September: Alaska Bound

Alaska 2012

 September 21, 2012 Friday: Rod and I left Springfield for Chicago at 6 AM with no problems. Next, we took off for Seattle with less than an hour between flights. We flew and landed in Anchorage at 4 PM; it was there we found Kodiak Island was fogged in with no flights landing or taking off. They tried to fly us out at 6:30 PM and we had to wait in Homer for several hours before ERA returned us to Anchorage. We called a hotel and stayed at the Puffin Inn near the airport. We found our room and settled in at 10 PM. We woke at 4 AM to catch our fight at 5:30 AM the next day.

 September 22, 2012 Saturday: We did make it to Kodiak City on the early flight but our deep fishing trip was canceled. We took a taxi to the Best Western near the harbor in Kodak City and stowed our gear. We had breakfast while watching a college football game then strolled about the harbor taking a few photos, checked out the local fly fishing/sport shops and took in a museum. We had dinner at a restaurant named the Powerhouse. We returned to the hotel to turn in at 9 PM.

 September 23, 2012 Sunday: We check out of the hotel at 10 AM and Brent took us to Dave's place where the floatplane was moored. Dave flew us out to the lodge on Saltery Lake lodge. It was a great fight with blue skies and mountains covered in autumn foliage; Dave gave us a fly by over the lodge to get a feel of the land. The staff (Geoff, Matt and Roger) greeted us at the plane and moved our gear into cabin #2. We made it to the water before noon, Rod went to the lower hole and I started in the lake. I managed to keep a limit (2 silver salmon) and released six more. Rod caught a limit of salmon and released five more with a few Dolly Varden released. We did see a few bears moving along the water’s edge and I could see bear moving about at the mouth of Lake Creek. We finished the day at 5:00 PM and returned to the lodge for a meal prepared by Roger. After supper, Rod and I walked down to Lake Creek. The creek had plenty of water with a good flow, there were a few Red Salmon moving in the creek. That evening, we spent time watching the computer with Rod bringing the “Big Bang Theory”.

 September 24, 2012 Monday: We had breakfast at 7:30 AM and on the water by 8:30 AM. The water was clear and air temperature in low fifties. I used an 8-wt rod with large Clouser minnow pattern and fished the lake above the mouth of the river. The silver salmon were very cooperative taking the fly. I kept two silver males for the freezer and released ten more salmon for the morning. Rod and I stayed on the water through lunch; the other guest returned to the lodge for a meal. I managed eight more silvers in the afternoon for a total of twenty salmon for the day. Rod fished the lower hole and released ten silvers and a few Dolly Varden. The bears were on the move with several encounters throughout the day as the bears moved along the lake looking for fish or napping on the lakeshore in view for several hours with no concern for us. There were a few Red Salmon spawning along the shore for the bears to catch with more salmon in Lake Creek.

My Simms waders had a leak, both legs were wet with the cool mountain water, I suffered mild hypothermia... (I need to get rid of them and I did). I did have a spare neoprene wader with me, which were watertight. The neoprene waders were more comfortable and kept me dry in the cool water. The day was mostly sunny in the morning with rain in afternoon. The temperature was mild throughout the day. I did have some issues with the salmon once caught; a few raced towards me and swam between the grassy bank and me, which were only a few feet. One salmon actually went between my legs with the rod tip trying to follow, I was lucky enough to see it coming and released the tension of the rod and lifted my leg over the line. This is my fourth year fishing Alaska and all rods have remained intact… just lucky.

September 25, 2012 Tuesday: The entire day was overcastted with a light rain off and on. The temperatures continued to be mild in the mid-fifties. We returned to familiar waters with Rod starting at the upper hole and hooked into a salmon on his first cast of the day and proceeded to have the Silver Salmon hit his fly on consecutive cast. See video here: http://youtu.be/ioEiNPb1pQQ. I moved into the lower section of the lake at the mouth of Saltery River only to find rocks and broke off two flies. I decided to move back into the lake. The catching was more difficult on this day with two salmon kept and five more released. Rod kept two salmon for the freezer and released three silvers, a chum salmon and many Dolly Varden. I did have a close encounter with a bear. The bear came up behind me and I first saw him 30 yards away at the water’s edge. I talked to the bear to let him know I was near and he moved away before posing at the point and swimming across the lake.

 I would have more close encounters with this and other bears. The bears are round and full of Red Salmon; they seemed to want to keep some distance between them and the man with a stick. Another funny occurrence happened when a hooked salmon took off for the other shore, I was into the backing, and then I heard a pluck sound. My spool fell off my reel and into the water, I went to my shoulder retrieving the spool from the bottom of the lake and had to hold it between my thumb and fore finger as the salmon continued to fight. I was able to get the tension off the salmon to settle him down and reassemble the reel. I did bring him to hand and release him. It is amazing the crazy situations one can be in with stress on the rod… The general idea is to hang on and hope for the best.

