The March issue of Traveler is a blend of winter, summer in terms of things to do and places to go. And has some surprising news in it as well as updates on conditions at various streams and lakes.
The upcoming stocking of alligator gar in Missouri will no doubt come as a surprise to many readers. The story in this issue explains that the two places to be stocked are being done for very different reasons.
For Mingo Wildlife Refuges, the return on alligator gar will be a restoration project that will not only put the refuge a step nearer historical balance, but should make for better fishing to boot.
Biologist Chris Kennedy is in charge of the stocking. He’s also stocking a lake that connects to the Mississippi River during periods of high flows. It is now overrun with Asian carp species that have upset the balance of things. This lake used to be a great one for crappie, but no more.
The idea is the alligator gars may be up to the task of bringing these exotics under control. Young alligator gars are regular eating machines. One year old fish to be stocked will be from two to three feet long already.
(Details are unknown about the accompanying photo, from the Frank Bagbey archives.)
Bill Cooper writes about hunting snow geese during the spring migration.
Trout fishing prospects for the blue ribbon section of Eleven Point River are improving somewhat, a report says. And there’s a story about mapping of stream habitat by a pair of research biologists.
Missouri is conducting a research project on turkey gobbling this spring. The idea is to see when gobbling activity begins, intensifies, and dies off in all parts of the state. At least 500 volunteers will be taking part.
A summer story tells about a float on Current River from Cedar Grove to Akers Ferry. Sam Dickerson, standing on top of an upside-down kayak in the accompanying photo, was called “gondola boy” by another floater.
A number of small walleye are to be radio tagged this spring and will be followed by resarch biologists to see where they go from their Current River stocking point.
There’s a story about historical writer Jim Featherston and a story about how to take better fish pictures.
Decades after the main damage was done, it appears work may actually begin on trying to restore Big River downstream from Desloge, where mining operations seriously altered the river.
And there’s a story about a trip to Louisana to get away from the cold. But the cold followed.
There’s also travel maps for upper and lower Current River, Meramec River, Parkland, Clearwater Lake, Wappapello Lake. And seasons, coming events, stories from the past. Sunrise/moonrise tables.

Cold follows to sunny south for Groundhogs Day

By Bob Todd
        Groundhogs Day was pretty bitter up here in the Ozarks. In snowed. It put quite the damper on all the big celebrations. Our grandkids didn't have dates for the big Groundhogs Day dances. It was tough.
        Ah, but Pat and I headed out for Louisiana that morning, hoping to get away from the cold and perhaps get in on Boudreaux the Nutria events in Cajun land. (Turns out he predicted a quick end to winter.)
  Silliness. Just silliness.
      But indeed we were in Louisiana escaping the bitter cold that had invaded the Ozarks. Most of it.
      Instead of single digits, it was 41 when we put the boat into the salt marsh Saturday morning. We thought we'd have to put up with some wind chill motoring out to where Nick wanted us to fish, but would then experience a decent day. Forecasters were calling for mid-50s.
        But by late morning, it hadn't warmed a bit and only one fish had been caught. A big redfish had fallen in love with my bobber, struck it several times, then finally found the shrimp and hook trailing a foot behind the bobber.
       We went back to the motel to eat lunch and get warm. Suzie and Clarence gave up and went home at that point. Pat and Brenda decided to do something else for the afternoon. But Nick and I intended to go back out in the afternoon.
It took maybe an hour to warm up, then off we went again, back to the only spot we'd found any action in the morning. And I found some again. I don't know if there was only one big red or several, but there were swirls around my bobber and three times I hooked fish to no avail.
Once, the fish came off after only a few moments. Once one broke off when he hit very close to the boat and I couldn't provide enough give in the line. And one then broke off again - I'd not tied a good enough knot.
But fourth time was charm and after a fight taking considerable time, Nick lifted the net under a red that was about 29 inches long. (You can only keep one, over 27 inches.)
    But Nick couldn't get any action, and I could get no more. We fished until lights in the distance announced that darkness would be coming very soon. The wind was still blowing, but we'd gone north originally, and now we fled with the wind to run the several miles back to the motel.
      I have a considerable belly on me, but it would be worse if I lived there. At Golden Meadows there is a seafood restaurant that is world class. Not the fanciest, but you'd have to go a long way to find better food.
        Sunday morning, Pat and Brenda elected to go on down to Grand Isle while Nick and I tried fishing again. It was 28 degrees to start, but predicted to get to 60 under sunny skies.
      Liars! I wish a weather forecaster had to accompany us.
We didn't get a bite all day, but did get wind burned and stirred up a lot of mud.
      It is a different world along the Gulf. The cold wind from the north actually blows water away from the Louisiana coast, leaving the salt marsh unusually shallow. On top of that, the tide was making an unusually steep dip before flattening out each morning about 10. Incredibly shallow.
Probably, all the fish that usually frequent the salt marsh were in the deep channels (six or eight feet is deep) but even when we worked this deep water, we had no response to our shrimp baits.
      Nick and Brenda live more south than New Orleans but were spared by Katrina. We went to their place that evening for the Superbowl and then the next day headed back for Missouri. It was 61 degrees as we got to New Orleans and made a side trip to see the damage.
Someone will probably accuse me of something cruel, but a lot of the devastated neighborhoods reminded me of sections of St. Louis or Memphis, without a hurricane to blame.
      We arrived home to 50 degrees. But it was 17 the next morning here, still in the  60s in south Louisiana.
      The lesson of all this is, if Phil the Groundhog is freezing his tail off to make  a prediction in Missouri, his buddy Boudreaux the Nutria is probably doing the same in Louisiana. And that's as profound as it gets.

