By PAUL DAVIS
Outdoors Editor
"I caught one, grandpa," shouted 8-year-old Lexi Waite excitedly, seconds after catching a 12-inch largemouth bass during Saturday's annual Kids' Fish and Fun Day at Don Jones' pond. She was so happy she even kissed the fish.
"It gives me a great feeling to see people enjoy the outdoors," said Randy Daves, an event organizer with the Southeast Missouri Sportsman's Association. "The kids had a good time, and you could hear them laughing across the lot."
What Daves really likes, he said, is seeing generations of families return for the event, and he sees that every year.
Despite some early rain, the clouds broke, the sun peeked out and more than 70 youngsters turned out for the event, where everything from bluegills, redears and green sunfish to bass and big crappies was caught.
"It was a well-done day," said Daves, who described Jones' pond as a "great place to get out without having to worry about weeds and bugs and other things."
When they needed a break from fishing, the Mark Twain National Forest's casting contest area was the popular spot to hang out, and with several prizes on the line, quite a few youngsters took part in the competition.
While the fishing was good, a favorite part of the day for many was the hamburger and hotdog lunch and the drawings for door prizes.
New this year were drawings for two kayaks, which were won by 12-year-old Carolyn Thompson and 2-year-old Cameron Boyle.
Randall Merrimee won the Traditions muzzleloading rifle raffle, and Shirley Simpson took home the PSE crossbow which was given away.
The event takes a lot of work behind the scenes, Daves said, and he's grateful for all the help.
"We're so blessed to have the community help us with this," he said.
Catfishing & Bassin'
Catfishing still looks to be the best bet for anglers at Wappapello Lake right now, with the water still around 21-plus feet high and falling about a foot per day.
There have been some dandy cats brought in to Chaonia Landing lately for its big catfish contest, said owner Dallas Rich.
A good portion of the lake's catfish should normally be moving toward the dam to spawn right about now, but MDC Fisheries Management Biologist Dave Knuth said, they're more likely to be taking advantage of the newly-inundated habitat for their feeding and spawning and angler's efforts should probably be focused there.
Plenty of good largemouth bass also are being caught, mostly by anglers plying the flooded brush, while those fishing for crappie may have trouble finding many keeper fish.
For those wondering about the boat ramps, the Corps just opened the Redman Creek ramp again on Tuesday, and as the water recedes, others will be opened.
By the way, the public meetings on the crappie situation at the lake likely will be scheduled for sometime in late June or July, according to Knuth. It takes a lot of coordination between fisheries staff and administration, the Corps of Engineers and the host sites to get things scheduled. When those dates are announced, I'll let you know.
Strong Showing
At the Scholastic Clay Target Program trap shoot in Sparta, Ill., last weekend, several Poplar Bluff High School shooters recorded personal best scores.
Sophomore Cattarah Caringer was the team's top shooter, earning first place overall in the ladies' division. Caringer shot three perfect rounds on her way to a score of 196 and the win.
Other personal bests were Conner Hendricks with two perfect rounds and Cody Hale, Dylan Hale, Austin Walker and Hunter Seal with their first SCTP perfect rounds.
The junior high team, consisting of Walker Ray, Franklin Davidson, Kason Henderson, Austin Stoner, Trenton Patterson and Garrett Cooper, earned a sixth-place finish overall in their division, and Henderson, Cooper and Stoner all shot their first perfect rounds as well.
The next scheduled competition for Poplar Bluff's trap teams is the SCTP Missouri State Championship June 17 at Linn Creek, Mo., which, coach Josh Wesemann expects, will be an even larger event.
Bass, Squirrel
Opening Day
As Conservation Agent Caleb Pryor eluded to last week, Saturday is the opening day of Missouri's Ozark stream black bass and squirrel seasons.
There looks to be a pretty decent number of squirrels around for the opener, though they seemed to be spotty in some locations the last time I checked.
A good, scoped .22 rifle with hollowpoints fits the bill well, but a shotgun will do nicely too.
The daily limit is 10, whether that's all gray squirrels, fox squirrels or a combination of both.
The bass opener is considered somewhat of a holiday itself by some anglers, especially those who specifically target smallmouths. Fortunately, not too many people keep smallies.
If the water is warm enough in small streams, I've found topwater baits to produce well, but that bite typically gets better later in the summer.
When the water is cooler, smaller baits, like Roadrunners and Beetle Spins or curly-tail jigs cranked slowly, seem to produce catches well.
In larger rivers, I'd start out with slightly undersized plastic baits to gauge fish activity and go from there.
Small streams can be great for catching bass away from the crowds, but you need to get permission from landowners to access them, and it's important to know the trespass laws so you don't get into trouble. If you're not sure, check with a conservation agent.
Mingo Program
If you're looking for something different to do tomorrow (Friday) evening, the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge north of Puxico, Mo., will be hosting a "Constellation Detective" program free to the public.
Beginning at 8 p.m. at the refuge's visitor center off Highway 51, the program will feature crafts and family activities, plus a walk outside focusing on the importance of the night skies for wildlife movements and navigation.
If you plan on participating, remember to dress for the occasion and bringing bug spray would be a good idea.
For more information, call Visitor Services Ranger Debbie Koenigs at 573-222-3589.
Birding Event
There's another family-oriented event on Saturday at the Sam. A. Baker State Park, near Patterson, Mo.
The "Birds Over Baker" program will run from 3-8 p.m. in the park's day-use area and is free to everyone.
During the event, live bird presentations, guided bird watching hikes, activities and crafts are all planned.
Beginning at 7 p.m., staff from the World Bird Sanctuary will present a raptor awareness program featuring hawks, owls and falcons.
To get to the park, take Highway 143 north from Highway 34 at Patterson.
For more information, call the park at 573-856-4514.