 September 26, 2012 Wednesday: The day started out with brisk winds and a light rain blowing through the mountain pass and down the lake... in the afternoon the weather turned bad with gale winds and with a light rain blowing across the lake; it looked like a great mast sail of a Yankee clipper moving with a tailwind, this was somewhat unexpected but typical for Kodiak and Alaska. We fished until noon and retreated back to the lodge for lunch, to dry out and to get out of the wind. From the lodge, we could see the rain moving over the lake at 50 - 60 mpr with wind gust over 60 mpr.  The winds decreased some by 3 pm and we returned to the water. The rain continued into the night. I had another bear encounter with a bear coming out of the brush and coming into view up stream of me and within 15 yards; he entered the water to swim across the stream. I did not see the bear coming since my back was against the wind and rain. Brent was fishing downstream from me; he saw it first and kept pointing to the bear until he caught my attention. I was standing in the water waist deep and nowhere to go, so I figured take out the camera and get a picture. The bear eased into the water and swam across the stream. Rod and I both kept a limit for the freezer with rod releasing five silver salmon and I released four salmon. The weather was cool, and wet typical for this time of the year.

September 27, 2012 Thursday: Saltery Lake came up two feet from the overnight rain; the water was cloudy with visibility less than a foot. We found a few silver salmon in the sand just above the river. With the high water, there was limited access to the holes with all of us at the lodge sharing the limited water space on the lake. The upper and lower holes currents were difficult to fish with the fish probably lying low or behind structure. Not many fish taken this day, I was able to take a limit with three silvers released. Late in the day, I decided to look at the lower hole, Frank (Geoff’s father) tagged along. Rod's favorite spot was full of water but I worked my way to the river and waded into the stream. Frank was above me and he found a warm sunny spot to rest, he was comfortable and fell asleep.

After a few cast, it was proved to be nonproductive, so I retreated and made a move to fish upstream of Frank. A bear came out of the brush and stood were I was fishing only a few minutes before, Frank was still cat napping and had the sun in his eyes. All of a sudden Frank realized it was a bear only a few yards away from him and not me, I was on top of the bank overlooking the situation with Frank scrambling up the hill to join me. The bear walked the riverbank just below us and made it’s way downstream. We talked about that bear encounter for several days at the dinner table.

Rod learned while fishing, how important it is to check the hook point on your fly especially when several fish are missed. Rod was near the lower hole using a fuchsia rabbit hair flash streamer (which does a good job hiding the hook point), missing one fish after another. After his fifth missed salmon, he inspected the fly and discovered it had a broken point; there was no way to hold the fish. Yep… it happens and the moral of the story, check that fly, even after a single miss.

Here is Rod's broken point fly that lost numerous salmon;
it now  on display in his office.

September 28 Friday: Our last day to fish, the lake dropped 1.5 feet overnight and continued to drop throughout the day. I was able to fish around the cove starting on the lodge side just below the property line, covering as much water as possible to the stream then crossed to the other side fishing up to the standing rock. My first fish of the day was in front of the rock. It was mid-morning and as the day progressed I managed to pick up more silver salmon. I finished the day with fourteen released from hand. Most of the silver salmon were taken with Clouser minnows. I did manage to take the last two silvers on the lodge side at 5:30 PM, I called last cast last fish and managed to hook and release one within five minutes that was to be my last cast for silver salmon for this trip. The other guest had already called it a day with Geoff and Rod near the mouth of the stream; Geoff hooked silver salmon and he called it last cast last fish for the day. Rod continued to work the water downstream and missed two fish and finally broke off his fly; on that he decided to call it and that concluded our fishing day, week and fishing trip the Alaska.

September 29, 2012 Saturday: We did not fish this day. After breakfast, we chatted with the other guest, watched the first snowfall for the season and packed our gear. The ground was covered in white from frost, with dark clouds to the west indicating incoming snow. There were some concerns to flying out and with the ceiling dropping; Dave decided at noon it was time to get us to Kodiak City and on to the airport. The flight in the floatplane out was rough and turbulent with the windows constantly fogging over. The landing was uneventful with Dave dropping Rod and me at the airport with our gear and frozen fish. Our flight to Anchorage did not depart until 7 PM. We had to several hours before we could check in and we waited until 3 pm to check in and leave our gear. We took a taxi back to Kodiak City and ate at Henry’s near the harbor and watched some football. We returned to the airport and left Kodiak on time with the other flights back to Springfield on time without incident.

Overall, Rod and I had a great trip. We managed to catch ninety-three silver salmon, a number of Dolly Varden and a Chum Salmon. The fishing was very good on Saltery Lake and river. My best fly was a Clouser Minnow pattern in a variety of sizes. The bears may have been a little too close; it was amazing fishing with them on the lake and stream banks.  A special thanks to Geoff our guide and to Dave Magoffin for being a great host and pilot. The web site is salterylakelodge.com with an active web cam capturing photos every ten minutes can be seen at www.kodiakweather.com/webcams/salterylake.php.

you tube video: Bears, Bears and Bears http://youtu.be/JIHX08BKbbk

         Rod fighting a silver salmon in the upper hole: 

            See video here: http://youtu.be/ioEiNPb1pQQ

July: How the beat the heat

July 1: I had another opportunity to fish the Pot Hole. Jessie Scheve, Rod and I met at Rod’s home before driving down. Table Rock Dam began to release water at 1500 and know we will see some release water below Power Site Dam that evening.  We parked on the east side of the Pot Hole before 18:30. There was a mild breeze from the south, with no release water. The lake level was 653.2 feet. It was 1900 before we heard the horn sound to announce the release of water from Taneycomo. Jessie was the first to hook and fish; it was a large bluegill. I released a short large mouth. Thirty minutes later. Rod moved down the lake and found a 14.5-inch small mouth bass and a crappie. An hour later, I found a few white bass with the larger near 18”. The shad were moving but did not concentrate the fish with surface movement more along the west shore. This will be last trip for a while, with a planned trip to the Eleven Point mid-July.

July 15: Ann and I returned from St Louis after spending the weekend with Desmond our grandson, Jenn and Brent. We spent some time and had a few meals with Sean and Sarah.

It was a few minutes before 6 PM, Sunday evening after returning to Springfield…. I checked the computer links to verify the water levels and discovered Taneycomo was generating and on the rise... it was up four feet with 2 generators on line. I decided to drive to the Pot Hole to find a white bass or two.

It was after 7 PM and I parked the truck on the east side of the Pot Hole. There were a few people in the water and fishing the west bank. Four boats were moving around the rock pile. The lake continues to drop and is now at 652.4 feet. There was a variable wind and no current passing through the powerhouse. I caught a bluegill in a short time. There was some shad activity, but without the current difficult to concentrate the shad and white bass. I fished until 10 PM with a half dozen bluegills. It was a pleasant evening under the stars.

Eleven Point Trip

The Eleven Point River below the Hwy 19 Bridge

For me, trips back to the Eleven Point River is like falling back to sleep after a pleasant dream and replaying the dream over and over in my mind. The Eleven Point River is a scenic, serene stream with a touch of mystery; every evening a fog rolling in at sunset and that lifts the next morning. This wilderness with all of the sounds of nature; the screech of a bald eagle overhead, an orchestra of frogs in still pools, kingfishers constantly chasing and calling others from their favorite fish spot. And there are sounds I cannot explain; the movement of unknown creatures on gravel after dark, the call of a raccoon breaking the sound of insects in the air and trees pulsating to nature’s rhythm. It is difficult to sleep soundly at night, in a sleeping bag over gravel and stones. Many of these trips end the day with a threat of a thunderstorm with lightning flashes off in the distance without thunder. It is the movement of water over rocks and cobblestones creating the white water and a backdrop of constant sound, which is necessary for trout to survive; that brings me back. This is my dream and my reality when I return to the Eleven Point River.

July 18-20: Sean and I met Wednesday at Greer Spring access off of Hwy 19 for a three-day float and streamside camping through the blue ribbon section of the Eleven Point River. The day temperatures were hot (upper nineties); the river was low (2.95 feet with a 400 cfs flow), with outstanding fishing. We camped two nights on the different gravel bars and endured several thunderstorms. We enjoyed the waist deep pools; wet wading most of the day; fishing less than 1.5 miles of river a day, allowing the day to pass until the shadows cover the stream before setting up another camp for the night. We enjoyed camp stove breakfast burritos, ate our lunch from a cooler midday alongside the canoe and steak and baked potatoes in the evening at sunset in our campsite.  I made arrangements with Richard’s Canoe Rental to shuttle my truck and drop it off at Turner Mill access on Friday. Jerry told us the MDC had been planting trout the week before and we would probably catch a bunch of fish. He was correct, many trout eager to take a fly. I will admit many 14-16 inch were taken by a short strip of a Clouser, with other flies from the past working well. Sean and I totaled sixty rainbow trout, a few small-mouth bass with a green sunfish and small large-mouth bass for three days of fishing.

Evening fishing below the third island

The first night we camped below island #3. We saw eagles, a woodchuck going for a swim, deer running across the stream and an otter staring us down. There were a number of green heron with a blue heron protecting his favorite spot.

Dragonfly nymph

Only a few mayflies and caddis in the air, the cobblestones in the river upon inspection had plenty of caddis larva and mayfly nymphs. Mosquitoes bit as we sat in our chairs waiting for darkness. The adult dragonflies could be found over the stream in most locations, with the bats coming out after sunset to feed on these insects in the night air. With the stream level down, there are more places to pitch a tent. There are a few new down trees in the water. The epic floods from 2008 and 2011 moved tons of gravel downstream from the scoured banks. There are fewer habitats for the trout with several productive waters too shallow to hold trout; these stretches are featureless with small gravel and sand on the bottom, not many bugs or plants in these areas. Hopefully time will restore these areas. 

The canoe is packed and ready for another day of fishing

The second night we pitched a tent on a gravel bar below Little Hurricane Creek. It was late afternoon with clouds building, the temperature in the high nineties. Sean decided to rest under a shade tree and I stumbled downstream to the white water. The best fish of the trip happen before and during a pop up thunderstorm that came in almost undetected. The skies darken slightly, when the rainbow took my fly. I had to hand drag the reel to slow the trout’s escape. The rainbow fought hard in the strong currents. Finally it came to hand, with a picture and release. A clap of thunder followed by rain came in as I released the trout; with two more bolts overhead; a few moments later, a flash and boom almost instantaneously. I did feel uneasy and sat on the left bank with the warm rain pour over me for five minutes. It stopped suddenly and the sun came out again. I fished a little longer and realized it was time to return to camp. I found a marked trail and hiked back to camp. Sean and I sat for a moment to rest, and we could hear thunder again, indicating another storm was on its way. We unrolled our mats and took to the tent for a fifty-minute shower that lasted until 6 PM. The passing of the front dropped the temperature twenty degrees; with our damp clothes we could feel a slight; it felt good to be cool. 

