In the January-February issue of

River Hills Traveler

Our Annual Fishing Issue

We write about fishing every month, but this first issue of the new year is special. We emphasize fishing because so many of our readers attend sports shows to buy new gear, learn new techniques and plan theirf outings. We've packed this issue with stories to whet your fishing fever.

Fishing stories this issue:

•Crappie plentiful in Clearwater, Wappapello, by Tim Huffman
•Joys of winter urban trout fishing include eating them with friends, by Howard Helgenberg
•Don't fear fly fishing; it's easier than it looks, by Bill Cooper
•Trout season opens March 1 at four parks
•Ponds, bluegill: a perfect match, by John Meacham
•Broken prop crimps 40-mile trip but live well stays full, by Bob Todd

There is more than fins this month. We have stories about a wild trip down the Buffalo, a recipe for possum, an update on the Shannon County wild horses and much more. Here are the headlines and writers:

•Moss family 'blazes' Current River for over five decades, by Rick Mansfield
•Missouri's amazing owls, by Josephine Cozean Styron
•Wild & Free: Nothern Shannon County's wild horse band, by Bill Cooper
•Native Americans found power, meaning in water, by Kathleen Brotherton
•The Iron Kettle: Economical recipes for lean post-holiday eating, by Pat Todd
•Q&A with MDC Director John Hoskins, by Emery Styron
•Rock Talk: The most famous rock cut in all Missouri, by Jo Schaper
•Firearems deer season harvest down 6.4%
•Possums: Fascinating creatures and not bad eating, by Jim and Donna Featherston
•The Seasons: Bob predicts February thaw; lengthening days will trigger spawn
•Hog charge adds unsought thrill to winter hunt, by Michael Cravens
•Cub reporter catches break; hunts with Musial, Schoendienst, by Dennis McCarthy
•Sherman Beach brings nature close to suburbia, by Jo Schaper
•Farming on top of the world: Childhood days on Taum Sauk Mountain, by Bud Lewis

The issue also contains Traveler Mailbag, Sun & Moon tables and maps of Clearwater Lake, Lake Wappapello and the Parkland region, and of these rivers: Meramec, Huzzah, Courtois, Big Piney, Upper Current and Jacks Fork and Lower Current and Eleven Point.

— Emery Styron, Editor & Publisher