Trout Hunter Guide Service
Guided Fishing, Casting Lessons, Fly Fishing Classes (page down for client photos)
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My name is Walt Fulps, and I am the developer and host of Missouri Trout Hunter. This website is more than a means for sharing my passion for trout with the public. It's a means of demonstrating to you that, when it comes to trout fishing, I know what I'm talking about. The secondary purpose is to draw you to this page in hopes that you'll choose me to guide your next trout fishing trip or to teach you how to fly fish.
I taught myself to trout fish on the Roubidoux Creek during the summer of my 9th year, and I got pretty good at hooking them on corn, floating bait, and rooster tails. That winter "The Quiet Man" was playing on TV one cold wet Sunday afternoon, and since we only had three channels (and no video games), I watched it. John Wayne was in it -- how bad could it be? In the movie, Maureen O'Hara seeks the counsel of the town priest while he's trying to hook a big salmon on a fly -- he hooks and loses it, thanks to O'Hara distracting him. Motivated by that scene, I began lugging my new 8-foot fiberglass fly rod down to the creek every chance I got, mercilessly beating the water with my plastic fly fine until I finally caught my first trout on a fly completely by accident. My wife would say it was the worst thing that could've happened to me. Now, almost 35 years and a few thousand fish later, I am still wishing I were a better trout fishermen, and I continue to work hard to become so.
Over the years I have caught trout in every public trout water in Missouri, as well as a few super-secret privately owned trout streams. I've also had the pleasure of fishing with some great gentlemen on some storied western rivers as well, and the fish and fishermen taught me great lessons. I have guided clients on a number of different rivers in Missouri, depending on where I was living at the time, and I currently offer guide trips on three area waters.
OPTION #1: The MERAMEC RIVER red ribbon trout area is perhaps the most challenging larger trout stream in Missouri, because it changes every year due to annual flooding. In addition, the MDC only stocks it with brown trout once annually, with hatchery rainbows finding their way into the river from Maramec Spring Park and a few wild rainbows migrating into the river from one of several spring-fed feeder creeks that support wild stream-bred trout. If you can consistently catch trout on the Meramec, then you can catch them on any trout stream in the world. On guide trips, clients catch fish averaging 13 inches with 10% of hooked trout measuring in the 17+ inch catagory. I'll teach you how to problem-solve this river, as well as any other river you'll be likely to encounter.
OPTION #2: Starting this year (2011), I'm now offering guide trips on the MILL CREEK blue ribbon trout area. I will not be guiding on any portion of this stream that flows through the Mark Twain National Forest, since I don't have the USFS special permit to do so, but we will be fishing some of the best trout water available. This is a 100% wild trout stream, meaning every trout you catch will be stream bred. Most of the trout are small, but the improved habitat and water table over the last 3-4 years has increased survival and trout growth, and there are some nice fish present. You'll want a shorter rod for this creek, and you generally will need to be at least somewhat technically proficient to experience success.
OPTION #3: Since 2009, I've had permission to guide on a fantastic little privately owned trout stream -- "THE SECRET CREEK". The access was ALMOST exclusive, but that's no longer the case.
In 2012, Westover Farms acquired access to this stream. In other words, the secret is
out! The creek in question is the same stream that leaves the Westover Farms property and flows through the family property of a
friend of mine. That said, I still have permission to guide there, but the experience is slightly different now. Westover offers guide services to their guests for an additional fee. If they don't have a guide available for the time you're there, you can request that they contact me as a sub-contractor. Assuming I'm available, I'll be happy to come down.
COMING SOON (hopefully): I'm currently negiotiating to offer guide trips on another private property trout stream and also an AMAZING private property smallmouth stream. I've always enjoyed smallmouth fishing, but this little creek has me wondering if I will be launching a Missouri Smallmouth Hunter website at some point (FYI: if anyone steals that idea, people will know who you stole it from!). At any rate, stay tuned!
Interested? If you have any additional questions or you'd like to schedule a trip, click below to email me or pick up the phone & call. If you'd like to schedule a date to go fishing, please keep in mind that certain days will have higher demand that others: Memorial Day will book more quickly than, say, the Tuesday after Christmas, for example. And if you can aim for a weekday rather than a weekend, we'll have less competition from other fishermen and floaters. I don't require a deposit to pencil your name in. Just your word that you'll give me plenty of notice if you have to cancel or reschedule.
Thank for your interest, and I hope to hear from you soon!
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written permission. Please contact us if you see something you'd like to use.
