Jim, Tom and I looked at each other quickly. Winona was probably 15 twisting miles north.

"Well, uh, if we see a stray on the way to the access, would you like us to tie him up to a tree by the side of the road"?

"Yah, well, whatever."

On that odd note, our brief and puzzling conversation with the local expert ended, and we headed off to Turner's Mill.

At Turner's Mill, the Eleven Point was running absolutely gin clear, with no hint of mist or greenish hue. Also a surprise was the major hatch of Caddis underway and the large numbers of rising fish on the surface. The collective StL fly shop wisdom was that dry fly fishing on the Eleven Point was a waste of time and that going deep with nymphs and streamers was the only way to move fish. We quickly ferried our gear upstream in the jonboat to the first decent looking campsite and set camp in the fading autumn light. On the way we didn't see a soul.

Feverishly rigging up as the first stars showed, I landed two small wild rainbows on a #12 Crackle-back, while Jim landed several to 12" on a bead-head Prince. Tom, good scout, started dinner. As we grilled steaks and got quickly into the camp whiskey, the benefits of jetboat camping started to become clear. Our small gravel bar was crowded with our consumer goods: large dome tent, three coolers, lawn chairs, camp lantern and the picnic table. Packing that in via canoes would have been a real challenge. Cuban cigars soon appeared after dinner and we settled in to poke the campfire, look at the incredible show of stars and catch up with each other.

The next morning, of course, we were up early and ready to start fishing. We all immediately got into rainbows on nymphs. Before the end of the day we would estimate that collectively we had caught and released well over 100 fish between us, ranging from 4" overachievers to a 16 incher. Most fish were 10-13". We continually had fish on. In one non-descript deep run near our campsite, Jim landed over ten nice rainbows while barely changing position. The highlight of the day for me was fishing the Mary Decker Shoals area at daybreak. I hiked to the rapids on the Ozark Trail before the light was on the water. Starting off with the same Crackleback from the previous night, I fished it dry, and was rewarded by several aggressive rainbows coming up and out of the water to take it. I then switched to big Prince nymphs and had several more solid takes before joining up with Tom and Jim, who were anxious to explore upstream via jetboat.

Aboard the jetboat, Tom and I stayed in the bow to try to spot boulders and ledges, while Jim manned the tiller. Blasting upstream and watching the riverbed flash by underneath was a strange sensation to someone used to slowly canoeing downtream. I felt as I had embarked upon an adventure that was a bit odd, though not illegal. It seemed, for example, as if I were going against traffic on a bike path, hanging on to a friend's riding mower. Occasionally, as the day wore on, we spotted canoeists. Jim always chopped the throttle to idle to let them proceed with a minimum disturbance.

We really did not find the need to explore extensively, as there was beautiful water near our campsite. A nice mix of fast holding water and deep pools was prime trout habitat. Even in the deepest pools, we could see bottom. We tried anchoring up in the most promising pools, but found that our best luck was wade fishing the fast water.

We fished steadily until dark, with the bigger fish becoming more frequent as the light waned. We then settled in for drinks and another gourmet meal. The cigar box again went around the fire, and we enjoyed some good Maker's Mark whiskey and what we dubbed "Famous Tom" scotch (mostly Famous Grouse scotch, topped off by Tom at home with other brands he found in his liquor cabinet). All of this revelry had a down side as hours later in our tent. Jim and Tom staged a remarkable snoring contest with me as the reluctant judge. After kicking them, I finally gave up, and knotting a fleece jacket around my head like Aunt Jemima, waited impatiently for first light.

