riverrat

No way is a Sammy 115 too big for smallmouth, at least not on the Gasconade. It is by far my favorite topwater lure, caught 25 on it last Saturday. I make no modifications to it and it is easier to walk than a Spook,with that little splash. Explosive strikes. Fun!!

Thanks

Hello Feathers and Fins, I'm going to ask for a little advice. My sister lives on Indian River Dr. between White city and the power plant. My 12 yr. old nephew loves to smallmouth fish with me when they are here, but he has't had much luck fishing from their pier,it goes out about 200ft. into Indian River. Any suggestions on lures. His mom and dad will absolutely not fish. I'd like to get him away from video games.

I carry the kitchen sink because I'm afraid they'll be biting on something I don't have. I have five rods rigged with various lures, usually a Sammy,super fluke, small worm or grub, maybe a torpedo, and always a buzzbait. Usually start out with the sammy, and if they're on it, I don't put it down. Don't use many bottom lures, because the floats I take are from 10-14 miles. If they're not on the sammy I'll throw the fluke, always throwing the buzzbait every half hour or so. It's been my experience that in the summertime, smallmouth are going to turn on to the buzzbait sometime. It's like a switch is suddenly turned on, sometimes early,sometimes in the middle of a bright sunny day, sometimes late. What the heck do they think a buzzbait is?

The Paddler's Guide is a publication of the Missouri Dept of Conservation. You can order it online from their website. Chuck Tryon's book used to be included in a membership to the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance, don't know if it still is.

That would be my guess, depending on the weather, a cold front will slow it down and a warm rain will speed it up.

I hear from a reliable source that they're not there yet. With the weather forecast, they should start showing up next week. The water temp was 55 at Horseshoe yesterday afternoon.

Day use opens March 1, campground opens April 1.

Chuck and his wife started the recycling center in Rolla back in the late 60's-early 70's, this was way before recycling was the thing to do. He saw the need and started it. All not for profit and years of all volunteer work. The city was finally "coaxed" into taking it over. He didn't just talk the talk. We lost a good one.

The closest public put-in I know of is Whitehouse Ferry, but that is a 12 mile float.

Is this a cable steer or electronic steer?

Al, I know a few floats that have several outstanding winter holes that aren't accessible to jetboats. If you could hold your own the first day, you could beat them.

I prefer summer by far, I live to catch smallmouth on topwater.

What size are the subwalks and sammys?

If it was me I would float from 6 crossings to Ross Bridge, especially if you could go during the week. There is good smallmouth habitat and beautiful high bluffs. you could use either Rich's Last Resort or Wilderness Ridge.

Like Eric, the fluke is one of my favorite smallmouth baits, but I prefer the 5" one. For me it runs truer and is easier to hook straight. I use a 4/0 or 5/0 EWG worm hook on 8lb fluorocarbon line. I think the line helps the fluke sink- which is what I'm after, a slow sink. My favorite method in the summer is to dead stick the fluke. Let it slowly sink in moderate current with some depth- you have to keep in contact with the bait without imparting any action. The hardest part for me is getting a good hookset- I use a medium heavy rod. Maybe if I used braid the hookset would be better.

The access is about a half mile below the bridge. Take Hwy D thru Jerome the road to the access is on the right just as D leaves the river valley to the left.

Upstream several miles on Thursday there was a pretty good buzzbait bite.

present

I use a 3/8 oz buzzbait most of the time. I prefer a dark buzzbait, but don't really think color matters much.

I don't know what it was originally, I'm assuming just a cabin. I have always known it as just a shell until about 2 or 3 years ago, then someone fixed it up-adding new windows, doors, and a nice metal roof. It looked really sharp. Then came the flood of '08. The metal scattered on the banks for the next 1/2 mile is that roof. I also fished on the 12th, upstream several miles from you. Didn't catch many numbers wise, but by far my best day of the year for size. All on a black buzzbait.

You can still launch there, I don't know about the parking-it should be ok . The new bridge is going in on the opposite side from parking at the old bridge. I've heard thru the grapevine that the new bridge will have river access on the Crocker side-with no help from MDC.

I floated this section last week and there was plenty of water then.

Six crossings is just where a gravel road dead ends to the river. The float is about 5-6 miles. I haven't floated it in years, but it took me 7-8 hours , fishing hard. The shuttle is only about 21/2 miles. PM me if you want more options. Headed to the Gasconade this morning, if I would have seen this post sooner I would have offered you the front seat of my paddlejon.

I've owned an 18' Blazer paddle jon for 6 years. It's a very well built boat, but a bit of a barge for small waters. I've owned lighter paddle jons that were easier to control, but not nearly as manuverable as a canoe.