Bob in MO

Thanks Al, I understand what your saying. But for future reference, I could look at the Hazelgreen gage, and say it's running at 150 and I know that the last time I fished this same stretch of river it read 190, that would give me an idea of what to expect, right? Now a caveat to that would be if the water shed for the Osage Fork had a recent dumping.

This past Tuesday the 23rd, I floated the six mile stretch above Gasconade Hills Resort. The flow that day was at 190. Went through two ripples where I had to wiggle a bit to keep the kayak moving.

Thanks everyone for your time and efforts. 🙂 Thanks Al, that's pretty much exactly what I was looking for.

So what is a good flow rate where I'm not fight the current and not dragging either? In other words what would be the Max and Min cfs for a nice fishing float?

I going to be fishing about 12 miles upstream from the Hwy 44 bridge. Does anyone know what a good discharge (cfs) rate range, at Hazelgreen, would be for a comfortable kayak fishing float?

Just spoke with Hootentown Canoe Rental and was informed they no longer shuttle to Mudbank. Back in 2016 they shuttled my truck to Mudbank for $20. Was told they no longer were allowed to do that. Now, they will pick you up at McCall Bridge for $17.50 per kayak. Being from the other side of the state, was wondering if anyone had any other shuttle solutions for this particular stretch.

What are the best wading shoes that you can get now?

What are 5/10s

Thanks Al for the explanation and to everyone for their comments. I plan on retiring in the next year or so and will have more time for fishing. Trying to plan different river trips. So, just to make sure I get this in my hard head 🙂. If I had floated this on Sunday with a Steelville gage of 790, when I encountered the riffles, more than likely it would be difficult to wade those ripples. One of my fishing buddies is in his 70s, and I need to make sure I keep him in safe. Thanks again

I'm looking at putting my kayak in on the Meramec for the first time so I was out looking around and stopped at Scotts Ford this past Sunday. Thought the flow looked good for little float fishing, nice and easy. When I got home I checked the river stage for that day. USGS 07013000 Meramec River near Steelville, MO indicated 790 cfs. The following is taken from the article Meramec River: Sections by Al Agnew, indicating a faster flow at 790 cfs "500-900 cfs—high but floatable with strong currents and difficult fishing from moving craft, jetboating easy for the prudent." The attached picture is looking up stream, which looks pretty peaceful, from the ford this past Sunday. So can anyone help me understand whats going on? Is the problem down stream some place where the flow picks up. Thanks

Looking for advice for a fishing float on the BP this coming spring and summer. A couple of old farts (60 - 70) in kayaks wanting to do a day trip. Were strictly catch and release and not concerned with trophy as much as with action. Any thoughts on stretches to fish or shuttle services or any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

Good stories, only thing that would make them better is a cold beer and a cigar. If I get a boat, I may add some rope and a "Come-A-Long"! So, just from reading these posts, I'm leaning toward the 1752 with a 60/40, steering wheel and 24V trolling motor. Here's some more questions: Are there any particular engines that are less troublesome and more reliable (gonna start when you need them to start and run when you need them to run) I'm in the St Louis area, any dealers you guys trust from here to Columbia or Rolla? I know this is pretty broad but, what should I have to pay for a used rig (1752 with a 60/40 and steering wheel, 24V Trolling motor) Any place you know that rents rigs out so I can get a feel for them? Fishing Question - So when you fish from a jet boat do you usually run up stream and float back or float down and run back

Is this a pic of the 1752 alweld? Give us the story. What happen here?

Hey guys, so I like kayak fishing, but as all you know one of the things you have to deal with is the take-in and take-out, they just can't be to far apart. Anyway, I was just starting to entertain the idea of a jet boat. I would probably be fishing rivers like the Gasconade. So here are some of my questions: What do you like for length and beam? What size of motor and brand (2 stroke or 4)? Steering wheel or not? Size of trolling motor Anything I should avoid? What else should I consider?

Thanks again to all who contributed to my inquiries on the James. Last Tuesday (07-12-16) at this time my son and I were floating from Hootentown to Ponce. Gage height at Galena was about 4.6 and the water had a nice emerald color. We got on the water about 7:30 and I had my first smallmouth at 7:45. We got in about two hours of fishing and then the rain started. We waited for about an hour of what we thought was a little squaw passing through but that wasn't the case. So we started paddling for the take out (wasn't sure how fast the river would change, it was raining hard). However, fishing was great with plenty of action. Caught several smallies in the 12" range, one 16"er, a nice little fat largemouth, some rockbass and a catfish all on a Square Bill 1.0. Really enjoyed this short float and will make a point to get back to it. Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.

Does anyone know what would be the Gage Height and Discharge values for a normal flow say from Hootentown to Galina? Also, I've attached a PDF file with some maps defining float sections using the information you all provided. There are four sections mapped with ranges of 6.3, 7.5, 2.9, and 4.9 miles. Let me know what you think. With a normal flow, how much time do you think it would take to float Section 2 (see the attachment). Also, with a normal flow, how much dragging would one encounter and in what sections? James River Maps 2.pdf

Thanks guys, exactly what I was looking for.

Crappie, I don't disagree with you that, that may be the most defined list on the web. But what I was hoping for was that another forum member might have some additional information. What I did was look for access using google map and captured those addresses in the links like this one JR Access 3. Perhaps another forum user, one who has floated the James and become familiar with it, might open that link and say, "Oh yeah I use that all the time", or "Sure but just check with the farmer at the end of the road". That's what I was looking for, just to see if anyone else had any knowledge up in their noggin that wasn't published out on the web. Thanks again for you input.

Thanks Crappie, I've seen that too. Just looking for a little more definition on the river access. thanks again.

Thanks for the info. Can anyone give me confirmation on these access points. McCall Bridge JR Access 2 JR Access 3 JR Access 4 JR Access 5

Hi everyone my name is Bob and I live in the New Melle area. Years ago I fished out of a square back canoe with my son but he's all grown up now. I recently bought a kayak and decided to get back to some river fishing. Looking forward to learning whatever I need to know to fish out of a kayak

Thanks RS for the info. I will certainly consider making the float shorter. What sections would you float if you only had a day or two? (Put in and Take out)

I'm going to be in the Branson area next month and plan to do a little kayak fishing on the James from Hootentown to Galena. I figured I could do about 10 miles a day. Any of you guys that have some knowledge of that stretch can you tell if these are good put in and take out points (see the attachement) Thanks James River Maps.pdf