 IN THE June ISSUE
OF RIVER
HILLS
TRAVELER
There were stories about Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, Taum Sauk Lake and Black River in this issue again. Collapse of a reservoir devastated the park by in December, dumped a huge amount of mud and debris in the lake and has had Black River running muddy ever since. But a mid-May rain was large enough to create the first good flushing of the system and it looked as if Black River would be decently clean for Memorial Day weekend.
There is a story about a boy, under three, and his first float trip, on Huzzah Creek. And a story about a Jacks Fork float trip that started in a thunderstorm.
Deer season was set in late May and Traveler has a story on the basics of the season. There are some details that could cause some controversy, however.
Jim Featherston continues his series on Sam Hildebrand's confession. Hildebrand was a bushwacker in the Civil War, was from southeast Missouri and carried out most of his crimes/missions here.
There were stories about kids fishing, including the catching of a new state record longear sunfish by Krysten Garrison. She's six years old and caught the fish in her dad' pond. On a larger scale there is a story about a new state record black crappie (5:02), also caught in a farm pond. That story is repeated below. And not a state record. the story of the catching of a 10 pound largemouth bass - also from a farm pond.
Magnolia Hollow Conservation Areas was visited in quest of wildflowers. But on Mothers' Day it has been unusually cool and flowers were budded up, but few were in bloom.
There have been mountain lion reports, but the biologist in charge of monitoring lions says they are not showing up as road kills or in game camera pictures. He says he thinks we have a few, but no fixed mountain lion population. There's also a story about bears. We DO have a population of bears and they tend to roam in June, making encounters more common.
There's a story about a day floating Current River in kayaks and on tubes.
Usual features include sunrise, moonrise tables, recipes, seasons, letters from readers, coming events.
Story of the state record black crappie
Perhaps it was destiny. Missouri’s new record black crappie was caught not far from Jefferson City. It was easy to take the fish there to verify its kind and size.
It happened April 21 when John Horstman and his son Doug were fishing in a private lake near Fulton. After the father got home with what he though to be a four pound crappie and it pulled his scale down to five pounds, he got more excited and drove the fish to Jefferson City.
The trip started in a relaxed mode. They put in about 9 a.m. They had minnows for bait, hooking them through the lips. By 11, they had several nice crappie including a 15-incher.
Then John hooked the monster. He said it made several hard runs and he feared the wire hook might straighten out. But it held and eventually the fish came.
But it still wasn’t easy. The fish wrapped the line around the anchor rope. After some tense moments, Doug managed to get the fish by its lip. He lifted while John lifted the anchor rope.
It was 19 inches long. They put it in the live well and continued fishing, but the action was over and soon they went home. There, reading a little more than five pounds on a home scale got them excited. They didn’t think the Missouri record was quite five pounds.
A call to Mike Kruse with the Conservation Department’s Fishery Division, yielded information that the Missouri record was 4.5 pounds. So off they went to Jefferson City where Kruse identified the fish and witnessed the weigh-in at 5.02 pounds. The fish was quickly certified as the new state record.
The old record has stood since 1967 when Ray Babcock of Independence caught that fish in a Clay County farm pond.
The white crappie record still stands at 4 pounds, 9 ounces, caught by Samuel H. Barbee from a Butler County farm pond.
Horstman’s big black crappie could be a national record as well as a state record. The International Game Fish Association which is probably the most recognized keeper of records, lists a tie for the record with two fish at 4.5 pounds.
You may be able to see the fish, still swimming. It was kept alive and was taken to Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Springfield where it will eventually go on display once it is certified healthy.
Two dozen years ago, May, 1982
As Traveler began its 10th year, editor Bob Todd reflected on how the journal got started. Back then virtually no one realized the tremendous recreational potential of the southeast quarter of Missouri. Today, it seems very newspaper, and even a TV station, publish an annual magazine or special section about outdoor recreation in this area.
After the first few editions, people often asked what Bob would be doing next as if he’d run out of places to go and things to do. But in the first 10 years, he rarely crossed his own path.
Other coverage in the June, 1982 edition included a story on how Sulfur Spring had survived a Corps of Engineers plan to close it. But the Corps closed a campground on a hill above Chaonia Landing, a primitive camp at Cozart Point and a few areas near the dam. Technically, they were to be “mothballed” to save money, but they were obliterated.
Traveler reported an attempt by the Legislature to raid Design for Conservation funds. It was beaten back when citizens screamed bloody murder. And at the last minute, the Legislature came up with funds to avoid entrance fees for state parks.
A state bond issue was to be voted on in June with about 10 per cent of the $600 million going for state park repair and improvements.
There was a story about how Indians cooked in camp, right down to native plants they used to make tea. And a story about using lake methods to catch fish on streams.
A Mississippi cousin took a float on Current River from Pulltite to Round Spring.
There was a story on improvements made to Lake Wappapello campgrounds. And a story about the fishing in a private pond that could not be named.
Land was being purchased to make Otter Slough a more attractive area for waterfowl.
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