April: White Bass, white bass and walleye

It is a pleasure when plans are made to fish and it all comes together without a hitch. Jim Scheve and I spent one day on the North Fork of the White River. Sean came down from St. Louis and fished with me for three days. My fifth day of fishing Rod Pennington spent the afternoon into night fishing the Pot Hole. The weather was near perfect, the lake and stream levels are predictable, the fish were plentiful and of quality size. April is the best month of the year to fish.


April 6: Jim Scheve and I left Springfield at 6 AM and took a drive down Hwy 60 going east. Our destination was the North Fork of the White River. We drove over Blair Bridge at 8 AM and stopped in to see Craig at Pettit’s canoe rental. The river was clear. It was low for this time of the year, the stream level was 2.85 ft and the flow at 600 cfs; it made for comfortable wading. The day was sunny with a strong wind blowing upstream most of the day. We landed 26 rainbow trout, with Jim catching a male over sixteen inches and had a break off.


On this day, no other people were seen on the river. It was a delight getting out, passing the day with the sounds of the river, wind passing through trees and birds calling out to each other. We finished the day at 6:30 PM and had the setting sun in view on our way back to Springfield. It was a good day.

April 7: Sean and I made a quick run to the Little Sac River to get a feel for the stream and to figure out where the white bass may be located. We had only a short time and had to leave the river by 3 PM since the MTFA club had a MSU class that evening. Stockton Lake level was 868.8 ft with the Little Sac River level at 3.1 ft, flowing at 180 cfs; It is very low for this time of the year. Sean caught and released two dozen white bass in a short time and we took three walleye home that afternoon. We left the river at 3 PM and made it to class on time. It would have been a great evening of fishing.

April 8: The next day Sean and I returned to the Little Sac River. There were very few people fishing, much less than expected, putting very little pressure on the fish with one canoe passing through and a boat leaving as we arrived at 1:30 PM. We found white bass in a short time and continued to pickup fish past the power line hole. I did fall into the stream, slipping on a muddy bank going into the stream and went in head first, not my first baptism and probably not my last. We figured 75 white bass released and two walleye released due to us leaving after 6 PM. It was a good day of catching fish. The Little Sac white bass spawn was in progress. The weekend was probably excellent fishing with all the fish moving into the stream from the lake.

April 9: Sean and I were invited to a fish fry by Norm Collison and his family at Kissee Mill park on Beaver Creek. We heard about all the fish on James River from Norm’s brothers. Every one caught limits of large white bass with a large number of boats and fishermen at Galena the night before. We ate lunch and bid farewell at 1:30 PM and looked at fishermen’s nose and slough hollow, fish were seen with fishermen tethered to full stingers of white bass. Beaver Creek was low and clear. The day was breezy, full sun and air temperature in the mid-eighties. I was sure evening would bring on a many fishermen and provide combat fishing if we stayed. We moved on and fished Bull Shoals Lake in an area above Swan Creek. In a short time we had people all around us with no hook ups. We decided to look at the Pot Hole. The fishing conditions were less than favorable; bright sun, no generation from the powerhouse and low water, the lake level was at 652 feet. The one and only advantage was a strong breeze from the west blowing over the dam chopping the water surface. Sean and I walked out to the gravel bar and threw across and caught nine walleye that afternoon, three of them save for the icebox.
I hooked a 24-inch carp that was released after a picture, a large-mouth bass was released.


Sean picked up a rainbow trout and several white bass. Dave Cook and Darrell from the Kansas City MTFA came over before sunset and fished with us. They came down from KC to fish the weekend for White Bass and night fish Taneycomo for trout. They were very satisfied with the number of trout caught at Taneycomo Friday night and again Saturday morning. Dave caught a few fish with Darrell having a time fighting and releasing a large drum. One never knows what can be found at the end of a line in the Pothole.

We caught several white bass over sixteen inches with the largest measuring 19-inches. We took a limit of white bass that were filleted and saved for the club fish fry in June. It was an unexpected good day to catch walleye and large white bass. We left the water at 9:30 PM


April 10: This is my fifth and final day for the long weekend of fishing. I picked up Rod at 1:30 PM. We decided to return to the Pothole and fish it into dark. The sky was overcast with threats of severe weather after 10 PM. This day had fewer people on the banks of the pothole with a few boats drifting close us as we fished. We found white bass and walleye in the same area as the day before. Rod landed a 19.5-inch walleye before sunset; this was his first walleye on a fly.

We picked up white bass throughout the evening and into dark. The horn blew at 6 PM and the water can up six inches. We marked the shore to monitor the lake level and continued to fish, finding a few white bass in the pocket water behind the gravel bar. It was a good night of fishing and a great five days of fishing. Warm water fishing can be quite productive, catching many different species of fish. I am very fond of walleye and learning more each time I fish for them.

wb we lm c t
- - - - 11 NF
14 3 1 - - LS
75 2 - - - LS
15 9 1 1 1 BS
19 2 - - - BS
123 16 2 1 12
30 7

April 14: There was time to fish before the MSU class. The closest water for white bass is the little Sac River. I packed the kayak and left Springfield before 11 AM. I paddled my way up stream to familiar and productive waters from recent trips. There were a few small male fish and I took a limit within a few hours. There was time to walk the stream banks and found a few moral mushrooms; sautéed mushrooms with fish. It does not get any better.

I left a little later than planned and had fish to clean. Back in Springfield, finished filleting the fish and made it to MSU on time. I did not have time to change clothes or clean up, the smell of fish was not over powering (for me) but a few comments were made of my presents.