Best trout of the trip below Little Hurricane Creek

The next day we passed through Mary Decker shoal, to other blue water holes where Sean out fished his father. We finished at the white water above the Cave hole, where Sean caught the only wild trout of the trip. 

A stretch of water before Mary Decker Shoal

It was after 2 PM, the truck was waiting for us at Turner Mill Access. We unloaded the canoe, packed the truck and drove over dirt roads to Hwy 19. Sean and I took different paths, Sean went back to St. Louis and I returned to Springfield. We were both exhausted from the heat, slightly sunburn and delighted for the opportunity to share three days on the Eleven Point River. Now I can sit back in a chair on the porch and dream of fish with cold-water rivers, planning my next trip to the Eleven Point River.


July 25 2012 Wednesday: It’s a day off for me; I decided to drive to the Pothole and search the water for some white bass. One advantage to fishing the evening to dark is the air begins to cool after a 100-degree day; it is a relief to night fish Bull Shoals Lake. Keith Pennington was in the water when I parked the truck. He had fished the morning at Bennett Spring State Park and had a good day with a number of rainbows taken on a dry fly and a nice 18-inch brown trout caught in zone 1. Keith had already picked up a few largemouth bass before I arrived.

A weekend crowd at the Pothole

The lake continues to drop with the level at 650.3 ft with a steady flow moving through the powerhouse. The eddy pools have moved downstream with many of the shore features exposed. There were a few fishermen standing on the gravel bar with a few fish taken. I did not see many shad breaking the surface. I did release a large white bass and caught an 18-inch drum after sunset. Keith did well, releasing a dozen large-mouth bass with a few measuring 16-inches.

A blue heron on watch

July 28, 2012 Saturday: Rod and I drove together, we returned to the Pothole for an evening of fishing. There was a family and several fishermen on the gravel bar with little space left to fish. There was water moving through the powerhouse and the lake level was at 650.8 ft. We fished on each end of the fishermen and moved to the center when people left. Rod caught a small line bass and bluegill. I could not find a fish until I moved down in front of the three trees and managed a crappie. We finished at 9:30 PM with the constellation Virgo in the western sky looking down on us.

A beaver found near the water's edge in rock opening

July 29, 2012 Sunday: Rod and I returned to the Pothole and decided to make a change by fishing the west side of the Pothole.  We started near the dam and worked our way downstream. I was across from the three trees and met a beaver resting in a small cave den along the water’s edge. I took a picture of him and retreated. I did not want to cross in front of him and block his path to the water. I walked back to where Rod was fishing; he had caught and released 15 bluegills of all sizes. I managed to release a few bluegills, a trout, a line bass and a smallmouth. There were six fishermen on the east side standing gravel bar with a few leaving at 8 PM, Rod and I decided to finish the evening on the east side. We went to the other side and fishing until 9 PM without hooking a fish. We met Tom Ciocco, he had been fishing this area several times with success.

June: Still finding White Bass

Rod and I have been fishing the Pot Hole, the tail-waters of Bull Shoals below Power Site dam for the past two weeks. The white bass have returned, or maybe never left, but to say the least the catching has been top notch. The recent heat wave has increased the demand for power and the dams have been generating on a regular schedule, pushing water through Beaver, Table-Rock and Bull Shoals dams. The waters in the Pot Hole have been ideal (water temperature and flow) for white bass, small-mouth and large bluegills. The shad are in large numbers allowing for a feeding frenzy from the larger fish. There will be a magic hour when all the elements come together for a terrific time to catch many white bass, these are quality fish measuring 14-18 inches in length. Needless to say it has been outstanding fishing, Rod and I fished it a half dozen times in the month of June. There have been only a few fishermen along the shore, my guess… most fishermen considering the white bass fishing finished until next April. I must say the white bass fishing for this month of June is some of the best fishing one can find it Ozarks.

June 21 Kim (W25 BG1): Rod called me in morning and gave me a tip; they are catching walleye below the dam. I had considered floating and fishing the James River near Hooten Town but decided to check out the Pot Hole. I packed the truck, gathered a box of newly tied Clouser Minnows and left Springfield at 5 PM. At 6 PM, I parked the truck on the east side of the Pot Hole and surveyed the water. There was a light breeze from the south, with some generation passing through the powerhouse. The lake level was 653.5 ft with a few clouds overhead. It did not take long to figure out… a shad kill was on. There were fishing jumping and swirling water from shore to shore. I was able to find a few white bass before 7:30 PM, but after that it was catching one large white bass back to back to back… several of these fish were 18 inches in length. This continued until 9 PM and then it stopped. I released all the fish this night and plan to return to keep a limit. This was some of the best white bass catching for the year, definitely something I would not expect for late June with day temperatures in the 90’s. 

