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Cell Phone for Guide Service Inquiries: 417-366-3617
Alright, we are going to pick up right from where the last post left off. None of that, "Previously on The Show Me Fly Guy..." nonsense. While Ryan was making the best streamside fajitas I have ever eaten, I did some wet wading and fishing. He strategically placed us along a stretch of water that held some deeper water that typically held fish. While I DID end up catching one, I should have probably caught three but I was happy to catch one independently. It gave me confidence that I could go out on a smallmouth stream and have success on my own.
The afternoon was just as Ryan had predicted! He said the afternoon bite had been better than the morning bite and his prophecy turned out to be exactly right. Not only were the bites more frequent, but the fish got bigger as well. The biggest smallmouth of the day happened with the subtleness of a broken shoelace. While Ryan was helping Cris with something, I spotted a really dark shape in the water. I didn't say anything to anyone in case it turned out to not be a smallmouth or if I screwed things up. It took one cast and three twitches of a fly to get that dude to bite! He ended up being about a 16 inch smallmouth and my biggest fish of the trip. That fish is located at the top of this post.
The second memorable fish came when Cris was playing a fish. As he was bringing in his fish, two other smallmouth bass emerged from the shadows. The bigger of the two actually tried to rip the fly out of the hooked fish's mouth and steal it! I had seen this type of behavior earlier in the day and actually thought I was going to land two smallmouth bass on an articulated streamer that had two hooks. When I saw the bigger fish was in a feeding frenzy, I informed the boat that this fish was going to get hooked and landed. It took three casts but I eventually got the fish to eat my fly and ended up landing it as well. I thanked Cris for the assist.
Aside from the smallmouth bass, this river amazed me in other ways as well. Besides the clear water and beautiful scenery, this river had a diverse ecosystem. We saw a mature bald eagle, an immature bald eagle, and whitetail deer. As far as the fish, we saw red riverhorse suckers, gizzard shad, threadfin shad, common carp, buffalo, and longnose gar. With this being my second trip on a smallmouth river, I am coming to understand that rivers that hold smallmouth are unique. I also managed to catch a spotted bass and two largemouth bass as well. Ryan informed me that one of the largemouth was big for this river system which was a highlight of the day as well.
This was an amazing day on a river with two amazing people that I will never forget. Cris is a heck of an angler and great guy. Ryan is as knowledgeable of a person (not just about fishing either) as I know. He has the perfect mentality and personality for a guide as well. He gets excited about your successes but never gets down about anything. He's quick with a joke or story to keep things light hearted in the boat and just as quick to get a creative picture of you with your catch. If you choose to hire Ryan Walker as your fishing guide, you will not be disappointed in anything! I'm already planning my next trip with him this October with Wendy.
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