April 19: Rod Pennington and I planned to fish the Little Sac. We watched the weather throughout the day. There were storms lining up in Kansas and Oklahoma with some severe weather forecasted to pass through the Ozarks in the afternoon. We decided to wait until evening and fish the Pothole instead. Rod, his son (Keith) and I left after 6 PM and slipped behind a 40,000 ft thunderhead making its way east along the Arkansas – Missouri border the pavement was wet and the backside of the storm was in view after sun set. There were tornado warnings given for Arkansas on our drive to Forsyth and later a warning for Tecumseh Mo. Our evening was calm with a few distant rumblings of thunder. The lake level was up a few feet when we arrived, there were 15-20 fishermen lining the banks and considerable signs of fish in the water. We fished the north side and caught a few white bass. It was not the number of fish we hoped for but it was a good night of fishing. We stayed until 9 PM and left to clean our fish.

4/28/2011: The MSU class went to Mountain spring near Highlandville for an evening of catching trout. The MSU class is an ongoing activity of the MTFA Springfield club. We have taught a PED 135 class for the past six years. It was suggested by past students that we teach landing big fish. Larry made the arrangements for us to meet at the pay-to-fish facility. The trout were large and gullible with many of the students hooking, landing trophy trout and getting a picture before releasing them back to the water.  It proved to be a success evening for the students.

4/30/2011: MSU class traveled to Roaring River state park. There was a significant rain a few days before the outing with the water up a foot and dirty. Earlier in the week there was some flooding in the camp areas with some areas still closed. Fishing was difficult due to high and dirty water. Both of the students fishing with me did find a few trout. A dry fly worked in shallow water and a wooly bugger worked in deep pools. It was a success day of fishing with catching somewhat challenging.

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

The Whistle Bridge in Slough Hollow water gauge 3.0 ft

March 8, 2011: There are days when fishing is tough; you’re not able to find a fish to catch and the keys to the truck are locked inside with a spare on its way from Springfield. This is a making of a fishing adventure.

Earlier that day, I called Ty Ingram to get a fishing report and decided to try Beaver Creek. It was late in the afternoon. I drove to fisherman’s nose access; a tree fell across the road and I had to drive around it in slippery mud. My heart raced a little with the spinning of the tires to get back on the gravel lane. All happened without getting stuck with the truck. Beaver Creek was at (3.1 ft) with a high water event (7.0 ft) six days before. More than likely the walleye eye moved up stream. I checked out the whistle bridge in Slough Hollow and decided to fish around the bend and into the broken water below the rocks.

As I was getting into waders, watching the water for movement, hoping to see a fish; I shut the doors to the truck and then realized the keys were in the ignition. The spare key was with Ann in Springfield. Lucky for me, the phone was in my pocket. I called her for help. Ann answered the phone and I explained my dilemma. Ann was not happy, she went on line with the computer to look for Pop-a-lock or any one in the Kissee Mill area to solve the problem. She did not find a service, and concluded an unplanned trip to Beaver Creek was coming. Deep in thought, and going out the door. Ann locked her keys in the house. The spare key was given to Julie a friend who occasionally watches our cats when we are away. Ann called Julie and she came to our house to let Ann in to get her keys. Ann figured this was God’s way to humble her to her thoughts and my situation.

Julie asked to join Ann, so they stopped in Branson for dinner and rescued me at 8:30 PM. I fished from the bend at fishermen’s nose to the water across the whistle bridge. I did not hook up and see any fish. Again, it would probably be wise to kayak this area to get an idea to the structure and look for fish in the holes.

After, I sharing Ann’s keys and unlocking the truck. Julie and Ann returned to Springfield. I stopped at Shadow Rock Park in Forsyth to survey Swan Creek. There were fish moving with a fish near my feet as I began to cast a line. I did see walleye moving behind me while fishing the gravel at the mouth of the creek. The lighting is almost too much, with the sodium and mercury streetlights burning bright in the area. I was able to see walleye porpoise out of the water. Bull Shoals was up from my last trip; the lake level was 649.4 ft.

I fished until 10:30 PM. My next trip will be Sunday afternoon into the night.

The Whistle Bridge with low water 2,5 ft 3/13/11

March 13, 2011: Made my third trip to Bull Shoals. There was some rain on the drive from Springfield. The lake level was 650 ft; up a little from the last trip with some passing water through the powerhouse: a good current was flowing in the pothole. I did not see any fish moving the surface. A bald eagle did pass over going down stream and 15 minutes later returning passing over the dam on he way back to Lake Taneycomo. I did not catch a fish out of the pothole but a saw a few fishermen catch pan fish. The generation stop an hour later, and it seemed everyone jumped in their vehicles and left. I followed a short time later and drove to Beaver Creek.

The phone gave an alert for a severe thunderstorm warning for Lawrence County. The sky was overcast with a little rain. Beaver Creek was at 2.5 ft, down from last Tuesday (3.2 ft) and clear. One could see most of the bottom of the creek at the whistle bridge. I walked up the creek where I know a safe crossing and fished the other side. I walked the bank for about a mile. After sunset, the air cooled with a cold front moving in a few flashes of lightning was seen.

My first White bass of 2011

There were at least twenty fishermen below the maiden hole. I managed to catch six white bass will all but one small. They were caught in a span of an hour. I fished until 8:30 PM before retracing my steps back to the truck, which was parked at the Whistle Bridge. There was lightning in the area and I made a few phone called to get a computer up to possible cells in the area. After, getting an all clear, I drove to Swan Creek to finish the night of fishing. Last trip, I saw a few walleye moving in the shallow water. On the night I saw nothing. There was a boat half way to the dam from Swan Creek with extremely bight lights, I am curious to know if that was the MDC doing their annual survey and capture of ripe walleye for the hatchery?

I fished until 10 PM and called it a night, will return on Friday.