June 23 Rod (W20) Jake (W20): Rod reported he and Jake did well with many active white bass on the surface with 40 White Bass caught and a limit taken home.

June 24 Rod (BG1): Rod reported a tough Sunday night with little to no flow, there was no wind… and no white bass moving. 

Two of these White Bass measured 18" with the other two 17"

June 26 Kim (W25 SM3): I returned to the Pot Hole hoping to find white bass busting the surface. The day was hot with a clear sky, slight breeze with a good current coming from the powerhouse. The white bass could be seen on the west bank in the shadows, which moved across as the sun went down. The white did follow the shade of the trees and high bank. It was near 7:30 PM, before the white bass came within casting distance and again I started to take fish after fish. This lasted until 9:00 PM, and then it was over; the white bass quit taking a fly and very little surface activity. I figured 25 white bass, with 6 of the over 16 inches, two measured 18 inches. I released three small-mouth bass, the largest was 16 inches. It was a great evening of fishing. I did keep a limit of white bass.

June 27 Kim (W2 WE1) Rod (W3 BG1 SM1) Bill (W3): I picked up Rod at his house, there was some trouble getting around the James River Expressway and Hwy 65. I was late getting to Rod. We made it to the water’s edge by 6:30 PM. A short time later Dr. Bill Taylor pulled up beside us. The current seemed stronger this evening; the water level was at 543.2 ft, with a cloudless sky. There was very little surface activity this evening. Rod and Bill fished the waters productive nights before and found a few white bass moving in deeper water. I fished areas above and below them with one short walleye. Rod released a 16.5-inch small-mouth with Bill catching the largest white bass measuring 17.5 inches. Hope to get in one more trips; Sunday evening.

Dr Bill Taylor hooking up with a 17.5" white bass

May: Early Spring on the rivers

May 6, 2012: Rod and I had another chance to fish the pothole. There was some generation from Taneycomo coming through the power house with a cold front moving through. It rain on our drive from Springfield but the skies cleared at sunset.  I was able to get to the mid-lake gravel bar and found 13-14 inch male white bass before sunset. Rod found a few whites after dark in the same general area. I fished the three trees after 8 PM, without a bite. My first trip in six weeks without hooking up a walleye; I suspect they are retreating to deeper water with the end of the spawn. Rod and I fished until 9:30 PM before calling it a night.

May 10, 2012: I received a tip of gar pike in the James River below Lake Springfield. My wife dropped me off below the dam; it is called the Tailwaters Access on City Utility property. The first warning of the day was a brown recluse escaping from my wading boots as I laced them up. It was in the truck, next to my wife in the driver’s seat as I was getting into my boots no harm but I did dispatch the spider.

I carried the kayak to the water’s edge, returned to the truck to carry the rest of the gear down to the water. My wife waved good-by and took off; she was to pick me up at the Campbell Bridge in four hours. So, she was going to shop until time to pick me up. Within 5 minutes, I realized two boxes of flies were left on the rear bumper of the truck. I immediately called Ann; she called me back thirty minutes later. One of the boxes was found in Kohl’s parking lot a few feet from where Ann parked. The other box was lost, approximately 50-70 streamers; including Clouser minnows, buck-tail streamers, etc. Ouch that hurts; for me time to get back to work trying flies. Ann returned in short time and gave me the box she found; it contained large streamers with a few small gray Clouser minnows.

It was almost 3 PM, I finally shoved off. It was been years since I fished this portion of the river; it had changed significantly with the area around the cave completely different with the main stream taking a different path. I went a little farther downstream and finally had some water to float. The water was low with many of the shoals difficult to pass. I was making a run and the current pushed the kayak into an uprooted tree.  I saw it and thought I would be able to paddle through it, instead I crashed into it. Damn, there goes the rod!!The fly rod was caught in the mess of roots and broke, rendering the rod almost worthless. I floated downstream and parked on a gravel bar.  

My two piece fly rod is now a four piece fly rod. Sometimes things just happen, and for me it was modifying my 9 ft 8 wt Loomis rod, to a 4’10” fly rod. I took a knife and modified it by inserting the tip section into the butt section and placing a tender twig between the sections to secure it. It actually threw a nice roll cast and finally started to see head to tail movement of gar. The rod worked in a pinch and took a few pumpkinseeds, an eighteen inch channel catfish and two small-mouth bass downstream.

The honeysuckle was in full bloom and the perfume was overpowering in some areas with a field nearby of fresh cut hay. There were several sightings of white tail deer along the water’s edge.  It was almost 6 PM and I was making my final push to Campbell Street and saw two eagles fly across and downstream. Rod told me later that pair has been nesting there for five years or more. Ann was waiting for me at the bridge and I took out at 6:30 PM, right on time.

It was a memorial trip with a box of flies lost to the road, a broken fly rod. So, back to the tying bench and considering a new rod one that is six foot with the stiffness to roll cast a sink tip line… more to think about.

April: White Bass, white bass and walleye

Sean and I made plans last month to fish three days together for white bass in April. The weather was ideal with the streams down a little due to lack of rain. Bull Shoals has dropped seven feet from two weeks ago and now at 655 ft, ideal for wading. Our first evening of fishing took place below power site dam in the Pot Hole.

