Family-Outdoors

Fishing Missouri 's Forgotten Trout River - The Niangua River By Davidson Manning The Niangua River may be the most overlooked trout stream in the state of Missouri. It is widely known across the state as an excellent river for floating and smallmouth bass fishing, but the trout fishery is little known. Most area trout anglers only fish in the Niangua River's tributary , Bennett Spring Branch . Image by Renee May via Flickr Above Bennett Spring Branch, the Niangua is a typical warm-water fishery. Smallmouth bass fishing is very good, but few trout are present. It is the cooling flows from Bennett Spring that make the river into a true trout stream. For eleven miles, the water is cool enough to hold year-round populations of rainbow and brown trout . Both species are stocked regularly. The Niangua River isn't like other trout streams in the Ozarks . First of all, it just doesn't look like a trout stream. The river is big, and it usually isn't very clear. Also, th...

Trout Fishing in the Ozark Mountains By Davidson Manning One thing is for sure. There is no shortage of trout streams in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas . Some are spring-fed rivers and creeks. These provide everything from daily stocked put and take fishing for gullible trout, to the pursuit of wild rainbows in a pretty spring creek. There are also trophy brown trout streams that can and do produce stream grown trout in the ten pound range. In all, there are eighteen spring-fed streams in the Ozarks that are managed for year-round trout fishing, seventeen of which are in Missouri. All have public access. Of these, the freestone section of the North Fork of the White is often considered to be the best, with trout populations in the thousands per mile, with the upper section holding lots of w Image via Wikipedia ild rainbows and some browns, and the lower section holding a lot of browns and some rainbows. Other streams that are well worth fishing are the Eleven Point, Li...

Image via Wikipedia Fishing - Table Rock Lake By Davidson Manning Main Species Present: Largemouth Bass , Smallmouth Bass , Spotted Bass, Channel Catfish , Blue Catfish, Walleye , Rainbow Trout , White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Carp Missouri's Table Rock Lake is certainly famous. The lake plays host to everything from important Bassmaster Tournaments to Cable Television Shows. There is a reason for this. It is one of the best bass fishing lakes in the United States . The lake holds almost equal numbers of largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass. During the summertime, look for large mouth in fiv Image by matneym via Flickr e to ten feet of water, and smallmouth and spotted bass in ten to thirty feet of water. The lake's water is gin clear; it is common to be able to see the bottom in fifteen feet of water. This necessitates two things. The first is light line. Eight pound line is the norm, and you shouldn't use anything a whole lot larger than ten pound test mono filame...

Fishing the Current River of Missouri 's Ozarks By Davidson Manning There is no doubt that the Current River is the most diverse stream in Missouri. It begins as a spring creek style trout river, and slowly transforms into one of the best smallmouth bass streams in the nation. Besides these species, there are also populations of Rock Bass , Walleye, and of course Bluegill. Image via Wikipedia The first twenty miles of the river make up the classic trout water. The river begins where Montauk Spring rises in the streambed of Pigeon Creek. For three miles below this point, the stream is stocked once a day with rainbow trout from March 1 through October 31. The upper part of this stretch which flows through Montauk State Park is managed for flies only. Artificial lures such as marabou jigs and single hooked rooster tail spinners fished on a spinning rod are perfectly legal, along with traditional fly gear. The rest of the river in the park allows all lures and baits. Montauk Spri...

Fishing the Eleven Point - A Crown Jewel of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways By Davidson Manning There is no other river like the Eleven Point. Its wilderness atmosphere, combined with blue ribbon trout and smallmouth bass populations make this one of the true jewels of the Oza Image by Nick Turland via Flickr rks. The river is situated in south-central Missouri, and north central Arkansas. The forty miles of river between the Thomasville, and the Narrows Access to the river is part of the National Scenic Riverways system. This means there is little or no commercial activity, or private land along the river. This helps keep the habitat, water quality, and beauty at a level unsurpassed in the Midwest. The Eleven Point begins as a small stream high in the Ozark Mountains . From the headwaters to Thomasville, the river is lightly fished, but can produce very well for smallmouth bass. Almost no one floats this section. Below Thomasville, the river becomes a national river, and fishin...

Smallmouth Fishing's Best Kept Secret - The Gasconade River of Missouri By Davidson Manning Image by B, K & G via Flickr The Gasconade River that flows through the northern Ozarks of Missouri is a fisherman's paradise in every sense of the expression. It is widely considered to be one of the nations best smallmouth bass streams. It is both a good place to catch and release twenty Bronzebacks, or specifically target lunker bass in the three to four pound range. The smallmouth fishing is best from the river's humble beginnings in Wright County until Jerome. There are a lot of big bass in this part of the river, and the overall numbers are ample. The entire river also holds catfish, rock bass , and bluegill. It is a great floating stream, and has many springs that flow into it that cause it to be navigable all year. The upper river is a medium sized or even small stream, but because of the streams such as the Osage Fork River, the Woods Fork River, the Big Piney River...

Trophy Bass Fishing in Missouri - Locations and Techniques By Davidson Manning While Missouri may not be known for its trophy bass fishing , there are plenty of large bass around to keep an angler busy for a lifetime. In order to catch them, you will probably have to use different techniques than you use to catch smaller bass. If you are willing to catch a few less fish in search of that wall hanger, then this article is for you. First, I will share some of my Image via Wikipedia favorite big bass techniques. Then I will choose a few of the best lakes and rivers in the state to find the bass of a lifetime. Techniques: Live Baitfish This is personally my favorite way to catch big largemouth bass . The setup is very simple. I use a 2/0 plastic worm hook, a split shot, and a large bobber. I hook the bait (I prefer a green sunfish between two and five inches) in the back, just under the spine. The depth I fish depends on where I am, but generally two to four feet is best. It is important t...

I have mentioned in my bio that I grew up in Alaska . This kind of happened in two phases. I graduated from high school in Sitka , a small island town in the SE panhandle. It is a vastly different area than where we lived later. There are no roads in or out but in other respects is sort of a typical small town, sav e its immense beauty. From there I went off to college at the U. of Missouri-Columbia and then returned to teach in the interior/southcentral Alaskan area of the Copper River . Wildlife, including bears, was an every day aspect of existence in this area. The area was vast and ruggedly beautiful. Life around the Copper River is not for the timid, especially in the winter months, when temperatures dip to minus 60 F. Hunting and fishing are integral parts of most every resident's life in this area. For the period of time we were there, rarely did we consume store-bought meat or fish. One source of salmon is the fish wheel . The awesome beauty of Alaska is as va...