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Shepherd
of the Hills Hatchery News
In the month of March, Shepherd stocked 1,000 browns in Caps Creek, 800 in the Rubidue River, 8,000 in the Current River, 5,800 in the Meramac River and 10,000 in Taneycomo. Half the load in Taney were dropped downstream of Branson towards Rockaway Beach, and the other half upstream were released just below Cooper Creek. The average length of all these trout stocked was 10 inches. Ten thousand brown trout were transfered to Bennett Springs trout park where they will be held until fall and then released into the Niagua River. Trout managers feel browns do better there at 12 inches rather than 10 inches, and Bennett has a better facility to raise these browns from 10 to 12 inches. The North Fork River, near Gainsville, MO, received 2,000 seven-inch brown trout in the fall. Again, managers have determined stocking seven- inch brown trout in the North Fork increases their survival rate compared to stocking at a larger size. Shepherd marks about 40% of browns stocked in Taney each season for the purpose of recording growth rates. The staff marks them by clipping either their left or right pelvic fin or their adipost fin. This practice started back in 1992. This year's clip is the right pelvic fin. The fin will grow back, but ususally the fin that's clipped is smaller or deformed. Thus, when biologists shock trout in late summer, they can tell what year a clipped brown was released and, thus, determine the growth rate. In the month of April, Shepherd will stock 67,500 rainbows and another 75,000 in May. Most of these will come from Shepherd rather than the federal hatchery in Neosho. Last summer, spring-fed hatcheries in the state, such as Roaring River and Bennett, had to transfer a large portion of their rainbows to Shepherd because of low-water flow and high temperatures. They have been held in a large pond at Shepherd normally used for brown trout. Because of this environment, these rainbows will have a much more natural appearance than those raised in the concrete raceways. We'll start seeing these rainbows in April and May. There
were a couple
of days this past week when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ran water
at a level that might indicate what a minimum-flow increase would be
like.
Dam operators ran one unit at two- to three-feet high, covering all the
gravel bars in the upper two miles. It was a little too high for
most anglers to wade below the dam. I don't expect the water
level
to be that high when they set the new minimum level. But the
water
at Lookout was incredible. The water flow from behind Lookout
Island
and the back water of the island above Lookout flowed more like a
stream
than I've ever seen, with seams, pockets and riffles that held trout
and
were easy to fish. I'm very excited about the prospect of the
increase
in flow. We just have to be careful to keep the flows down low
enough
to still wade in the upper end.
Stories
from the field..... of game law enforcement
They were cleaning their 10 trout for the day. That was okay, but Mike also asked to take a look at their room freezer. A close inspection found that they were 30 trout over their legal possession limit. Mike's
job takes
him out late at night a lot of times. One night in March, he
staked
out a public boat ramp on upper Bull Shoals, waiting for some guys he
had
seen on the water close to the dam to return. About one in the
morning,
their boat pulled up to shore. Mike asked to see their
catch.
There were several walleye, and one seemed to be short-- and was-- byy
aninch. One man said he thought it was a bass. Mike asked
about
the other fish on their stringers, all walleye, if he thought they were
bass, also. Without a good answer, they received a violation from
Mike and went home.
Conservation
Fines
Illegal
bait in
trophy area - $55, $54, $55
Catch-n-Release
February/March 2001
Arkansas
Game & Fish News
In March, representatives of Fisheries and Enforcement met to further discuss the proposed regulations and approve or disapprove each proposal. Prior to our public meetings in May, an official list of proposed regulations will be compiled. In May
we will
have public meetings across the state and would greatly appreciate your
participation in these meetings. They are your opportunity to air
your views on the proposed regulations and to suggest
Following the public meetings we will prepare a report summarizing the proposed regulations and all public input. The Fisheries/Enforcement Coordination Committee will review these reports and send its recommendations to the Agency Regulations Committee, which will develop a final list of proposals. The dates of the Commission meetings when regulations are discussed sometimes change, but normally the proposed regulations are provided to our Commission in July and brought to vote in August. If the Commission approves a regulation, it will become law on January 1, 2002. In other news:
Southwest
Missouri Fly Fishers (Springfield)
April
Meeting
- "A taste of Salt, Lessons Learned" Saltwater program by Steve Jensen
(April 12)
Joe
Curry's DARE
Camp Fly Fishing with Kids program first week; contact him if you can
help
out. There's going to be some great fishing, too!
Fishing
Lake Taneycomo . . . the way I see it
Our shad kill was brief, beginning the last of December and ending in mid-February. Heavier generation during that time would have fed more thread fin shad to our trout, but I am grateful for those they did ingest. While shad were flowing, both rainbows and browns filled their bellies until they were belching up pieces. Yuck, I know. But this gorging was a shot in the arm sorely needed. I've explained before, the shad in Table Rock are stunned naturally in winter's cold temperatures. Then they're sucked through the turbines at Table Rock Dam. Table Rock isn't the only reservoir in which this happens. The White River below Bull Shoals receives a lot of shad. We've seen a great improvement in the condition of our rainbows. As I fished the last couple of months, catching dozens of rainbows in the slot (12 to 20 inches) in the trophy area, I couldn't help but notice their colors -- bright, clear and distinct. Fins clear with white tips. Females with fire-engine red cheeks and sides. Even the silver-sided rainbows not in spawning colors were shiny as pure silver. The cold, clear water of winter worked a magical makeover, I guess. But these beauties could fight! They seemed to dislike the cold water, launching past the surface's edge after a hook-up, and running as if to warm their blood. My two-pound line was stretched more than once on 18-inch-plus trophies. I was privileged to fish with Brent Frazee, sports writer for the Kansas City Star, just after a shad run. The writer's jinx is nix. We caught 38 trout in the short time we had, most of them well up in the slot and a couple over 20 inches. He gained a good impression of our fishery, which showed in two articles he published. The outlook for the spring season looks very good. Table Rock is at power pool after winter rains. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has tried to keep the level below 915.0 feet, and have so far, but when (or if) springs rains come, generation will start and may continue into summer, depending on how much rain we get. Running water is good for the trout, regardless of whether it might affect an angler's preference on fishing conditions. Running water also benefits our trout's food base -- midges, freshwater shrimp, sow bugs and other aquatic bugs, even if we fly fishermen have to forego a little down water time. This last week we've seen some down water with an apparent surge of trout in the first couple of miles of the lake. Trout are stacked in the runs between outlets #1 and #2, above and through the rebar hole and below. The scene has replayed at the boat ramp and clay banks and, especially, at Lookout Island. Even with the water running, fly fishing has been great there. Using a jig-and-float with a brown micro jig, one can catch his fill of all sizes of rainbows and browns all through the trophy area right now. With the slow generation that we've also seen in the last couple of weeks, drifting minnows and night crawlers from Fall Creek downstream has been a joy. I've never been a big fan of the drift rig -- that's a single line attached toward the bell sinker at one end with the hook tied to the other. I prefer a simple approach -- a hook tied on the end of the line and a split shot pinched 12 inches above. I always try to match the size of the shot to the water I'm drifting, leaning to the lighter side rather than the heavier. Why? I can feel the strike much more readily, and I don't get snagged up as much. Two really good reasons. Another is the cost of losing two dozen rigs in a day's fishing. Minnows
have seemed
to attract more browns than rainbows lately. We've seen very few
legal brown trout netted, but boy is a 16-or 18-nch brown fun to
fight!
I don't understand the notion of trying to stretch a fish, of stepping
on it to make it measure as a keeper. It almost ruins an
experience
that not many anglers are privileged to have.
Table
Rock Lake Predictions
I took a guy out last week and fished the mouth of the James River. We started out fishing carolina-rigged green-pumpkin Lucky-Strike Enforcer centipedes. We caught 10 fish point hopping, but they were all short blacks. I picked up a blue back rogue, made three casts and caught a 4.5-pound smallmouth. We continued hopping around from point to point with little success, so I moved to the main-lake transitions. The fish were holding right on the break where the depth drops from shallow to deep. We ended up with five keepers by noon, weighing 16 pounds, all caught on rogues. The river arms, such as James, Flat, Kings and the White, are still the place to be right now, but that will change soon. The shad kill is over, and the crawdads should be moving around a lot feeding on the shad that drifted to the bottom. That will make for some superb spring fishing. We have a tremendous number of smallmouth and spotted bass in the lake right now. Suspending rogues, and smoke colored C-tail grubs should work well on the main lake bluff-ends and transitions. In April
the fish
will start becoming more active and will likely be caught back in the
creeks,
as well as on the main lake. The fish will start moving on the
gravel
points, flats, and islands. Several of the baits that
will be effective are tubes, centipedes, Chompers, single-tail
grubs,
and lizards. You really don't need a lot of colors for Table
Rock.
