big Ozark river smallmouths

[cwc87]

Glad you made it and now your report answered my curiosity. I kinda fiqured that what your trip would be like. At least you didn't sore mouth any fish in the normal big fish stretch.

Getting back to big smallies, I've become used to fishing in the winter and that's when big smallies are most vulnerable. Went to Gasconade in February below HWY 50 and had a spotted bass hit my twin tail yammoto while it was hanging from an overhanging limb. Drifted down and got the fish in. Trolled back upstream and immediatly casted back. Dragging the yammamoto back in and wammo a 19inch smallie had it. Boy usually a fish of that size would'nt eat a lure if people/boat presence has been seen. However, winter fish seem not to care too much. Advice on getting a great big smallie is try to get them in the winter.

[creek wader]

Corey, I just read your latest report on your website:

http://huzzahvalley.com/conditions.html,

I think it is wonderful that you stress the fact that the bass are on the beds. I'm doing an overnight canoe/smallie trip on my favoite stream, next week. ... If I had my druthers, I'd wait several weeks to make my trip, after the spawn. Unfortunately, work and timing dictate when I can get away for several days and fit my patner's schedule, also. We have a 4 hr. drive just to get to the first smallie stream so, we have to do alot of planning. We can't just go at the drop of the hat. You southern guys don't know how lucky you are. ... Anyway, I will be careful of the nests. I think I'll use heavier line than usual, and not play the fish, so as not to wear them out. If I catch anything, that is. I always practice catch and release. You and Al have made me aware of the spawning fish and where the nests would be as to avoid them. You two have also been real helpful in your stories. Please keep them up. Always willing to learn more. ... PS, If I was ever in the Huzzah River area, do you still guide?

[cwc87]

Creek Wader this south Missouri guy knows how fortunate it is to live minutes away from smallmouth.

Thanks for the business plug. And I don't guide much any more(family, business, personal fishing time, old clients) but if you catch me just right I may be able to take on a new client or two.

This last rain spell has added more flow to the streams at ll:30a.m. on thurs the Huzzah is still clear and is coming up on a gentle rise. Barring no 1 1/2 inch or more rain in a short period of timegully the river should stay fishable. However, I beleive the Meramec is getting rather dingy(between murky and Muddy). I cross over it everyday.

[creek wader]

Corey, Thanks for getting back to me. I'll keep your business/resort in mind, for a future trip. Also, thanks for the update on the river. We'll be going to a stream a bit west of there, sometime next week. I'll post a report. You and Al are real helpful, kind of mentors for the rest of us novices.

Also, a friend did a 3 day float/caving trip on the Jacks Fork last weekend. No one fished. I believe they put in at Hwy 17 and went to Alley Spring. He said it had good water and was faily clear for being up that much. He said they didn't have to portage at all and only drug bottom a few times. A rarity that far up. I may have to try it early next year if we get the rain, again.

I'll be watching for more of you southern boys' posts. ... Wader

[BrianK]

talking about spawning.....

how much hi water / flooding can these guys put up with before it adversely affects this yrs spawn??? I guess in real wet yrs they may not have a spawn at all in some rivers???

How much of a normal flow "window" do they need to get on the beds and do their thing? 1 wk, 2 wks?

There's some real hi water on some of the streams right now....(not dragging too much on Jacks Fk today!!)

Nice to see the drought over though.

Hope to get out this wknd and find some fishable water.

bk

[Terry Beeson]

Wow... Having worked in statistics for over 25 years, now I wish I had gotten into this thread sooner. Al, you impress me with your stats and records. I can tell you a bit about the last fish I caught, but that's about it...

However, as a statistics "nut" of some degree, I do have one question about your "100 plus" fishing days. Well... a couple of questions...

1. On average, how many hours of fishing did you do on these days? Translate the number of fish per day into fish per hour.

2. How much water did you cover? I'm assuming this was fishing from a boat in a lot of cases, but can you give some fish per hour stats on wading trips and/or canoe trips?

When I have more time, I have to go back and read this thread more thuroughly... VERY interesting discussion...

[Al Agnew]

Terry, that's a significant question...I consider anything less than about 5 hours a half-day trip. Most of my full day float trips last 8-10 hours, so a 100 fish day would be in the neighborhood of 10-12 fish per hour, or a fish about every 5-6 minutes. Given that maybe 1/4 of the time spent floating is spent paddling through riffles and unproductive water, stopping for lunch or other things, etc. , if I'm fishing my usual way with fast-moving lures, it would average to a fish for every 4-5 minutes of actual fishing time, and I'm making 4-5 casts per minute...so maybe a fish for every 15-25 casts.

Since I probably average about a mile an hour on float trips, that's easy to figure as well.

Of course, since my average is a bit under 50 fish per day, you can basically half those figures, or double them as the case may be, if figuring my average catch rates. And keep in mind that I count all bass (including largemouths and spotted bass), though I don't count any other fish species in those figures. And that I count any size of bass...although I don't catch many under about 7 inches, even the 4-5 inchers are counted in those figures!

When the fish are really zoned in on topwater lures, I'll get a lot more strikes than fish caught. I've had days when I probably had a strike per every five or so casts.