jb1976

Unfortunately for me, I'm not smart enough and don't get enough sleep at night to be able to figure that out. Fortunately for me, I don't really target trout, so that simplifies my fly selection quite a bit.

I was just thinking the same thing. Maybe the idea that if you don't take fishing too seriously, or that it just isn't THAT hard, is blasphemy.

meh...I sometimes think that more people have such low success because they overthink fishing, and try to make it a lot harder than it really is. At the end of the day, we're trying to fool a creature with a brain the size of a pea into biting a hook that looks like something they may want to eat. I don't fish for trout so I can't really speak to how super wary and nervous fish react to what may be the first human they've ever seen on the isolated, undisturbed mountain stream at the end of an overgrown forestry service road cutting through the mountains. I can say that if fish were so upset by human activity that they refused to eat, there would be no fish at any of the places like Kingston Access, Rockford Beach, Amidon CA yada yada yada. I can also say that I've seen plenty of decent sized fish milling about aimlessly in the middle of a stream channel among drunken beach goers who are not the least bit concerned with whether or not they are upsetting said fish. As far as debris, I'm sure that for every person who agrees with you, there will be another person who will give you a lengthy dissertation on the San Juan Shuffle. My general approach is not so much to worry about what direction I'm heading as it is scouting ahead and having a plan to work whatever section of stream looks promising. I generally try to read the water to determine current, flow structure and the like along a given stretch, figure out the best spot to stand and work that stretch and then try to get myself to that spot as discreetly as I can. Fish that are located behind structure in the middle of the stream bed may be likely to be facing upstream, but I've caught plenty working close to the banks, and I'm not so convinced those fish are facing a particular direction given how many of them I have watched dart straight out from the shadows. All of that being said, for full disclosure, I am by no means a professional or tournament fisherman, and I just don't take my fishing serious enough to worry too much about those things. I'm out there to relax, and simply exist in the moment. I'm a noisy wader no matter how much I try not to be, a marginal fly caster on my best day, and very rarely give too much thought to what color I'm going to throw in the water, and despite that, I feel that I still manage to do okay way more often than not.

waterdata.usgs.gov Some of the smaller rivers are tough, especially since there may not be any monitoring stations, or the stations may be far removed from whatever access point you've chosen. So, if my chosen destination doesn't have any stations in the immediate vicinity, then you may end up having to locate another monitoring station or two, or other alternate source, and piece the proverbial puzzle together. You can search those out by selecting "Location Map" from the dropdown menu next to the "Available Data for this Site" and zooming out on the map. For example, Tea Access on the Bourbeuse river doesn't have any inputs close, but there is a monitoring station upstream at High Gate, and a station at Union downstream. If both of those are showing consistent readings, then I have a fairly good idea of what is going on at the stretch that Tea access is on.

Thanks for the report, and I'm happy to hear you were able to get out and achieve some level of success! Be careful...it's habit forming!

Appropos though it may be, I've actually thought to try that one from time to time and not had luck with that one either.

In all the years I have struggled with this, I have honestly NEVER thought of that as an option! I've been a member for about 2 days, and I'm already learning things!!

I have never been the creative type, so my chosen screen names, user IDs and email addresses tend to be just simply efforts at deriving something from my given name. Unfortunately, my actual last name is "Bass". The chance that I can use that in any logical coherent easy to remember user name or ID has proven practically non-existent when creating personal email addresses, login IDs, usernames, or anything of the sort. I knew that there was no chance that I would ever be able to use any simple form of identity that would include my last name on a fishing specific forum. So...initials and year of birth it is!

My wife has...and don't you dare prove me wrong!

SWEET! Now you have to go fly fishing tomorrow. You have a new rig, so you have to use it within 72 hours...it's the law

Pretty sure I found it under "Fishing Events". Thanks again!!

I like it! Thanks for the welcome. Planned on a little time in the water tomorrow morning anyway, so any chance you can point me to the virtual tournament info? ...still trying to acclimate myself to the site.

thank you!!

Hope you find my ramblings helpful. Be sure to come back and report on how you do.

It can be, and the internet, with access to Google maps and satellite views, makes this easier than ever. But, even that will only get you so far, and I have empathy for people for whom time is a precious commodity and may not have enough of it to be willing to spend 3 to 4 hours on a pure gamble. So, I share my experiences with well known public access spots pretty readily. Guaranteed, if/when I ever discover that little hidden gem of uncharted water where the smallmouth bass hatch 15" long at spawning , and are so numerous that you can walk from bank to bank without ever getting your shoes wet simply by stepping on their backs, except that they are all too busy leaping out of the water to grab every bait thrown at them out of midair, my response will be deceptive silence. As of now, I'm fairly convinced that those places don't actually exist, and there really are no secrets.

