The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that Mitchell Dering, of Fairdealing, shot the third state record fish recorded in 2023 – a 4-pound brown bullhead. Dering shot the fish while bowfishing at Duck Creek Ditch #105 on March 14. The previous state record brown bullhead was a 2-pound, 7-ounce fish caught in 1994 from…
I know way too many anglers who store their fishing gear just before hunting season begins in the fall and do not take it back out until the spring. This article is to accomplish two purposes. First, it will give year-round fishermen new options for winter fishing and second, to try to get the…
I met Ed Franko a couple of years ago. It was one of those meetings that went far better than could have been expected. We became good friends right out of the gate. We share a love of every single aspect of the outdoors. Ed is a fishing guide at Lake of the Ozarks….
Branson is well-known for great entertainment with its live shows and theme parks, as well as its many shopping opportunities and an unending selection of great dining. If you love fishing, they have plenty of that, too. It’s not too late to add it to your list of New Year’s resolutions for a great fishing…
Lead is a mineral that despite extensive use for the past two centuries, has fallen into serious disfavor recently. That’s because the toxic effects of this mineral on both humans and animals can be long-term and debilitating. As a result, lead is now banned from usage in some shotgun shells, water pipes and…
Case Spencer struggles to hold his best-ever, 92-pound blue catfish. I met Case Spencer (Butters) about a year ago. This young outdoorsman from New Bloomfield, Mo., is good at many things, but finding huge catfish on the Missouri River in central Missouri is where his true expertise lies. He is a monster hunter. Butters…
I have written articles with this same title about a dozen times. Between my 5 kids and 6 grandchildren and some of their friends, I have been blessed to teach and encourage bass fishing many times. And so, it continues. I met Len Jackson a little over 10 years ago. Jackson is an Air…
I grew up in SE Missouri fishing mostly crystal-clear Ozark Mountain streams and rivers. Courtois Creek (Codeaway), Current River and Big River are where I learned what it took to be a successful angler. Thanks to my dad, Glen Roux, and my two grandfathers, Guy Roux and Leeman Gammon, for the time they all took…
