July: Fishing in the heat

A river is a place for reflection and solitude. I return to the river feeling like a small boy wet-wading the shoals and stumbling over rocks. I always look forward to the minutes, hours and days standing in the cool waters of the Eleven Point River. Wet wading is a simple way to fish; I appreciate bamboo, nettles and poison ivy overgrowth on the banks with tall standing trees providing excellent habit for the abundant wildlife residing along these banks.

Jim Scheve and I took three days to fish five miles of river, starting at Greer access and departing at Turn Mill access. One could easily float the same five miles in two hours. For Jim and I, time and distance is not important. We return to these waters to fish for rainbow trout, looking for any nook or lie holding a trout. The Eleven Point River is a place away from the computer with the cell phone out of service. The sounds of birds and water take us back to simpler times; soothing our soul with this easily going, back to basics life. I did forget one item that enhanced the back to basic theme; the air mattress was accidently left behind leaving an impression on my back attempting to sleep on the gravel bars. Sleeping on a camp out is generally difficult, as I tossed and turn both nights, sleepless and listening to the calls of the bull frogs, the song of the Whip-poor-wills and the ghostly sounds of voices surrounding us, rising from the babbling sounds of the moving water.

July 14, 2010: We had a delay leaving Springfield, which started our time on the river after 1 pm. The river’s gage height at Bardley was 3.65 ft with a discharge of 650 cfs, well above normal conditions. We made arrangements with Richard’s canoe rental to drop the truck off Friday at Turner Mill. The 17 ft aluminum canoe was loaded with our gear and coolers with three days of supplies. We fished only the first two islands before stopping to camp for the night. We wanted to fish this particular area at dusk. We managed to catch and release several trout measuring sixteen inches. Here is a photo of area we fished at sunset.

July 15, 2010: The next day, we continued the slow pace finding more cooperative trout that averaged 12-13 inches, probably recently released trout by the MDC. We continued downstream and stopped at a campsite above Little Hurricane Creek, It had a sand bank ideal for sleeping on without an air mattress. Several canoes passed us and were looking to camp at the site below Little Hurricane. So we decide at 2 pm, to set up camp and fish these waters at dusk. A rumble of thunder and dark clouds could be seen in the northwest sky. Soon, the skies darken with frequent claps of thunder without seeing lightning. The clouds moved in with some circulation seen. I took a video of the swirling clouds with no tornadoes falling out of the sky.



There was a brief shower, Jim and I took to our tents and had a short nap while a light rain fell gently on our tents. It was after 5 pm, the sky cleared and we prepared dinner. After dinner we went back to the water, and found a few more trout. I took the canoe and found a supply of wood that last the night.

July 16, 2010: Friday we had breakfast, repacked the canoe and on the water before 8 am. We went to the mouth of Little Hurricane. A group was camped just below the creek with several individuals in the water fishing a good stretch of water. We decided to pass up the water and go down stream to give ourselves some space. We floated to the large boulder above Mary Decker Shoal. Jim started at the boulder and I moved on downstream going for Mary Decker Shoal. We did find a few fish just below Mary Decker fishing the fast water. There were more canoes floating this day, with the youth in the groups practicing their stone throwing abilities into the waters we were fishing. We kept moving on down stream and finished our day and trip at 4 pm. We found the air comfortable when standing in sixty decree water, but the time away from the water loading the canoe on the rack and getting ready to leave left us hot and uncomfortable. A fellow standing in the water at Turner Mill Access said the heat index was 105; it was unpleasant. The planned trip for Jim and me will be Montauk and the upper Current River.

5
10 9
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July 22-23, 2010: On this Thursday, I drove to Rolla late in the day to meet Ann and Sean, we met at Bandana BBQ. Jenn and Sara attended a St. Louis ball game earlier in the day and they were running late due to extra innings. After dinner, Ann returned to Springfield and the rest of us drove to Montauk to spend the night and planned to fish the next day.


The next day (Friday), we had our breakfast at the lodge and vacated our cabin. We walked up to the fly only area to fish. Sara and I spent some time working on her casting, this way her first time fly fishing. Sean and Jenn worked the water near the power lines. We had to find a place where the wading is comfortable and easy. Jenn is half way through her pregnancy and it was decided to stay away from the fast water and rocks.


The day was hot with a full sun, we found shade most of the day. Wet wading in cool water is very comfortable. There were many trout in the holes or lined up behind any structure available. The trout were tight mouth for most of the day. We managed to catch and release a few.


At 5 PM, we called it a day and returned to Rolla for some Chinese food. Jenn, Sean and Sara returned to St. Louis and I drove back to Springfield. Our lives continue to get busier, the expectations from others are ever increasing, but the times we as a family get together on the water will provide calm for the mind and relaxation for the soul.

The following is a video of our day fishing:

June: At the lake and on the River

June 4-6, 2010: This past weekend Rod, Warren and I participated in the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) program MDC Discover Nature Women. This was the club’s third year being associated with this activity with us instructing fly tying. Some of you may remember Kevin Lohraff at our February meeting; he is the coordinator of this MDC program. We had two sessions to teach Saturday morning and Sunday morning. There were over eighty participates wanting to learn more about outdoor activities.

