hank franklin

Take Brennan Road off KK, then a left on Besmer Road.

Like Saluki says, all those rivers will be packed on the weekends, so if you can get out mid-week it's always better. If a weekend is all you got, I would suggest a less popular stream, like the Big River or the Bourbeuse. As far as choice of boat, I don't think you can beat a canoe, especially for two people. My cousin and I have this conversation often: If you had a friend visit from another state and could only float one stream, what would it be? Unfortunately, there's never a clear answer because it depends on so many variables: Time of year, river conditions, crowds, how important good fishing is compared to good floating, good scenery, etc. In my experience, the Meramec is the best all-purpose river: good consistent flow, nice scenery, usually decent fishing. Folks who live farther south would probably say that of the Current. One other thing: If you're going on a weekend, you can beat the crowds by putting in early (sunrise if you can do it). I've often floated stretches of the Meramec that was quiet as could be at 6 a.m., only to be overrun with floaters by 1 p.m. or so.

Floated the Huzzah from Harper's Slab to Highway 8 (Huzzah Valley) yesterday. Stream was surprisingly low and clear, I figured they'd had more rain than they did. Fish were out and somewhat active, especially smaller ones, but were very spooky. My 3-year old wasn't exactly Mr. Stealth either. Ended up with a couple green sunfish but no smallmouth. Stream was really almost too low for good floating. Another six inches of stream level would have went a long way. USGS is now operating a gauge on the Huzzah at Highway 8, I guess it just went into operation. Gauge was 3.6 yesterday (no cfs available). I would think this is a very good floating level for Highway 8 down (Dry Fork Creek was really running at its entry into the Huzzah).

I'm planning an overnight on the Current for Easter week. Narrowed down to three stream sections: Akers to Pulltite, Pulltite to Round Spring or Round Spring to Jerktail. Which would be the best choice for good smallmouthing? We're gonna camp on the river so what steers me off the Pulltite to Round Spring section is it appears the river is near the road for the last couple miles, which is generally where we'd like to camp. Minor point, but I'd like to avoid road noise if possible. Thanks.

Al, I count success as having made it to the stream. Everything from there is just a bonus. My most satisfying fishing moment on the stream comes when I've spotted a target, a likely fish holding place, and hit that spot perfectly with my cast, and a fish is there to take it. It doesn't matter from that point if I land the fish, or what size it is, etc. The satisfying part is finding the spot, hitting it, and having a fish oblige. This is the great appeal (and challenge) of float fishing in my opinion. When the boat and the water is moving, often you get just one chance to hit the prime spot. First you have to recognize the spot, then you've got to hit it with your cast, and in the meantime you've got to be sure you and the boat are positioned to actually catch the fish if it strikes. I had a couple moments like that in the past weekend on the North Fork, both resulting in nice trout. I don't call that success as much as "satisfaction." Success is just being there in the first place.

We put in Saturday at Twin Bridges and took out Monday at Dawt. Incredible run of stream, never really been on a stream with such volume and yet such good gradient. Wonderful run. Fishing was what you might call "fair"--terrible on Saturday (we put in amid snow and sleet), a little better on Sunday and then quite good yesterday. We were spinfishing, throwing brokeback minnows and craws and little cleos and etc. Brown trout were pretty consistent yesterday out in the steady rolling flat sections. Also caught a few in current breaks just downstream of riffles. Rainbows were spotty. We're mainly smallmouthers and the smallmouthing was pretty good yesterday. Cousin caught a nice fattie that I'll post if I can get to it. Some others just a little smaller. Smallies mainly caught out of slower water near wood structure. I imagine the smallmouth fishing can be excellent a little later in the season. Definitely felt the big fish potential.

Beautiful, Al. Your reports give hope to frustrated smallmouth anglers everywhere!

Looks like the weekend of March 17 for us. I'll post a report once we get back.

Thanks for input guys. I got some Corps info on Tecumseh and it looks good. Looks like we'll portage around Dawt and head on down to Tecumseh. I'm really intrigued by the fish runs. I got into some white bass this time of year once on the Meramec. Don't know if you'd call it a run or what but it was fun. Brian, does ROLF do vehicle shuttles? I believe I sent you a PM. If I recall from an earlier conversation you don't do shuttles yourself but could point me to someone who does? I'm looking forward to this one. Been a while since I've been on a new stream. I generally stick to the Meramec watershed.

My cousin and I are considering a float all the way down to Tecumseh and the Corps of Engineers campground there. Haven't found much info on that however. Would we be better off taking out at Dawt? If we go to Tecumseh will we hit slack water from the lake back-up? Thanks.