Saturday dawned clear and warmer, and we were surprised to see that the already low river had dropped at least half a foot. This made all the difference in the jetboat, as we were barely able to get upstream under power and had to haul the boat by hand through the rapids. Fishing was also way off from the previous day, although still very good. As the day wore on, our success rate improved, and we stuck to deep nymphing with big Princes. Tom and Jim fished sinking lines, while I used a floater with a long leader. We all used 4x or 5x fluorocarbon tippets. One nice switch we all made was giving up on strike indicators and just concentrating on the line as it entered the water. At dusk Jim set me up in his secret deep run. After a half hour with nary a strike and with darkness coming on, I got a heavy hit at the end of the swing. Line burned off my reel and seconds later a large fish blew out of the water. After a good fight, a 20" rainbow came to hand. Shaped like a football, Jim and I guessed its weight to be between 4 and 5 pounds before reviving and freeing it. With the well-thought out and stringent conservation rules in effect on the river (all fish under 18" to be released), this proved to be the only "legal" fish of the trip.

After another great meal, campfire, cigars, drinks (adios to the Maker's Mark and Famous Tom) and conversation, I toughed out another night with the snorers. The next morning we reluctantly broke camp, got in some last fishing and swims (yes, swims in the first week of November). We then slowly barged our way down to Turner's Mill, packed up and got ourselves home by dark. A great fishing trip.

Marty King sent me the letter in the MidMO TU newsletter and suggested I run it in the Ozark newsletter. As your response is to a letter in their newsletter, and somewhat contextual to that letter, I was wondering if you could give us your general opinion on the matter/ controversy?

Please include information on Mill Creek as before. I saw the damage that was done to the ponds on Dr. Bohegian's place and it was pretty profound. As you are no doubt aware, the ponds are about a hundred yards from Mill Creek. No doubt they are/were there. Is there any evidence that the expanding otter population is helping the fisheries?

Thank you,

Drew Spanogle,
Editor, Ozark

I'll include the original response below and add the following comments:

You asked, "Is there any evidence that the expanding otter population is helping the fisheries?"

I'm not aware of any studies addressing this, however, this seems to be a relative question. Does the removal of an undesirable (and who determines what's undesirable) fish help a more popular species? Of course, otters won't target specific species. They are opportunists. If the otters focus attention on and increase stream stewardship - then yes, they'll help Missouri's fishery.

I think the way we have to look at this issue is, does the otter program fit with MDC's Constitutional mandate of, of: ...control, management, restoration, conservation and regulation of the bird, fish, game, forestry and all wildlife resources of the state...? I believe the answer is yes.

The otter reintroduction was undertaken prior to the advent of citizen participation, however, MDC is actively using that strategy today. Although the agency didn't officially seek public input on the otter issue there was tremendous public support for the reintroduction. Needless to say, even with citizen participation, tough decisions will need to be made about management issues which won't please everyone. I also believe MDC is receptive to and interested in public input and sensitive to divisive disputes among land-owners, anglers, hunters, trappers and MDC which could be used by animal rights groups to further their agenda.

Control and management are important parts of the previously mentioned responsibilities. If you're aware of landowners who are experiencing difficulties with otters please alert them to the services of MDC's wildlife damage biologists. These co-workers provide training, advice and equipment at cost to landowners dealing with problem/nuisance animals. Call your local conservation agent or nearest MDC office for contact information. MDC personnel may also be able to provide contact info for local trappers who now have (as the result of regulation changes approved by the conservation commission at their April meeting) an extended season in a large part of the state. MDC's furbearer biologist indicates that otter populations can be controlled by trapping. Trapping is a crucial wildlife management tool.

There's also a group called the Otter Advisory Committee made up of citizens, anglers, trappers and MDC staff who continue to explore possible solutions which might provide benefits for all those groups. This group was instrumental in developing the changes to the trapping regulation mentioned above.

MDC remains committed to providing responsible resource management. Please be sure your readers are alerted to: http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/conmag/1999/11/4.htm or the November, 1999 Missouri Conservationist for an excellent article about river otters.

We'll conclude by saying we believe Missouri's fisheries resources and the successfully restored otters can coexist with proper management and cooperation of the parties mentioned above .

Thanks for your interest in conservation.

Ken Drenon
drenok@mail.conservation.state.mo.us
573/751-4115, ext 848

(Original article ed.)