Friday June 4: we left Springfield after 9 a.m. and drove to moon valley on the Niangua River, which is upstream from Bennett Spring S.P. I took the truck with a kayak with Rod and Warren riding together from Springfield. It was after 10:30 a.m. when we drove into moon valley access. Unfortunately, there were thirty canoes in the water waiting for a church camp group. I was hoping for a calm day on the water; it was not to be. I shoved off, Rod and Warren drove to Bennett Spring to fish. We agreed to meet at the mouth of the spring creek flowing out of the park at 3 p.m.



I fished the first shoal after Moon valley, finding a few sunfish and three small-mouth bass before an armada of canoes passed through. I walked back up stream, waited for the water to calm down and fished through the shoal again finding another small-mouth in the hole below the riffles. I looked at my watch and realized it was time to put the paddle to the water. I had six miles to cover in two hours.



I paddled to Bennett Spring S.P. and was right on time. Rod and Warren were there with the truck, we loaded the kayak and we drove to Roach, MO to the Windermere Resort for the weekend. After arriving the resort, we picked up our registration packet, unpacked our gear, set up the room and had supper at the resort facility. We found and talked with Kevin Lohraff and Regina Knauer. After, supper we grabbed a rod and a few flies and walked to the lake. Rod and Warren started near the docks and worked their way to the cove. I walked to the end of the Windermere property and worked my way back. We caught a few white bass; a few small large-mouth bass, sunfish and Rod reeled in and released a carp. We called it a night at 10 p.m.

Saturday June 5: Our class met at 8:30 a.m., there were thirteen participates with plenty of enthusiasm and feathers flying in the air. For most, this was their first time at a vise tying a fly. The class went smoothly, we explain of the macro-invertebrate in the rivers and helped them tie three different flies.



We finished at noon and had the rest of the afternoon off, we stayed inside to tie our own flies since the temperature was over ninety and humid. That evening the MDC had a catered barbeque dinner.



The women had several programs with a campfire planned for that night. Rod, Warren and I grabbed our rods and went back to the lake. Warren stayed near the docks and caught sunfish galore.





Rod and I walked the cove and had a difficult time finding cooperitive fish. I finally caught a large-mouth bass at 10 p.m. Calling it a night at 10:30 and walked back to the staff lodge.

The next day we had another class with seven. It went better than the day before. We packed up at noon and said our good byes to Kevin, Regina and others. We returned to Springfield.



June 16, 2010: Jim Scheve and I had another day to fish the North Fork of the White River.



The river gage height was 2.9 feet and very wadable, near normal conditions and perfect for wade fishing Craig, owner of Pettit Canoe rental dropped us off at Kelly Ford and we fished 5 miles to Blair Bridge.



The water was clear and cool with a partly sunny sky that produced a few pop-up thunder storms in the afternoon. We heard thunder and saw the building thunderheads in the western sky; it rained on us on our drive home. Jim had a good day of catching, releasing a dozen to hand with several fish breaking off. I rolled a few in the riffles and released three rainbows, one was fifteen inches. Just below the River of Life Farm, we saw a deer running from the noise of a mower and ran the path along the river bank near us.



I turned a few stones and found a stone fly nymph willing to pose for the camera. We finished our fish day at Blair Bridge a few minutes before 6 p.m. Jim and I plan to fish the Eleven Point River next month.

Saturday June 19, 2010: I drove to Greer access on the Eleven Point River; I left Springfield at 6 a.m. with a light rain and a few flashes of lightning and sounds of thunder. I knew the signs, not a good start to a trip on a river.



Needless to say, I drove out of rain, driving 150 miles to the east then going south from Winona. I found Kevin Smith and Jeff House getting their watercraft ready to fish for the day. We made our plans several weeks before this day, with Kevin and Jeff driving down setting camp the day before. On Friday, they fished upstream above Hwy 19 Bridge finding a few rainbow trout for day.


The access was crowded with several groups renting canoes and floating for the day. We waited for them to depart and fished the areas not normally traveled by canoe at islands with the stream splitting into two directions. We floated and fished a three-mile section to Little Hurricane creek and camp on a gravel bar for the night. The gage height read 3.85 feet for the two days, which was up a few inches for this time of the year with the water slightly off color.

We fished slowly and steady throughout the day, the bright sun was hot with the cool waters keeping us comfortable while wet wading. Here is a photo of a damsel fly on the abundant stream side plants.



We found a few fish and considered it a good day of fish. We stopped at a gravel bar below Little Hurricane Creek, pitched the tents, gather some wood and fished again for a short time before preparing dinner.

I packed some halibut and garden fresh green beans; Jeff had some fresh corn on the cob, which was roasted over a campfire. We grilled the halibut and had more than enough to eat. We fished a short time after dinner. I saw some high clouds to the northwest and grew concern for an overnight rain; it did not happen. I did learn when returning to Springfield the next day; a storm did hit southwest Missouri dropping two inches of water in the rain gauge.

We called it a day before 9:30 p.m. turning in for the night. The river covered in a silver fog that radiated by the moon’s light. The moon was waxing, sitting in the western sky giving us light past midnight. The stream sounds whispered in our ears of sweet dreams and a better day of fishing tomorrow.


