On the creek!!!!

[sharps4590]

Welp, my friend arrived at the house about 8:00 AM and after introductions and some time spent in the toy box we headed for Mill Creek. A front had moved in on Friday and I was a bit concerned about the activity of the fish. Once we fished the first run it was evident my concerns were for naught. Kevin, my friend, landed this little guy from the first run.

http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq41/sharps4070/P1010001.jpg

This was his first trip fishing for wild trout and he was quite excited. Especially when he saw the coloration of wild trout as compared to hatchery fish.

We worked upstream and before long I had something to take a picture of!!

http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq41/sharps4070/P1010002-1.jpg

For those of you who are used to catching big fish, this is not the place to be. It's skinny water and a bit technical but the fish are there in numbers. There are some bigger fish in the creek, to be sure, but they didn't get big by being stupid. Biggest I've ever caught here was a 15-16 incher.

Not long after I landed the fella above I tied into this guy.

http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq41/sharps4070/P1010003-1.jpg

Not long before we left I hooked my second best fish of the day. It was an interesting fish. I told Kevin, "this fish has enough freckles to be a redhead!".

http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq41/sharps4070/P1010004-1.jpg

I was using a bamboo, Pocket Water Rods, 7', 2/1, 4 wt. rigged with a Terenzio #4 DT silk line & leader with a #14 EHC for a dry and my modified wooly bugger as a dropper. Only two fish was caught on the dry. I don't know what Kevin's rod was but it was stored in a toothbrush holder but when he got it rigged it was an honest 9 foot.

We caught several year class trout so it appears the fishing on that creek will ocntinue to be good for a few years unless we're hit by drought. It was a great day with a new found friend. Can't wait to do it again!!!!

[JoeW]

Sheeesh! Fly fishing in Dec! Some guys just have it too nice! There ARE some artificials only- catch and release trout streams around here that are open year round. But, c'mon- tough to fly fish when the streams are iced over and there's a blinding snowstorm coming down! May- Set is about the extent of my fly fishing season.

Thought I'd post this pic for you. An old friend of mine carves these contemporary fish decoys-- this one he calls a "red-barred" trout, and claims it's a variation of rainbows that never never lose their parr marks. It does remind me of those 'bows your catching!

Nice fish and great pics! Best---- JoeW

[bass or bass?]

Pretty fish. Thanks for the photos.

[sharps4590]

Joe, that's an interesting carving. It does bear resemblance to our little trout! Here's the "story" on our trout in that creek. Salmonids were never indiginous to Missouri. SUPPOSEDLY. back in the late 1800's, after trains had been pretty well established over the country, the McCloud strain of rainbows, from California I believe, were released from the train bridge over Mill Creek. Mill is a smallish, spring fed Ozark creek, lots and lots and lots of springs with some being quite large so it's some of the best trout habitat in the state. It was also mostly private for many generations and one landowner seriously cultivated the trout and their habitat until 6-7 years ago when some kind of deal was cut with Missouri Conservation Dept. to open it to the public. I don't know if it was bought, donated, leased or what but it is now part of Mark Twain Natl. Forest. Anyway, the STORY I've always heard is that Mill was never stocked with hatchery trout so these are pretty much pure strain McClouds. Now the creek that Mill dumps into, The Little Piney, has been stocked for generations, however, the trout habitat ends many miles above the mouth of Mill. The general consensus is that while some hatchery trout may have made their way down that far during winter the number, if any, are few.

Among local trout fishermen, especially us fly fishermen, Mill Creek is guarded in earnest. It is a flys only/hard bodied lure only area with no live bait, soft plastics, Powr Bait, corn, etc., etc. allowed and the limit is one fish, 18 inches or bigger, per day.

I have no provenance that the above is fact but I do know that several creeks were stocked in such a manner with McClouds. There is another in SW Missouri that shares a similar story. I do know that the prettiest fish I catch are from Mill and the prettiest trout I EVER caught, anywhere, came from Mill.

[JoeW]

Check out these links, Sharps! Funny you should have mentioned the mcCloud in your post, and I had the name wrong- they're redband trout. You apparently have a very unique fishery on the Mill, with a fish endangered in its native waters in California! I think your F&G people should be aware of that, if they're not already!

Amazing, and beautiful! Best---- JoeW

http://www.fws.gov/redbluff/es_redband.html

http://www.westernnativetrout.org/content/redband-trout/