kevthebassman

Many thanks, I may do just that. I can cover some water if I have to but it's no fun passing up fishing holes in a rush.

I have booked my trip for the year, we are doing a long trip and camping two nights on the river. I have never floated the Jacks Fork, and I know that even if I had, it has changed quite a bit. The object was to find peace and quiet, and get some quality fishing in. Any help on what the fish are biting on, good spots to camp, and if I'm a crazy person for thinking that I can float 39 miles of this river in two and a half days would be much appreciated! Oh and if you should happen to see a couple in straw hats floating, give us a big wave and stop to socialize!

I booked a float from the prongs to Eminence, 39 miles with two nights on the river, hoping the fishing are biting!

How big of a party crowd does the James River draw? I can deal with some floaters but the huge party crowds are zero fun to me.

With all the crazy flooding I have been putting off booking my float until I have a better idea of which outfits are up and running and which river is in the best shape. We did the 11 point last year, booked through Brian Sloss who is always an excellent host. I was thinking about the Jack's Fork or Current this year, but I don't know what kind of shape the river will be in by the weekend of June 10th. I could be talked into floating the upper 11 point above Greer if the smallmouth bite was hot. Looking to do a two day float with an overnight camp on the river if possible, and trout or smallmouth to chase are a must. Like to avoid the party crowds as much as possible but I know that I don't own the river.

You're a scholar and a gentleman Brian.

Many thanks for the replies gentlemen. I will be sure to have a full report when I get back.

I will be floating June 10th through the 12th, Greer to Riverton. I've been following the river level closely and praying for an end to the rain. The only other time I have been to the eleven point was in November, several years ago. The river was nearly deserted, and my brother has I had no company in either of the float camps we stayed at. I am coming back knowing that we're unlikely to have that same level of solitude, but my girlfriend and I are hoping to have a nice, quiet, relaxing trip. Can anyone give me some insight as to what to expect in the float camps? Should I plan to stop early to get a decent spot upwind of the smelly, huddled masses? Is camping permitted outside of the float camps? I'm also thinking it's safe to assume that the paddling will be significantly more exciting, with the river the way it is now versus a trip in November. Not necessarily a problem, I can paddle competently and know enough about my own limitations to actually wear my pfd and get out of the boat and check a rapid from the bank before I run it. I'm outfitting through Brian, but I don't recall if he sold flies in his shop or not. I plan on bringing my fly rod but I know that the river calls for different flies from what I usually fish.

Are the river camps usually full up? We're planning to be down there too, fly rods and guns in the boat to take advantage of all the area has to offer.

I liked you on facebook and gave you a good write-up on your google page after (I believe it was) Megan from your place emailed me for feedback. Our stay at your place was incredible, by the way.

My brother and I are getting into froggin, we floated the Meramec for them between the palisades and allenton, with some success but the float is too long, low, and slow. Brother went to the Catawissa pits and said the place is cleaned out, so we're looking for some place to go without having to do a full float. All we've got is a canoe. Not so much wanting people's secret spot as just some suggestions on alternate accesses or maybe spots we haven't thought of hitting that are fairly close to St. Louis, Jefferson or Franklin counties.

Does anybody make a canoe out of that stuff?

Wow! That's some extreme boating there, to be sure. They're lucky they didn't kill anybody. That kind of behavior is generally a self correcting problem, they'll trash their boat, or wind up dead or in prison, before too long.

If you don't count little trips to the subdivision ponds around town, I'd say probably ten trips.

Justin, like Al and a few others have said, I don't see how it could hurt business to tack a couple of extra bucks onto a rental. People pay more for a pack of smokes than I'd ever ask them to pay to float the rivers. You yourself have said that you don't allow that kind of wild debauchery to take place in on your campground, and you do it to keep the place family friendly, and your bottom line is why you do that. It's all well and good to have a family friendly campground, but if your family friendly campground serves a river full of wild drunken debauchery as seen on the Meramec and other rivers close to St. Louis, the families are still going to stay away.

I've contacted my State Senator, and in his words, this is one of the only tax proposals he has seen that he could get behind. Al, you've laid out an excellent argument, and Midwest Troutbum gets it. I don't think anyone expects this to be a cure-all, and I know I don't expect the rivers to be a Sunday school. But if we could get some money raised by users of the river who heretofore have been riding for free, and get that money spent exclusively on enforcement of the laws on the river, we could hopefully check some of the worst of the nonsense.

I've never had a 100 fish day, but I've had a 40 fish day or two in my life, and to me those are real memorable trips. I don't doubt that some of the guys here post 100 fish days, especially guys like Al and others who get to spend as many days on the water per year as I might spend in 5 years or more. Having a young family and an employer who is tight fisted with pay and vacation days will do that to a guy.

I'm not one to take taxes lightly, but something is broken when it comes to law enforcement on our public waters.

I was not aware there was already a use tax in place JD, does that apply only to the designated national riverways, or to others such as the Meramec as well? Huzzah Valley Resort's web site advertises no sales tax on canoe rentals. I would think that applies only to rivers like the Current and maybe Eleven Point, but I've never seen law enforcement down there either, NFS or otherwise.

The state of Missouri is blessed with several absolutely beautiful spring fed rivers. The cool, clean water of these streams supports several species of highly sought after game fish. The fishermen who chase these fish pay the taxes that provides the money to patrol and enforce the law on these rivers. Every summer, however, these rivers become party central, with hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of people converge on the rivers to take float trips, where some of them get drunk and rowdy, use the river as a bathroom, and leave trash strewn everywhere. The Water Patrol and game wardens get completely swamped during this time, there simply aren't enough of them (usually 2 per county) to patrol that many people. Currently, there is no tax, aside from regular income taxes, levied on rentals at canoe liveries. No sales tax or anything. I think a $3 tax on every rental (which go for $30-50 per day), directed towards the enforcement of the law and litter cleanup on the waterways, would go a long way towards bringing some sanity back to the rivers between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It's time that the party crowd pull their own weight with regards to maintaining our state's waterways. If you support this, will you join me in asking your elected officials to sponsor a bill to this effect?

That'd be neat, for sure. I don't know if it's possible, but it would be a nice treat to catch one in MO.

WOW! This kind of topic is why I love this place!

Gonna make for an interesting 4th of July, for sure. If any of you fellas have been thinking about clearing brush away from your homes and outbuildings, you've got about a week left.

Again, many thanks fellas.

Brian, I'm looking at getting down there probably around 10am Saturday, so Saturday is going to be spent mainly trying to get to stinking pond float camp and get setup before dark, grabbing fishing where I can get it. Once I get set up I can do a bit of wading before it's time to light the fire and cook dinner. Sunday will be the day to fish, for better or worse I tend to pick a spot apart before I move along. I might be able to catch more fish if I moved faster but I seldom remember that once I've got myself parked in front of a good little pocket or hole. I think I'll stick with the shorter float mainly because it's my first time on this river, and the boys are an unknown quantity. Steve, what kind of jigs are you using? Regular little crappie maribou jigs, or??? Color and type would be helpful, I've got to get these teenagers on some fish if I've any hope of turning them away from the darn Xboxes. Line recommendations are welcome as well. Thank you to you gents for helping a guy out, I appreciate it. Brian, you'll be getting a call from me in the next couple of weeks.