This is the view from our campsite of the river in the morning

Kevin was the first to wake, I heard him at 6 a.m., going through the dry good bag in his canoe looking for a coffee pot. The sun was not seen from behind the hills, with a persistent fog filling the valley. A few spinner mayflies were seen over the water making their final journey upstream to drop eggs on the water’s surface. We ate a quick breakfast, repacked our gear into our watercraft and back to the river and fishing before 7:30.


I found this fellow under my kayak, can you see his smile?

Kevin and Jeff floated on down to the boulder above Mary Decker shoal to start their day. I fished the shoal just below our campsite. I managed to hand release a few rainbow trout and a goggle eye in the deep water below the shoal.

Kevin and Jeff had a terrific day in a riffle above Hurricane Creek and the shoal above the cave hole releasing more than forty rainbow trout, maybe more.



I managed a dozen for the day with a fourteen-inch trout my best in length for the day. Kevin released a trout of nineteen inches with Jeff catching a plethora of trout.

I did video some of the river during the day of fishing and have it for your viewing pleasure. It was great to be on he best stream in Missouri and looking forward to my next trip.

May: Missed opportunities and despair

May 7, 2010: I made plans with Kevin Smith to fish and camp on the Little Red River in Arkansas. Kevin and a group of his friends make the annual trip to celebrate friendship and Cinco de Mayo. Kevin and Terry went down on Tuesday with Don May and Steve Bilon arriving on Wednesday. I was off on Thursday but had made plans to be at the MTFA meeting. So, my plan was to drive down Friday morning, stay for a night and return on Saturday. I had a hard time getting around on Friday, and finally had the gear packed and headed south on Hwy 65. I looked on the computer and printed directions to the little Red River. Unfortunately, I did not take the time to study them before leaving Springfield. After a few hours down the road, I realized my directions were worthless. I did not know the exact location of Kevin and were they were camping on the Little Red River. I drove for five hours and entered the city of Searcy, a small town northeast of Little Rock. I found the river, a featureless river with a color of mud in the middle of rice country. I was downstream from Kevin, later to find out at least fifty miles. Needless to say, I did not have a cell phone. In my despair, returned to Springfield that evening. I missed my opportunity to wet a line…



Norm and Warren exchanging fish stories

May 15, 2010: I had to day off before (Friday) with possible plans to fish the Niangua River near Bennett Spring. The rains before and during this weekend turned the usually tranquil stream into a raging river with the gage level up six feet. I drove to Bennett Spring S.P. in the morning and stood by with Norm, Warren Wilkerson and Rod before attending the memorial service to Dave Senderling. I returned to Springfield after the service to work in the afternoon.



Rod is feeling a chill

May 18, 2010: The weekend storms dropped four inches of rain. The rivers were swollen and the lakes levels on the rise. There were not many options to fish other than the Pot Hole. It was below 655 ft before the recent rains, now at 660 and filling the basin six inches a day.



I took the kayak down late afternoon.

The water from Taneycomo was flowing over the dam. I went to the usually spot hoping to find a walleye. There was not much action and finally hooked up at 9 p.m. which took me by surprise. The tippet failed and I broke off almost immediately, more despair…

May 26, 2010: Jim and I made plans the first of the year to get our fishing days together on the calendar. This was our first trip of the year and Jim wanted to fish the North Fork of the White River. This is Jim favorite stream with many years of experience fishing this river. His knowledge of the river, knowing the sweet spots enables him to be successful on this stream.

We left Springfield at 6 a.m. and arrived Pettit’s before 8 a.m. Craig told us Hammond Camp had dirty water upstream. The stream was up with reports indicating the level to be at 3.7 ft.



Jim getting started for a day of fishing, we put in at Blair Bridge

Craig figured we would have better luck starting at Blair Bridge and floating 2.5 miles down to Patrick Bridge for our day of fishing. We agreed…



Fishing below Blair Bridge

Just below the bridge, I came across a large snapping turtle, probably getting ready to lay some eggs.




Jim and I caught a few browns just below the bridge and continue to find browns with an occasional rainbow in the mix. The current was pushing our comfort limits for safe fishing, since the water was up. Needless to say, we did not have any slips into the drink. I did have a concern near the end of the day. Jim went on down stream with the canoe; I was to wade down stream fishing a seam. When I started out into the current became concern for my safety. So, I removed my waders, broke down my five-piece rod, boxes, wallet, and any thing that could possibly get lost and stuffed them into the waders. I rolled up the waders and placed them around my neck, just in case of falling. Once I walked off the end of the island had no problems wading down stream. The day was hot in the sun with thunderstorms building around us. We did not encounter any rain but did have several loud claps of thunder around us.




We did not catch any large fish this day, but caught and release a dozen trout. We have plans to return mid-June.

April Chasing White Bass

April is without a doubt the best month of the year to catch fish. Paul Henry taught me how and when to look for white bass in April. These days are usually warm and pleasant to be out on the water looking for fish. Paul and I would fish Bull Shoals Lake, Stockton Lake and the steams flowing into these reservoirs lakes. The white bass run is predictable in the spring, if you know the ideal conditions. The conditions include temperature, water level, fishing pressure and a few more variables to add to the confusion.

