Matt,
All my experience with trout before this weekend was with the trout stocked
by the MDC in the streams. That's one reason I've been devoted to smallmouth
almost exclusively. (One or two trout trips at the most a year, and mostly
to try out a new rod, or because I'm too eager to wait until the warm
weather for smallmouth.) My experience in the White River last weekend
changed that. The fish are wild, strong and fight as well as an equivalent
sized smallmouth. It was great...nothing like the institutionalized browns
they put in MO streams. I would be happy to drive down to AK with you
sometime this year. Let me know if you're interested.
Meanwhile, in MO, why would you go out of your way to catch lame
state-raised trout imitations when there are hundreds of beautiful Qzark
creeks holding smallmouth? I've gone years not fishing in the same spot
twice, and I could probably devote a decade to that practice. There's a new
book just published, 200 Missouri Smallmouth Adventures, by Chuck Tryon.
(And what luck, he doesn't tout my favorite spots. He dismisses them because
the fish are larger in larger streams. I concentrate on the upper upper
reaches of the creeks, and catch 8"-12" smallmouth, and I'm happy as a clam.
I can go on a weekend, and not see another person all day until I get back
to the car. And that's just 2 hours from St. Louis.)
I use a 5 or 6 weight rod to cast bigger than trout-size woolly buggers and
leeches, and I use elk hair caddis (and this year I'll try some foam
creations) for bluegill. This year, I'll try the 4 weight and the smaller
flies on smallmouth as well. Last year, a friend out-fished me on the flies
I gave him, because he exclusively used the smaller patterns, whereas I
stubbornly stuck with the larger guys I was sure would attract larger fish.
I just got fewer.
Let me know when in May-September you want to experience some smallmouth
fishing on the Huzzah, Courtoise, Little Piney (now trout and bass), Little
St. Francois, Castor, etc.
Jerry
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On
Behalf Of Matt Tucker
Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 5:24 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [VFB] Rod/Tresspass Fees for Put & Take Fisheries
I have a question for those of you on the board. I live in Missouri and do
all of my fishing (thus far) in the Missouri Ozarks. Most of the streams I
fish are managed as put and take fisheries by the MDC (although they do have
"special management areas" managed for trophy fish, thier survival is at
best minimal). The majority of my fishing is C&R, but keep a fish or two
every so often (depending upon where I am fishing). Missouri has 4 "trout
parks" that are managed by the MDC on a put and take basis where you must
buy daily tags, etc. We also have some rivers below the parks that are the
"special management areas." Also in Missouri there are a few privately
owned streams that do the "pay by the pound" for the fish you keep, or you
pay a flat fee ($30 - $60) for a day of C&R. I tend to favor the later, as
there are not the crowds like in the parks or on certain sections of rivers.
I do like fishing the rivers and parks during their specified C&R seasons
though.
Given the status of the fisheries I am fishing, what is the difference
between paying the daily fees to fish at an MDC managed trout park or
fishing at a privately managed trout stream. I tend to believe there really
isn't one, although a few of my fishin' buddies act like I am fishin' in a
barrel when doing the private C&R thing. Is the "your just fishin' in a
barrell" comment valid, and is it as common in other states?
Just Curious,
Matt Tucker
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