Niangua

[WestCentralFisher]

Fished the Niangua this morning for a couple hours before the aluminum hatch. Caught one rainbow and a fair number of smallmouth and goggle eye. 

None of the fish were picture worthy, but the river sure was. 

[Flysmallie]

1 minute ago, WestCentralFisher said:

None of the fish were picture worthy, but the river sure was. 

 

All fish are picture worthy. Besides, if I didn’t take pics of small fish I’d never take any fish shots. 

[WestCentralFisher]

45 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

All fish are picture worthy. Besides, if I didn’t take pics of small fish I’d never take any fish shots. 

Generally speaking I agree! In this specific situation, my phone was in a dry box inside my day pack, so accessing it for a quick fish photo wasn't very easy. So it would have been something pretty out of the ordinary for me to do it. Of course, scenery pictures are easier to plan for.  

[WestCentralFisher]

One other thing: I don't want to go too far out on a limb, but I think the word has gotten out on that Bennett Spring place. 

I kid of course, but though I can't be surprised on the last weekend before many schools start in beautiful weather, the place was POPPING. Barely a parking spot to be had. I will admit my original plan was to catch a few fish in the park and then see where the rest of the day took me, but 5 minutes after the buzzer, someone walked directly in front of the spot I'd staked out 30 minutes before the horn, I mean like 2 feet in front of me, and started casting. I can deal with it if it's a kid or someone who is obviously new to fishing, but that didn't seem to be the case. 

I could feel my blood pressure starting to rise, and decided that getting in the car and fishing the river before the canoe rental crowds was the correct play. I still had no particular shortage of company, but it was much more manageable.

[fishinwrench]

Sounds like you were fishing in the "front lawn".  

You can avoid stuff like that if you fish areas/spots that aren't so easy to access.   As a plus, the fishing in those areas is typically better. 

[WestCentralFisher]

None of how t

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

Sounds like you were fishing in the "front lawn".  

You can avoid stuff like that if you fish areas/spots that aren't so easy to access.   As a plus, the fishing in those areas is typically better. 

Yeah, and I am aware of all that. This was less a result of not knowing the landscape, and more the way plans sometimes go straight to heck on you. Almost none of how this trip played out according to plan. For one, the trip was supposed to be today, a Monday, I was supposed to be floating, and it was supposed to be an overnighter. Then life intervened, Monday became unavailable, it had to be Saturday or no time at all, and without some really unreasonable logistical finagling, or paying a rod fee, the only places I had time to go to that hold trout in August were Bennett Spring and the white ribbon section of the Niangua. 

Now I could have bailed on trout and just chased smallmouth, and I kind of end up doing that anyway, but I really felt like trout fishing. I simply overestimated my ability to not be annoyed by crowds. 

At the end of the day, I ended up on a river, I caught (a) trout and some hard fighting smallmouth bass, and yes, got a little annoyed once or twice. In terms of salvaging a trip that almost didn't and arguably shouldn't have happened, it could have ended worse.