Your greens, browns, and reds will work as well as anything. If
the
water is clear, downsize to six- to eight-pound test line, ensuring a
lot
more bites. The fishing up the rivers has been good this year,
and,
unless I miss my guess, the main lake fare is ready to heat up
soon.
Helpful
Hints
Ozark's
Gold
If this sounds like a typical day on one of the Ozarks’ freestone trout streams, think again. The river is the James and the quarry, not brown trout, but smallmouth bass. Smallmouth. Brownies. Bronze backs. Smallie’s. No matter the moniker, this is, in my never-to-be-humble opinion, ounce for ounce, the strongest freshwater gamefish that swims. The Ozarks abound with smallmouth opportunities. All of the rivers and most of the larger creeks in the region have smallies. And the tactics to catch these fish on the fly are really no different than those used for trout. A few simple changes in terminal tackle, and a 5-7 weight rod are all that are required. It always amazes me at how trout-like trout brownies can be. They need fresh, clear, highly oxygenated water, a steady supply of food, cover and cooler temperatures to thrive. Look at any riffle, and if you can imagine trout holding there, smallmouth will hold there as well. Plunge pools, cuts in a riffle, back eddies, tailouts, and long, braided runs are all likely lies for this magnificent fish. Tactics for the Bronze Bomber As I said, tactics for the smallmouth are very similar to those used to catch trout. One of the deadliest I have found is to position myself below a run, where the riffle tails- out into a pool, and cast a size 8 or 10 olive Murray Hellgrammite up and across, throwing slack into the cast to help the fly get down. Follow the fly line downstream with the rod tip, raising the tip as the fly comes toward you and lowering it as the fly passes by, much like the “high sticking” technique used on trout water, only you allow the current to pull the fly a little more. Most of the strikes will come as the fly tumbles towards you, keep a keen eye on the end of your fly line. If it stops, shoots forward, or if you lift and feel weight of the end of your line, don’t hesitate to set up. Smallmouth strikes can be as subtle as any trouts’. Swinging streamers is a deadly tactic. Cast the fly across, down and across or up and across and allow it to swing with the current, stripping at the end. Vary your retrieve to figure out what the fish want. Dry fly fishing can provide some furious action for smallies. I’ve watched smallmouth clear the water to take damsel flies and seen them sipping daintily on large mayfly spinners. Dahlberg divers are a favorite of mine. Purple, black, chartreuse, red and white, and white are all good choices. Cork poppers, deer hair poppers, sliders and deer hair frogs and mice are all solid producers. When fishing these flies, allow them to set and settle before moving them. Large mayfly imitations, such as the para drakes, double humpies, and Wulff style flies are all productive. And don’t forget to carry some damsel and dragon fly imitations as well. Tackle and the fly box Given the fact that most of the flies we fish for smallies are large and heavy, a nine foot, fast action rod in five, six, or seven weights will do the job well. Leaders are fairly straight forward. Last season I used a six to eight foot section of six pound test and found that to be as good as anything. Tapered leaders are over-kill, since these flies will pretty much turn over on their own. I keep an assortment of the following flies in my smallmouth boxes: Nymphs-
Murray
Hellgrammites in olive, black, dark brown, and purple, sizes six to ten.
Dries-
Green or
yellow para drakes, size eight to ten.
Streamers-
Clouser
in chartreuse and white, chartreuse and orange, white and gray, purple
and chartreuse in sizes two to six.
Times and locations Spring time is a great time to ply the Ozarks streams for smallmouth. Starting mid-April to the beginning of June, smallies put on the feed bag after a long winter of near dormancy. Summer heat will slow the fishing some, but if you go early and late or even at night, you will find fishing good. Fall is a fabulous time to be on the water for brownies, the impending cold sends these fish on a feeding binge and the action can rival (or surpass) any time of the year. As far
as locations,
my two favorite rivers are the James and the Finley. On the
James,
the stretch between Shelvin Rock access and Galena, is LOADED with
smallmouth.
