An old gray day on the Niangua

[WestCentralFisher]

When I first realized I would have today off, it looked like a washout. But a weather window opened up late morning/early afternoon. 

The river was empty, and while the bite wasn't exactly fast and furious, it was good enough. Lost the best fish of the day. Thought I was a snagged on the bottom, which had been happening a lot. I started wading out to get it loose, and then "the bottom" started shaking it's head and had a rainbow stripe down it's side. It wasn't a monster, but probably around 18-19 inches. Made one good run down stream, I failed to maintain tension and that was the end of that. Ah well. Plenty of regular sized rainbows were landed to make it a good day. The only other fisherman pulled in right as I was wading out of the river. Pretty decent timing for both of us. 

[WestCentralFisher]

Today was less gray, but no less fishy. 

[oneshot 1]

I usually fish right there where the Spring comes into the river. 

River is low worst I've ever seen. 

Did catch biggest Rainbow i ever have at Barclay when the river was running high weighed 6 pounds. 

oneshot 

[trouty mouth]

You've been doing real good with your fishing and posts, but consider not laying your fish on gravel if you're releasing them. It's best to keep those guys wet if they're going to swim off. 

[Flysmallie]

1 hour ago, trouty mouth said:

It's best to keep those guys wet if they're going to swim off. 

Geez. It would probably be best to not catch them at all since you are so worried about them. 

[WestCentralFisher]

2 hours ago, trouty mouth said:

You've been doing real good with your fishing and posts, but consider not laying your fish on gravel if you're releasing them. It's best to keep those guys wet if they're going to swim off. 

It's a fair criticism.  I'll try to do better. 

[WestCentralFisher]

13 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

Geez. It would probably be best to not catch them at all since you are so worried about them. 

To be fair, about a fifth to a quarter of the time I go fishing I follow that advice to a T 😆 

[WestCentralFisher]

17 hours ago, oneshot 1 said:

I usually fish right there where the Spring comes into the river. 

River is low worst I've ever seen. 

Did catch biggest Rainbow i ever have at Barclay when the river was running high weighed 6 pounds. 

oneshot 

There are some nice ones down that way. I think the river came up just a touch on Tuesday night. The water was a tiny bit up on Wednesday relative to Tuesday and the slightest bit cloudy. Barely noticeable, but even that little bit made the fish quite a bit less spooky. 

[oneshot 1]

I kind of laughed guy was fishing for Crappie in 30 years never caught a Crappie until I got down around Lead Mine. Seen some guys fishing for Catfish at Barclay kept catching Trout imagine that. 

oneshot 

[WestCentralFisher]

52 minutes ago, oneshot 1 said:

I kind of laughed guy was fishing for Crappie in 30 years never caught a Crappie until I got down around Lead Mine. Seen some guys fishing for Catfish at Barclay kept catching Trout imagine that. 

oneshot 

I know I sometimes forget how some folks just don't know these things. I've helped, or tried to help a few fishermen who seem out of their depth, because I've been there too and it stinks to watch people around you catch fish and not be able to. I saw a visibly frustrated young gentleman tossing a 5 inch Texas rigged rubber worm on the Niangua earlier this fall at the riffles around the Bennett Access. I think he knew he was trout fishing, he just didn't have any idea how. I handed him a rooster tail and he caught one pretty quick. 

Though I do wonder if a Texas rigged worm or a ned rig wouldn't do pretty well for browns in some of those deep holes, now that I think about it.