By PAUL DAVIS
Outdoors Editor
After an early-morning storm passed over Saturday and the threat of bad weather was gone, 14 teams hit the water at Van Buren, Mo., for the Current River Smallmouth Association's annual His and Hers tournament.
After nine hours of fishing, the team of Williams and Williams topped the field, bringing in 10.17 pounds to the scales. The day's big bass, weighing 2.81 pounds, helped put them into the top spot on the leaderboard.
Close behind in second place was the team of McAfee and McAfee with 9.62 pounds, while Joachim and Joachim took the third spot with 8.74 pounds.
Fourth place was earned by Nicholson and Nicholson with 8.74 pounds, and the top five was rounded out by the team of Sullivan and Sullivan with 8.51 pounds.
All but one of the participating teams weighed in a five-fish limit, though it does appear the fish weights from this event were down a little.
The club will fish again Saturday, its first event of the season at Doniphan, Mo.
Launch from the ramp in Doniphan will be at 7 a.m., and weigh-in likely will be at 4 p.m., though to be sure, you should call Paul Henderson at 573-686-5476 or Troy McAfee at 417-331-4831.
In mid-July, the Current River Smallmouth Association will be back in action in Van Buren.
Good
Fishing
Bluegill fishing has remained good locally, especially in farm ponds and in the spillway at Wappapello Lake. Apparently, the word got out to everyone because several bait shops were all sold out of crickets for a few days last week.
Crappie fishing in Wappapello Lake isn't bad considering the falling water, but small fish still abound.
Anglers also have been catching good numbers of crappie in the spillway, though the average size there only runs 5-8 inches.
Catfishing also remains good, especially for anglers using live bait or cut bait.
Wappapello has fallen to about 364 feet, just 4 feet above the summer recreation pool. Over at Clearwater Lake, the drop is much slower, and it still remains a tad more than 50 feet above the level it should be normally.
Bass
Circuit
The Wappapello Bass Circuit will be on the water Saturday, with fishing from the Sundowner ramp.
Launch time is scheduled for 5:30 a.m., with weigh-in later at 3 p.m.
As always, the organization will hold an informational meeting to assign boat numbers beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Wappapello VFW, which is a few miles north of the dam.
If you need more information, call Justun Buchanan at 573-429-6312 or Matt Allison at 573-778-6969.
Frogging
Season
For those who like to do something a little different in the outdoors, Missouri's frog season is coming up at the end of the month.
Starting at sunset on June 30, the season for bullfrog and green frogs open, and you can take them on a fishing or hunting permit, depending on your technique.
With a fishing permit, you can take frogs by hand, hand net, atlatl, gig, bow, trotline, throwline, snagging, snaring, grabbing or with pole and line.
With a hunting permit, you can take them with an air rifle or pistol, rimfire rifle, bow, crossbow, atlatl, by hand or hand net.
Regardless of your technique, the daily limit is eight frogs, and there's a possession limit of 16.
Shallow sloughs and other stagnant water likely will be your best bey to finding good numbers of big frogs.
Froggers will have through the end of October to enjoy their sport.
Duck Stamp
Renewal
Anyone who hunts ducks and other migratory birds knows the legal requirement to carry a federal duck stamp, but the stamps aren't just for hunters. Bird watchers, nature enthusiasts and others all can benefit from the stamps because the money collected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from their purchase helps create wetlands and other important wildlife habitat.
With that in mind, the 2016 federal duck stamp expires on June 30, so after that date, you'll need a new one.
Most folks don't buy their stamp until just before the duck season, but it can be a good idea to get it earlier. For instance, if you enjoy driving through the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge looking for wildlife, the stamp serves as your daily entry fee, meaning you don't have to pay anything else to enter the refuge.
Post offices may or may not have the stamps in stock, so you'll just have to check.
In Missouri, you also can buy the $25 stamp online, and you'll get a temporary permit to carry until the real deal comes in the mail.
Managed Hunt
Application Period
If you plan on applying for a managed deer hunt in Missouri this year, that application period will open on July 1 and run throughout the month.
This year, about 100 hunts are being offered for archers, muzzleloading rifle hunters, centerfire rifle hunters, shotgun slug hunters and those with disabilities.
The ever-popular muzzleloader hunt at the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge will take place Dec. 2-3, with 80 hunters to be drawn.
Dec. 2-3 are also the dates of the Peck Ranch muzzleloader hunt, which is especially popular. For that hunt, 200 hunters will be drawn.
Other nearby hunts include two December/January muzzleloader hunts at the Current River State Park, five archery hunting periods at the Otter Slough Conservation Area and an early-rut archery hunt at Peck Ranch.
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways will host a youth-only hunt Oct. 7-8, and a week later, on Oct. 14-15, there will be a youth hunt at Peck ranch as well.
Mingo's youth-only hunt will take place Nov. 4-5, which should be a great time for deer movement as the rut heats up. Mingo also will host a youths-with-disabilities hunt on those same dates for five hunters.
Other managed hunts for those with disabilities include one at Wappapello Lake Oct. 21-22, Clearwater Lake Oct. 21-22, Ozark National Scenic Riverways Nov. 4-5, Clearwater Lake Nov. 4-5, a Mingo recovering soldier hunt Nov. 7-8, a new hunt Nov. 11-12 for five hunters at Coldwater Conservation Area in Wayne County and a Mingo hunt Dec. 2-3.
You can apply for most hunts individually or in a party of up to four hunters.
Applications will be taken online only at mdc.mo.gov/managedhunt, and the results of the drawing will be posted on Sept. 1.