My Missouri river of choice is the Current River, and because many of the reports I post on this blog will detail days on this beautiful Ozark riverway, I would like to take this opportunity to briefly describe the Current and the amazing fish that inhabit it.
The section of the Current that I fish is about a two and a half hour drive from St. Louis. I probably fish it two or three times a month. To give you an idea of my obsession with this river, my truck is 4 years old and already has almost 90,000 miles on it. It’s borderline psychotic.
The Current is a spring creek that boasts 20+ miles of trout water. I almost exclusively fish the first seven miles of the river below its cold spring origin in Montauk State Park. My future posts will refer to "fishing in the Park," which means the section of river within Montauk's boundaries, and "fishing in the river," which means the first seven miles below the Park. This section has been designated as “Blue Ribbon” trophy trout water by the Missouri Department of Conservation (“MDC”). “Blue Ribbon” waters are the most highly regulated trout waters in the State. The MDC website states:
“Blue Ribbon Trout Areas will be waters with the best habitat quality or self-sustaining populations of trout. Fishing regulations will include an 18-inch minimum length limit on all trout, and a daily limit of one trout. Fishing will be restricted to flies and artificial lures only. Gigging of non-game fish will not be permitted. These restrictive regulations are designed to sustain the maximum density of adult trout and offer the chance to harvest a trophy-sized trout. Larger Blue Ribbon streams will be stocked. Smaller ones will be managed for wild, naturally-reproducing rainbow trout.”
The Current is considered a “Larger Blue Ribbon Stream” and supports both wild trout (i.e. born in the stream) and stocked fish populations. (Note, local biologists will argue that rainbows are the only species able to reproduce effectively in the Current. In my unprofessional opinion, I disagree for I have caught several fingerling browns that are way too small to be stocked fish.)
The average Current river trout is what I call a “stocker.” It’s typically an 8-12 inch rainbow or brown that is dull in color, more easily fooled by anglers, and doesn’t put up much of a fight. Here is your average "stocker" rainbow:
The trophies, or at least what keeps me coming back, are the wild rainbows and large browns that were either born in the stream or were stocked years earlier and have since developed wild tendencies (“long term residents”).
For obvious reasons, wild fish are preferred over “stockers.” Wild fish fight harder, are often more elaborately colored, and, by nature, are more difficult to catch because they eat only what is naturally found in the stream. After all, they have never experienced anything else. This is a brand new wild Current River rainbow:
Compare any other animal raised in captivity versus the wild version. The wild animal is faster, stronger, smarter, and more efficient because it had to avoid predation and hunt for its food in order to survive and mature. Animals raised in captivity do not have predators and they don’t have to hunt. Once released into the wild, it takes years for these animals to develop the ability to compete with their wild counterparts. Those that do reach maturity are likely very lucky to have survived.
It’s the same way with trout. When a stocked fish is put in the river and no longer gets its daily regiment of protein pellets, instinct forces it to develop a natural diet. The longer that fish lives in the stream, the more fluent it becomes with its surroundings. It is forced to become familiar with the predator and prey relationship in the river, otherwise it will perish. The fish must develop into an organism that can avoid predation and compete for food with the other fish in the river. You'll realize this when you hook a 20 inch brown that has been living in the stream for years. It’s just as good as hooking the real deal in Montana or Colorado or any other wild trout stream.
The primary predator of trout on the Current, aside from larger fish, birds, and otters, is unfortunately the angler and this makes the wild fish and long time resident fish extremely difficult to catch. Fishing pressure, coupled with the depth and size of the river, make for inherently “spooky” fish. Many fish are found in 1 to 2 feet of water in stretches where the river is no wider than a single street lane. While it’s a gas site fishing to large browns with dry flies in a foot of water, unless you’re very sneaky, most fish will see you before you see them. Once you’ve been spotted, there is little chance the fish will still eat.
Successful anglers really have to stalk fish on the Current. I would like to go into to a little dissertation on how to catch and where to find the big browns and wild rainbows on the Current but I fear this information may fall into the wrong hands (i.e. people fishing with stringers). Those looking to master this skill, and I am not suggesting that I am even close to such mastery, need to get out on the water and fish—A LOT! I have been fly fishing for 15 years and have been regularly fishing the Current for the past 10 years and everytime I get out, I see something different or learn something new.
Heavy fishing pressure on the Current also makes the wild fish and long term residents very picky about what they eat. A good friend of mine, and a truly phenomenal fly fisherman who taught me basically everything I know about the sport, coined the phrase “the Current River lean.” This basically describes the typical dry fly refusal exhibited by many fish on the Current.
Imagine throwing a near perfect presentation using 7x tippet to a good male brown who is tucked into the bank in slow water waiting for a terrestrial to fall within reach. Your fly drifts toward the fish and he rises from his position in the water column to eat. As he moves towards the surface, he lets the current push him down stream to match the speed of your drifting fly. While moving down stream, his tail drops, his nose rises and the fish almost leans backward to get a better look at your fly. Your fly continues to drift. The fish continues down stream further lowering his tail as if he is almost going to tip over backwards. He is basically vertical in the water column by now, perpendicular to the bottom. He has moved so far down stream that you are running out of line on your drift. Like the fish, you start to lean down stream as well thinking a little extra reach will extend your drift enough to give the fish the time he needs to make up his mind. With arms extended, standing on your tippy toes, the fish still does not commit. You try to throw a slack mend to add distance to the drift. The fly twitches on the water ever so slightly and the fish takes off at the first sign of the unnatural movement. This is “the Current River lean.”
While this unfortunate scenario is not uncommon on the Current, patient anglers will ultimately be rewarded by slowing down, letting fish move into water where they are comfortable, and by executing very delicate presentations. Ultimately, I believe the persistence required to overcome “the Current River lean” has bettered my ability to catch fish anywhere in the world.
The Current River offers excellent fishing year round. There is an abundance of insect activity which allows for just about every type of trout techniques around. High water offers great streamer fishing. Crayfish and sculpins are abundant. The following picture is a Current River sculpin that surprisingly ate a sculpin pattern:
The many riffles on the river are good for nymphing. Among other nymphs on the current, scuds are very effective:
The long slow stretches boil with risers when there’s a hatch. The following picture was taken during a January midge hatch:
The river is truly spectacular. The scenery is breath taking, anglers are surrounded by wildlife, and there is nothing better than catching big fish out of skinny water. I am truly blessed to call this my home water.
Stay posted for some actual fishing reports.
1 comment:
Blogs are so interactive where we get lots of informative on any topics, nice job keep it up!
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