Twenty fishermen set up below maiden Hole

Note: Beaver Creek came up 3 ft 3/14/11 to 5.5 ft. It is on the fall as of this morning 3/15/11 10 AM.

March 18, 2011: I made a trip back to the Pot Hole. With an early run of white bass, I assumed the James River and Beaver Creek would be saturated with boats and bank fishermen. The Pot Hole had a few fishermen with a minimum generation flowing through the powerhouse. The lake was at 650 ft. The day was overcast, temperatures in the mid-fifties and a strong north wind that calmed after sunset. The moon was not visible but you could see some light coming through the cloud cover.

The three tree hole at 650 ft 3/18/11

I packed the kayak on the truck with intentions to search the water near Silver Creek. Most of the gravel is under water, a hazard for powerboats and waders if the water comes up too fast. I hooked three walleye with the largest measuring 23-inches. The other was 18.5 inches and a returned fish 17.5 inches.

Hope to get back next Friday.

Powersite Dam at 650 ft, no generation... Paul would say move on

March 25, 2011: Again I packed the kayak and returned to Bull Shoals. There was no water coming through the powerhouse in the afternoon with the lake level at 650 ft. The area below the dam did not look fishy. There were a two boats running in the skinny water. I decided to try the old boat dock area. Paul always made a point to give this area a try in the springtime. I unloaded the kayak and made it ready for a trip up the lake. After covering this water with a buck-tail streamer for an hour, watching six boats moving about without any action and observing some action on the surface. I decided it was time to move up the lake and fish below Silver Creek. There were fewer boats in this area with several groups of people moving in and out from the water near Silver creek. I fished until 9 PM before packing up and cleaning a few fish. I managed a pair of walleye and a few white bass. The largest walleye was a spawned out female taped at 27-inched.

This walleye measured 27-inches, a spawned out female

March 31, 2011: Sometimes you have to make changes to fit in several activities. Early spring fish is best in the evening, the water being the warmest, failing light provides cover for fish, allowing them to move and feed. With the day off I wanted to fish the evening, but had committed time to the MSU class from 6-10 PM. So, I decided to fish sunrise. I woke at 3 AM after working several hours before, made a pot of coffee and on the rode before 4 AM. The kayak was set into the water and I made a trip to the spot were fishing had been good. The Pot Hole was up (about 2 feet) with a level of 652 ft. I found the spot and started to work the water. The horn from the powerhouse sounded at 6 AM, with moving water a short time later. It was all coming together for a good morning of fishing. A little later, a flashlight was seen coming down the trail from above and it came down the trail to where I was fishing. I turned on my light to let my presence be known and this individual continued to move my way. He stepped over my kayak, passed behind me and sat a bucket within rods length. It was still dark. I made a comment to the new arrival that I was fly-fishing and I feared for his safety, since he was sitting in the path of my back cast. He moved a short distance. He proceeded to fish for the next couple of hours, watched me cast and wanted to talk about fishing. I am not a social fisherman and usually like to move and cover water. In the dark one is confined to how far one can see. So, I had only a limited area to fish. Needless to say, I did not hook up, with the higher water maybe the fish moved, too many lines in the water, who knows. Later that morning when I returned to the truck to pack up and leave I saw activity on the surface from gizzard shad and wonder if the walleye and whites have enough water for cover and were feeding on these bait fish. Next time maybe, with the next trip Wednesday to the North Fork and then four days chasing white bass.

February: The end of Winter Catch and Release

Feb 7, 2011: Bennett Spring State Park had a little more snow than Springfield (more than a foot). The Red-tail hawk made his rounds. No eagles, turkeys or deer; they must be hunkering down. The wind was blowing up stream, which is a challenge. Some mayflies were coming off, but the size of the hatch has diminished in numbers. I saw the typical BWO and some different mayflies, same size but different colors. Some light colored midges almost #16 seen on the surface

The first hour near the dam was good and caught a few along the edges working my way up stream. After 2 PM, hooking a trout was tough. It was a good day of 15-20 trout.

The wind was raw and I had to keep the hands covered in mittens most of the afternoon. No other fishermen in sight, I did see a fisherman walking towards his car after the horn blew, he was below the dam.

Not many tracks of fishermen in the snow above the dam, I did see Rod tracks from his trip on Sunday. He had a very good day on the water.

One more trip, plan to fish one day next weekend.

Feb 13,2011: It is not often that one can witness such a seasonal change. That is what happened this weekend with the ground covered with a foot of snow and ice from recent snowstorms, followed by cold arctic high pressure that left most of the Midwest in subfreezing temperatures for past ten days.

This past weekend, the temperatures climbed into the sixties. The snow covered hills and pastures in the morning had all but disappeared with the spring like day full of sun, warm breezes and people flocking to the park for the final days of catch and release trout fishing at Bennett Spring State Park.

Rod and I arrived the park at 11 AM, and had a difficult time figuring out where to fish due to the number of fishermen. We finally slipped in the area above the dam and were able to work up stream. The bright sun on the water made it difficult to see trout and the shadows from the birds flying over, fly line on the surface and fishermen rambling about put the trout on alert.
The MDC left the aquatic plants in the stream and did not cut them until after the catch and release season. The plants were the places for the hatching activity through out the winter.

Needless to say, Rod managed seventeen trout and I released fifteen. For me I considered these numbers good with sun and moving fishermen.

This will be my last trip to Bennett to fish for a while. March 1 will start soon with more fishermen and the sense of serenity fishing the winter catch and release season will vanish.
My next trip will be the Pot Hole waiting for the walleye.

