Mark

Brian, The river gauge at Bardley shows about 4.5 ft and falling this Monday morning. Would you say at least another 1'-1.5' drop before it will be fishable again? We hate to waste a trip this Fri/Sat if the fishing isn't good. Could you keep us informed? As I'm sure you would anyway with the Fly Fishers Fling this weekend. Any rain Wed./Thurs like predicted will just about make next weekend a wash I would think. Will you go ahead with your plans regardless? Mark

Thanks, I'll check them out. Is July a good time to fish? Will all species be active then?

CrappieMagnet, Thinking about a trip to Minnesota next July. Without researching 10,000 lakes, what would be a couple good places to fish for someone who likes great scenery, solitude, camping, and good fishing? I spent a lot of time in the 80's in Minnesota working for a contract cable TV company, but never took the time to fish. Mark

Brian, Our group will be down for Friday and Saturday. We'll do our thing in White Ribbon area but may stop by. Of course, depending on if the Cardinals are playing or not. Got to have our priorities straight!!!

The best fishing is usually before 1:00 pm

I'm giving up info on my honey hole, so keep it to yourself....... 0.8 mile below Turner Mill access. Gravel bar on right, bluff with deep hole and Stinking Pond float camp on left. Great campsite because room for 4-5 tents (unless the crappers are too lzy to walked back in the woods), great scenery with bluff and hillside across the river, and great fishing with wadeable moving water upstream and downstream and calm deep water in front of camp.

We are heading to Stinking Pond gravel bar on Oct. 16 to camp. Hope that doesn't mess up kc300c's plans (or ours). Sounds like kc and son will be staying in Blue Ribbon area. We like it because it is close to access and can easily haul any camping supplies (guitars!!) we don't want to float with back up to the vehicles.

Heading down also on Oct. 16-17. Isn't that the annual Fall Fly Flingers deal at 11 pt. Canoe Rental? We'll stay in White Ribbon area, so if you pass us, give a hollar. The best time of year to be on the river!!! Hopefully the jet props won't be flying up and down the river. I HEAR THERE IS A NEW PILOT NAMED SKIPPY WHO IS QUITE THE DAREDEVIL!!

IF anyone gets the chance, make sure to watch PBS series starting last Sunday on the US National Parks. To hear the descriptions if the words of the earliest white travelers through Yellowstone and Yosemite is truly inspiring. Thank God for our national parks and may we never let greed destroy what has been built perfectly by nature. May it stay that way forever.

Could the ghost be that of Dirty Dick Boze?? Dirty Dick Boze, whose family ran the Boze Mill, was a bushwacker during the Civil War. Union troops pursued the bushwackers and by the end of the Civil War, they had been largely dispersed. After the Civil War, Dirty Dick vowed to stay in the area and fight the Union troops to the finish. Finally, a Kansas regimen was sent to the Eleven Point area to flush out dirty Dick once and for all. Dirty Dick was finally gunned down by the Jayhawkers and was buried in a nearby cemetery.

We expected the river to be crowded and it was by Eleven Point standards. Lots of families on the river. We fished from Turner to Whitten both Sat. and Sun. When we could manage to escape the traffic for 20-30 minutes, we caught fish. Mainly 12" variety, maybe 2-3 in the 14-16" range. The weather cooperated and the river was low and crystal clear. We had a good time, but I know of some families that did not!! Not to beat a dead horse, but the jet boats were out of control (most were obviously locals and drinking freely). No boating ettiquette whatsoever. It was the freakin' Indy 500 this weekend. Families with small children in canoes just had to hang on as the jet boats fly by. We talked to a young couple with 2 small girls in their canoe, and the man was thoroughly peeved. And we witnessed a couple of jet boats fly by them after speaking to us about their troubles, as they just had to hang on from the waves, and the guy flipped the jet boats the bird as they flew by. We actually saw one idiot in a jet boat with just him and a baby. The baby was maybe a year old, and the idiot had her in one arm and the other arm on the trottle open full bore goin around a turn right in front of us, and he never slowed down one bit. Remarkably, we saw no law enforcement for a holiday weekend. I wish they would patrol better and pull some of these idiots over and give them a BUI!!! I have no problem with the jet boats if the people would use some common sense and have some courtesy, but there were none of either this past weekend. It was as bad as I've ever seen it in 12 years of floating on the Eleven Point. People are going to stop coming from out of town and spending $$$ in the area if something isn't done about it.

Thanks Brian. We'll scratch that idea and deal with the Labor Day crowds on the main stretches of river. Nothing wrong with that sometimes, hopefully lots of bikinis!!! Just hope the jet boats take it easy. My last trip there was these couple of nuts that flew by us full trottle all day. What's the matter with these idiots? Is it my imagination or are there more and more jet boats on the river than there use to be? They sure do ruin a peaceful float. And you would think that they would realize if people keep complaining that eventually something will be done about it. Making their own beds, I guess.

IS Cane Bluff to Greer floatable? I realize some portages may be involved and won't mind a few. We will pack light so a couple spots where we have to drag the canoe along won't be a problem, as long as it isn't too big of a hassle tihs time of year. And how is the smallmouth fishing this time of year? We have never floated this section and coming Labor Day weekend, and thought it might be a good time to avoid the crowds for a day.

Is there a good campsite/gravel bar at Welch? Isn't that the place where the old buildings still remain from the early 20th century from the doctor that built a place for tuberculosis/asthma patients to recover? Thanks the advice!!

Planning a couple days on this stretch next week and have never floated it before. An earlier post stated that there were lots of downed trees from May storm. Have these been cleared out or is it tricky floating? Are there lots of gravel bars for camping? Is the trout fishing good? Any suggestions appreciated.

I'd go for watching the bikini hatch on weekends.

Summer break is almost here. Has the fishing picked up?? We will be down in another week.

There are suppose to be walleye in the Eleven Point, primarily below Riverton if I can believe what I have been told. How do you fish for walleye? IS there a season when fishing for walleye is better? All knowledge would be appreciated.

The Illinois State High School Activities Association is sponsoring the first high school fishing championships this weekend at Carlyle Lake. What a neat idea!!!!! St. Louis Post Dispatch says that this is the first high school championship in the country.

Fishing was slow at Easter. Does anyone know if it has picked up?

I thought we had a bear in camp one night but it was just Snap snoring!!!

IF you set up garlic and/or onion on top of coolers, food boxes, trash, etc., it will keep the coons and other critters out of food. Foolproof method hasn't failed us yet!!!! Preferably garlic!!!

As of this past weekend, the river hasn't been stocked yet this year with trout. Fishing was slow in White Ribbon Area. At least so I hear, since I spent last Thurs. and Friday hanging out at the cottage playing pitch and BBQing. Rained all day Thurs. and cold and windy on Friday. But others in our group toughed it out fishing. But had to work for the fish. Good Luck!! Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Catching fish is always a bonus, but you will enjoy the scenery.

My fishing report for April 9-10. Sat in the cabin for 2 days playing pitch and eating jambalaya. Too wet and cold.

Give us a hollar if you see us the next 3-4 days. Snap has a camoflage riverboat jet prop - his first trip with his new toy - and I'll be in an Old Towne with a 2.5 Mercury on it. Depending on how many we end up with, we may give you a call for an additional canoe. Staying at Summre Cottages. We'll give a report next week.