chub minnow

We have a group of guys (5-8) that are planning on floating Flat Creek from Mcdowell to Table Rock (James arm - hence the location of this topic). We were wondering if there were any really bad portages etc. along this stretch. We have scouted a lot of the river, but it's pretty remote out there and we have not seen a lot of it. The guys in our group are all experienced paddlers, so rapids and some technical sections are welcomed. We just don't want to drag boats through 2 miles of farm field - or worse - brambles. Getting information on this creek is next to impossible, so any help is appreciated. Also wondering if I should bring some trout flies for that upper section. we'll be C&R any bass or trout we might tie into, but no guarantees for any goggles or catfish that decide to eat my craw flies. Any fishing advice is welcomed, although I assume it fishes about like any other stream in the area. Information on good camp sites would be good to have as well. Thanks in advance!

Fireline does last forever (2 seasons for me)and that float you get when it doesn't break the surface tension allows you to use it as sort of a strike indicator if you are fishing shallow current. More of a river application, but another reason I keep 6# fireline on all of my spinning rods. I haven't bought line of any type in almost two years, because one roll of fluorocarbon lasts forever when you're just using it as tippet. I'm pretty sure I'm saving tons of money on line overall.

Dang, I forgot that was this week. I guess I'll spend my day at Roaring River. I pretty much won't go on the water during a tournament since the "incident". I don't know what tournament it was, but it was several years ago and they were leaving out of Viola. My little sister had asked me to take her skiing early in the morning before the water got rough (she just learned to slalom) so we headed to Green Shores at daybreak. She was in the water, wearing a screaming pink life vest and a day-glo ski. I had thrown the rope to her and was making my way back to the captains chair when I heard them all coming. Most of the guys avoided us and slowed down, but many buzzed right by. Then, this jerk came flying (60-70 mph) between the boat and my sister. His prop cut the rope and jerked the handle out of her hands. He couldn't have been more than 20' from either of us. There is NO contest worth killing somebody. I honestly believe that the proliferation of high horsepower outboards draws these aggro types to the sport and is a bad thing for pro fishing and it's image. Everyone I know now refers to these types (present company excluded) as Bas*&oles due to their rude and inconsiderate behavior. 90% of these folks are great, but the Bas*&oles are ruining it for everyone else. There should be some sort of weight penalty or disqualification for Pros that are witnessed conducting themselves in this manner.

The Balls I believe. If you mean East of the cemetery. Everybody around there is either a Ball, Prier, Tucker or Haddock. My wife's family (Tuckers) settled that area in the 1800's. Her great, great grandfather (James Tucker) is buried in Muncy. Sure wish we still had "family" property down there!

I also caught a bow in the late 80's in the Shell Knob area (Lost Hill) while crappie fishing with minnows. Strange how all of these reports were in the late 80's. Maybe there were some put in TR around the Knob at that time? If rainbows from RR or Beaver tailwater, for that matter, are making it into Crane then isn't there a possibility that the 'pure' McClouds really aren't pure strain?

I love my Mad River Explorer 16'. They come in 3 ply poly or Royalex. The rail system allows you to add storage or float bags for solo trips, but can also hold a lot (800lbs +) of weight if two of you are camping. The hull has a slight V that helps it to track but isn't as obtrusive as an actual keel in shallow water. I can clear anything a similarly loaded Buffalo or Old Town 16' can. They weigh in around 70-75# depending on how it's equipped, and the yoke on mine is so perfectly balanced it feels like even less. I always load and unload by myself, even if I have help because it's almost easier and always turns out better. (I learned this lesson when the wife was pregnant) At any rate, this is a really stable boat that I will often fish out of it standing, including fly fishing. I can drag it up a bank and throw it on the truck by myself- no problem. I know that you can get a 2nd in the triple ply for under $700.00 locally. Lighter than an Old Town Discovery, heavier than a Buffalo Royalex. The webbed seats are a nice improvement over Old Town as well (Wow those things get hot!). Capable of handling class II+ rapids without excessive swamping (depending on the captain). I love fishing out of it and would recommend it for most situations in this area.

They will be processing less chicken which should mean less waste. Terrible for those that lose their jobs, but good for water quality, more specifically in Shoal Creek, as all of their water goes for treatment at the wastewater plant. That being said, the last time I fished Hickory the drain pipe coming into the creek in close proximity to the plant was spewing foul smelling, stained water into the creek. This was after one of the recent snows, and I assumed it was storm sewer water which is going to be off colored. My questions is, what made it smell so (rotten) bad? It seems feasible that it was somehow related to runoff from the area around their facility due to proximity and lack of other industry in the area. The aroma was somewhat akin to that of "summertime roadkill"

It's nice in the winter, not so much in the heat of summer. I've caught several kentuckies upstream of and right under the 86 bridge by Kwik Mart. Seems like the bass population is just low in the areas that they stock trout.

Float any beadhead nymph under a stimulator, foam ant etc. Target cover near handicapped access (this is where they stock) and you can't miss.

txspecks - The trout club ends just up from the 43 bridge, I believe.

Yep, about an average fish for the Spavinaw. For those wondering, the best fishing is a few miles above and below the 43 bridge. Unless you know someone, good luck with any kind of access. I guess that's why they stay so big. My best at Spavinaw (on the fly):

I had to run to Bella Vista for some business yesterday evening, so I threw the rods in the back of the work truck hoping to get a few casts in after my obligatory stop at the state line Wal-Mart (wow tax is A LOT less in Missouri!). At any rate I did find myself at the creek in time to make maybe twenty casts before I had to leave. I picked my spot, a deep eddy with some brush on the bottom. It was the only good looking spot within walking distance, considering the higher water and my time constraints. Next I picked my two lures. The first was a simple white spinnerbait, the second a small wiggle wart. I got set up and made a couple of casts with the spinnerbait to no avail, so I went to the wart. I made a couple of casts being careful to not get hung in the debris. No luck, so I got bold and cast across stream and bounced the wiggle wart back across the bottom and sure enough my worst fears were confirmed, I was hung up..... or wait, whats that flash? My line is moving upstream, and at first I don't realize the size of the fish I've got. I didn't really figure on any big fish today, just getting a few casts in, so I'm using my old med/lite 6' rod with a tiny Shimano reel and 6# fluorocarbon line. I get a look at him real soon when he comes straight at me and dives into the brush pile. So eventually I end up in the middle of the creek pulling him back out of the pile. I can't believe I got him out of there. After a few minutes I finally end up dragging him up in the shallow water to land him as I couldn't gain much ground on the reel. He's definitely not the longest smallie I've caught in a small creek, but probably the heaviest and surely the best fight. Here he is:

Looks like she swallowed a carp!! I'm so jealous. I would definitely be putting a replica of that one on the wall. Congrats!

I'd say a lot of factors go into this: Is the stream habitat well suited to smallmouth? Is the stream connected to a major nearby reservoir that will replenish the spot population? I'd say it is very stream dependent, but I do know one thing - spotted bass are very resilient and you will have a hard time eliminating them completely from any stream with a large population. In my experience they tend to occupy somewhat different areas in smalller creeks than smallmouth do. Backwater sloughs, eddies etc.

If you fillet a spot, you open up habitat and forage for smallmouth or so the theory goes.

Or you can always ante up and fish in the thick of it -- anybody got $160,000.00 I can borrow? http://thespavinawcreekranch.com/

The catch and release section of the Spavinaw above Hwy 59 is almost unfishable and is completely private. Closer to the state line however, there are a few places to access at state bridges. As you work your way up the bank from either of these you will soon come across no trespassing signs. This is the SVA and I wouldn't advise trespassing. Why bother though? There are plenty of huge bows right below the bridge. They may be stockers, but I'm not complaining. I have landed several fish over 20" down there and haven't seen many smaller than that. Some of these big fish have been there a while and fight like a wild trout. Plus they are really hungry living in this small stream. It takes some work to find 'em without trespassing, but it is well worth it. Please be conscious of this precious resource though. Practice catch and release and don't overplay the fish when the water is too warm which will kill them. Have fun finding them... it took me about three years before I was really able to find and catch 'em down there. Don't forget that it is mainly private property down there. Respect that and you'll be fine.

Only know about the upper part in Arkansas - great smallies and the occasional slab rainbow. Beautiful little stream up there.

Looks like you guys are doing great work. I remember how Hickory was when I was a kid - never even considered dipping a toe in. It is frustrating that people can't appreciate how much nicer it is now and simply pick up their own trash. Keep up the good work. Hope to make it up to help out sometime.

Lots of beer cans (more than I could cart out), bait containers etc. This was mainly north of the park and south of the abandoned house especially by the big black drain pipe. Everywhere else I went looked pretty good. This secluded area seemed to be someone's "thinkin' and drinkin'" spot. Likewise, upstream by Kwik Mart (hwy 86 bridge) someone had a cocktail party and forgot to invite me. (there are trash cans there!)

Maybe a cleanup after labor day? I'm sure I could bring some help.

Fished early Sunday morning starting at the north bridge in Morse Park. Caught one small one under a root wad on my 2nd drift with a big ugly foam hopper I brought back from Colorado. Had a few more swipes while working more brush on my way north up to the abandoned house. Maybe if they put trash cans on the bank people would throw away their trash? Unbelievable. Other than the trash it was a really nice morning on a pretty nice stretch of water.

There are a few places on the Spavinaw near Maysville that you could find some nice bows.... you'll just have to poke around and get friendly with some of the locals.

Ditto on the braided line - no twist, no lost lures, awesome sensitivity. Tip it with 6-8# leader if the water is really clear. Seems to me that the braid does spook some fish if you are fishing a really slow bait (trick worm, shakey head etc.).

The topwater bite was ON on Sunday. That was the best Memorial Day weekend I can remember. All of the boats usually shut it down. Caught 8 in about 2.5 hours of fishing all topwater, all kentuckies except the last one that I caught on my 3wt, 6' fly rod while targeting bluegill! What a hoot that was! I have never seen as many shad as I did Sunday morning, they were literally jumping up on the dock while I was putting the boat in.