Feb 28, 2011: My first trip to the Pot Hole since last April, it is amazing how much it has changed. The lake level was 648 ft in the tail-waters below power-site dam and no current. Last year, I fished it out of a Kayak and noted a level around 660 ft. A difference of 12 ft. The holes I fished are now a gravel bars and dry with the lake, Bull Shoals low and clear. I did not start to fish until sun set and waded some distance. There was no shad activity or fishing breaking water. I found the bottom several times losing flies to the sharp rocks on the bottom. I eventually tied on a 12 lb leader to prevent quick break-offs and abused the fly hitting the rocks. Needless to say, no takes, spent the evening watching lightning moving in from the west. I have some ideas where the fish may lie, need to take a kayak trip to cover more water during the day to figure out a few things and note new structure in the water.

January: New Year at the State Parks

My plans for the weekend changed several times. I had considered camping with Kevin Smith Saturday night at Montauk State Park. He had a change in mind and went to Table Rock Lake State Park to fish Taneycomo and some of the small creeks around Branson. With Kevin’s new destination, I considered going down to fish Taneycomo after work Friday night. Then I saw the weather forecast, temperatures falling below twenty degrees after midnight to early Saturday morning; too cold to night fish.
Kevin had to leave his campsite Friday morning due to tornado warnings and torrential rains.

He gave an account of his trip in his blog: flywatersedge.blogspot.com

So, I decided to return to Bennett Spring. The day was cool but remained above freezing for the afternoon. The day was bright as the high-pressure wave moved through the Ozarks. I started below the stone bridge and worked my way upstream. There was a significant midge and BWO mayfly hatch. The catching was steady throughout the afternoon with fourteen to hand and released. Two eagles were spotted, with a dozen deer seen at three different locations and a rafter of turkeys were seen in a field off of HWY 65. Hope to fish Montauk next week with Rod.


JAN 8, 2011: Ann was invited to make a trip to Michigan with Jenn, Desmond, Sean and Sarah, spending time with my parents. I was not able to find more days off from work. So, I stayed home with the cats. I had the weekend off and went fishing. On Saturday, Rod Pennington and I drove to Montauk State Park to spend the day trout fishing. When we arrive the park, I gave him a tour since this was his first visit to Montauk. There was a light snow flurry, with an overcastted sky that left ice in our guides most of the day. There were a dozen fishermen seen throughout the day. We fished zone 1 working our way upstream with dry flies. We found a few cooperative trout, taking fifteen rainbows with caddis patterns, a # 16 Adam dry flies. One eagle did fly over-head midday. Late afternoon, a fog formed over the spring creek and we finished the day at the spring. Rod seemed to enjoy the day, and his first fishing trip to Montauk.

We ate the park lodge that evening, they have winter hours serving hot meals with a few cabins open for the winter catch and release season.

JAN 9, 2011: Every once and a while you are given a day of fishing in which everything comes together: a overcastted day with a variable wind, a great hatch of mayflies and midges, and best of all, many trout actively taking a dry fly for three hours. The day remained sub-freezing with ice forming in my guides the entire day.
When I arrived the park, I saw two fellows at the outlet in zone two, a fisherman at the handicap hole; a total of four fishermen in the water for the day. I fished from the dam in zone 1, working my way upstream. I found an eagle perched in a sycamore across the handicap access ramps when I was getting ready to jump into the waders. So, I took the camera down to the waters edge to get a few photos.

I was in the water at 11 AM; the trout were forming rings as far as the eye could see. There were no other fishermen in sight, the trout were not alarmed, and they were on the hunt for insects on the surface.

The first three hours was bliss, taking trout was easy, spot one taking an insect and drop a dry fly in front of him, set the hook, over and over and over. I caught and released trout without counting; a pair of eagles would periodically fly overhead. A beaver was spotted in the water near the opposite bank; fresh signs seen below the Holland dam. this fishing at its best. I did see four deer and turkey while driving. It was a great weekend to be out and enjoying our state parks.



JAN 16, 2011: The weather turned out better that predicted, with a mild NW wind, freezing temperatures and high cloud cover with occasional sunshine. There were fifteen to twenty fishermen fishing the spring waters from the spring to the
Whistle Bridge. Rod and I fished in zone 1 above the dam. Rod fished a favorite spot he discovered many years ago and had success pulling one trout after another on a dry fly.

I repeated the same trek as past trips fishing upstream from the dam, wading around the deep holes throwing a dry fly to the weeds. The trout were taking top water with midges and Baetis mayflies emerging most of the afternoon. Rod and I released a total of forty plus trout for the day. The eagles flew over high in the sky; they did not perch near the water’s edge this afternoon. A red tail hawk sat on a branch across from me the on the right bank.


He flew off to pick up some weeds near the hatchery and spent twenty minutes picking through it looking for a tasty morsel. I took a few photos, with only the hindquarters in view. I was not able to get a good frontal picture. Rod and I fished to 4 PM. We saw a few deer along the roadside on our trip to Springfield. My next trip will be Friday with a high of 26°F predicted as a high. It should be a quite time at Bennett Spring.




Again, I return to Bennett Spring. The weather was predicted to be very cold after a winter storm passes through on Wednesday. I-44 was clear with the country roads still covered with ice and snow; the maximum driving speed was 40 mpr. It was after 11 AM when I drove into the park. The day was overcast and warmer than expected. There were a few cars passing through the park with no one stopping to fish the water. I stopped at the bathroom facility near the Holland dam and put on the waders; it is dry with a bench. I drove back to the dam and parked the truck in view of the river cam.

The spring creek was very active; a hatch of midges and mayflies were coming off with trout dimpling the water in all directions. I recorded action on video. I slipped quietly into the water above the dam and worked my way upstream like the previous trips. The trout were not picky taking my fly again and again, with a rate of 10-12 trout an hour. Most of the trout were normal in size with a few near fifteen inches. The time between noon and 3 PM was very active with the final hour, no hatches and the trout resting.

