First Salt Trip….Ass Handed To Me

2013-05-21

Not a whole lot to write. I hooked up with a redfish 10 minutes into the trip, and had my ass handed to me. The rest of the time was spent with me trying to hit pockets in the reeds to no avail and our guide polling Hannah around the flat for an attempt at a fish (she did get to cast at a few). It was a great time.

A Quick Down & Out For Hannah & I

2013-03-16pic010original800pxWestover Farms near Steelville, Missouri is such a special place. The property and private trout stream have been through some ownership changes over the past years, but we are fortunate that the current owners share a love for the outdoors and a willingness to share it with others for a small fee. Best of all, they recognize the importance of kids fishing and offer discounts for children to fish their waters (and their dad’s to tag along to photograph).  Hannah, Bill Hentchel (my father-in-law), and I made the trip down to Westover Farms for a quick morning trip to get Hannah on the water.  After a quick morning stop at Lewis Cafe in St. Clair, Missouri and some of the best biscuits and sausage gravy served in Franklin County, we were headed southwest.  This was a relatively short trip, with the wind making it difficult for Hannah, along with the higher than normal flows, she quickly lost interest.  Rather than forcing her to battle through it and regret coming, we packed up when she was ready to head back and made the quick 1hr trip back to the house.  Even if there were not any trophy fish to photo, it was still a great day out on the river with the coolest fly girl I know.

Ringing Out 2012 With Family and Friends at Bennett Spring State Park

2012-12-30pic001800pxThis was the second year my girls and I spent New Years weekend on the Niangua River at Riverwood Resort.  It is such a beautiful place to stay, right on the Niangua River, giving me time to sneak away and fish for a bit and then head back to the cabin to spend time with my girls.  This year we also included my parents and one of my close friends, Rob Pedroli, and his fiance Kristy.  It was such a relaxing weekend with plenty of good food and drinks, and we even ventured into Bennett Spring State Park Trout Park a couple of the days so that everyone could catch a fish or two.  It was alot of fun helping Kristy catch her first trout on a fly rod, and watching my dad and Hannah sit on one rock and catch and release over 30 little rainbows in little more than 2 hours.  I didn’t shoot a whole lot of photos, but here are the shots from this trip.