I was able to get out for ten outings with my cousin Mel and Sean, my son for the month. Mel is from Kalamazoo, Michigan; he drove down to fish with me for the week in early April. This was Mel’s third trip in the past five years. The past trips he made in early April were cold and it was difficult to find white bass. A number of cold fronts did move through again, but for the most part the weather was good. Sean drove down from St. Louis for a four-day weekend to fish for white bass towards the end of the month. 
We were successful finding fish with the trips rated from good to a few excellent outings.

4/6/10: For our first trip, Mel and I left Springfield in the afternoon and drove to Galena to fish the James River, accessing Blunk public access and paddling up stream to Taylor Shoal. We took the canoe with the oars and a kayak. The James was up several feet according to USGS Real-Time Water Data for Missouri. There was a 20 to 30-mpr wind blowing down stream. I took the kayak and met Joe Simecek and Norm Collison half way to Taylor Shoal. Joe was having trouble with his boat and not able to get the gearshift into neutral. After some shaking and tapping on the cable, Joe had the boat underway and took it up stream. They had already caught a few small white bass. Norm’s brothers came in another boat an hour later with everyone catching fish. The white were small one-year-old fish with excitement by all hooking and landing white bass. Mel and I went up stream a little farther ad around the bend. We managed two limits of white bass, which were released. ***




4/7/10: The next day our next destination was the Little Sac. The water gauge was at 3.5 ft. Mel and I left after lunch and headed for the Little Sac River near Morrisville. This was my first trip to this water for the year. The conditions were normal water flow with the water cloudy from silt erosion. There was little flow at Taylor Bridge indicating a trip up stream would be necessary to find fish. Jim Ludden drove in, as Mel and I were about to get in our watercraft to go upstream. We invited Jim to fish with us. We stopped at the first shoal and found a few white bass right off. Jim wore hip waders and had a difficult time wading deep enough to find fish. We fished near the power line hole and had moderate success catching twenty plus white bass and keeping a limit for Jim. ***



4/8/10: Day three with Mel, I decided to show him The Pot Hole filled with water. The lake level was at 662.0 and starting to drop. It would still be too deep to wade and we took the canoe and kayak. Mel started right off catching white bass
 from the kayak and discovered how uncomfortable casting from a sitting position can be. We stayed in the three-tree area covering waters near the edge. It was after eight PM, when we found two walleye catch five minutes apart. We stayed until 9 PM before calling it a night. ***


Mel showing off a pair of walleye



4/9/10: This was Mel’s last day to fish. He made the decision and we returned to the Little Sac. The water level continued to drop and was at 3.3 ft. Charlie Erickson asked to join us and sat in the canoe as I rowed it up stream. Mel took the kayak and had a good time setting the pace. Charlie and I fished below the power line hole. Mel went upstream around the bend and out of sight. Charlie found white bass and caught ten for the day; in addition Charlie released one small mouth and a bluegill. I managed nine white bass. Mel had left us and was upstream of the power line hole. The sun had set and it was dusk, Mel finally came down stream to report having just caught and released 2 walleye with one over twenty inches and eight white bass He released the walleye remembering the 6 p.m. curfew on the Little Sac. In addition, Mel met and fished near John and Dorothy Prugger for a short time. Charlie kept his white bass for a future fish fry, Mel and I released ours back to the river. ***



Charlie Erickson showing how to catch white bass in the Little Sac River



4/10/10: The lake level (661.2 ft) at the Pot Hole continues to drop but remains too deep to wade. Mel left this morning and started his return to Michigan. I decided to fish the Pot Hole hoping to find a walleye after dark. Since it was Saturday, figured there would be a fair number of fishermen in boats populating the lake. I arrived and started fishing at 3 p.m. There were plenty of fishermen with a number of the boats near the dam. At dusk, the serious walleye fishermen came in their slow boats with poles angled off the stern, trolling for their catch. I positioned myself on my knees inside the canoe casting buck-tail streamers to the trees. One of the boaters asked if I was fishing for trout, and I replied fishing for walleye. Needless to say I finally caught a walleye in the night after nine p.m., a boat passed by moments later asking if it was a keeper; they’re watching the crazy guy with a fly rod. I had been fishing on my knees for six hours and the knees were stiff, the back had an ache and I was worn out; another successful night at the Pot Hole. **

4/11/10: My last day of a six day vacation and I decided to finish on the Little Sac River. The gauge was at 3.2 ft with Stockton Lake dropping its level, so the set up will be downstream from the power line hole. There were many canoes and kayaks passing through this evening some had fish on their stringers and others were still looking to catch a fish. I managed a limit of small white bass, which were released back to the river. **

4/17/10: I spent the morning and early afternoon at the Tri-lake Fly Fishers expo in Brighton, MO helping as a casting coach. I took my kayak with me and planned to drive another fifteen minutes to Morrisville to get in some evening fishing. That evening, there was not much of a crowd at Taylor Bridge; the stream level is lower than last week. I decided to go back to where I had some success on previous trips. Again, I found a few white bass catching and releasing a dozen. **

4/23/10: Sean drove down from St. Louis and we decided to dine for lunch at Pizza House. After lunch, we packed up and drove to Little Sac River. There was a forecast of rain when we left Springfield and we did break out the raincoats for several rounds of rain showers while we fished. We went above the power line hole and fished through the bend and below wading gingerly between large rocks and tricky currents swirling around those large rocks. Before the first round of rain, I found some medium size sows along the opposite edge. After the showers, fishing was more difficult. We managed 22 white bass and one carp. ***