I did see an eagle upstream of me; it perched on a Sycamore limb over the water for an hour. A Red-tail hawk flew in and sat above for a few minutes; I was able to get a good photo of him looking at me.

Paul would say, you only get a few memorial days of fishing each year, I have had several for 2011 and it’s only January with three more weekends left. It is enough to return again and again…. Tight lines kds

December: Finally Back to the Water

I have not fished since my return from Alaska; it has been eight weeks. Where does time fly? I have been working on a project at work, with several ongoing chores around the house and then there is the birth of Desmond. This is Jennifer first child and our first grandchild. My days off have been filled with activities and traveling to places other than a fishing destination.

DEC 5, 2010: I finally found a day and arranged a trip with Kevin Smith. We found out and were given a tip from another club member (Dan Ditzler) of a recent stocking of rainbow trout on Capps Creek I followed Kevin to Jolly Mill where we started our day before noon. The sky was clear, with cool air with a high in the mid-thirties; there was ice in our guides for most of the day. We did find small trout near the bridge; actually the trout were in the four-five inch range. I plan to talk with the MDC biologist to get an idea to the planting Strategy for Capps Creek. Kevin caught a respectable trout below the bridge. We made a move late afternoon and drove to an access downstream. We found a few holes and found a few fish larger in size. Overall, it was a satisfying day of fishing

DEC 10, 2010: I made a trip to Bennett Spring. The day was full of sun with a light wind. The high temperature was in the high forties. I took some time in the morning before the drive to tie a few flies. I went back to the #20 BWO hoping for the Family Baetidae (Blue-Winged Olives) to hatch late morning or noon. I drove into the park before 11 AM, with a moderate winter crowd. The area, zone one above the dam had only a few people in the places I wanted to fish. The hatch was light; there were a few BWO in the air. They did not spend much time on the surface. The midge hatch was more significant with swarms seen throughout the day. There were many trout seen in the water with a few willing to take a random dry fly. A pair if bald eagles flew over me at 3:30 PM, waiting for 4 PM for the departure of the fishermen, leaving the stream to them to fish. On the drive back to Springfield saw eight deer in a field off of I-44.


DEC 17, 2010: This would be my last fishing trip for the year. A cold, cloudy and winding day at Bennett Spring State Park; the wind was blowing up stream, making it difficult to fool the fish with the downstream drift. There was a light crowd and for the most part, no one fished within 50 yards of me. The ice formed in my guides most of the day, with a quick dip of the rod in the spring creek to free the line. I had hoped to hook a bunch of trout, but my #20 BWO was not the fly to fool many trout. I managed 15+ with most of the trout taken below the stone bridge with a #14 Adams dry fly drifting the right bank late afternoon.

There is progress on the new hatchery building, with the exterior almost finished and the roof shingled. I spoke the Mike Mitchell; he hoped to have the project fished by May of this year. He will be a guest speaker at the MTFA club meeting next year to give an update,

September: Returning to Alaska

This was my second trip to Alaska. I am amazed how remote most people live and how majestic the mountains of Alaska are from several thousand feet above, as we fly over Alaska. Rod made the phone calls and did a tremendous job planning the trip for the six of us. Our group of six with Rod taking his son, Keith: Jim taking his two sons, Jake and Jessie. We left Springfield Friday late morning on a flight to Dallas, then on to Anchorage. We arrived Kodiak Island and the city of Kodiak at 11 PM. Doyle met us at the airport and dropped us off at the Best Western. Our plans were to met Kerry at the Marina and spend Saturday on the salt-water deep-sea fishing for halibut, Cod and Rockfish. We checked in and found our rooms and asleep before midnight Kodiak time.

Sept 18, 2010 Saturday

We woke early and had breakfast at our motel before walking across the street to the marina finding Moon Shadow and her captain, Kerry.


This was to be our boat for the day. The trip was arranged by Rod with Doyle. The weather was fair with calm seas that had enough wind to create a surface chop favoring good fishing. Kerry took us out of the harbor to fish the northeast section of the island near whale pass. The trip was one and half-hours to the spot Kerry had in mind. When he passed over the spot he said there were a bunch of fish on radar. He set the anchor and we dropped our lines. We were catching Pacific Gray Cod at the get go. All of us were pulling in cod one after the other. Over the coarse of three hours, the cod were getting bigger and the halibut started to move in. Each of us is allowed two halibut for our daily limit. It was afternoon with the clock near 1 PM. We had our limit of halibut and an undetermined number of cod. Kerry decided to pull up and head to the area he knew for Rockfish. Needless to say, Kerry was right on again, with a limit of Rockfish (10) each caught in a short time. We had plenty of time to take a tour of the island, with a pass by the WWII bunkers on the south side of the island, a trip into a cove to watch hundreds of sea lions resting on the shore and a cruise through the marina looking at the boats, fishing boats and the large crab ships.
Photo by Rod

Kerry stopped at the processing plant to drop off the catch. They estimated a gross weight of our catch to be nine hundred pounds. The final processed weight and the salt-water fish weight that was boxed and paid for was 308 pounds. We returned to the dock, moored the boat and called it a day of fishing. We walked around the city and dined at the Powerhouse Restaurant near the bridge. After diner, we returned to the motel to watch some College football before turning in for the night.

Sept 19, 2010

We woke at 7 AM and had breakfast in the Best Western. It was overcast with fog over the island. Doyle met us at 9 AM and shuttled us to the air facility on the water.


