MObassin95

Hey all, With the low water levels, would you recommend Delaware to Shelvin or Shelvin to Hootentown? I normally fish down from Hootentown but want to try something new! I'm leaning towards Delaware Town to Shelvin because I think it gets less pressure. Thanks in advance!

A buddy and I did that float almost exactly two years ago. The river was high, so fishing was tough but we managed some fish each day. My buddy caught like a four pounder. It was sweet.

Indeed!

Wife caught a nice smallie! But we tipped literally RIGHT before what looked like the best stretch of water. 😑 Alot of what we actually fished was fairly shallow and swift. I was looking for some deeper holes but didn't see any until after tipping. I could imagine it could be very fine fishing when it warms up a tad. Water was really really cold 😁

Wife and I floated Beaver Creek from Bradleyville down to the Cedar Hollow Road bridge ('bout four miles or so). Caught a tree that was sticking out of the water and flipped the canoe about a mile or so from the takeout bridge. Lost two rods. A Diawa reel, Bass Pro rod combo, and an Abu Garcia combo. Both spinning. It's a long shot but maybe there's some of you that regularly fish the creek and might come across one or both. There will definitely be a reward if they are found. Just thought I would try my luck here!

Depends on your paddling speed and how much you fish. Not much current at all. Very lake like conditions. Also be weary of bass boats flying up and down the river. I've been very close to being hit in my canoe around Blunks. The fishing can be good though, so it would be worth the venture! Recommend going during the week.

Really pretty fish. I'm new to specifically targeting river smallmouth. I'm hooked though.

Yessir, I took a quick picture of the fish. They're beautiful creatures. I'm having some trouble posting it. It wants to attach as a downloadable image.

Well speaking of the Finley, I went yesterday for a few hours. Fished in and above the park. Managed one chunky 13 inch smallie on a small swimbait. The water was high and the mixture of current and wind made it very difficult to fish. Didn't have my depth finder with me but I'd say the water wasn't over 50 degrees.

I've never caught any decent smallmouth out of the Finley but I've had success with Largemouth at and above the lake area. I once talked to a guy who said a ten pound largemouth was pulled out of the Finley. Not sure if I believe that or not. I'm on a quest to catch an 18+ inch smallie this year so the Finley is on the list!

I've never fished it, but I've been out there a few times. It's super clear but I never saw any fish in it. I don't think it's regulated by the MDC or anything so it wouldn't surprise me if it's cleaned out. (I could be very wrong about this but it's just my two cents).

Very fair!

Yeah I never go down quite that far with my canoe. Stay Blunks and above.

Nice fish!

Hey all! I, as many others do, enjoy fishing the James River. Just thought I would liven up the topic alittle and ask: If you had just one day to fish, would you hit the upper James or the lower? Without giving honey holes away which section would you target for a day of fishing? I personally would go lower James, because there's more water. Curious what everyone else would do!

Greetings, I was talking a to a buddy of mine from Minnesota and we were discussing smallmouth fishing. I know it doesn't compare to Minnesota but I explained to him that Missouri has some great smallmouths streams (which isn't a lie), and he asked me which one was the best. I told him I couldn't really answer that, because it's incredibly subjective. BUT, it got me wondering: which one IS the best smallmouth stream? I would be inclined to say the Gasconade, but I am very curious what others would say. I would love to start a discussion about it. Not giving away honey holes, but discussing which stream one thinks is best for smallies.

You went?

Nice fish! Do you catch them shallow year around on Bull? Or is is certain times of the year you can get them from the bank? Just curious!

Yep! About thirteen inches or so.

I was fishing from my canoe! I have never done well there from the bank.

Went fishing at Lake Springfield for about three hours this morning. Ended with five bass and one huge crappie. All on a spinnerbait and close to the bank. Biggest bass was about fifteen inches and the crappie wasn't much smaller. I swear there's only like five crappie swimming in that lake but they're all big. WT: 57-60 depending on where you're at. Anyone else been out?

Howdy, I've fished it twice. Once from the bank and once in my canoe. Pretty little lake. Fishing is okay. I caught three each time I went. It gets choked with weeds in the summertime (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). I'm sure there's decent fish in there but I think it suffers from what a lot of small lakes in this area suffer from: poor management.

That makes sense. Thank you!

Greetings, A buddy and I are planning a trip to the 'Nade next Tuesday and Wednesday. Floating from Bridge 28 to Jerome. Just curious if anyone had been out recently and had a report. I'm hoping the water isn't ice cold yet with the warmer weather. Figure, I would throw a jig in deeper pools and fish slooow. But maybe a jerkbait would work. As always, thank you!

Lake Springfield is weird. I'm going to start off by giving a disclaimer: I am NOT a great fisherman. Good, not great. I have fished Lake Springfield off and on since I moved down here for college in 2015. I have yet to find a great pattern for the lake. I have caught fish just about everywhere. East of 65 bridge, around the railroad bridge, off of bluffs and around the grass in the main lake. But it's all been sporadic. I have my best luck with just a Texas rigged worm and a 1/16 ounce weight. I believe one issue is that this lake has gotten quite a bit more pressure in the last five years or so with all the kayakers. The fish, especially shallow, probably see EVERYTHING a fisherman can throw at them. I've seen kayakers just beat the bank with jigs, spinnerbaits, frogs, etc. So you really have to think outside the box. I've talked to guys who do well on a buzzbait around wood and other rip raff along the bank of the main lake; but I haven't tried that much. My suggestion is to just get out early before everyone else and fish every section you can. Just because I haven't found a solid pattern doesn't mean you can't. Fall is definitely best, imo. I believe cooler temps and less pressure helps with that. I also have considered drop shotting in the channel and/or deeper water. There are definitely big fish to be found. I think the river/lake system is very fertile for big bass. Every bass I catch is well fed and I've caught a few nice ones. However, it is few and far between. There used to be a guy on Youtube who fished Lake Springfield alot and absolutely killed them with a ned rig. But I seriously don't know how he did it. There are alot of older threads about this lake you can check out too. It's a great forum for that. Good luck!