Mark

A couple guys are looking at planning a weekend float near Steelville and catching one of the concerts at Wildwood Springs Lodge in the next month or so. Never been on any part of the river. I am interested in advice on best floating sections of 6-8 mile day floats, cabins nearby, and not far from Steelville so as to not have far to go after the concert. IF I am correct, the trout waters are from Maramec Spring branch at the 28.1 mile mark to about 8 miles downstream. Is that a good guess? It looks like the Hwy 19 bridge just outside of city limits of Steelville is 47.9 mile mark, so probably no trout that far downstream. We don't necessarily have to fish trout waters if the smallmouth fishing is good nearer Steelville. Or is it possible to wade fish in and/or near the park. Also, good scenery would be a major factor in deciding. I would say having a cabin not far from Steelville is more important, so we don't have to drive far after the show or maybe even rent a cab (WIldwood advertises one on their website for after shows). Open to suggestions on sections of river to float during day and cabins on the water and near town. Help us out Al if you happen to see this. Thinking Poco, or Blood, Sweat, and Tears, or Guess Who or Brewer and Shipley. I've seen the Ozark Mountain Daredevils twice (both great shows) and want to see someone else this time.

Consider the Eleven Point River for a trip off the beaten path. The Blue Ribbon area from Greer Springs to Turner Mill is a 5 mile float. The White Ribbon area begins at Turner Mill and continues downstream for 14 miles to Riverton, with a midway access at Whitten. Fantastic fishing especially this year. Equally fantastic scenery and not nearly as crowded as some of the more popular rivers. Traffic really slows down after schools start.

Agree with all that has been said, but appreciate Al's point about elderly people still being able to fish. I see lots of elderly locals on the 11 pt., wife and hubby, and I think how nice for them to be able to enjoy the river at their age. No way they could get in and out of a canoe all day. Of course, they also happen to be very respectful of others on the river and slow down when they pass someone.

Question: I see the river is at 655 cfs (or 6.65 ft) at Harriet. If we were staying at White Buffalo Resort, how far up the Buffalo could we go in a boat? Jet prop? Jonboat rented from resort??

I would think that the massive clear cutting of timber in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were and still are the main culprits. The loss of topsoil has exposed the level of rock that continues to be washed down the hillsides to the streams and will continue to be washed downhill. The massive clear cut continues to be an irreversible environmental mistake. Agree with all you stated, Al, just think the clear cutting is the primary culprit.

Sounds like a great trip.

Dedication! Tired of rain but water levels and new supply of fire wood should be good for summer.

Would definitely bring my canoe. Unfortunately, looks like going to be a wet week this week. Expect rivers to be high for Easter break.

Thanks hope the weather cooperates

It's still running high at 2,000 cfs. It will drop some by weekend but my guess is expect lots of water and may be tough fishing.

If a couple fellas were just wanting to camp a couple nights on the Jacks Fork and do some wade fishing and hiking, what would be the best choice - Buck Hollow, Rhymers, Bay Creek, or Alley Springs? Thinking of doing this over Easter weekend, and I am aware that water levels may narrow my choices or even eliminate camping on the Jacks Fork, and I have a pretty good idea on what is a good water level from readings on here and following the gauges online. Based on current river levels, let's assume the river will be at optimal spring levels or maybe slightly above = 100-300 cfs. We would go somewhere else if water is high. Water level now at Buck Hollow is 300 cfs, which I believe is about the max for optimal floating and fishing. Rain between now and Easter will be deciding factor. Guessing 100-300 cfs at Buck Hollow would be great for this trip, with 300 cfs being about the upper limit, and too early in spring for it to drop below 100 cfs. Just not familiar with campgrounds and wondering if one of them would be more conducive to wade fishing. I am considering a short float, but my buddy isn't real big on floating and has just as good of time with some wade fishing and hiking. I am fine with that, too. I'm thinking Rhymers since I visited it once and really liked the spot. Alley Springs may have a few more people than we care to camp with, not familiar with Bay Creek, and don't remember much about what Buck Hollow campground was like from my one time tour of the area. Thanks in advance

Agreed! There is no confusion in the language of the bill concerning changing property owners rights from the high water mark to the low water mark. That part is as clear as an Ozark spring. And that is all the leeway a landowner needs to shut down a stream. With a change to the low water mark as the landowner's boundary, all it would take is dropping a log or two across the stream and forcing anyone to the bank to go around the logs, and suddenly you would be on private property. Then we are one step away from the Colorado law where the landowner owns the riverbed too!