4/24/10: It rained over night and the gauge reading from the Internet indicated the Little Sac was on the rise. It was less than a foot, but the gauge was pointing up. So, we changed plans and fished the Pot Hole. It rain and several thunder storms moved in on us throughout the afternoon. Bull Shoals Lake continues to drop (558 ft) and we were able to wade and pick up a few fish. We caught 13 white bass of size with 12 sows ready to drop eggs. We released the fish back to the lake. **

4/25/10: The Little Sac River water level peaked at nine inches and was beginning to fall, it was dirty but fishable. It was my feeling with this slight rise; another run of white bass should have arrived to spawn. We were a little disappointed not finding a bunch of white bass. We did managed nine females white bass with eggs were released. **



4/26/10: This was Sean’s last day to fish this spring for white bass. He wanted to go back to the Little Sac River; it had dropped six inches from the previous day. Since it was Monday, only two trucks were parked at Taylor Bridge. We found out later, they took a powerboat and went upstream of the power lines. We rowed back to the same area, parked the canoe on a gravel bar. Sean decided to hike above the power line hole. I started at the first broken water and fished upstream. It did not take long and I found a bunch of large white bass. I caught twenty white bass after three p.m. in an hour. The powerboat came zipping by me with no regard to me standing in the water. I had a fish on at the time and left the rod under the water so they would not see I had a fish on. They went down stream of me but within sight, I was still hooking and catching fish after their passing with the water settling down. After a short time they left. I went up stream to find Sean, hoping he found fish. He was around the bend and caught a few. I decided to go up to the fast water and make a quick run. After an hour, I returned to Sean and we went to the area were I found fish earlier. Sean hooked up within a few minutes and he continued to hook one after another. Charlie Erickson was concern earlier in the month, if there would be fish for the club outing June 26th and I told him not to worry. I had a cooler with ice and we each took a limit of white bass, several over sixteen inches with most in the lengths 13-15 inch range. We kept two limits but probably caught over fifty whites for the afternoon. It was a good day of fishing with a task to clean fish, with enough filets for the club outing. If you get out enough, you will get a few days like this, which will motive you to return to the water with a fly rod in hand.






One of many hatches seen in the evening on the Little Sac River

March madness for Walleye

March is the month for anticipation; the signs of spring with warmer temperatures producing crocus, jonquils and swollen buds on the trees waiting for the right time to flower. On a warm March day, the peepers can be heard announcing their time to reproduce and the arrival of spring. The fish become more active with a feeding frenzy before their spawn. I have for several years looked for walleye in the tail waters of Bull shoals or known as “The Pot Hole” in March. My late friend and fishing buddy Paul Henry taught me how and when to fish this water. He had more of a passion for white bass but was more than satisfied to find a walleye at the end of his tippet. Walleye are a predatory fish with well-developed eyes. They have the ability to readjust their vision quicker after dark and see movement in the water at night. There are only a few months out of the year to catch these fish on a fly rod with March and April my time to target these fish.



3/9/10: Jim Ludden picked me up at noon and we drove to Ozark to commute with Russ Doughtry. This was my first trip with Russ, who is a member of both fly fishing clubs in Springfield , a Vietnam Veteran and a proud Grandfather. This was Russ’s second trip to the Pot Hole and he was willing to hang out with Jim and me to fish. We spent the first hour talking and practicing with a spey rod. The wind was out of the south with a strong breeze going down stream. This particular wind direction allowed us only to practice the double spey cast on the right bank. Russ was happy to get some hands on practice with the spey rod. He hopes to find a blank to build his own rod some time soon.



Rain with possible thunder storms was predicted for this day, it turned out to be comfortable with mostly cloudy skies. We fished the right bank for several hours with a five blue-gills released. We made a move and fished near Swan Creek where Jim caught a rainbow. Later, that evening we moved to the left bank below the dam. There was some generation from the power house with some eddy currents flowing towards the rock pile. We managed to hook and landed a 24-inch walleye after sunset. It was quickly dispatched, filleted and served as dinner that night.



The Pot hole has not changed much over the year; it is my intention to fish there this weekend hoping to find another walleye.

March 14: Sunday was the first day of daylight savings time with spring one week away. I returned to the Bull Shoals fishing the Pot Hole area hoping to find some cooperative fish. It was late afternoon, an overcast day with some water coming through the powerhouse. The water was cool and for the most part clear. I started on the right bank. My first catch of the day was a 12-inch trout on a bunny strip. It was quickly returned to the water. There seem to be a number of trout working the surface; I am not sure why there are so many trout? Maybe with the high water of the past two years have pushed the trout over the dam? The MDC does not routinely stock the Pot Hole, and they have repeated this statement when asked. Due impart the tail water of Bull Shoals experiences extreme high water temperatures in the summer. It is considered a waste to stock the Pot Hole area, but over the years we usually find a few trout taking our flies.

It was dusk; I had changed my fly to a buck-tail streamer targeting walleye. Near the three trees, a walleye of eighteen inches was hooked, dispatched and placed in a cooler. I continued to work the same area without any other strikes. It was after dusk and decided to move to the left bank. On my drive to the other side, saw ten deer in the road and on the edge of the road near Silver Creek. I moved to the left bank above the walleye hole. I managed a sucker that caught a hook in his left fin. He was returned to the water. I fished unto the night and called it at 9 PM. My casting started to deteriorate; the break offs were more frequent and I decided it was enough. It was satisfying to have another walleye for a meal.



