Missouri with the Family

I just got back from a trip to Missouri to visit some friends. While this was mostly a family vacation, we did get some fishing in. The first trip was to Bennett Springs. This was my first time fishing a real spring creek. It was amazing to see a stream about the size of the Roach just erupt out of the ground. 52 degree water on a 95 degree day was nice too! The water was crystal clear and full of trout. it was totally sight fishing and you need a totally drag free drift. Any movement at all and they wouldn't even look at it. We did manage to land some bows, my daughter even caught one!













A couple days later we rented a pontoon boat and went fishing on Lake Taneycomo. This "lake" is really just a damned up section of the White River. The fish were running real deep, and I didn't bring a sinking line, so I ended up fishing lead head marabou jigs on a spinning rod. When we were at the marina we found out the Missouri record brown trout was caught here earlier this spring (29 pounds). We didn't find any browns, but we all got into some bows here.







That afternoon the girls wanted to go to the Butterfly Palace, so they dropped Kevin and I up on the White River. We meet several great people who helped us with flies, and we got into our biggest fish of the trip here! This was just below a true bottom release dam, and again the water was in the 50's even though it was in the mid 90's outside.

A New Trout Pond

Walked into a new trout pond this AM. Water was like a mirror, and trout were rising all over. They were very spooky though and I could not get close enough to them to cast to em. I had to just sit still and wait until they came in close enough to cast to.

Friday Morning brookies

So I have been waiting all week to go back to the stream I was briefly at last week that had the huge hatch on it. I didn't feel like lugging my canoe into it so I decided to try my first attempt at stream fishing from a float tube. Where I was is basically a really long beaver flowage so it actually worked well. The big problem was the unrelenting wind!! I was not sure I was going to be able to make it back up stream!!! Well there was no hatch at all today, but I was able to get some fish on streamers and nymphs. I had two hawks circle over my head for most of the day.

Great Weekend of Fishing

I had a great weekend of fishing!!

Saturday Morn I hit my local trout stream, there was actually frost on the ground when I got there at 6!!! I soon warmed up , but man the black flies came out with a vengeance!!!! The good part.. the trout were biting too!!! Before I left I saw the biggest owl I have ever seen in my life.



Sunday morn I hit my first pond of the year. The trout were pretty cooperative there too!! On the walk out I decided to bush wack down to a stream that runs near the path. The stream is very slow and boggy, you need a canoe to fish it. I did find I could hop on grass clumps and get near it in one spot. The black flies were the worst I have ever seem in my life!!! They were in my eyes, ears, I was breathing them in, it would take an iron will to fish there long. Well there was also one of the biggest mayfly hatches I have ever seen as well. I was able to get a few fish from the spot I got to, but I couldn't go up and down the stream at all. I really wish I had my kayak. Oh well. GREAT weekend

Weekend Fishing

I took my Rhiannon to my favorite trout stream on Friday. I geared up her Sponge Bob rod with a wooley buggar and a split shot. On her first cast she hooked up with a brookie, but she lost it reeling it in. She was so excited she went to cast again, and threw her rod into the stream. We were at a deep hole and I was never able to find it.

I Went back on saturday and was able to hook several more fish