Took a drive

[Foghorn]

Montauk did have some of the bigger brood stock in the pools above the C&R last fall. They normally throw a few out for the various derbies thru out the year. Lots of competition for them(as in the lads getting aggressive and crowding the fellow anglers) in the past. Resembles the combat fishing in Wisconsin.  

[tjm]

Unless MDC is experimenting with palamino trout, at least some of the RR fish for the past few years have come from outside sources. but on most of the days I've been there 14-16" fish were too, maybe the same ones each time because I rcycle them. Around the holiday weekends they seem to stock really small fish, so that the same poundage would equal three times as many fish, keep the numbers matching the tag sales.

I do wish they'd make the Neosho bass get bigger before stocking them, I keep catching them 10 1/2" kind, talk about dinks. What ever happened to 10# smallmouth? I know I've heard stories about big bass, but ever since MDC came out with length limits all the fish are too small to keep.

[Johnsfolly]

1 hour ago, Foghorn said:

Montauk did have some of the bigger brood stock in the pools above the C&R last fall. They normally throw a few out for the various derbies thru out the year. Lots of competition for them(as in the lads getting aggressive and crowding the fellow anglers) in the past. Resembles the combat fishing in Wisconsin.  

I never bothered with fishing for lunkers in the trout parks. In fact only really fished the TP when the kids were big enough to fish them as well. So only in the last 12 to 15 yrs. I used to catch plenty of 18 to 24" brown trout and a few rainbows up to 22" well downstream of Montauk to keep me happy.

[snagged in outlet 3]

18 minutes ago, Johnsfolly said:

I never bothered with fishing for lunkers in the trout parks. In fact only really fished the TP when the kids were big enough to fish them as well. So only in the last 12 to 15 yrs. I used to catch plenty of 18 to 24" brown trout and a few rainbows up to 22" well downstream of Montauk to keep me happy.

It's been pretty slim down there the past 3 years or so.  PACKED!  Is what I would call it.

[Johnsfolly]

46 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

It's been pretty slim down there the past 3 years or so.  PACKED!  Is what I would call it.

It's  been over 4yrs since I was there last. Probably pales in comparison to years past.

[Foghorn]

2 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

I never bothered with fishing for lunkers in the trout parks. In fact only really fished the TP when the kids were big enough to fish them as well. So only in the last 12 to 15 yrs. I used to catch plenty of 18 to 24" brown trout and a few rainbows up to 22" well downstream of Montauk to keep me happy.

One hot summer when the river was low and Miss Susie was feeling up to it, we spent every chance we were off work at Montauk. I caught 14 browns in June and July over 3# with the biggest an 8# male. Had one that I couldn't revive and ended up keeping it. Susie was going thru her first round of cancer and had a beast on that broke her 6X tippet that was a double digit. These were all in the park in the campground. Unfortunately a group of lads began catching and keeping all the browns and it hasn't been the same since. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

1 hour ago, Foghorn said:

One hot summer when the river was low and Miss Susie was feeling up to it, we spent every chance we were off work at Montauk. I caught 14 browns in June and July over 3# with the biggest an 8# male. Had one that I couldn't revive and ended up keeping it. Susie was going thru her first round of cancer and had a beast on that broke her 6X tippet that was a double digit. These were all in the park in the campground. Unfortunately a group of lads began catching and keeping all the browns and it hasn't been the same since. 

Wasn’t there a guy posting all of the ones he was keeping and getting mounted?   I think someone posted his Facebook posts on here.  

[Foghorn]

Had pictures with snagging type setup on his spinning rod and using plastic in the trophy area. Saw one of the older guys with a weight heavy enough to sink anything you'd want to fish with and a chartreuse worm on a treble hook. One of the lads had a podcast with several sponsors and lost them after some of his posts. 

[trythisonemv]

On 1/31/2022 at 6:41 PM, netboy said:

Some interesting things I have learned about "brood stock" at our local hatcheries in Arkansas. I have talked with the biologists at Norfork Federal Hatchery, Jim Hinkle State Hatchery at Mammoth Springs and Greers Ferry Federal Hatchery. None of them have "brood stock". They do have a run in the hatchery that hold some big trout, but they are for tourists to feed and see and then they occasionally release a few in the rivers. The biologists I talked to said they get the eggs from Federal hatcheries that specialize in producing eggs. The biologist at Jim Hinkle told me they receive their shipment of fertilized eggs via FedEx in an Igloo cooler on overnight delivery and put them in the glass containers to hatch. Now that may not be the case in Missouri hatcheries but seems to be what happens down here. 

Missouri they squeeze them out lol. I personally have helped three times 

[oneshot 1]

Just wondering Bennett Springs and the Niangua River they quit stocking well before COVID. 

We waited a year for them to get the New Building and now it has set several years. 

Oh well if I get a ride will fish for Redhorse.

oneshot