Ozarkroots

Floated Mountain Creek to lead mine Friday, the water had just a hint of color to it from the rain. We caught a ton of 12-15” smallies on spinning rod flukes and fly rods with streamers. Awesome day once again on the Niangua. (Even though I snapped a Sage rod on a log jam )

Topwater poppers on a fly rod are working.... brought in a couple of big smallies this week and a lot of little ones.

Thanks! Great info

Hey guys, I typically hunt in Laclede county where I live, but want to experience a float/archery hunt for turkeys this spring. It seems like the Eleven Point would be a good place to do that. I talked to someone at the ranger station on the phone and she said that floating the stretch of Irish Wilderness would make it almost impossible to accidentally stumble onto private land. 1. Is that the case in regards to it being almost completely public hunting land on the stretch of the Irish Wilderness? 2. Is the river in that area pretty fast or is it easy to float? 3. Is that stretch of the river big enough to be bothered by jet boaters? Thanks so much for your help!

I've heard the narrows are incredible. I live on the Niangua but was considering coming down next week to float and fish for smallies. Is that an area that is floatable right now? If so where would be good in and out points. Also, is this a good place for smallies? I'll just have a day to float. Thanks!!

I have a great 1648 Alweld jet boat with a 50 hp Merc. The boat is 87 and the motor in 75. The boat runs perfect. The compression is great and the motor had been stored out of the weather. The bottom of the boat has dents from being a jet boat but there are no leaks. It has a brand new 2010 Nationwide trailer under it and all new seats and steering wheel. Also has a brand new Motorguide 43 lb thrust trolling motor. Rewired last month. Truely a great boat but I want to trade it for a 20,25, or 30 hp tiller boat. Somebody who wants to upgrade would really like this boat. It runs great on the current and gasconade but my little streams are a bit too small for it. Call or text me at 417-531-9922. Thanks. Sorry about all the dust!

Brown?......Oh yeah that was that fishing guide that molested the little kids on the gravel bar a couple years back.....yeah "puts meat in the boat" i get it now! Lol

Yeah I don't see many down past NRO.

Thats pretty irritating....most of us just shoot up to where we want to fish and then float back. Putting in at Prosperine would let us avoid the huge masses of canoers upriver, but still not have to go all the way around to Lead Mine.

Come on now.....there arnt any canoers there! You haven't go to give me hell for takin a boat on the lake! Lol

I put in at a little campground off of J where the little Niangua runs into the lake....tool my jet up river a little and then fished the lake a little....didn't catch but three fish! What the heck?! Does that area suck or what? I did however see a million gar!

I understand what you're saying. I don't think it would benefit anyone to run a jet in any crowded areas. I and a few others who live here do run them on less busy areas in the summer and more often in the spring and fall......nobody likes to get knocked around in a canoe!

I'd rather have jet boats than all the pricks in canoes that litter the river with beer cans and show everyone their naked parts. I think the Niangua has worse problems than jet motors!

I was just doing some thinking.....I wonder if enough of us wanted to write the MDC about a gravel ramp at Prosperine if they would consider putting one in? It wouldn;t take much, just moving those big rocks mostly....it would just be nice to get put in down there.

Thanks so much Al...I run my jet on the Niangua alot and it sounds like it may be similar...probably should stay off until this rain gets it up a little! You wouldn't happen to be the Al Agnew who has his name all over these beautiful paintings in my office would you?

I live in Lebanon but have never fished the Big Piney....does anybody know a good place to put in that would have enough water to run my jet boat? I don;t want to drive all that way and end up in a place thats log jammed or something. Also, I'm a big smallie angler and wanted to know if there were parts of the river that seemed to porduce more fish than others.

Haha....maybe so...I've lived in Lebanon forever so I'm sure we'll run into each other. I have a 16' flat Alweld and a 1975 50/35 Merc jet steering console. I don't see too many Hondas so I'll be on the lookout!

I mean properine to lead mine. Not Lead mine to Berry Bluff.

Not to argue with the only darn guy on the river that has my back when it comes to running a jet boat, but I usually do alright from Lead Mine to Bird Insland...thats my favorite stretch....much better than lead mine to tunnel. I always do well with Bitsy Bugs witha crawdad trailer.

That place looks awesome. I live 3 hours from the 11pt...is there a place to put in a jet boat near there? There may not be enough water for a jet though.

I'm pretty sure I've seen old oneshot on the bank down at Barclay....if not it's another bearded man in overalls! Come on oneshot...reveal your true identity. The world is biting at the bit! What is your name!?

That's what she said.

Is you son with the conservation or something?

Yeah I put in at the ramp then headed up. About I'd say a mile up there is a gravel bar on right and mud bank on left right before the nice shady stretch. If you go left of the tree the water is so low that there is only about an inch over the log that is across the water. If you go right then you only have about a 1/2 inch of water to run. I made it over the log but it was rough as hell and on the way back the current pushed me into the limbs. I guess I should have started the motor and tried to run fast across it coming back down but the turn is so quick and narrow I didn't think it was a good idea. Hell I don't think there is any good way except cut it out or wait until there's enough water to take the other side across the gravel. Maybe I'm just not good enough with a jet but when my boat whacks the log hard enough to jar my motor I'm not gonna go that route again!

Put in at Lead Mine yesterday an planned to jet up to Blue Spring and float back. We got about a mile and ran into a spot with a big tree down. Ended up stuck on the tree and after 30 min of getting oursleves loose in the heavy current we had to pull of and clean out the jet pump. The short strech we got to fish produced a few smallies and lots of goggle eye. All on bitsy bugs. Has anyone ever taken a chain saw and tried to clear log jams themselves?