Bill took us two at a time by airplane to Saltery Lake lodge; it was approximately thirty-five miles by road and trail. The round trip travel time was forty-five minutes. Jim and Jessie was the first to go with Jake and me going the second trip, Rod and Keith flew last. There were some concerns due to the low ceiling and fog over the island. Bill flew us along the coast of the island to the cove and estuary where the Saltery River flows into the sea and up the valley to the lodge. It was a longer trip but considerably safer and a higher ceiling. We were all in camp by noon. I was greeted by a pair of eagles perched on a branch above the cabin.


A little later a bear was seen in front of the cabin along the shore of the lake.


The rest of the party arrived before lunch with a total of ten clients for the week. The returning guides were Joe and Matt with Geoff guiding his first year at the lodge. We had lunch at 1 PM with everyone providing an introduction before our meal.

After lunch, Joe and Matt took us down to the estuary to fish. We saw golden and bald eagles, a herd of buffalo and a wild horse.


There were approximately seventy harbor seals in the salt water watching us from some exposed rocks off shore. Our presents caused quite a stir with many of the seals taking to the water and swimming towards us. If you look in the back ground behind Jim you will see their heads.


We stood in the water past the first trough throwing back to shore hoping to find a cruising salmon. The seals broke through our lines and were chasing the salmon along the shore. I managed a small jack salmon on a Clouser minnow pattern in the salt.

Jake and I stayed at the estuary with Joe with the others going back to the lake to fish the river near the lake and lodge. We saw a few pods of salmon moving up the river from the bay, but I only managed to spook the fish with my attempts to get the fly in front of the cruising fish. We called it a day at 5:30 PM and returned to the lodge.

Rod caught two silvers in the lower hole; Jim caught a Silver Salmon with Keith and Jessie losing two salmon to long line releases.
Photo by Rod

The highlight of the day was Dennis, a member of the Arizona group, discharging his revolver and scorching the tip of his thumb from the powder flash. It burnt and tore tissue from the tip of his thumb; it required a special airplane ride back to the city of Kodiak to get a tetanus shot and a single stitch to attach the flap. The situation was as a bear approached; he pulled the revolver from the hoister when he felt threatened by the approaching bear. He wanted to scare it off and he did, with a scar on his thumb to remind him of the encounter.

Another fellow had a fish on and was walking backwards only to trip and fall into the lake, filling his waders with a full emersion to begin his life as an Alaskan fisherman.

We had a fine dinner of corn beef, scallop potatoes and green beans. After supper we went back to the lake, saw a bear near the mouth of Lake Creek. We fished and caught char, Dolly Varden and snagged a few sockeye near the mouth of Lake Creek. There had been little rain recently over the island and the mouth of Lake Creek was gravel choked. There was water percolating through the gravel where the sockeye grouped together waiting for a rain to raise the creek and allowing them to pass and proceeding up stream to spawn.

Sept 20 Monday

Breakfast was at 7 AM. The weather remains mild with a high in the upper fifties and an overcast sky. There were a few showers through out the day with no significant acumination. We saw bears after breakfast near the mouth of Lake Creek. We fished near the lodge using streamers; egg sucking leeches hoping to find a Silver Salmon. After a few hours, most of the group went with egg patterns and glow balls to catch Dolly Varden. Several of us caught sockeye. Jake was the only one to catch a Silver Salmon. Keith found the best fishing spot; it was the dock in front of the lodge. He caught a plethora of Dolly Varden and char. Several of the Dolly Varden went over twenty inches. The afternoon provided us with several close encounters with bears. There were at least four bears in the area. After supper, Keith went back to the dock and continued to pick-up dolly and char. He had a good day of fishing.
Photo by Rod


Sept 21 Tuesday

It rained over the night, probably less that 0.10 of an inch. The day remained overcast with psoriatic light rain through out the day. Our group stayed on the lake with the silvers refusing our flies in the lake. The dolly varden continue to keep us busy when using egg patterns or a dry fly. The other group went to the upper and lower holes of Saltery River and caught seven silvers. After lunch, Matt and Joe took us to Rough Creek. Joe, Jim, Jake and Jessie went ahead and up stream of us and caught on 12 lb sliver salmon that was released with several salmon missed. In addition, they caught a Pink Salmon and Jack salmon. They saw Murry in the middle of the river while driving the trails in the lower Saltery River section. Murry is the alpha bear going over 900 lbs. and broad enough to take up the entire creek bank to bank.We saw Chum Salmon in the deeper pockets; most of these fish are in the final stages of life.

We saw many eagles in the estuary with four seen together in the trees perched. Since we had little luck fishing Rough Creek and with an hour to go we returned to Saltery River and fished the lower hole. Keith snagged a pair of Silver salmon that finally worked lose. The river was very low and clear with many sockeye salmon in their final stage of life and about to finishing their spawning activity. With the low water, only a few Silver Salmon have moved up river with many probably remaining the bay waiting for a rise in the river. Joe reported after 5:30 PM, he saw several salmon moving up the river; maybe tomorrow will be a better day of fishing.

Sept 22, 2010 Wednesday

Again the day was overcastted with the temperatures in the mid-fifties. Our group went to Rough Creek to fish. Joe felt it was the best place to fish with a low tide passing with a surge of salt water moving in from the bay. On our drive in we saw buffalo and took a few pictures. Keith picked up a Jack Salmon ***

We fished the structure near the mouth of the creek. Joe said the tide would rise eight feet. The idea was the silvers would run upstream during the high tide with the seals pushing them in from the salt. There were a few silvers in the deep cut outs along the bank and behind structure. Rod and I caught a Chum Salmon in the morning session. We stopped for lunch. I did see a Sow with two cubs in the lower section of Saltery River. After Lunch, Joe took Keith and me back to Rough Creek. Rod, Jim, Jake and Jessie stayed back to fish the lake. They reported the rain was enough to start a continuous flow of water in Lake Creek and deep enough to move the sockeye up into the tributary. We fished until 6 PM, Keith caught a Pink Salmon and I managed a large Dolly Varden and a Chum Salmon. Bill and Doyle flew in to deliver supplies and then stayed for dinner. They left after supper leaving before dark.

