Colorado Bassmaster

Hey KC... only one guy in the group was flyfishing, the rest of us were using spinning gear. Marabou jigs, 1/16th oz in olive/peach (perfect sculpin color), olive/purple and olive/orange were best in that order. Location was key. Big fish were holding in the tail ends of holes where riffles began. I suspect with the water droping quickly, they were getting ready to transition into the holes. Bottom contact was essential so you need a jig heavy enough to bump the rocks and light enough to stay out of them. The fish also seemed to be line shy a bit with 4 lb Maxima Ultragreen way outfishing 6 lb. The light line may also work better because it would allow the jig to get deeper faster. As for the smallies up around Cane, 1/8 oz Strike King Bitsy Bug jigs in brown outfished everything else combined. We also caught fish on Yamamoto grubs but they were a pain in the butt to use because the rock bass would constantly bite off the tails and you would spend more time rigging than fishing. The final mile stretch just before the junction with Greer Spring was best. We had a couple holes right before the confluence that the four of us would pull 30 of 40 fish out of.

Just wanted to say thanks to Brian for all of his help on our trip to the Eleven Point River this week. Also, wanted to follow up on a previous post about our intentions on coming to Mo from Colorado to do a float/fishing trip. As I posted before, I grew up in Rolla and it has been 20 years since my last float. I have been missing "home" pretty badly so I got with a couple of my best friends and decided to share with them the joy I use to get out of floating and fishing the Ozarks when I was a kid. So a while back I posted here asking for some local advice on where to go. Plenty of kind folks offered up good information. After he posted, I contacted Brian and decided that the scenery, variety and amenities he and his river had to offer would perfectly fit the bill. I planned my trip accordingly and this is how it went... We drove straight through last Sunday morning and arrived around 7pm that night. Brian had the cottage set up and ready for us. It was a quaint little place, perfect for four fishing buddies offering everything we needed and the price was right! We got to Brian’s shop Monday morning, paid for the cottage, canoes, flies, jigs, licenses and off we went. Our first day was spent on the trophy trout section from Greer to Turner. We got to the launch and the scenery was amazing. None of my friends had ever been to the Ozarks before and needless to say, they were astounded by the beauty. I was in heaven! The day went very well. We caught probably 50 fish, mostly wild trout and probably 10 over 18 inches. One thing that really stood out was the amazing coloration of those rainbows. Brilliant crimson with the reddish, brownish, greenish backs and red fins; like nothing we see here in Colorado... absolutely STUNNING! The second day we did the smallmouth run from Cane to Greer. Way different river up there and GREAT fishing! The four of us caught over 350 fish that day, mostly smallies and about 50 goggle eyes, many of which were very nice fish. The average smallie was probably about 12 or 13 inches but we had several over two pounds and a couple pushing three. It's amazing to me how hard those river smallies pull. Little brown freight trains. I did manage to lose two fish in log jams that were well into the three pound range BUT... 8 lb test just wasn’t enough to turn them and I got my butt whooped. That day was the most amazing day of fishing I, and my buddies, have had in a long time, and to finish the day with floating past Greer Springs... well, that was just icing on the cake! The third day we launched at Turner and floated to Whitton. Another great float with probably over 150 fish, all trout, most of which were hatchery fish but I did manage several wild bows with one, the biggest of the whole trip, tipping the scale at about a tad over 4 lbs. This day was interesting to say the least. A bit over half way down the stretch, there is a sharp right turn with a log that has a reputation. We almost dumped our canoe and my buddy Scott did dump his. He lost a Loomis flyrod with a Tibor reel, a St Croix Legend Elite spinning rod. If anyone finds them and is willing to leave them with Brian, that would be spectacular. Then, we get back to the shop to find out that an old man had passed out while driving and drove into the back of our truck that was parked in front of the shop. Oh well, at least the fishing was great. The final day was a bit tough. We fished the trophy trout area again but after the previous day it was hard to keep our minds in the game. We caught a few fish but there were a lot more people out that day and the best runs were getting hammered. We were off the river by three and home at 6 this morning. The trip was great! We caught a ton of fish and had an amazing time. Brian gave us great advice and was willing to go above and beyond for us so to him, a big thank you! And... I hope you got that jar of homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs out of the fridge and enjoyed it. My wife’s sauce is the best on the planet!

How much did you charge him?

