The annual Kids Fish and Fun Day in Poplar Bluff, hosted by the Southeast Missouri Sportsman’s Association in conjunction with the Missouri Department of Conservation and Mark Twain National Forest, will be held Saturday.
Like the last couple years, this spring’s event will take place at the pond behind New Covenant Church, located off Highway PP just west of the city.
Registration will begin at 7 a.m. and fishing will start shortly afterward. The event, as always, is free of charge.
Those bringing their children are asked to bring their own fishing poles if they have them, otherwise a limited amount of loaners should be available.
Bait also will be provided to attendees.
A recent electrofishing study of the pond by Department of Conservation fisheries staff showed good numbers of bluegills, bass and crappies in the pond, with a few channel catfish also available.
If your children want to take a break from fishing, the Forest Service will have a casting contest running throughout the morning.
Once fishing finishes up at 11 a.m., a free lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs will be provided to all participants and their adult helpers.
Lots of door prizes also will be given away, plus two lucky winners will take home complete camping packages and another two will win bicycles.
Rumor has it the first 100 children to register that morning will get a pretty nice prize, so it will pay to be there early.
High and Falling
While the Current River has fallen back down to an almost normal level, the Black River remains up around 10 feet on the Poplar Bluff gage, and it looks to stay that way for a while.
The reason is that Clearwater Lake upstream still is about 29 feet higher than it should be. At last check, it was sitting at about 527 feet, and it should be 498. Clearwater is falling at a rate of about 9 inches daily.
The St. Francis River is up as well, but only at about 11 feet on the Fisk gage.
Upstream, at Wappapello Lake, the water level in the impoundment itself, at last check, was 376.5 feet. That’s almost 17 feet higher than the target level right now, but the lake is falling about 4 inches daily.
With the high, but falling water, anglers have been thrown a curveball. Still, the crappies are out there to be caught.
Another god target during high-water periods is catfish. They’ll get up in the flooded brush and trees along the shoreline, and if you fish there, or better yet, set out trotlines in those areas, you stand a good chance of catching some nice fish.
Then again, with high water in the lakes, an alternative fishing spot might be a better idea. Duck Creek’s Pool 1 or Otter Slough’s Cypress Lake come to mind, as do Fox Pond and May Pond at the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and Pinewoods Lake at Ellsinore. Even a good ol’ farm pond should provide for some good fishing.
Bass Circuit
The Wappapello Bass Circuit has a tournament scheduled for Saturday, based out of the Redman Creek ramp.
Fishing is slated to begin at 5:30 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m.
Like always, the organization will hold a meeting at 6 p.m. Friday at the Wappapello VFW off Highway D to assign boat numbers.
To get registered for the tournament, give Justun Buchanan a call at 573-429-6312.
Clearwater
Tournament
Likewise, the East Ozark Bass Club will hold a tournament Sunday at Clearwater Lake.
Based out of the Piedmont ramp, take-off is scheduled for 6 a.m. and fishing will conclude at 2 p.m.
SCTP Regional
Poplar Bluff High School’s trap team will be heading to the World Shooting Complex at Sparta, Ill., this weekend for the Scholastic Clay Target Program’s regional event.
According to coach Mike Miller, each team member will be shooting 200 rounds Saturday, and there should be about 80 total teams competing.
Guided Hikes
It’s a bit of a drive, but if you’re up for a trip to Arcadia Valley, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will host a pair of guided hikes at its Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge.
Two hikes will be offered on Saturday, one at 9 a.m. and the other at 1 p.m. Another is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Participants are asked to meet at the Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site.
Proper footwear and clothing are encouraged.
Information on the link between past mining and bat ecology will be presented during the hikes.
Because of space limitations, those interested in attending one of the hikes are asked to pre-register by calling the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge office at 573-222-3589.