The February 2010 issue of

River Hills Traveler
Let's go fishin'

If you're a dedicated angler, you're either already fishing this time of year or making plans to go at the first opportunity. In this issue, we write about the folks who are pursuing their piscatorial passion in the snow and ice, and give you winter armchair anglers plenty of dreaming material.

Steve Felgenhauer's Page 1 photo of a rainbow on a snowy bank kicks off our February fishing coverage. Howard Helgenberg tells how to catch rainbows in the popular winter urban trout season, available in St. Louis, Jackson and 10 other Missouri communities.

Dennis McCarthy profiles Ardent Reels of Macon, Mo. Founder John Gray says the company is the only fishing reel maker in the U.S. and is prospering despite a slow economy. Tim Huffman offers his picks of the best fishing gear for 2010, updates you on habitat improvements at Wappapello Lake and riffs on the beauty of the goggle-eye, a fish some consider ugly.

It takes no small amount of trout to supply angler's demands at the popular Montauk State Park. Kathleen Brotherton reports on the hatchery setup there and gives some history of the park.

Sometimes Traveler goes six months without a catfish story from our writers, but this month we have three — all well worth reading. Bill Cooper visits Truman Lake and finds catfish plentiful but monster cats scarcer than a couple of decades back. As usual, Bill tells you how to catch them and cook them, too. Lake of the Ozarks writer Darrell Taylor takes a statewide view of this native species, with recommendations on bait and techniques and an account of landing a 20-pound blue on an ultralight rig. Finally, Woody Lawson tells what happens when Cabela's King Kat Catfish Tourney comes to Crystal City. Woody also offers a sidebar on the 450-member Plattin Rock Boat Club, which hosts the tourney.

Wrapping up the fishing coverage: Charlie Slovensky's family ignored biologists' recommendations and stocked crappie in a three-acre lake with good results. Southeast Missouri's Castor is a small river with small fish, but it's a place to have big fun, especially around the Amidon Conservation Area and Pink Rock Shut-Ins, according to Rudi Rudroff. Don Rathert gets down to Florida from his Imperial, Mo., home in the winter, but says the deep sea fish and Everglades bass don't charm him like Missouri stream smallmouth. "I know they say not to wish our life away, and Lord knows I am looking at the last trail, but I DO wish winter was over," Don laments.

Traveler prides itself in going beyond hook and bullet stories to cover the gamut of outdoor fun.This issue has several examples of just that. Jim and Donna Featherston turned in a hilarious "Old Buck and Hootie" story about watching robins besot themselves on fermented crab apples during a February thaw. Melissa Gilliam debuts the first in a series of stories about her quest to hike the entire Ozark Trail. Her premier dispatch is a good humored account of a soggy January jaunt on the Crane Lake Trail near Marble Creek. Jo Schaper checked in with the National Park Service to see how process is going on developing a new General Management Plan. Slowly, according to spokesperson Dena Matteson. The Park Service received over 5,100 comments on preliminary alternatives.

Jo's monthly Rock Talk series continues with a look at the Avon diatremes, jumbled rocks in Ste. Genevieve County that are evidence of a prehistoric explosion. Bob Todd recalls a special family spot in the St. Francois Mountains, where he ventures to say, few Missourians have stood. He's not saying exactly where it is, so few may find it, but you can have fun trying. Pat Todd interviews Paddlin' Gourmet Marty Koch, well-known for his cooking presentations at outdoor shows, excellent nature photography and 30 years as as a St. Louis County park ranger. If you are what you eat, says Marty, "Then I am fast and easy."

Traveler's editorial asks if eight new stream stretches for smallmouth bass special management is enough to make a real difference. Editor Emery Styron explains a new Traveler feature called "Getting There." On stories that are about a specific place, Traveler will include a map and simple directions. He also follows up on the August 2009 Black River brawl at Riversedge Campground. There is one new development in the slow-moving case.

Travel maps resume in this issue.

— Emery Styron, Editor & Publisher

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