Sept 23, 2010 Thursday
Photo by Rod

The days continue to be overcast with a few showers. The temperatures remain in the fifties with the wind picking up through out the day. Joe and Matt took us to Rough Creek. The low tide was early in the morning with an incoming tide. Joe took Jim, Jake and Jessie up stream. Jessie hooked and landed a Silver Salmon. Matt stayed with us in the lowest stretch. There were a few fish moving out of the salt into the fast waters of Rough Creek. They moved into the pools but did not bite. Keith hooked a Pink salmon and snagged a Chum Salmon in a location upstream. We did not see buffalo this day with numerous eagles in the surrounding trees. We left Rough Creek at 11:30 AM and returned to camp. The bears (Thelma and Louise) were fishing at the mouth of Lake Creek. They would run the gravel bank and jump into the lake where the Sockeye Salmon had grouped together. After the recent rains, Lake Creek is starting to rise with insufficient flow to move the salmon upstream at this time. These salmon are and will continue to be easily targets for the bears. This area is a magnet for bald eagles, golden eagles and other birds. We had Rockfish for lunch, the meal was outstanding. After lunch, we watched bears in Lake Creek. Joe took Jessie on a bear outing with camera in hand to get up and personal with the bears. There were some great photos of this trip.
Photo by Rod

Jake and I went back to the water, I fished the lake and Jake went to the first hole. He said the water was full of Silver Salmon. I managed to catch a silver salmon and it was hooked deep. I wanted to release it, but with all of the blood and the fish would not have survived. It was taken with Jay good enough to claim the fish. Rod, Jake and Rod had a good time in the river with many fish moving up and into the deep pockets. Each had three or more hookups. A change of weather late afternoon with a steady rain and twenty-five-mpr wind. The low rain clouds blanketing the mountains provided some picturesque Alaskan scenery. We called it a day of fishing at six. The bears played at the mouth lake Creek all afternoon with Nathan yelling at the bears when they decided to chew on the ropes tying the boat to the anchors. Just before dinner, I walked up to check the bears and my cap blew off and landed in the lake. It was too deep to wade. So, I went back to the cabin fetched my fly rod and returned to the lake. I tied on a popper since it had a large hook and started to cast to the cap. After several attempts, found the point to the cap and retrieved the cap. The best catch of the day for me. It is after 9 pm and the rain continues to fall. I am sure tomorrow will be a good day to catch fish; we will see some changes to the weather and water conditions.

September, 24, 2010 Friday
Photo by Rod

There was some clearing in the sky as a high pressure moved in with high winds. The wind gusts were forecasted to exceed 60 MPR. We saw sunshine mid-morning for the first time this week. Joe took Rod, Keith and Jake to Lake Creek to fish for Dolly Varden. Lake Creek was knee deep with enough water to move the Sockeye Salmon upstream. Jim and Jessie fished the upper hole near the lake. I walked down to the lower hole. Jay fished with me and we saw plenty of fish moving into the waters in front of us. The river was up a little, maybe six inches with some color to the water. It had rained short of an inch over night. Jay and I each hooked several Silver Salmon and large Dolly Varden, some measuring over twenty inches. The sun was shining low in the sky with passing cloud, creating a rainbow over bread Loaf Mountain. We broke for lunch at 12:30. Joe reported Lake Creek provided some excellent encounters with bear. The bears moved down from the near by mountains with the rising waters to find the salmon in shallow waters. One of the encounters had Jake was a bear within fifteen feet. Jake said, “Joe told him not to move and keep taking pictures”. They had good success catching Dolly Varden. After Lunch, we all returned to Saltery River and fished the lower hole. The water had cleared and there was sunshine on the water with little or no shade. The salmon were visible in the deeper water, which held many fish. The Silver Salmon were not very cooperative with the bright sun putting them down. We managed to catch a few large Dolly Varden and a few snagged Cohoes, which came off during the battles.

I decided to return to the lake. The wind was blustery and became fiercer throughout the day. The lake was rough with white-capped waves moving to the west end of the lake. I walked the lower and shallower section of the lake to get to the opposite shore. The gust at time would challenge my ability to stand. I was able to fish; the wind was from a favorable direction on my left side and allowing for easy casting. I was able to roll cast the fly out to the fish. I managed to hook, catch and release four Silver Salmon and one large Dolly Varden. I did shoot some video of the conditions and uploaded it on YouTube.

The wind blew all afternoon and into the night. We quit fishing at 6 PM with Joe looking on from the opposite bank. I made my way back to the opposite shore and walked back to the lodge.

This would be the end of our 2010 fishing experience on Kodiak Island. We all caught Silver salmon and had many bear encounters with golden eagles and bald eagles in view most of the day near the mouth of Lake Creek.

That evening we had a fine dinner and sat in the lodge until 9:30 PM talking of the week and other stories. There was news of another weather front moving over night and if Bill did not show up with his airplane before 10 AM, we were to start driving out over the eighteen-mile trail to American Highway.

September 26 Saturday

The sky was overcastted with a light rain, the wind continued to blow, with white caps on the lake. We packed our gear and waited until 10 AM with Bill not able to fly. We packed the suburbans and started our drive out at 10:25 AM.