March 18 (Thursday): There was a break in the weather. The sky was clear, temperatures in the sixties. There was some cold and clear water coming through the powerhouse. A number of bank fishermen on both sides of the Pot Hole. (Possible clue fishing had been good). I did not see any one with a fish on while I sat for the first hour on the tailgate of my truck watching the water, the activities of birds and movement of cars coming and going. It was almost 4:30 PM; I took the kayak off the rack and placed it near the water’s edge. I considered hitting a few areas down current. With my waders on, I walked straight out into the area above the three trees. After navigating some deep troughs found a strip a wash that allowed for knee deep wading that was mid-lake and fifty yards in length. At the end of the run found some nice trout one over sixteen inches and well feed. It was good to tag a few trout even with a #4 streamer.



Many of the fishermen left the area near the dam, so I fished the edge from the power house back to the area above the three trees were I found a few more trout. As evening approached, I changed flies for walleye; large buck-tail streamers. I fished the basins and a few slow eddies. I did not find a walleye this evening. It had been dark for a few hours, without a strike, broke off to a snag, back stiff and decided to called it a night. The clock in the truck said it was after 10 PM, not great catching but the fishing was good.



March 26 (Friday): There has been about five inches of precipitation in the past week with numerous flooding warnings issued for southwest Missouri the past two days. The streams were too high for me to fish so I packed the kayak and looked at the Pot Hole. The lake level last week, the last time I fished was 452 ft, about normal with clear water. Today, the lake level was 458 ft with water flowing over Power Site Dam.

Here is a video of Power Site Dam:



There is too much water to wade, so the kayak came in handy. I paddle to several areas and fished in spots that were successful for Sean and me last year. I did catch a few white bass all over 14-inches and one walleye measuring 21-inches. I fished until 9 PM. On my way home I drove through Shadow Rock Park and saw several fishing carrying large stringers of fish out of Swan Creek. I may consider fishing Swan Creek tomorrow night.

March 27 (Saturday): The weatherman predicted possible thunderstorms later in the day. I left Springfield at 2 PM with a bright sun and a few clouds in the sky. There were a few boats in Swan Creek and numerous cars parked in Shadow Rock Park when I passed by on my way to the right bank. The water level in Bull Shoals remained high and at the same level as the previous day. I talked with a fellow walking back from the powerhouse before getting into the water. He had to walk the high bank to keep his feet dry. He was throwing spinners and roster tails with little success. He showed interest to fly-fishing and mentioned he had seen me fishing on several occasions and was curious. I showed him my flies and gave him several to try. I took the kayak off the truck and pulled on my waders. The sky was getting overcastted with a threat of rain to the south and west. The wind was blowing 20-30 MPR from the south. The skies darken and a few cloud to cloud lightening streaks, indicating my time on the water near trees was probably a bad idea. I banked the kayak and walked back to the truck. The wind started to blow forty MPR plus blowing limbs down and the rain started. I sat in the truck for thirty minutes waiting the storm out. The storm moved on and I walked back to the kayak.



I started at over the area fished earlier and found a few white bass, at sunset, hooked and saved a 21-inch walleye. I continued to find white bass. I caught and released twenty-one, all over fourteen inches and most were sows. It was near 8 PM, a boat had just passed by and I hooked another walleye measuring 23-inches and decided to call it a night.



Several hours sitting in the kayak can be tiresome. All of the fish were caught on one single fly without a change or breaking off. I consider this day of fishing an A+ outing.

February: Catch and Release Farewell

FEB 5: This was my final trip to Bennett Spring State Park to fish the 2010 winter catch and released season. The day was overcastted with a light snow falling through out the day. The mild wind blew over the dam and up stream. There was not much acumination of snow on the ground. The stream was at normal levels with some turbidity to the water. The trout were actively taking caddis, midges, mayflies and an occasional snowflake. Only a few fishermen were in the park with most of the fishermen below the dam. I started just above the dam and worked my way up stream in zone 1 with a #20 BWO, fishing with little success. After some time, I started to look for the insects on the surface. The black caddis were skittering across the open water and occasionally taken by a trout. I made a switch to a caddis pattern and caught a few trout. Later in the day, switched back to the BWO and managed to fool trout along the cover near the aquatic plants. I released a dozen with a few trout near sixteen inches. The eagle made three passes overhead late in the afternoon. I stopped at the hatchery office and had a good visit with Mike Mitchell. Mike discussed the renovation project for the hatchery in the near future. He will be a guest speaker at the May MTFA meeting. It will be an outstanding program, mark it on your calendar.