They are very aggressive at the Denver BPS. I just tell them I already own a house on Table Rock, but thanks anyway... as for the Mormons that come to my door... I answer the door with a Mizzou t-shirt on and my 45 holstered. They don't hang around too long.

Sencos, lizards, tubes. I like rigging these on a dropshot, heavy weight and short leader. Shake the heck out of the bait without moving it out of the strike zone, it gets them all fired up!

^^^this^^^ I have a 900 acre lake (pond) by my house that is electric only. I have a Nitro Z9 and a 36 v Minn Kota. I can lap the lake twice before a noticable decline in power. For the money, Interstate is best bang for the buck.

Al, the reason closing your bail by hand helps is because when you close your bail by turning the reel handle, it sometimes throws a loop on the spool. As you start the retrieve, you burry a loop and sometimes the loop will end up exposed on the lip of the spool. The reason for bird nests on a spinning reel is a loop gets partially buried on your spool, then on the next cast, the outgoing line catches on the loop that is partially buried and pulls line out from under itself. When I close the bail by hand, I also give a quick tug on the line to pull any loop on the spool tight. Again, this may seem tedious but I have been doing it so long that it has become effortless. I don't even think about it and honestly, I never get bird nests. I guide warmwater here in Colorado and fish mostly spinning gear when guiding. I teach my clients how to do this and by the end of the day, most not only become proficient at doing this but are also impressed by how effective this technique is. One other point... when spooling up a spinning reel, label up is not always the best way to spool. Some line mfgrs spool up line differently than others. Seaguar spools up in the opposite direction than Trilene. The best way is to lay the spool on the floor; point your reel directly at the spool. The line should come off the spool the same direction the bail is spinning. If it is opposite, flip the spool over and proceed. If you do this, it will greatly reduce line twist when spooling.

The best braid for a spinning reel is Daiwa Samurai. If you have ever used it, you would agree. I have used almost everything on the market and hands down, no contest, Samurai is the best! I use the 20lb which is about 4lb dia. It is the softest braid on the market and is extremely forgiving when it comes to twisting. Unfortunately, it is one of the more expensive. I get it on ebay and can sometimes find it for around $25 for a spool of 150 yards. BUT, when you see how easy it is to use, you will realize it's money well spent. As for the comment about closing the bail by hand, that is the single best piece of advice you can get about using a spinning reel. It seems tedious at first but once you get use to it, it becomes second nature and it will almost totally eliminate bird nests.

I just got this rod a month ago. A bit too slow for my sink tip line. This rod was used one day for just a couple hours. It retails for $210. Will sell it for $110. I will cover shipping.

Thanks guys, good info. Ron, I agree with the Road Runner statement. It too was a mainstay of mine as a kid. We use to fish the creeks between Rolla and St James in the summer. We would walk the creeks for miles fishing Beetle Spins, Road Runners and Rebel Wee Craws. Use to catch 100 fish a day. Ahhhh, the good 'ole days...

Growing up in Mo, one of my favorite ways to fish streams for both smallies and trout was a marabou jig. I have not fished that way for over 20 years. I will be back in June and need a bit of a refresher course on jig fishing in rivers. I will be fishing the Eleven Point and North Fork. Questions.... What colors are some of your favorites and what size do you throw. Also, do you havs a favorite jig company? When I was a kid, I kept it simple; black jigs and white jigs in 1/32 was all I threw but that was then. Opinions? Thanks.

By the way... bferg (Brett)?? I think we have stretched some string together in CO... I'm gonna be in NW Arkansas in June. Maybe that "TC Special" will do some damage. We should get together.

Grand Lake is awesome. Along with the snowmobiling, you can catch giant lake trout through the ice. Grand is a fantastic fishery and one of my very good friends guides up there. His name is Bernie Keefe; he is one of the finest macinaw guides in the nation and an absolute blast to fish with. He has all the equipment and snowmobiles too. If you have never done it, since you will be up there anyway, you should give it a whirl.

Thanks everyone. Brian, I will probably be paying you a visit in June. I like the idea of the variety and not having to deal with too many people. Al, great advice as always and much appreciated. You all are very kind and willing to help. Thats what I miss the most about living in Mo. Not much of that here in Denver. It's a whole different country out here. Twelve more years (till I retire) and I'll be back home.

Ron, by lower Current, are you talking below Two Rivers or down further?