Otters are predators and they will eat fish, and lots of other things. I wish habitat issues were as easy to address and would receive a similar outcry. Habitat destruction is a much greater concern, impacts are likely to range far beyond the disturbance site. At least otters have a local effect and they can be removed. It is still a messy situation when you are the one otters decided to visit. We really don't know what the final outcome will be, though we have some pretty good models and data that are allowing us to fine tune some predictions. We are still somewhere in the middle of the book.

The writer mentions Mill Creek. I have spent quite a bit of time working with that system. I offer these observations about Mill Creek.

Mill Creek's trout habitat changes with the ebb and flow of dry and wet years. I would expect a decline in the number of trout as a natural response to the reduction of available habitat due to drought conditions this and the past year. The largest fish are the most affected. They require the finest trout habitat. We have had a number of cooperative projects on Mill Creek which are intended to create the more and deeper habitat with the cover required by these larger fish. We have had limited success. Nature still does the best job using floods and woody debris. Trout numbers and size rebound during a series of wet years. In any case, the naturalized population of rainbow trout that reside in Mill Creek represent one of the better wild trout populations in the state. The high length limit has created a defacto catch-and-release fishery for rainbow trout. Is the population teeming with just less than 18 inch trout? On the contrary, the majority of the fish are less than 10 inches, as one would see in any natural population. A big fish must beat the odds. However, by virtue of the length limit, an expectation has been created for larger fish that in spite of protection by a high length limit do not occur except in very limited numbers at Mill Creek. Why? There are only a few deep places with adequate cover and current to house large fish. Nature selects against the larger fish that are out of suitable habitat. Fish numbers and sizes adjust to the available food and habitat. An otter may eat the large trout, but it would not exist at all if the habitat to support it were not present in the first place.

What would happen if otters became established at Mill Creek? As matter of fact, we have a documented depredation problem at a pond within the flood plain of Mill Creek. Our wildlife damage folks were called in and the otters were removed. That particular problem is in remission. Mill Creek also receives regular attention from an area trapper who has caught several otters while targeting other species. He is likely to focus more attention on otters, since they remain virtually the only furbearer of economic value at this time. I'm sure there are still a few around based on the recent occurrence of otter skat along the bank.

I was contacted by another landowner on Mill Creek who was concerned about the lack of any trout along his frontage. We schedled a fish survey to see what was present. We were all impressed by what was captured. Trout were abundant through the stretch, an area that held few trout until the area was stabilized by a tree revetment. The trout were there. One could not see them any more because we gave them a place to hide. The same cover would aid their escape from otters.

Would otters decimate the trout population at Mill Creek? I doubt it. There are other things for them to eat and some would make easier meals. Crayfish and hogsuckers come to mind. I suspect crayfish are more abundant in cold water streams and spring branches. Coldwater fish communities are simpler than those which are warmer, typically containing less than ten species of fish. I believe crayfish are larger and more numrous in cold water as a result of the lack of predtors. There just aren't that many fish species present that eat crayfish or they are not large enough to consume them to reduce their numbers. Would an otter consume a crayfish over a trout? I don't know. However, I expect it is a generalist and would consume whatever was the most abundant and easiest to catch. The degree of impact is yet to be determined. We do have stream segment which we periodically monitor. I suspect drought conditions will continue to have a greater effect. I haven't found a pile of trout carcasses, yet. If there were one, I am confident that I would get a call or letter.

Another fishery anecdote ... I have dealt with complaints of fishing not being as good as when the lake first opened. Newly stocked fish introduced into an environment with seemingly unlimited food and habitat produce the best growth rates for that system, eventually that which was unlimited becomes divided between a more numerous and often more diverse community. Recruitment and growth rates decline. Intraspecific competition kicks in. I suspect this is in store for the otter. It will still be around when the dust settles, but it will not maintain the unprecedented expansion or numbers it saw when reintroduced to the Missouri landscape of the late twentieth century. Time will tell on this one. I'm not ready to give up on the otter or the trout for that matter.