Secrets of the Gasconade Bill Cooper 3/13/16 The Gasconade River holds the title of one of the most crooked rivers in the world. Less publicized are the towering bluffs, hairpin turns, hundreds of caves and springs and spectacular hardwood forests that line the river. One need not dig much to uncover a fascinating history of the Gasconade which include stories of Osage Indians, French fur trappers, Civil War raiders, Jesse James, tie hackers and legends of buried gold in the Moccasin Bend area north of Waynesville. The Gasconade’s rich history may not be as evident today, but river users are still in the know about Gasconade gold... the golden trout of the pioneers, more commonly called the brown bass, bronze-backed bass, redeye, smallie, or smallmouth bass by modern day anglers. The angling history of the Gasconade is quite fascinating, but never more fascinating than today with modern fisheries management programs in place. The Gasconade is home to one of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s 10 Special Bass Management Areas. Justin Richardson of Rolla is a longtime fan of the Gasconade. “It is the perfect smallmouth river,” he stated. “You can catch smallmouth far upstream, where you can only wade or very near where it runs into the Missouri 300 miles downstream.” The Gasconade contains 20 miles of specially managed smallmouth area from Riddle Bridge at the end of Highway Y, north of St. Roberts, to the Highway D Bridge at Jerome. However, Richardson prefers to fish above the managed area. “The managed area has some terrific fishing, but tends to attract more people,” he advised. “I prefer to put in at the Highway 17 bridge north of Waynesville. It is 15 miles to Riddle Bridge where the managed area begins, but I spend most of my fishing time in the first five or six miles below Highway 17. There are lots of big rocks in this stretch. The channels are deep, and the current moves right along.” Richardson has fished the Gasconade for decades and still uses a time-tested lure, the Twin Spin “Nugget.” “I slow-roll the lure over rocks and logs. I look for this structure in 4 to 6 feet of water. Adding a No. 101 green and white pork frog to the bait makes it a killer.” Richardson rigs his favorite baitcaster with 10-pound P Line. “I catch a lot of 12- to 14-inch smallmouths in this stretch,” he said, “but I like to be prepared for the three or four 2 1/2- to 4-pound fish I catch on most trips.” Nick Miller, of Bourbon, spends a lot of time on the Gasconade and prefers to fish in the SMA region of the river. “Smallmouth fishing on the Gasconade has improved dramatically since the beginning of the Special Management Area,” he stated. Rule changes instituted over a decade ago have allowed smallmouth bass to increase in size. Limits on smallmouth are now one fish per day, with an 18-inch length limit. “That’s a big smallmouth,” Miller stated. The new regulations came into play not long after bass anglers had begun to accept the idea of catch and release. ‘“I wouldn't think of killing a smallmouth,” Miller said. “Too, I believe most fishermen on the rivers these days feel the same way. It takes a long time for a smallmouth to grow to 18-inches. If handled properly, a smallmouth bass may be caught and released several times by the time it reaches 18-inches. Such a fish will have provided a thrill for a number of anglers in it’s lifetime. That scenario is far more favorable than someone taking a smallmouth home to eat.” Miller is quite good at smallmouth fishing and has earned himself a slot on Cowtown USA’s pro fishing staff. He runs one of Cowtown’s Legend SS jetboats while fishing the Gasconade. “You have to have a good boat to run the river,” Miller said. “All waters are not created equal and I often run a lot of miles to find the best smallmouth fishing spots. I have fished all of my life and the Legend SS is the best boat I have ever used.” I tagged along with Miller on a recent fishing trip to the Gasconade. He normally likes to put it at the Jerome access, but recent floods destroyed the MDC access. It is now under repair. Miller spends most of his fishing time between Jerome and Boiling Spring, eight miles up stream. This day, he took the long way around and took Highway P off of 28, south of Dixon, and put in at Boiling Spring. Within minutes Miller had the first smallmouth of the day in the boat. He religiously fishes a Smithwick Rogue in the winter months. “ I like a suspending model that will suspend to eight feet, but I seldom take it that deep,” Miller said. After catching several fish in the vicinity of Boiling Spring, Miller reluctantly headed towards Jerome. He had caught a 5-pound largemouth within a 100 yards of Boiling Spring two days previous. Miller catches a lot of fish near the Jerome Bridge during the cold winter months. He rotated between the bridges and a mile long stretch of boulder strewn banks upriver from the bridges. I filmed as Miller steadily put bass in the boat using a Smithwick Rogue and a Storm Wiggle Wart. Patience is still key to fishing and Miller exercised his perfectly as he utilized his trolling motor to put the Legend boat in perfect position to cast to awaiting smallmouth bass. I had as much fun filming as Miller did fishing. And as we motored back towards Boiling Spring, I couldn’t help but think about the allure of the Gasconade River, the stories and the legends that endure yet today. However, it is the real gold of the Gasconade, the big brownies, bronzeback, smallmouth bass, that Miller caught, which will haunt my dreams. Note: Videos of Miller fishing the Gasconade may be seen at: www.aoutdoorstv.com and www.facebook.com/CowtownUSAinc.