High Water

[MattS]

How do you think all of this rain this month will affect fishing this season? It's funny how we had a drought last year and roaring rivers this year. Hope it makes for a great summer.

[Nortrad]

Should be fine by this coming weekend. 368 cfs right now.

[Greasy B]

The high water is sucking right now but come June we'll have a lot better conditions than last year.

[ozark trout fisher]

Hard to think of it as anything but good, except in the short term. I feel bad for those who went down this weekend and largely had their fishing ruined.....but sometimes that's just how things fall. I know it's happened to me a few times.

Even by early summer of last year those trout were really hurting........and it's effecting the fishing on that river (and most every other trout stream in the state) quite a bit. I wouldn't mind actually being able to go down there and fish in late June or July this year, so the more charged up those springs can get the better. Last year I decided to stay off the river for a matter of a couple months due to the horrible conditions and the fact that I knew the fish had to be stressed. I'm really hoping we don't have a repeat.

[MattS]

Last year was just plain awful

[ozark trout fisher]

It was that. I don't know how many more of those types of summers Missouri trout can withstand, and maintain quality fisheries anywhere except within a couple miles of the springs where the water will basically never get warm. One or two tough summers should be remedied in time. More than a few of those and maybe not so much. I'm really hoping that doesn't become a trend. If it does I'm going to need to become a year-round smallmouth fisherman.

Last year even the usually reliable spring rains largely didn't come through, and that's part of what led us to the situation we were in by mid-summer. This year we're at least getting a good head start with plenty of spring/late winter precipitation, if drought does indeed coming this summer.

[MattS]

I didn't find smallmouth fishing that tough last summer. Another thing that hurt was the clarity of the water. Lower size line meant more broken fish which led to more heartbreak and curse words.

[Gavin]

Waters fine. Up a couple inches. Caught a nice one last night 24 or so. Nothing but rainbows and a tiddler brown for my brother inlaw and me this am. Kiddo fishing for the rest of the weekend.

[Guest]

deleted

[Nortrad]

No pics Gavin? Nice fish. Fly or spin?

Waters fine. Up a couple inches. Caught a nice one last night 24 or so. Nothing but rainbows and a tiddler brown for my brother inlaw and me this am. Kiddo fishing for the rest of the weekend.