I emailed by representative Elaine Gannon (R, Desot) and she never replied. I contacted my senator Gary Romine (R, Farmington) an he did reply - thanking me for my input, how he listens to constituents concerns, and how he will look into the bill should it get out of the House. I replied to him and asked him point blank if he would oppose such a bill. He replied that he didn't think the bill would clear the House since it was introduced so late in session, he would have to read over the bill should it pass the House to make sure there were no attachments to the bill, and how he appreciated the concern of all his constituents - once again never answered my question but gave pure political jargon to dodging the straight answer.

Also go to page 2 here on Jacks Fork - 5th thread from the bottom. "Another First Timer" thread I started in '12 with 46 replies. Covers just about everything you need to know about the Jack Forks. Cottonmouths info has me skittish - LOL

Smallieguy; I am hoping to be down there the same week during the week so basically the same days. I plan on float/camping from as far up river as water levels will allow and floating down to Alley Springs. Keep an eye out for a green square back canoe and give us a holler!! It will be my first trip on JF as well, but it's been on my bucket list long enough and have my heart set on it this time. You may be more experienced with smallmouth fishing so maybe we can help each other out with what is working. And good advice on plans B and C. Anything more in the forecast besides the usual afternoon pop up showers, and I will be rethinking the camping out plan. But very excited about the trip for now.

Sent email to my rep as well, along with encouraging my fishing friends to do so as well. Guessing this may have something to do with the fatal shooting on the Meramec last year.

And people actually pay that? Wouldn't you love to get a bunch of good ol' boys to go sit at the entrance of that business and laugh at the idiot that would actually pay to do that as he drove by.

Deer Farms?? Genetically selected deer? Farm raised bucks with huge antlers for sale? Geezus Christmas!! Have people gone totally nuts?? How many deer farms are there in Missouri? And if there is evidence of CWD, then they should be shut down. I have wondered how these deer farms make money. Do they sell just the big bucks for outrageous dollars to private land owners who entice leases with the hopes of a big trophy? Do they sell deer for the meat? I can't imagine how they are profitable when most deer hunters can go out and shoot a deer for free during deer season. I, for one, appreciate the job the Missouri Department of Conservation does in our state. And I think there are many more conservationists and environmentalists in Missouri than there are big business people chasing the almighty dollar. I hope Missourians will stand up to the threats of these business people.

Why run when you don't have to??

Thanks all - I am thinking if I go myself, I would find an access to set up base camp for a couple days. Hopefully I would be able to work my way upstream and downstream with motor on canoe. I can play all day in just a couple miles of water - I don't need 10-15 mile floats to enjoy myself.

With the Bardley gauge at 560 cfs, what would the water levels be like down at HWY 142 bridge and Myrtle access? I believe that both accesses have plenty of water to work upstream and downstream for a couple miles each direction WITH normal water levels. I am wondering at low winter levels if there is still plenty of water up and down from each access with a jet boat? I have only been down that far a couple times and in the summer with good water. And how about on the Arkansas side of the border?? Is there good water into Arkansas? How far down to Dalton, Ark? What little I've read, there is no accesses between Myrtle and Dalton - is that correct? Can a jet make it from Myrtle down to Dalton??

