Walleye at Last!

[Johnsfolly]

I wanted to take advantage of the great weather on Saturday to take a break from our home improvement work. So I took out my brother in-law Herbie on a trip to three different fishing locations. We started with catch and release in Bennett's Springs. I knew that we would end the day at Truman Dam. So I had planned on at least fishing a spot that we could get bites just to know what that felt like in case later we get noting later in the day. We fished off of the whistle bridge. As to be expected there were fewer fish than you would see during the "season". Also these would be tougher bites since these fish may have been caught before or have seen most if not every bait in my box. I gave Herbie a 1/32 oz tan marabou jig. I started with a 1/125 oz white microjig, then a yellow/gray crackleback, then a John deere microjig, then and egg, then a 1/32 oz tan and brown marabou jig. I got nothing on any of those baits, but a couple of follows and three missed strikes. Meanwhile Herbie caught a 8 inch rainbow followed by a 12 and a 14 inch rainbow on the tan jig. I eventually caught a 15 inch rainbow on a 1/125 oz chartreuse microjig. 

We left Bennett's and headed to the Bennett's spring access of the Niangua. I did plan on trying to keep some fish on this portion of our trip. I wasn't able to get a pair of waders for Herbie. So he was going to stay on the bank and fish while I wade fished. So I left him at the boat ramp with small hooks and red worms along with a variety of hard and soft baits.

The water was flowing pretty quick and was off colored. I met a guy named Chris from Springfield. He was going to be wading and flyfishing. He and I headed down the boat ramp to cross over to the opposite side of the river, but not knowing the water depth and with the fast flow neither of us wanted to risk a good soaking. So we headed upstream to a know shallow spot. The only other issue was the ice slick limestone flats between the gravel bars. We both made it across without incident. I headed well down stream of the boat ramp. I started with a 1/8 oz green/white zig jig. I had one bump but no hook ups. I switched to a countdown rapala and threw it towards any cover I could reach across the river. I did finally hook up to a 12" rainbow.

Since the fish were not coming to the bait as quickly as I may have thought, I released the fish. It was now 11:45 and we had to get rolling again. As I headed back upstream, I was talking with Chris about spots he could try upstream. As I left him, I just couldn't resist throwing my bait into a sweeping run where I have caught trout previously and hooked and landed a 13" brown trout. I nice ending to my Niangua fishing. Herbie caught and released three small rainbow and two chubs on the worms in the hole below the boat ramp.

Now we were heading to Truman dam. This was the second trip that we have made to the dam in 2017. Only one guy in our group of four caught two 15+" walleye while the rest of us left without any fish on the line the last time out. Even with the poor catch rate on my trips I keep going back to the dam just in case I could catch the elusive walleye, a fish that I have never caught before. When we got to the dam the water was flat with no movement. It was a pond. So the conditions looked like we would be in for a long day without a bite. We fished on the west side of the dam for about two hours. I had already lost at least ten 1/16 and 1/2 oz jig heads and a flicker shad to the rock piles. We ended up leaving that side, headed to Cody's, and picked up two dozen minnows. Once we have the minnows, we headed back to the docks to soak them and hope for a bite or two. I rigged a 1/32 oz tube jig head with a minnow and dropped it straight down off of the dock to the bottom. While I was soaking the minnow, I was casting out a Johnson thinfisher blade bait out from the dock. After several casts, I hooked and landed a 7 inch white crappie. Then I had a hit on the minnow and set the hook on a keeper white crappie. Since it swallowed the jig completely, I put it on the stringer. Though it looked like the fish may be turning on, it was a long time before we caught another fish. I had a couple of hits and hooked into the brush pile below the dock. James caught a 6 inch crappie and Herbie did not catch any. The last time we fished this dock, I had a good strike dropping a white marabou jig between the dock and gangway. So I put on a fresh minnow and dropped the minnow to the bottom and then brought the bait up about a foot above the bottom. As soon as I set the rod across the rails, I got a good hit and I set the hook. The initial pull felt like I had hooked more brush or a fishing line. Then the fish started to really swim away. I fought the fish so that I did not get tangled in the anchor lines or the dock itself. James asked what I might have caught and if he needed to get his net. It felt like a nice fish, possibly a catfish. Then it got close to the surface and we both saw that it was a walleye. I immediately insisted that James get the net. Once in the net I could relax and savor the fact that I have just landed a walleye, a fish that I have been trying to catch for the last couple of years. So I was finally holding a 17.5" walleye! This was the 20th new species and the 47th different species that I have caught since the 4th of March. It was an awesome feeling.

[BilletHead]

  That was a neat road trip!

Nice walleye John. The tail race up there holds a special place in my heart. Many moons ago I spent a good part of my life standing on those slick rocks throwing lead and plastics at various fish. At times it was a cornucopia of fish to be caught,

BilletHead

[Johnsfolly]

2 hours ago, BilletHead said:

At times it was a cornucopia of fish to be caught,

BH - It still is. James gives me a hard time because he know how much I want to catch different species. Back in the spring he had caught a 8 lb walleye and hybrid on the same trip. He has also caught flathead catfish and smallmouth buffalo on one of the times that I went with him. These are two fish still on my must catch list. I know that he was almost spooled by either a paddlefish or gar. Back in December he caught a goldeye on a spoon. You know that both Ham and I would like to catch one of those. So the allure is still there for me. It is just tough fishing conditions most of the time. Lately they just haven't been running any water.

[JestersHK]

Nice job John!  Figured you would of had more luck at bennett without the crowds.  Haven't done any C&R there this winter though myself.  Sounds like a great road trip!

[Flysmallie]

Nice job on the wally. That's a full day of fishing. 

I know those ice slick limestone flats you speak of all to well. Good to see the water is flowing decent around there again. 

[Johnsfolly]

2 hours ago, JestersHK said:

Figured you would of had more luck at bennett without the crowds.

JHK - I was being stubborn and didn't really want to fish BPS real hard. I'm sure that we could have done better if we moved around. Also we only fished from 8:10 to about 9:25 at BPS.

 

2 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

I know those ice slick limestone flats you speak of all to well.

I certainly would have felt a whole lot better not being in swift water up to my navel (which if you ever met me isn't really all that high ) and in clear water to be able to see where I was stepping.

[JestersHK]

I'm curious to get down and check out the stream.  Have heard mix reports... Rocks were def slick down there even in the park this year.  More so than prior years.  I picked up some new wading boots.  Still breaking them in, but I am going to stud them this year for sure.

[dan hufferd]

Right on !!! Sorry I didn't see this great catch earlier.