M. Sculpin has a hard time with lit-er-a-cy you might say. Boy don't read too well. His spelling and grammar is south of average and at times borderline atrocious. But he can fish, so all is good. That aside, we could use some input on river levels. The Tecumseh gage today is 3.43. discharge 956 cfs, way over normal. This would indicate to me that the river is up but still in the floatable range. My feeling is if the discharge gets much higher we'd be in wild and woolly territory. Any pointers would be appreciated.

Looks like we're thinking about a two-night float, Hebron to Blair Bridge. 21 miles according to Oz Hawksley but we're thinking the spring flows should move us along. North Fork at Tecumseh gage today is 3.48 feet, 999 cfs discharge. River must be up. What's a good level for floating? Is it too high right now? We're looking late March or April. Also, Hebron access has camping according to MDC Atlas. Anybody camped there? Thanks for replies. As far as the development issue, I'll stay out of that one till I've been there.

Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.

Never been on the North Fork. Have been wanting to float it for a while. Where does the trout water begin? Have been looking at floating between Highway 14 and Highway H. We're looking at a March or April float. Thanks for the help. Hank

The federal ONSR website doesn't have any info on Parker Hollow. Is there a campground? Parking? Any info appreciated.

The radio station out of Houston (1250 AM?) that plays old country sounds great around a campfire at night. I also like to get WSM out of Nashville for the Grand Ole Opry. That stuff fits right in on a gravel bar. But like I said, you gotta play it low, so the sounds of the night are still dominant. During the day, forget it. Radio is packed away at the bottom of the bag.

There's no worse sound on the river than a radio playing even moderate volume. I will listen to country music around a campfire, as long as it's played real low. Anytime a radio is up loud enough to blot out the REAL souunds of the outdoors it's too loud.

Foam blocks work fine for me. The key is having good tie down straps that you can cinch tight.

Al, my cousin and I have tried winter smallmouthing but with very little success. Fish slow and deep? We've tried, to no avail. Any general pointers you can throw out there? I generally go for trout in the winter because the one or two times I tried smallmouthing I was shut out, basically.

My home water is the Bourbeuse River, probably the most northern of the Ozark streams. The Bourbeuse is where I learned to fish, shoot a .22, ride a dirtbike, throw a horseshoe, row a jonboat, skin a catfish, etc. As a kid we caught about every fish that swims (at least in Missouri) out of the Bourbeuse. Later when I got serious about smallmouth fishing the Bourbeuse was my classroom. I've floated its entire length except for two small sections. The Bourbuese, like Al says of the Big, does not seem as fishy as it once was, but it always seems to give up something of consequence. It's also quite slow and murky and thus is not much of a canoeing river, which means it's not swamped with fools like its parent the Meramec and many others. Still, it gets a fair amount of use and the nice thing about that is the people you do see on the Bourbeuse generally love it like I do. As my home water, the Meramec is number two, but I don't feel at "home" on that river or any other like I do on the Bourbeuse.

Minor flood stages are welcome news. Every river in the Ozarks needs a good wash. I wouldn't wish a power outage on anyone this time of year. Otherwise I'll take all the rain and snow we can get.

The Meramec and tribs get abused as well, but the Niangua seemed to have way more trash than those streams. Not sure why. We do have an excellent Clean Stream operation up here, and maybe the outfitters do some clean-up too. The Huzzah in particular always seems surprisingly clean given all the idiots it carries.

Thus my earlier question about dragging a canoe up Suicide. Maybe MDC should blow up the bluff and make a nice canoe access there. I like how the good water is all wade-able from Cardiac / Suicide. But you can't backpack in a cooler of Busch. The only downside to my wading expedition there this week was after I caught a nice 17-incher I didn't have a beer waiting. Maybe that can be the next thread--can you backpack in a 12-pack down Suicide hill?

Wayne, we've only floated the Big Niangua once and we noticed a lot of trash on the gravel bars. Clothes, plastic crap of all kinds, etc. We picked up a big bag of stuff just on our gravel bar alone. River and the fishing was great though.

Uh, to answer my own question: NO CANOE ACCESS AT SUICIDE. To try it would be, as they say, stoooopid. Finally hit the stream, first time in quite a while. Lot easier to get down the bluff than to get up it. Stream was in fine shape, fishing was a bit slow but the ones we caught had some size to them. Beautiful day. Very easy to get to Dry Fork confluence by the way. Had a bald eagle soar directly overhead while I was in the river. Scared up some whitetails in the brush below Suicide on return trip. I'm sure it's the Wal-Mart of stream fishing down there today.