Two dozen years ago, March 1983

Castor River is a small stream up in the Fredericktown area. Our first float of the year, however took place there, starting at what is now called Amadon Conservation Area above Highway 72. We floated from there to Marquand.
There was snow on the ground in sheltered places and the river was running strong enough to be floated. There was some excitement from things that cropped up around sharp bends - downed trees. But waves kicked up by rock ledges in other areas were just plain fun.
There was a run-down on recreation areas in Mark Twain National Forest. Such a list would show fewer facilities today.
At one time, a trip from New Orleans to St. Louis by water took three to four months. A story by Emma Comfort Dunn told of how travel was in the early days of settlement, quoting journals of rivermen and travelers from about 1800.
It appeared the Legislature was not going to act on a proposal to put a soil conservation and state parks tax on the ballot. Supporters, however, were encouraged by the public support the idea was receiving and believed an initiative petition would be possible if there was not legislative action.
Plans were being developed for Millstream Gardens State Forest, a 460 acre tract along the St. Francis River between Fredericktown and Ironton. At the same time, the 16th annual Missouri Whitewater Championships were planned for that location and some canoers were photographed practicing.
A Groundhogs Day float on lower Castor River was reported. Editor Bob Todd and friend Roy Halbert were swept under a downed maple tree and dumped. A few nice bass in a livewell stayed with the canoe, but the fishermen let them loose and concentrated on getting on down the river with a light snow falling.
The Conservation Department had completed some really large land purchases and now was buying up river access points at a rapid clip. A concession building on Lake Girardeau burned down during the winter and there were no plans to rebuild it.
Rose Alexander wrote about moving back to their Ozarks farm in 1929. Her family owned a small store. As the Depression began, people couldn’t pay their bills and the store had to close. They felt fortunate, however, to have a place they could move back to.
Some advertisers in that issue that are no more: Mid-Town Cafe in Fredericktown, Ozark Outdoors in Cape Girardeau, Three Rivers Resort on Black River, Bell House Ltd. near Clearwater Lake, Hill Country Lodge at Lake Wappapello, Dale’s Cafe at Eminence, Deer Lodge at Doniphan, Sarge’s Army Surplus at Sikeston.

Click here for a FREE TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION.