RSBreth

Yeah - thanks. It's healing. I actually did fish with the big bandage on it and managed to cast O.K.

I talked to a couple of folks who have floated from Linden down to the park who said there's one spot up by Linden that's jammed up - but otherwise good to go. I don't know - I've been way too busy to get up there - but that's what I heard.

I need to get back down there - haven't been since February. After a flood you always have the "Aw man, (whatever your favorite little spot was) is gone." Then you find a new spot that was created by the flood that's just as good or better. Tulsa to Crane?Tulsa OK to Crane MO Wow - about three hours away. I live about 30 minutes away, and yet haven't been in more than two months? I have no excuse, do I?

I like compact models most of the time. I have a few I like a lot but am trying to get a custom mold made for a "hidden weight" model. I like White/Silver for clear water - FireTiger for dingy or muddy. Most of the time it's tandem willow blades but I like a small Colorado or Indiana followed by a nice size Willow. I use Spinnerbaits a lot - more than almost anyone else I know for River Smallies.

I drove by yesterday - it did look pretty good. Wish I could have fished it.

I don't get to fish Flat as much as I used to - but crankbaits usually rule in higher water of April-May. There's a few of us, but its always good to see another Ozark fisherman on here.

I was going over there today and then "found" another project (mower's carb giving me fits). Then I seriously cut my finger making dinner tonight. It seems like sometimes I'm just not meant to fish.

Plenty of them around here in the Finley river corridor, and I had several pecking around down where I was spending this last day of Turkey season. Heard more of them than Gobblers, in fact.

I'm echoing OzarksRiverman here, but in my experience the part of the Finley from Linden to the park is one of it's best. Both for numbers and size of Smallies and Rock Bass (Goggle-Eyes). "Don't worry about asking all these questions, that's what this fishing forum is for anyhow." Again, he hit the nail on the head. That's what it's here for. The thing about paddling down to Linden and then back up - the lake is O.K. - but most who have fished it and the park off and on over the years will agree that the park in Ozark is actually better fishing than Linden. The park gets plenty of "not very serious' pressure from guys, and then that's followed by a few of us who educate the fish to the newest thing every year. Some poor dude wonders why he cant get a bite on a plastic worm - he doesn't realize those fish have gone through finesse jigs, shaky heads, wacky rigging, swimbaits, chatterbaits, wakebaits, square bill cranks, swim jigs, and everything else you can name. They're educated, and not as easy as you would think. But they're there. Anyway, there are nice Bass up there in Linden from time to time, but I generally do the best from Linden to the park, in the park itself at the right times, and then the lower part of the Finley from 160 to where it dumps into the James. I guess I'm saying go ahead and try it - but it's more to say you did it then getting into any "secret" fishing spot. If you want to fish Linden it's easier in low water (low WARM water) to climb the face of the dam at Linden with the 'Yak or solo canoe, and then fish it. I just re-read your post and realized you said "paddle up to Linden and then float and fish back." What I do is fish up - don't paddle through a hole spooking the fish, get a good first shot at them fishing towards the riffle at the top, then pull up to the next one, so forth and so on. When you're getting short on time, turn around and float back. It works out easier to do it that way for me - if I paddle up gung-ho and don't fish I find I get to far up before I turn around to fish the water I already paddled through thoroughly. That's a bad feeling - you rushed through it going up, now you have to rush through going back. AAArrrrrggggggghhhhhhh! And fishing upstream allows you to get casts at spots that normal floaters don't get.

John's Ford is above Linden (he did say "upper Finley") and good in high water - lot's of dragging in low water like Summer/Fall. John Ford Road If you're going tomorrow I may be over there at the park or above it - depends on how much writing/yard work/gardening I get done today. I was over at the park yesterday for a little bit - the water looks really good. I got a tip from a couple of floaters that there is one log jam up near Linden - but I doubt you'll make it up that far if you fish much. Really the best spots are just above the park to the big bluff pool, then above Green bridge a bit, not up by Linden. But then again, maybe the high water has the fish moved around different this year - only way to know for sure is to fish it.

THIS. And it's much more sensitive than straight fluoro. Another reason is I like to, and I can, and you can't stop me.

The gates are shut at night but you can always launch under the mill dam bridge on the west side - a little muddy but it's an option.

I love the sound of braided lines through my guides in the morning, it sounds like victory...

Paddling up from the Park is easy in normal water levels - I do it all the time. I don't know how the flooding jammed things up with logs and other debris - but if I'm a good boy and work hard I may be able to get away and check it out this weekend. By the way - the park is now back open and the tree that was blocking the ramp is has now been removed.

I've never done an overnighter on the James, it's just so close to home I always fish a stretch and then drag my tired self back home. I hope everything turns out on their trip - any rain we get in the next few weeks will bring the river up quick.

Wow - thanks for the pictures, I was going to get over there but meaningless and stupid things like work got in the way. The Trout will be just fine, one of my favorite lines from a John Gierach story was the part about a massive and record-breaking flood his local Trout stream, the part about him worrying about how the Trout would cope, and his buddy A.K. Best saying "If floods like this killed all the Trout, there wouldn't be any Trout left." Or something like that - I'm paraphrasing. Anyway - it's their environment, and most will be just fine. Some small or weak ones may fall, but maybe that's more food for those who are stronger. I don't know - obviously I'm not a biologist - but after every flood I've gone back to Crane some time later and there's the Trout rising to a sparse Caddis hatch or whatever, right where you'd expect them to be.

Nice fish - and thanks for the info about the ramp - I've been asked several times about it by folks but I haven't been by there since the water went down. Now I know it's muddied up pretty good.

Sorry for the late report - pretty busy this week after having the weekend off. My brother-in-law just bought a really nice Charger Bass boat and brought it down to the other in-laws house on Beaver Lake. I fished a little from shore Friday before the rain started, and it was the only time I was dry when fishing all weekend. We went out both Saturday and Sunday and dodged storms, got wet despite rain gear, and saw few other boats. The fishing? Fair, not bad, but not great. I didn't catch many fish far back in creek arms or coves, it seamed the weather had them dropped back to secondary points and a little deeper than you would expect. I caught them mostly on cranks and suspending jerks, just one on a spinnerbait. Biggest fish was a Smallmouth on a Megabass 110 - only about 2 to 3-pounds. We fished mostly around point 5 area up to Rocky Branch and Rambo Creek, a little in the Clifty's/Beaver Cove. I think my tackle bag is still damp.

Definitely try the spinnerbait - it always works for me! (UPDATE) I went by the park on the way home last night and took this picture of the ramp: It doesn't matter if the ramp is partially blocked by the downed tree anyway - the gates were still locked to the park as of 5:00 P.M. yesterday. You could still launch a canoe or kayak from under the mill dam bridge opposite the park. That's what I do.

It's not so much brown as it is milky green, and dropping some. The ramp at the park here in Ozark has a large tree blocking it - the park guys will get to it when they can - they have a lot to clean up.

I read that story in the New York Times this morning - can't say I've ever looked at an Armadillo and thought "You know what, I want to cook that there little fella up". I mean, I've been hungry, but I guess I've never been that hungry.

You're kidding, right?

My first instinct is "HOLY %#@&!" - I'll just keep hoping it goes down soon. Be careful down there!

The Finley 's pretty blown out today - it's looking mean and still rising. Crappies are probably hunkering down.

I've been catching a few here and there this past week. Find slow water, find timber over a hard bottom in about 3- to 5-feet of water and you may find a few. Not a mud or silt bottom mind you, it has to be firm - gravel or rock. Not many numbers a but a few really nice size for the river.