Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Editor’s note: This is a regular series that profiles recreational activities in which students take part. If you hunt, fish, climb rocks, go canoeing or are an expert spelunker, The University Daily Kansan would like to share your story. Please contact Caleb Regan by calling the Kansan sports desk at 864-4858 or by e-mailing him at cregan@kansan.com
ALTON, Mo. — In Kansas, fly fishermen lack the luxury of having access to rivers with native trout habitation.
Kansas rivers and streams accommodate plenty of catfish and flathead, but no trout. Rivers in Missouri are different.
In the southern part of Missouri, there is a plethora of rivers and streams that are deliberately stocked and maintained with conservation of the trout population in mind. Roaring River, near Cassville, and Northfork River are two such waterways.
But even more unique is the presence of native trout in rivers like Eleven Point River and Crane Creek. The latter of the two possesses the oldest population of wild trout in Missouri.
Brian Sloss, co-owner of Eleven Point Canoe Rental and fishing guide in Alton, Mo., has lived in Missouri and fished these rivers all of his life. He has also ventured to Wyoming, Montana and Idaho in pursuit of trout. Still, he said, Missouri trout fishing was different and incomparable with fishing in the West.
“It’s apples and oranges. They have more fish per mile out there. That means we have to work a little harder, know the fish a little better to know what they’re looking for,” he said.
Sloss also said there weren’t as many miles of trout water in Missouri as there are in the West, which means fishermen rely on spring-fed rivers and tail-waters, which are rivers fed by dams.
In the blue ribbon section — the best trout run on the river — of Eleven Point there are approximately 700 to 1,000 trout per mile, nearly all of which are rainbow trout. The rest are brown trout.
Sloss said people traveled to Eleven Point and took guided fishing trips from him from as far away as New Zealand.
He charges $250 for up to two people, which includes lunch on the river, fly-fishing instruction and your limit of fish.
On a recent day he took a fisherman out who was just beginning to fly-fish and caught between 15 and 20 rainbow trout, he said.
Josh Regan, Fort Scott junior, traveled to Eleven Point River during spring break to camp and fly fish. Regan began fishing in Yellowstone, Colo., and Oregon, but said he enjoyed the fishing at Eleven Point.
“Fishing in the West is characterized by big mountains, big rivers and big fish. Fishing the foothills of Missouri, it’s smaller all the way around, but it’s still beautiful in its own right,” he said.
Regan limited out on Eleven Point, catching four rainbow trout above the 15-inch minimum. He ate them on the river.
Edited by Jennifer Voldness
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