Rain Sweet Rain

[Flysmallie]

A cool rise might have been good,

Are you talking about snow melt?

[Brian Wise]

_{I can't speak for the Niagua by any means, but ANY rise in the NFOW is a good thing and always helps fishing.}

[dennis boatman]

Wrench threw a wrench in my rainy day dreaming!!!!

[Justin Spencer]

_{I can't speak for the Niagua by any means, but ANY rise in the NFOW is a good thing and always helps fishing.}

It does help fishing, but from my standpoint I'll have to disagree on the other part. Will Stripers run up the hole in the dam?

[fishinwrench]

I just figured that the hatchery trout couldn't hack it in a warm water flood. Maybe Denny can prove me wrong this time by having a banner late Summer/early Fall.

[ozark trout fisher]

I'll take the rain after last summer, about as much as we can get. I cannot stand drought and what it does to my rivers....... The warm water may kill a few trout but just having water of any sort at this time of year is an improvement from the last few years.

You'd be surprised at what trout can handle. I've seen them survive 80 degree water temps and then a few days later when it cools off into the 60s again, often it's as if it nothing ever happened. Yes, you read about the massive fish kills on occasion but from what I can tell, that's the exception unless it gets up above 80 for a full day or two, or upper 70s around the clock. These were stocked trout but they still didn't have much trouble finding the cold water, that's just hard-wired into most trout. The less healthy (largely older) trout die but the younger, hardier ones will probably be fine. I'm not a fisheries biologist but this is my experience from fishing a lot of eastern rivers where this is a constant concern in the summer. I think it's largely the fishing pressure in warm water that's the real killer but that's not much of a concern when it's high and muddy.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I don't think the trout will be effected. They love fast water and thay can handle the warm water. They won't be in the warmer water long enough to hurt them. They hatchery used to get warm water through it, probably still does when the creek rolls, and they handled it.

[Terrierman]

Will Stripers run up the hole in the dam?

Count on it.

[grahamwzim]

Planning to head down to NFOW for an overnight float and fish one weekend this month. Was originally shooting for this weekend, but I don't know the river well enough to have an idea if it will be fishable by then. Any recommendations on if I should hold off and see if the weather/water is better next weekend?

[Brian Sloss]

Don't go this weekend, they are flooded. Contact Justin at Sunburst ranch for ideas on when would be a good time.