Haven't fished St Francois State Park so I can't comment on that. Between the Upper Castor and Mineral Fork...I would honestly call it a toss up. At either place, I've caught enough fish to keep me entertained all day, and just enough larger fish that I didn't feel like I was just out fishing for trotline bait. I like to fish surface poppers in the summertime, so this is my subjective experience and opinion... Like I said, the Castor at Amidon CA is practically choking on longear sunfish, and that area would probably be my preference for pure numbers. Plus, the pools tend to be separated by longer shallower riffles, so there seems less current to contend with if you struggle with the finer points of surface presentations like I do. The streambed will vary from uneven bedrock, to large stone, to freestone, with some coarse gravel, depending on exactly what stretch you're walking on. Wading is very doable, but some areas like the large stones just upstream from the crossing at the lower part of the CA can be a mild pain to wade through. (Make sure you aren't wearing sandals that fall apart on you in the middle of the river, because having to walk back barefoot will be a long, slow, miserable experience...don't ask me how I know this...) I have NOT fished the stretch above the shut-ins, so I can't say if that is any better worse or different. I always intend to but fall victim to being a creature of habit. Mineral Fork seems to produce smallies a little more readily (although not by enough that I would swear that was any more than just my feelings), and seems to produce a few more in the "keeper" category, but in my case of just hoping to enjoy a day of sloshing in the water and catch whatever will bite my hook, the overall action just felt a little slower. Not enough of a difference that I would say it's anything more than a false impression. The current is a bit more consistent and a little stronger, and the stretches immediately up and down stream from the gravel bar are more freestone and coarse gravel/coarse sand. I would be very surprised if the bite at St Francois State Park is any different, because my experiences in feeding my smallmouth bass addiction have been pretty consistent. The classic smallmouth streams are fairly popular with anglers and swimmers alike. They to have limited public access points and those points tend to draw a fair amount of attention. There are plenty of fish in the water, but there are a lot of other people trying to catch them too. Any honey holes that exist are generally not going to be found at those places. The access areas that are remote enough that they don't draw throngs of people, like Tea Access or Mint Spring on the Bourbeuse River, Bootleg Access on the Big, and even Kingston on the Mineral Fork until this year when COVID-19 forced everyone to discover what "outside" is, you are well advised to maintain situational awareness at the very least, or just plain stay away from. I haven't found the fishing in those areas to be phenomenally better, and not every single person who lives in those areas is kind, friendly, helpful, good, moral country folk. Let me be clear...I have NEVER had a problem in any of those places, but I have heard plenty of first hand accounts from people who have gotten back to their vehicles to see the window has been busted out, had encounters of varying levels of discomfort and danger with drug addicts , and been forced into just plain weird interactions with random people at unexpected places along the riverbank, that I absolutely believe them to be real.

Ordinary average guy here. Life long fisherman. Recently rediscovered my love of fly fishing, now that life affords me more time than it has the last few years. Feeding my recently acquired smallmouth bass addiction led me to the discovery of these forums. Just looking to share the knowledge I have (which is extremely limited, so it won't take long to exhaust that), pick up new things, find new fishing holes, and hoping to participate in and enjoy the discussions.

I've only been there a few times, and certainly no expert, but the few times I was there the fishing was decent. Because the area sees regular fishing pressure, it felt I had to work for it, but I've consistently caught smallies in the 12" - 15" range (albeit in limited numbers) and some of the healthiest sized goggle eye I've landed anywhere. The water at Kingston access has always been wadeable for me, with the exception of one hole that is on the downstream end of the gravel bar. I'm guessing that hole is permanent, and it's easy enough to pick up the path at the very end of the gravel bar that has been blazed by all the other waders trying to get to the other side of it, and walk the bank to one of several well worn points where you can slip back down into the river bed and continue downstream.

Closest access to you for the Upper Castor will be Amidon Conservation Area, just outside of Fredricktown. The Castor River Shut Ins are in the upper part of the CA (NOT Johnson Shut Ins, but similar), and its a popular spot with swimmers. Best bet would be to plan to arrive early. The MDC Area sign is at a fork in the gravel road. Go right at the fork, which will take you to a deep ford crossing at the lower part of the CA. You can park off to the side right at the river. Fish upstream until about mid-morning when the swimmers start crowding the water a bit. After about midday, the water will most likely be too crowded with swimmers to fish easily down to the crossing, so downstream from midday on would probably be your best bet. It's rare I see the swimming crowd too far down from the lower crossing. And, almost everyone is there to enjoy the water and swim and splash about. I rarely see other fishermen in the water. Smallies are in there to be caught if you're willing to work the water to find them. Another possible point of interest would be Kingston Access on the Mineral Fork. It may be a bit closer to Fenton, although probably not by much. Again, early is the key, since it's also a popular spot with the swimmers. By late morning, there will generally be swimmers clear down to the Big River, so if you get there early enough you can wade downstream, and then work your way upstream after that. Mineral Fork is pressured pretty heavily, so you may have to work to find the bass, but they're there. If you just want to catch fish and enjoy some time sloshing through the water, and aren't too particular in targeting bass exclusively, a size 8/10 surface popper will allow the long eared sunfish and bluegills to keep you entertained between bronzebacks and goggle eye. The upper Castor is practically choking on longears, and I'm generally able to catch one every few minutes for as long as I want to, as long as I don't overwork a specific hole and nothing funky shuts down the bite.