The road (trail) was very rough with several sections of the road washed out from last year’s floods. There were times our trip was over dry riverbed and over almost impassible terrain. The trip took 2.5 hours with a few pit stops and delays from ATV driving in and having to find a way to pass. We met Bill and Doyle at the American Highway. The gear was transferred to their vehicles with our first stop dropping Doc and Jay off at the airport. We left our gear and stopped at the processing plant to pay for and get our fish. Our flight from Kodiak to Anchorage was at 8 PM. We took and taxi back to town and ate at Henry’s Restaurant before returning to the airport for our flight. We took the red eye out of Anchorage to Chicago be fore arriving Springfield Sunday morning at 11 AM. It was a great trip and would recommend the same adventure to anyone wanting to see wide-open spaces with a small fingerprint of man.
Photo by Rod


The You Tube video of Alaska can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkUZ8wPryU4

August: Still Hot in Missouri

August 14, 2010: Rod wanted to know where the best place to fish in August. I could only suggest Taneycomo at night and early morning, but the trip was canceled due to a round the clock generation as a result of the hot weather and a demand for more power. We decided on Montauk that 11 PM that night and ruled out Taneycomo. I arrived at Rod’s residence in Rogersville at 6 AM. The house was dark with no movement on the grounds; I finally realized Rod wanted to meet at his office in Springfield. I did not arrive his office until 6:20 AM.

Rod invited Ryan, who is with Lincoln Financial. Ryan is from Fort Wayne IN and does bass fish but has not been out to fly fish. So, Rod invited Ryan to introduce him to fly-fishing. So, we were late getting started and it was decided to fish Bennett Spring State Park. It was after 7:30 AM when we arrived; the park was very crowded being the final weekend before back to school for most students. We delayed our fishing in the park and drove to Bennett Spring access downstream from the park on the Niangua. It was before the weekend canoe hatch with fifty to seventy-five canoes at the water’s edge ready to be launched. We had an hour with plenty of space for Ryan to practice his casting. There were a few small long-ear sunfish splashing and a few taking our flies. A short time later the wave of canoes and rafts started and we decided to go upstream and fish above the low water bridge at Moon Valley access.


We found the fishing to be better at Moon Valley with long-ear sunfish willing to take our flies. Pictured below is Ryan with a pair of boots he borrowed from Rod’s son at fell apart at the seams.


The day was clear, with a bright hot sun. At noon, the temperature was past ninety degrees and it was getting to be very uncomfortable. We decided to return to Bennett Spring State Park, have lunch and finish the day on the cool spring creek waters.

After lunch, Rod and Ryan fished below the dam in Zone 2. I went down stream farther and worked my way upstream looking for trout taking dry flies. The best trout for me on this day was a 15 inch brown trout taking a #20 BWO. I manage eight. Rod had more success stripping a wooly between the dam and the stone bridge by releasing a dozen rainbow trout. Ryan did have a good time and his casting improved the longer he fished. Rod provided more ideas and tips on getting started with equipment and essentials to fly-fishing.

We called it a day by 7 PM and returned to Springfield with a few turkeys seen on the way home.


AUG 18-19: I was to meet Jim and Linda Scheve at Montauk State Park. I made a stop in Rolla for a meeting at Phelps CO hospital for a work related visit in the morning. It was noon when I found Jim and Linda under a shade tree preparing lunch. We had made arrangements to stay the night in Cabin #7 near the dam.

The park was very quiet, with families back to work and school. The day was pleasant with a blue sky, full sun and temperatures in the low eighties. We were able to get the key to the cabin after lunch and moved our gear into the place near the dam. It was after 1:30 pm when we were ready to fish; we walked to the waters above the dam and slipped in the water above a few fishermen. There was some surface activity along the weed edge, but with the sun hitting the water and shadows from our fly line alarmed the trout; it was difficult finding a take. We moved upstream into shallow and broken water finding the trout more cooperative.

Jim primarily fished these waters and I moved farther upstream. The water upstream has more cover with mature trees along the bank providing shade most of the day. I continued to move upstream and ended the day fishing above the power line. It was getting late in the day, the whistle was scheduled to sound at 8 pm but we decided to quit at 7:30 pm, allowing plenty of time to dine at the lodge which closes at 8:30 pm. On the walk back to the cabin, I crossed paths with some beavers and a pair of deer and captured their images on video.

We made it to the lodge before 8 pm for dinner. We returned to the cabin later that evening and turned in for the night. I woke the next day without an alarm clock at 6:30 AM. The whistle sounded at 7 AM, Jim and I started a short time later. We fished the waters above the power line and continued to fish upstream. During our walk to the water came across a feeding deer.

There were many trout behind the structure and suspended in the holes. Again, it was difficult getting them to take. I find fishing when the trout are in plain sight with a dry fly very challenging and frustrating. Jim and I fished until 10 AM and returned to the cabin to pack out. At 11 AM, we had a lunch and decided to fish the blue ribbon waters out side of the park. We drove and parked about 0.5 miles from the blue ribbon waters and fishing the Current River within the park boundaries. We had better catching with some of the trout caught being Parr with distinct bars on their sides. There were several Northern-banded water snakes in this stretch of water that we had to side step to get around. We fished for several hours and decided to return to the parked vehicles and check on Linda.

Jim wanted to check out the spring. We drove and parked near the hatchery, and then we walked upstream to check out the spring. We fished finding only a few cooperative trout. It was after 5 PM; Jim decided to call it a day. He and Linda wanted to get back to Springfield. I continued to fish until 8 PM. There was a period between 6:30 and 7:30 when the dry fly worked. It similar to a renegade, which is brown and white, this fly was black and white and I’m calling it a Polecat. It was very effective in shallow broken water in low light. I called it a day at 8 PM, called my wife letting her know I was late for supper and would stop on the drove home. I was a good trip and enjoyed the time spent with Jim and Linda on the Current River in Montauk State Park.

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