FEB 18: I returned to Bennett Spring S.P. for the afternoon and stayed for a meeting that evening. Since the waters are closed until March 1st, I took a camera and hoped to find an eagle perched in a tree. There was a great hatch of insects with the mayflies returning as spinners, depositing eggs. The eagles were not in sight this after noon. Mike Mitchell invited me to their annual meeting with the community. I took notes with the information to follow:

Bennett Spring Trout Park
Pre-season meeting
Sand Spring Resort
Thursday, Feb 18, 2010 7 pm

Mike Mitchell MDC Hatchery Manager

Mike welcomed the guest with approximately 75 people in attendance. The first item for discussion was opening day. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will stock 2.25 fish per estimated tag purchased. Past years, the number was 2.0 trout. The size of the average trout will decrease from 12.5 inches to 12.0 inches due the decease funding for trout food. It probably will not be significant for the anglers. There are no rules changes for 2010 for the state parks and tag prices will not increase for 2010. The opening day dignitaries will be Lt. Governor Peter Kinder. Gov. Jay Nixon will attend Montauk for opening day. Jerry and Brenda Miller will sound the opening day siren. They have sold their business, but have been important to the Bennett Spring Community for 24 years. Jerry is scheduled for surgery but will be healthy enough for March 1st. The estimated attendance for this Monday opening day is 2340 tags.

Renovation project for the hatchery: Six years ago a trout management plan was worked out in Jefferson City. I recall Mike Kruse coming to our club explaining the plan and providing some of the long-term details and vision for the future. One of the long-term plans was to improve and increase production of trout in our hatcheries. Some of the work has already been completed, noted the Shepherd of the Hills hatchery in Branson. Montauk has made improvements for dealing with possible flooding in the hatchery and installed oxygen tanks to sustain the trout during crisis events.

The spring, the fourth largest in Missouri, has a daily output of 100 million gallons of water, rising out of a narrow cave. The flow is more than adequate to raise trout. The current facility is old and will need some major repairs. In addition, the basement was found to be unsafe. There was some consideration to renovate the old build but financial wisdom decided to build a new facility. The new building will be 4000 square feet on the grounds near the current concrete raceways. The projected cost of the project is estimated to be 2 million dollars. The bids closed 2/18/10 with 30 contractors bidding for the job. The projected number of trout per year will go from 300,000 (current target) to 700,000. It was proposed Bennett Spring Hatchery would provide Meramec with their supply of trout. The funds will come from the MDC and after the completion of the project, a 75% reimbursement from the Sport Fish Restoration funds, which are federal dollars.

Kid’s Fishing Day will be May 1, 2010. The recent attendance is near 800 kids with 1200 a few years ago for an all time high. Some of the events will be a touch tank, stream table, fly tying, fish cleaning demonstration, casting simulator shooting trailer and the first fish award. Free fishing weekend will be June 12-13, 2010 and the Catch and Release Season begins November 12, 2010. Mike provided a power point presentation and did an outstanding job.

J.D. Muschany DNR Park Supervisor

The park and the Department of Natural Resources have taken significant cuts with the recent budget cut backs in Jefferson City. Three staff members have been laid off, two people have lost their positions and one transferred to another location. There will be no additional funding for seasonal jobs. If mowers or other equipment break down this summer, there may not be funds to make repairs. There was a question about some of the potholes in the park. J.D. said they would be fixed but waiting for approval from Jefferson City and FEMA funds. The concession bid for the park store is closed with three people bidding for the 2011 contract. As of this meeting, there has been no announcement for the winning bidder. J.D. mentioned a group meeting at the park every Wednesday to help with task and volunteer their time with projects in the park.

Craig Fuller MDC biologist

Craig mentioned he had some staff reductions with increased area responsibility. He now covers Lake Pomme de Terre. There was significant discussion of the Niangua River and the brown trout population. 2010 looks good for the brown trout with the highest samplings for fourteen years. Craig went on to explain some for the changes with numbers of brown trout stocked and reduction in legal lengths of brown trout which are now fifteen inches down from eighteen inches. This reduction was due to insignificant habitat for larger trout. There will be no brown trout plantings in zone 1 for 2010; there have been some production problems coming from the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery, which supplies the brown trout. We will hear more of this from Clint Hale, who will speak to the club in March.

In December, a sixty-foot shovel took out 153 cubic yards of gravel from the area above the dam. The project to replace concrete in front of the hatchery building has been delayed a year due to cut backs. There was a question about replacing gravel above the dam along the island, which has eroded from recent high water. Craig said he would look at it. There were other comments of more gravel removal below the stone bridge. Craig thought there was too much bedrock. Another comment about the riprap stones moving away from the Whistle Bridge and down stream; it will require some heavy equipment to replace the stone. It may be a project for next year.

Final speaker, District Supervisor R.A. Daniels

The enforcement in his area did not take a hit. Other areas in the state did lose a few officers. A question of riggings and droppers from several fishermen; it was agreed; up to three droppers of single hooks would be within the law. There was a discussion how the droppers were tied on a leader and concluded any set-up being acceptable.

The meeting ended at 9 PM. There was good information and well attended.

For more information: http://www.lebanonmissouri.org/index.aspx?NID=111

My next trip will be Bull Shoals....

January fishing with Ice in my guides

January fishing at the state parks can be challenging. The mayfly hatches have diminished, fishing on the sub-zero days hauling and casting with wool gloves/mittens test your patients. The rod guides will freeze with the best option to de-ice the rod by dipping it into the spring creek. The trout having seen your flies on previous trips are quicker to refuse your offerings. The small dry flies on the water are hard to see, almost impossible at times, due to the formation of fog on the water during the coldest of days. For me, it is a glimpse to the future with possible impaired vision due to cataracts. I will place the fly twenty or thirty feet up stream of me, not able to see it, reacting to a splash, a ring formation or any movement of my line. It can be frustrating, but it is not the number of trout to hand. For me, it is the solitude and serene beauty of fresh snow on the ground with the sounds of silence and heightens senses detecting any movement. One can detect the change of wind moving through bare trees or see a kingfisher’s flight to another perch.