Wednesday April 11, 2012: The highlight was catching seven species of fish; a few walleye, small white bass, a couple largemouth bass, a number of crappie, a hand full of bluegill, two perch and a 24-inch drum. The white bass were small; the crappie may have been legal but without a tape measure to confirm the length decided to release them back to the lake. It was after 8 PM; the sun was down with Venus bright in the evening sky. The belt of Orin was in the western sky. At 8:15 PM, the first walleye was caught; it was small, probably near 15-inches and was released. The next cast took a larger walleye that was measured later that night to be 20-inches. Sean had on a large fish and we finally figured it out when we turned on a flashlight to ID the drum. We called it a night of fishing at 9 PM.

Thursday April 12, 2012: We had a short day to fish. I had to be back in Springfield before 5 PM. So we drove north to the Little Sac River near Morrisville. We parked at Taylor Bridge and took a canoe upstream to the power line hole. I fished below the power line hole with six fishermen above me fishing the S-curve; all catching white bass. We fished until 3 PM and caught just short a limit.

Friday April 13, 2012: The day was wet with thunderstorms in the surrounding area. The rain was light for most the day but the passing storms did provide some lightning. The white bass were not interested in our flies during the heavy rain and storm activity. After the second storm passed, the white bass calmed down and took our flies. Sean and I had a good afternoon of catching white bass with only a few other fishermen in the area. At 4:30 PM, I took Sean back to Taylor Bridge; he was to return to St. Louis.

Rod came in at 4:30 PM and we went back to fish earlier. There were several fishermen in the hole, but we found other places to catch a few more white bass. Rod released a 16-inch walleye, since it was after 6 PM. It was about this time we could hear thunder off in the distance and it was rumbling and we knew in a short time another storm would be over us. We moved downstream at sunset, and made our way back to Taylor Bridge after 8 PM. The thunderstorm was over us with intense lightning and thunder. Several ground to cloud lightning hit near us and we rowed our way downstream. As we lift the canoe to the rack on my truck, all HAIL broke loose with pea size hailstones, heavy rain and lightning. I made it home for a sandwich and cleaned fish until 11 PM. Saturday the stream came up and foot and Sunday the data indicated the stream rose five feet. Fishing will be good next week with a new run of fish moving up during this high water.

Wednesday April 18, 2012: I met Rod on the Little Sac River, we planned to meet at Taylor Bridge but I was late getting there after a drive from Bennett Spring State Park getting ready for the MTFA State Derby. Rod had walked upstream an hour later, I found him near a feeder creek. He loaded his gear into the canoe and we continued up stream. Days earlier the Little Sac was up five feet and it dropped as fast. The level was at 3.5 ft with a good flow. There were many local fishermen near Taylor Bridge with no one up stream in the power lone hole. We found a few white bass along the banks with Rod catching and releasing a channel catfish. The catching was better after sunset, one could see moving fish in the shallow waters. We managed to put a limit in a cooler.

Saturday April 21, 2012: I received a call from Rod at noon, he and Keith fished Friday night in the Pothole and did well catching many species of fish, including a number of 17-inch white bass, a few walleye with one over 22-inches. That was all the information I needed. That evening I returned to the Pothole before 6 PM. I caught a few small crappies on a smaller fly. It was nearly 7:30 PM and I put on a large streamer tied for walleye. I managed three for the evening with the largest measured 21-inches. The cold front moved in during the day and the night was cool, there was forecast of local freezing. Now it is beginning got feel like spring.

Sunday April 22, 2012: Rod and I decided to return to Bull Shoals. I decided to check out a spot Paul and I would visit in the spring for white bass. There was a good flow from Taneycomo and a current in Bull shoals all the way to Swan Creek. We fished above Swan Creek and managed a few large white bass, one measured over 17-inches. We moved at 7 PM to fish the Pothole at sunset. There were only a few people fishing the banks, the two boats left when we arrived. Rod found his spot and caught several species of fish; a smallmouth over 18-inches, four white bass over 16-inches, three short walleye, and a few small large-mouth bass. I caught a few small white bass before 8 PM and picked up two walleye after 8:30 PM, one was 20.5 inches. The night was pleasant with a thin crescent moon following the sun into the western sky. Rod and I called it a night of fishing at 9:30 PM. 

March: Bull Shoals, Beaver Creek, Swan Creek and more...

I had an opportunity to fish three evenings this week. For me, fishing the Pot Hole below Power Site Dam is my best option to possibly catching a trophy walleye. I know the area from the dam to Swan Creek and places to fish.

Friday, March 9, 2012: I drove to the east side of the Pot Hole late afternoon; a clear blue-sky day, a moderate wind with some riffles on the water. After parking the truck, I watched Harvey Ragsdale cast for a short time into the pool near the three trees. He drove down solo, wanting to see if the white bass were biting. We talked for a short time, before he decided to call it a day. I walked straight out from the point just above the three trees and found the gravel bar. A short time later, Ty Ingram drove in and we fished together until 7:30, before he decided to call it a night. He did release a bluegill over nine inches. I fished until 9 PM with one 14-inch large mouth returned to the water. There was no generation from the powerhouse with the wind blowing towards the dam. It made for a tough evening of fishing.

