Stories About Fishin' The White And James Before Tr Dam...

[moguy1973]

It's the Higdon quad Al...Here is the 1908 version...Does indeed say Neece Branch on it

[exiledguide]

One thing people forget was, unless you lived near the rivers it was quite an adventure getting there from the StL or KC areas narrow roads open range( I remember one a 1957 trip to Alley Springs were we had to twice get out and chase cattle off the roads after they had decided to take a snooze on the sun warmed road bed) it took quite awhile to get there and there were no credit cards so you had to carry cash for emergencies. So a trip down to the rivers was a maybe a once a year deal and seemed like a much adventure tan it was.............No it was like spending a few days in Heaven every summer

[Fishslayer88]

Thats why the James River guides did so well, They had the railroad to get people from all over the place.

[Jerry Rapp]

what lures did they use, or did they use live bait? Good stuff.

[bfishn]

...a ways down river (DeValls Bluff) and a couple generations earlier;

[Greasy B]

what lures did they use, or did they use live bait? Good stuff.

Doodle socking?

[Al Agnew]

what lures did they use, or did they use live bait? Good stuff.

From what I've read, I think most of the clients preferred lures (well, the guides called all lures "plugs"), and some even fished almost exclusively with the fly rod and various bass bugs, streamers, and spinner/fly combinations. The guides, however, would often talk them into using live bait if the "plugs" weren't working, tossing out glass minnow traps and soon gathering enough minnows to last a few hours. There were a lot of wobbling lures back then, like the Heddon River Runt, that were very popular, along with the Dowagiacs and similar lures with minnow shapes and spinners on the front and back. A lot of these lures were pretty big and heavy, and many were sinking lures, even the ones with props. Shannon Twin Spins were often used, and there was a lure called a Peck that had chicken feathers on the hook and a lead head and propeller spinner that sank like a rock and was usually retrieved near the bottom in deeper water.

[ScottK]

...a ways down river (DeValls Bluff) and a couple generations earlier;

Devalls Bluf White River AR.jpg

Awesome pic!

[bfishn]

There's quite a bit of related stuff on Hootentown/Wordpress, some pictures of Owen's floats

Here's an accidental catch;

[Chief Grey Bear]

From what I've read, I think most of the clients preferred lures (well, the guides called all lures "plugs"), and some even fished almost exclusively with the fly rod and various bass bugs, streamers, and spinner/fly combinations. The guides, however, would often talk them into using live bait if the "plugs" weren't working, tossing out glass minnow traps and soon gathering enough minnows to last a few hours. There were a lot of wobbling lures back then, like the Heddon River Runt, that were very popular, along with the Dowagiacs and similar lures with minnow shapes and spinners on the front and back. A lot of these lures were pretty big and heavy, and many were sinking lures, even the ones with props. Shannon Twin Spins were often used, and there was a lure called a Peck that had chicken feathers on the hook and a lead head and propeller spinner that sank like a rock and was usually retrieved near the bottom in deeper water.

I have a book written by Ted Sare who was a guide for Jim Owen in the 40's. A great read if you can still find one

Ted mentioned the Peck bait often. In fact, one story he tells, he mentioned that Mr. Peckenpaugh, the originator of the bait, came to Branson for a float, as he did on many occasions. On this trip though he happen to ask the guide if he could make the bait better. The guide said to put a guinea feather on it. Soon after that they came with feathers.

Other favorite plugs mentioned besides the Peck were jitterbug, paw paw, a hawk. The latter two were not described and I haven't researched them to see. Well he did mention the paw paw looked like a paw paw. Which would be of a banana shape.

The fishing with minnows as you describe, they called still fishing.