Outdoor News
Times photo/Sue Ann Jones Outfitters and individuals launched dozens of canoes, kayaks and rafts Saturday morning at the North Fork Recreation area (locally known as Hammond Campground) off CC Highway south of Dora. Plans to create a separate swimming area, away from this boat launch area, were put on hold after last year’s flood, but campground Ranger Carrie Bond said Saturday it’s hoped work can resume on the project soon. Meanwhile, she said, by early afternoon, after most floaters have launched for the day, the boat launch part of the recreation area is “a great swimming hole.” The day use fee for the campground is $2 per vehicle.
Many folks may have wondered a year ago, following the most devastating flood on record, if Ozark County’s rivers would rebound. County officials and those operating tourist-dependent businesses worried that tourists and locals who had flocked to the river in previous years might not come back.But...
The striper fishing on Norfork Lake continues to be very good for the first two hours each morning. Now that we are entering the dark moon phase, you can expect to find feeding stripers later in the morning on the flats in water depths of 40 to 60 feet. We are still catching some stripers on long...
Even in the heat, bass fishing this past week was very good. The Special Olympics tournament out of Theodosia was won with 18.43 pounds. Numerous boats came in with a five-fish limit. Top-water early in the day works well; then it’s time for jigs and plastic worms. Both the creeks and main lake...
Mark Sanders of Ava, right, was the lucky winner of the 2018 Gravely ZT-X Zero Turn Lawn Mower donated by West Plains Marine that was raffled off at the Angling for Athletes Benefit Bass Tournament Saturday out of Theodosia Marina.
Fifty-six teams turned out Saturday morning for the third annual Angling for Athletes Benefit Bass Tournament at Theodosia Marina on Bull Shoals Lake. Even with high temperatures and sunny skies, the anglers showed how skilled they were, with several 4-pound fish being brought to weigh- in,...
Trish Boone shared this trail-camera photo of a black bear that visited her family’s farm on County Road 829 between Gainesville and Theodosia on Wednesday, June 6.
The Missouri Department of Conservation recently launched a new website dedicated to the extensive scientific its research staff members do on several topics, including how it manages the state’s black bear population.Common questions include: Where are they and where do they move around? How many...
Area residents can learn more about kayaks at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s “Beginner Kayaking” clinic to be held June 19 at MDC’s George O. White Nursery near Licking. The free event is for ages 12 and up; individuals under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult.Topics covered...
Bass fishing is an early morning or late evening activity. Top-water lures like the spook or popper work well early and late. Throw a frog near the brush, and you may get your arm broken! Once the top-water bite slows, look for flooded fields as bass will be looking for worms and small fish. In...
The striper fishing on Norfork Lake is still very good for the first two hours each morning. The stripers have moved off the banks and are roaming the deep channels in water depths ranging from 50 to 150 feet. Each day we are seeing that the stripers are now feeding on crawdads early and moving off...
Exploding tree This red oak tree exploded when it was struck by lightning Thursday night near the home of Les and Patrice Wells in the Spring Creek area between Gainesville and Isabella. Les Wells said pieces of the tree landed 100 feet away from the trunk, and another nearby tree was split by the powerful bolt.
Les and Patrice Wells were sitting in their hilltop home off County Road 829 during Thursday night’s thunderstorm when a bright flash and something that sounded like an explosion shook their house and made them jump. Friday morning, they discovered a large red oak tree that had been shattered by a...
Ozark County Emergency Management Director Brett Meints said that this wall cloud, photographed Friday evening by Chris Mattson at Theodosia Marina, was accompanied by wind gusts as high as 40 to 60 miles per hour as it moved into Ozark County from the west.
Holiday weekend began with heavy rain, high water
The Memorial Day holiday weekend got off to a rough start late Friday afternoon in Ozark County as thunderstorms dumped 2 to 4 inches of rain in about 90 minutes in some areas, sending creeks over low-water crossings and washing ruts in county...