Saturday, March 10, 2012: I attended a meeting for the MTFA at Bennett Spring State Park, which started at noon. It was almost 3 PM, when I returned to Springfield. I returned to the Pot Hole, hoping for some current. Again, the powerhouse remained quiet. Warren Wilkerson and Joe Davis pulled in behind me on the east side of the Pot Hole on River Run. We walked out to the gravel bar and in a short time I hooked a 16-inch walleye, which was returned to the water. A short time later, I hooked and released a seven-inch bluegill.

It was after 8:30 PM; Warren and Joe were getting ready to leave. I caught up with them and we decided to check out Swan Creek. There was some talk that Swan Creek had a few white bass caught a few days earlier. We walked the high banks of Shadow Rock Park walking from the bend to the mouth of Swan Creek and saw no movement in the water. It was after 9 PM and we all called it a night.

Sunday, March 11, 2012: It was a persistent overcast day, with forecast made by NOAA for increase chances of rain and possible thunderstorms. It was after 2 PM, and I made the drive back to the Pot Hole. It started to rain hard when I turned off of Hwy 65 and made my way to Forsyth on Hwy 160. When I drove down River Run several vehicles were on their way home. I parked the truck and saw the last of them leave. There were several flashed of lightning with little or no wind, but the rain continued to fall. While sitting in the truck when I realized my raincoat was in Springfield; going through my fishing bag I found a $ 0.99 light plastic poncho for an emergency. It actually worked with my overcoat and hood staying dry in the torso area. I fished the east side until 5:30 PM and decided since there was not any water flowing, perhaps a lost cause. So, I decided to look at Silver Creek, just .25 miles downstream. I drove cautiously down the wet, muddy lane and parked on some gavel some distance from the water and walked in. Silver Creek was muddy with a slow flow into Bull Shoals. A little farther down the road, I came across a Ford four-wheel drive truck stuck in the mid with a family of three. They were working to get it out with winches and straps, progressing an inch at a time. I helped for an hour before getting the truck moving again. The waders were wet inside due to perspiration and covered in mud on the out side. I walked back to the truck and drove to Swan Creek. The waters around Shadow Rock Park were dirty with low flow; again no movement in the water. I worked the water from the bend to 160 bridge, catching a small line bass and watching a small white bass chase my fly. I left Swan Creek and checked out the waters 200 yards upstream from the mouth of Swan with no takes. It was 8:30 PM; I decided to try one more spot. I drove back to the Pot Hole and fished the west side. I left the truck near the sycamore tree and walked down to several spots Paul and I use to fish. I tied on a purple/orange buck-tail streamer. The powerhouse was starting to push some water through with the currents beginning to move. With a first cast I hooked a large fish, after a short fight brought it to shore and hit it with a flashlight. It was a large walleye; I dispatch it and continued to fish until 9:30 PM without another bite.

I left the Pot Hole and drove to the fish cleaning station to measure the walleye and to my surprise; it was 27.5 inches with a 15.5 girth. A calculation later at home determined it to weigh 9.2 lbs.

Two fishermen came to the cleaning station; they caught a few walleye and told of the MDC coming in Tuesday night to shock the waters for their annual survey. It is my feeling the fishing will only get better.

MARCH 15, 2012: Another day off with unseasonably warm weather, my plan was to fish all day if there was rain. Instead the day turned out mostly sunny. So, I worked in the yard until 4 PM and I rode down with Rod Pennington after 4:30 PM to fish the Pot Hole, since there was moving water from Table Rock Dam and the water was passing through Power site dam with the water level steady at 654 ft. We parked on the west side and worked our way towards the dam since there was a good current with the water moving towards the island. We caught an assortment of fish including; white bass, large-mouth bass, walleye and blue-gill.

The walleye was legal, since it measured 18.5 inches. Rod and I watched the western sky after sun set, two planets; Venus and Jupiter were in close proximity and very bright before following the path of the sun hours after sun set. We finished the night on the east side fishing in front of the three trees and caught another white bass. We called it a night at 10 PM.

MARCH 20, 2012: Rod and I left his house at 4 PM and returned to waters below Power Site Dam. The rain started when we arrived and parked on the east side of the Pothole before we began to fish. There were a few fishermen in the area, with more on the west side throwing their bait and sitting on buckets. There were a few claps of thunder as we fished. The water was flowing through the power house and over the top of the dam with Bull Shoal lake level at 654 ft and on the rise; the water did come up six inches while we fished, actually reaching rod’s vehicle after dark. We watched a fellow with an ultra-light spinning rod with a small gray jig take a limit of white bass. Rod found the white bass some time later, his largest white bass for the night measured eighteen inches. He took ten fish to the cleaning station.

Ty Ingram drove down thirty minutes after we arrived and fished with us for a short time. He reported some activity at Beaver Creek. Ty did take a twenty-inch walleye and a few white bass. Most people left after 7:30 PM, Rod and I continued to fish until 9 PM. I caught two walleye, one fish was 22-inches and the other was ten inches and released. I kept seven white bass several measured seventeen inches with the smaller white bass returned to the water.

