The Conservation Federation of Missouri is a private organization made up of thousands of Missourians who work together to better our natural resources and represent Missouri’s citizen conservationists. Actively involved in state and national issues that relate to conservation, the Federation has long been a prominent and effective voice before the Missouri general assembly, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
The members of CFM are the conscience of hunters, fishermen, foresters, campers, trappers, hikers, paddlers, birdwatchers, and more. CFM speaks for sportsmen and sportswomen whenever and wherever it is necessary, to support our collective opinions on the future of Missouri outdoors. In fact, most of the conservation legislation in Missouri today exists, because of the federation’s strong advocacy work. CFM is not a branch of state government or an entity of a public agency.
CFM values all Missouri citizens and this event was held for citizens of Missouri that are involved in promoting outdoor experiences. I am lucky enough to be grouped into that category which got me invited to the media camp. Along with podcast hosts, social media influencers, and writers, CFM helped to educate us about current issues and news that is affecting conservation in Missouri. It also provided us with the opportunity to get to know our fellow conservationists and network with those folks as well. This was an amazing event that was put on by an organization that I support wholeheartedly. Now that you understand a little bit more about CFM and the purpose of the media camp, let's get to the fun stuff!
On day 1 of the camp, I had the pleasure to be a guest on the Driftwood Outdoors podcast. I have known the hosts of the podcast, Brandon and Shags, for a couple of years now. They are STRONG supporters of conservation and focus a lot of their content on Missouri-related items. You can find Driftwood Outdoors podcast episodes almost anywhere you get your podcasts. Next, I had the chance to hit the water with my good buddy Gil. I've known Gil for about a year but have only fished with him once on an urban stream in Kansas City. This time however, we got to throw on waders and hit my favorite stretch of water in the world which is the trophy area near Table Rock Dam. Gil was new to this but ended up catching 8 trout to my 3. It was so much fun to see him be so successful on new water and his genuine happiness was seen by the smile on his face. Not to be completely outdone, the three fish I caught went 16, 18, and 18 inches in length. I was pretty darn happy too! That evening, we attended a dinner at White River Fish House which was hosted by Bass Pro Shops. We got more conservation updates and were informed about Bass Pro's conservations efforts on local and national levels. The food was delicious by the way. I think I ate my body weight in shrimp!
Day 2 of the camp was the last day for me because I had to return home that evening and missed the final day of the camp but it was a heck of a day! We had breakfast at Lilleys' Landing, where we were staying, and it was delicious. The Lilleys are amazing folks that run a great place. If you're looking to stay at a place on Taneycomo that has a fishing vibe at every turn, this is your kind of place. After breakfast, all of the attendees went out with fishing guides that Lilleys' and CFM had arranged for us. I had the honor of fishing with Shags and Chuck Gries of Anglers Outfitters. This was a dream come true for me because I had always wanted to fish with these two gentlemen. Shags outfished me and was a lot of fun to share a boat with. Chuck proved why many people regard him as the best fly fishing guide on Taneycomo. His knowledge, demeanor, and techniques were greatly appreciated by me because I have so much I still want to learn about this fishery. I don't know how many fish we caught, but I can say that there was never a dull moment. He has a dad or cool uncle vibe that he gives off which keeps things fun and lighthearted.
We headed in for lunch around noon which was again at Lilleys' Landing and was provided by the Lilleys. We got an update on some legislative matters and then went back out with different guides. I was paired with Darren Sadler of Mozark Fishscapes where I received even more knowledge about how to fish Taneycomo and some details that I was never aware of. Darren is as personable of a guide as you can ask for and has been guiding for over 20 years! I didn't know about where stockings took place or how fish migrate depending on water levels and flows. Darren is a wealth of knowledge and we caught some beautiful fish as well!
I cannot express the enormous amount of gratitude that I have for all of the people that helped make this medic a success and for all of their efforts. I will support them all in the future with both my business and donations in the case of CFM. I fully endorse all of them as well so if you want to learn more about them or want to give them your patronage, I know it would be appreciated! See the links and information below to learn more about these folks!
Link to the Conservation Federation of Missouri: https://confedmo.org/
Link to Lilleys' Landing: https://lilleyslanding.com/
Link to Anglers Outfitters (Check Gries): http://bransonanglersoutfitters.com/
Phone Number for Chuck Gries and Anglers Outfitters: 417-335-4655
Email for Chuck Gries and Anglers Outfitters: bransonanglersoutfitters@centurytel.net
Link to Mozark Fishscapes Guide Service (Darren Sadler): https://mozarkfishscapes.com/
Phone Number for Darren Sadler and Mozark Fishscapes Guide Service: 870-754-0820
Email for Darren Sadler and Mozark Fishscapes: bookings@mozarkfishscapes.com
Link to Bass Pro Shops: https://www.basspro.com
Link to Driftwood Outdoors: https://driftwoodoutdoors.com/
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| The snowy view from Lilleys' Landing. |
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| Gil with one of his first Taneycomo trout. |
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| Chuck navigating a chilly boat ride. |
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| Shags with one of his many fish. |
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| Shags photobombing. |
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| One of the fish I caught with Darren |
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| The bycatch of trout fishing. |
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