I fish this stretch hard spring and fall. On the Finley, fish the
stretch
from Hawkins bridge to it’s confluence with the James. Both of these
stretches
require a canoe or other means of transport, but there is plenty of
wading
along the way. Bull and Bear creeks, along with Flat creek, are great
smallmouth
creeks. As is Turnback creek, Little Flat creek, Swann creek, Bryant
creek,
and Beaver creek.
One reference I found in-dispensable is Oz Hawksley’s “Canoeing Ozarks Rivers And Streams”. This book lists all canoeable rivers and streams in the Ozarks along with access points, distances between takeouts, gradients and all pertinent info needed to safely navigate the Ozarks waterways. Smallmouth
are
without a doubt my favorite gamefish. Try these beauties on the “long
rod”
and you’ll see why.
Eleven
Point River
Sunday afternoon, accompanied by my (retired Army Special Forces) friend Pete Rothrock and my unfaithful lab Ringo, we packed our way in with 50-pound packs, reaching the destination in about two hours. We made a few shortcuts off the trail, including crossing a feeder stream and a brushy area that wouldn't be passable in summer months due to plant growth. Bill Whitaker and his teenage son, Luke, met us at our campsite Monday morning. Staying on the main trail, it took them about 2 1/4 hours to reach it. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking, and other than a few horse droppings, we saw no recent use of the area. You can camp anywhere in the area, so long as you try to stay out of view of the river, and use "leave no trace" camping principals. More information about area use rules is available throughout the area Forest Service Office in Winona, on hwy 19 north of hwy 60, 573-325-4233. As for the fishing, I would call it slow. Water was very low and clear for this time of year. It was about a foot lower than when I was there two weeks ago, and fishing action much slower. I managed to catch about ten fish total, one in the 18" range. The usual large Princes, black stoneflys, and egg patterns produced fish. I did see a variety of small caddis and mayfly hatches, but no rises to them. Although the nights were well below freezing, I did manage to pick up some ticks, so apparently this winter's snow didn't get all of them. Bummer. We hiked back, staying on the main trail on Tuesday, enjoying the beautiful sun, and wondering why I'd packed the extra rain gear. Overall, the trip was very rewarding, and I now have a much better feeling for all that scenery I've been floating by for the last decade. I'd still recommend floating it for the best fishing, because of thick bamboo and thickets around some of my favored areas. I'd suggest you do this hike only in late fall, winter, or early spring, due to foliage and pests. Seeing the ruins of an old cabin and knowing that people once worked the land there made me have a better understanding of what life was like there fifty years or more there. The area was logged up until the fifties, and the trees were mostly pine, according the forest service. The hardwoods we see now are a result of their takeover after the pines were removed. Only occasionally will you see a pine in this forest. As for the low points of the trip, I learned to not let my dog lay on my brand-new army cold-weather liner (he chewed it up), and that some dogs think they're meant to retrieve fish and flies too. Several of the fish I caught surely have a story to tell their grandkids. I'm
doing a program
about flyfishing for wild trout there for the Ozark Paddlers Club, on
Thursday,
April 12, 7 pm, at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center. That
same
night, our club president, Steve Jensen, will be doing a program for
SMFF
on saltwater fly fishing.
Update
White Bass report on upper Bull Shoals!!
With April just around the weekend, and a little warm weather and some rain on the horizon, we could see a major run of whites in the next two weeks. The creeks, Beaver, Swan, Cedar and Mincy on upper Bull Shoals, have plenty of water in them and are poised to host a good spawning run. The James River is also ready for the run, already seeing a couple of false runs in the last two weeks. In Beaver Creek on Bull Shoals, white bass we've caught are larger than last year. Males appear to be good size, and Buster Loving has reported catching whites in the main lake close to K-Dock that were well over three pounds. I'm looking forward to fly fishing for white bass. Ryan has made up some great looking clousers that he swears were killers last spring. Instead of fishing the extreme upper main lake like last spring, we're aiming back for the creeks in the runs, pockets and pools. I'm also looking forward to fishing on those warm nights with all the sounds of spring. There's nothing like chirrping frogs combined with smell of moist, warm air. Hope you find time to get out and experience white bass fishing. My wish for you -- pick the right evening or morning and catch a bunch! Loving-
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