I have driven over that creek countless times and I still have not stopped to fished it. I may have to get donw there to check it off my lsit.

Later,

FFM

[Kayser]

From what I understand, the portion at 44 is only warmwater, and it takes the spring in the middle of Waynesville to turn it into trout water. But it's white ribbon in town, and then red ribbon at about the start of the CA. I would say go for it, but I would also see if you could park along 17 to fish- 17 follows the red ribbon water almost to the Gasconade as far as I can tell. And then there wouldn't really be any bushwhacking involved. Or poison ivy...

Rob

[mic]

Overall- As much as I loved the creek and catching warmwater fish alongside trout and keeping me guessing about what I'll hook next, I cannot bring myself to go back in the near future due to the poison ivy.

Rob

Hey Rob,

There is no poison ivy from December to February. I'm up for the trip then and looking for guide who excepts soda and snack cakes for payment.

[ollie]

I love that creek! My boys uncle landed a nice 18" bow out of there one day and I have landed several smallies around the 18" range out of there. Saw the biggest smallie of my life from there as well. Tossed a jig up around a root wad and a nice smallie came out and grabbed it followed by another that just plain dwarfed it. The one I caught was around 15" and I would say the one following was at least 20-22" long. It was a PIG! it came out twice to look at what I was throwing but never hit. I think it gets overlooked a lot because of where it is.

[Kayser]

Well, I might give it a shot in December then, but I get poison ivy too bad to even risk it til then. But I'm graduating from Rolla then, and will be busy duck hunting or dealing with finalities of my undergrad around that time. Then I'll probably be off in some far-flung corner of the country after that, or working at the very least (I hope). But I'll definitely try to hit you up for that guided trip then- just gotta go get some snack cakes...

Rob