On this night, we did see the MDC return with their boats and shocking equipment. They took the boat to the powerhouse and worked another boat along the west bank below the pothole. Last Tuesday night, they shocked the water for their annual survey. We stop and talk with Justin and other MDC personal about their activities and why they returned. We were told they needed more walleye eggs and they had some eggs in a bowl mixing with a turkey feather. These eggs will go to Chesapeake Fish Hatchery. As of this posting, Bull Shoals has come up five feet. The rivers and streams are up, many at flood level. The fishing will begin to get interesting, time to start looking for the this weekend.

March 25, 2012: I made a return trip to Bull Shoals and carried along my kayak. The water level has risen since my last trip seven ft with a lake level of 661 ft. (March 20,2012: 654 ft)

My how conditions change with some rain. I did look at Swan Creek and drove up stream from Shadow Rock Park to the bridge. Since, the bridge and road project a few years back very little cover for the fish. I am sure the white bass will migrate up Swan Creek in the evening only to return to the lake during the day.

I drove down River Run and parked the truck just above the waters edge, unloaded the kayak and made my way out into the moving water. Taneycomo has been up (a normal lake level of 700 ft) and now at 710 ft with all four generators going. This water will stay in Bull Shoals for the summer with a slow release in Arkansas through out the summer. Of course wee know it is capable to rise and other 33 ft if necessary, recall last year.

View from my kayak

I fished along the tree edge and picked up a few large mouth bass and a thirteen white bass. It was after 7:30 PM, the sun went behind the trees on the west bank and I position myself near the three trees throwing into the deeper water, it was near 8 PM and I took another large walleye, figured 7.5 lbs, 26 inches in length and a 15.5 inch girth.

I fished until 9:30 PM, broke off on the bottom and decided to call it a night. I will probably look at new water and will get out on Thursday.

February: Small Streams and Blue Ribbon waters

February 6, 2012: I decided to try another small creek for trout. The nearest trout stream to Springfield is Crane Creek, about thirty miles from my house. The stream is very small with gin clear water. Much of the stream is no more that 6-10 foot across; during the summer with little rain, a portion of it is a losing stream. I drove to Wire Road Access upstream from the town of Crane and walked the bank and path upstream 0.6 miles before see trout.

I used a 12 ft spey rod with fly short line (3 feet) and ten-foot leader; my intention was to reach with the rod to fish the waters for trout. Working my way upstream with a weighted fly, was not productive.

It was after 4 PM and I turned around and went back down stream, tied on a dry fly and dabbed it on broken water.

It finally scored three small rainbows. It was after 6 PM, I was walking back to the truck and saw a near full moon coming over the trees. This mild weather has been great, how much longer? It is almost time for walleye.

FEB 12, 2012: This was my final day to fish the Catch and Release season at a Missouri State Park. Rod and I returned to Bennett Spring S.P. There were 15 fishermen in Zone 1 as we drove from the dam to the spring. We saw fish activity in the handicap hole above the Holland Dam around the aquatic plants; trout were coming head out of the water for pupa. Upon closer inspection, we saw many white adult midges on the water as they emerged. We tried dry flies with a few trout willing to take them. Rod stayed in the area most of the afternoon. I worked my way upstream to the spring looking for trout along the edges.

The day was clear with a very bright sky. It remained cold with the guides on the fly rod freezing through out the day. I fished midstream and dropped a fly on both banks. I made it to the low-water bridge on river left. There was activity most of the afternoon with trout taking an occasional dry fly. I released a dozen from hand with Rod having an outstanding day. I will start to migrate south, to fish the Pothole for walleye and waiting for the return of white bass.

Feb 16, 2012: The catch and released reason for trout has ended at the state parks, for me this is a signal to look south and fish Bulls Shoals Lake. My target fish is walleye; I tie large buck-tail streamer flies and get serious to fish after sunset and fish into the night, and fishing to 10 PM. It is throwing an 8 Wt fly rod, with a large fly for distance with a slow strip retrieve. I became more serious for walleye after the passing of Paul Henry; we did not fish much after dark. He did tell of his adventures when he was younger and he had a few interesting tales fishing the Pothole. We did over the years find a few walleye during the day light hours fishing for white bass.

I returned to the Pothole, the lake level was 654, which is six feet higher than last year this time of the year. The day was bright, slight wind from the north with little effect on the lake. There was some generation moving through the power house. It was 2:30 PM and I decided to look at Swam Creek and then drive to Beaver Creek to get a look. I parked at Fisherman’s Nose and walked up stream to the bluff hole.

Much of area changed from the high water, the banks have been scoured, trees missing most of their branches and look dead. Beaver Creek was up 7 inches from the recent rains and had a good flow. I fished through bluff hole and moved down to fisherman’s nose. At 5 PM, I saw some shad moving on the surface. I fished until 6 PM without a strike, and retreated back to the Pot Hole.

The sun was down in the west across the Pothole, an eagle was perched in a dead tree just over my shoulder. I was able to a quick picture of it flying off.

I decided where to fish and moved into the area. My first and only fish on was at 7:30 PM, the fish came up, rolled like a walleye and I was leading it to a gravel bar. Before I could get the flash light out of my pocket, the fish released himself, all I could say was damn. It did fire me up and I fished until 9 PM. My schedule will allow me to fish next week.