Now I feel better knowing you have those days too Al

Good topic. Guessing this can only be done legally on private lakes and ponds. I know a guy who does use a couple pallets tied together with angle iron running diagonally thru the pallets. His theory is the pallets allow the small bait fish to hide out and the angle iron prevents larger predator fish from swimming thru the pallets. Made sense to me. My brother flooded the cove in his lake with brush and downed trees. Great fishing but lots of snags. Another buddy two coves down swears my brother messed up his cove and this buddy refuses to add any cover and even hauls down trees and brush out of the cove. My opinion is there aren't as many fish in his cove, but it's his cove and that's the way he wants it. I would think there is a fine line between good cover and too much cover that makes it hard to fish without snags. But I like the old adage "If you ain't tying hooks, your not fishing where the fish are".

From my personal experiences (fishing trips - 3 times to Colorado, and 1 time Clark's Fork in NW Wyoming near Yellowstone - all in late July due to my schedule as a teacher), the biggest surprise has been the difficulty in fishing and wading such fast moving water even in late July. Trips have included fishing the upper Crystal River/Roaring Fork in central CO, Arkansas River, Big Thompson near Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Wind River and Clarks Fork in Wyoming. Of all my trips, the upper Crystal River was probably my most successful, and undoubtedly because we were on smaller water on the upper reaches of the Crystal. MAN, those mountain rivers are fast, furious, cascading waterfall type rivers, and tough to wade (slippery rock/boulder bottoms) even in spots where the river slows down somewhat. But like I said, all trips were in late July. I would love to fish the mountain rivers in fall when all the run off is over, but that will have to wait until retirement. From my experience, in late July for all trips, we have seen more whitewater rafting water than what we flatlanders would associate as fishing waters. Al Agnew would be the resident expert on the Wyoming/Montana area, but for my two cents, if your group could manage a fall trip, that would be my choice if you have never visited the area. We rented a house northwest of Cody, WY about 2 hours on the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway that follows the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone. About 10 miles farther up the Chief Joseph HWY intersects with the Beartooth Scenic Byway that leads to Cooke City, MT on the WY/MT border, and the north entrance to Yellowstone NP. Just awesome scenery in every direction. As Jim Elam mentioned above, there are numerous rivers within an hour or so drive of this area. Granted, you are primarily on a fishing trip, but the drive from Jackson Hole, WY thru Yellowstone NP and coming out in Montana is something everyone should see in their lifetime. And wherever you are, you are never far from a fishing stream. You didn't mention if you camping, or getting lodging. One suggestion me and my vacation buddy have found out, we rented a house for a week like I said near eastern Yellowstone boundary. That pretty much limited us to the area within 1-2 hours of our cabin, (especially after driving out there and the drive home to look forward to). We have learned to not tie ourselves down to one area - a good example, the Clarks Fork was still high, fast, and too hard to wade because of amount of fast water, but we were pretty well stuck to that area since our lodging was there. I would suggest not tying yourself down to specific area for the entire trip. Leave yourself some flexibility in case the river(s) you choose are too tough fishing, you can always move on. There are more places to fish than you can get to in a lifetime in that part of the country. IF you haven't been mountain fishing at all in your life, it is totally different than fishing even the fastest streams in Missouri. Multiply the upper Current by about X 20. Most rivers will have multiple pull offs along the road that are public fishing, but even in those spots, you may have only a hundred yards of wadeable water (if that). Lots of cascading waterfalls with huge boulders that hold pocket water behind the boulders that hold fish. From my experience, don't expect to find rivers that you can wade up and downstream all day, especially I believe is still not legal in Wyoming on private land. Definitely illegal in Colorado, and people are adamant about their own private stretch of water. Correct me if I am wrong, Al, but I believe Montana to be more lenient about fishing thru private land as long as you don't trespass on private land to reach the stream, you can wade thru private streams as long as you stay in the water. Bottom line, by all means I suggest the Yellowstone/Montana area if your group has never been there, but don't expect to slay the fish your first time fishing a mountain stream. Depending on your budget, a guide and renting a raft may be your best bet, or if someone on here would give you advice on a can't miss section of river. And be flexible, don't tie yourself down by making accommodations to stay in one place all week.