The advantage to winter fishing is a peaceful park with very few people; eagles perched on branches above watching over you, with deer on the opposite bank browsing the ground for scant food. You can take your time fishing, walking up stream at a snails pace looking for feeding trout or finding a trout willing to strike a #20 dry fly.



Jan 2: I drove to Bennett Spring and arrived before 11 AM. Kevin Smith and Jeff House, a friend of Kevin’s were already fishing. Kevin drove up while I was getting ready to fish. The temperature was in the upper teens and predicted to hit twenty for a high. There was a persistent wind blowing upstream. There were six to eight people fishing in the area above the dam with a dozen or more below the dam. Kevin and Jeff had fished other areas with some success. The fishermen in view, wore too many clothes and appeared uncomfortable, not able to move freely using unenthusiastic roll cast with limited lines lengths. I managed to find a place to fish near the dam, hoping to work my way up stream as fishermen left for the day. The trout on the day were larger than previous trips. Many of the fishermen retreated and left the water. I had some time in the afternoon, a found a few trout fooled and taken on the #20 BWO. There were a few white midges on the surface. Kevin left at 2 PM. I talked with him a few days later; he said was cold and at 2 PM decided he had enough for the day.

Jan 8: I drove to Bennett Spring late morning; the temperature was zero in Springfield when I left and warmed to a balmy 8 degrees. The park was covered in snow with ducks and geese in the slough above the dam. There was a thick fog over the water whirling moving in the direction of the variable winds. The fishing was poor, difficult to see the fly due to the heavy fog on the water. Manage to bring a few to hand, and missed many more. A pair of eagles watched over me for several hours from their lofty spot in a sycamore branch on the bluff with deer working the bluff for forty minutes browsing on the ground for enough food to keep warm. I still enjoy winter with the peace and solitude covered in a white blanket of snow.

Jan 16: It is Saturday, I considered going to another park to fish, but decided to return to Bennett spring. It was an overcastted, temperate day with a mild wind. There were nearly 100 fishermen in zones 1 and 2. There was an outstanding hatch of mayflies, black caddis and the white midge. Due to the many fishermen in the water, I took to the waters near the dam. I had planned and did work my way up stream, but only covered a small portion of water. I did not have the correct fly this day with the dry fly taking only a few trout. Later in the day, with a longer line and pulling the dry under the surface found the trout more willing to take a fly. Probably a small soft hackle would have been a better selection.

Since there was a break in the cold, there was abundant wild life in the open fields. I saw sixty turkeys divided in five groups and a dozen deer on my drive home at dusk.




JAN 22: It was overcast, above freezing; I was on my way to Rolla to meet Jenn. There were several groups of deer and turkey in the field during my drive. There was a concern for a poor day of catching due to the high and muddy water in the Gasconade River and Little Piney River. Jenn and I met in the Wal-Mart Parking lot and commuted to Montauk for a day of fishing. We arrived shortly after 11 AM, Jenn purchased her 2010 fishing license and trout stamp at the park store. The proprietor at the store said it had rained 2.5 inches the night before. The stream was up 3-5 inches with some cloudiness but it was fishable. Jenn and I parked in our usual spot, changed into warm clothes and waders. There were a dozen or more cars parked, but there was plenty of room to fish with everyone on this day respecting each others space. We started fishing with jigs and weighted flies with little success. Later in the day, there was some surface activity near the banks
in protected pockets. A #16 fly worked to take a few, with a few mayflies emerging. We fished almost to 4 PM; Jenn finally gave in saying she could not feel her feet. We returned to our vehicle, when the horn went off, sound ing the end of the day to fish. We drove back to Rolla, had a meal together before retuning to St. Louis and Springfield.

JAN 31: I had the weekend off and made plans to fish on Saturday. After my drive home from work Friday night, it was clear that a sixty miles trip to Bennett spring would be fool-hardy. I spent Saturday shoveling snow and hanging around the house. The roads and streets cleared, that evening I decided to make the trip and drive to Bennett on Sunday. Sunday was just above freezing with a clear sky. I drove into the park near 11 AM. It was surprising the number of people and cars in the snow covered park. But, I had no competition in the area I normally fish. The stream level was up a little and the water was cloudy. I was not able to see three feet to the bottom. (I checked the gage after the trip and noted the stream peaked on JAN 24 to 3.75 feet, on JAN 31 descended to 2.6 feet with a normal stream level of 2.5 feet). Most of the fishermen I saw in zone 1 stayed out of the water, allowing me to fish in solitude and work my way up stream to top water
fish along the weed edges. There was some surface action, but the trout were picky and hard to fool. I did manage a half-dozen. There was a modest mayfly hatch, with black caddis and white midges seen on the water. An eagle made his way up stream at 3:30 PM, with many of the fishermen calling it quits for the day. I have one or two more trips left before the end of the winter catch and release season.