Seth

Well hopefully the rains get the bills up and moving for ya. I get Good Friday and the following Monday off from work so I might head up that directon that weekend, unless we get a trip to the James River planned. Where would you recommend a person stay at up there? Just camp or at a hotel? I'll more then likely be the only one that goes up there because everybody else isn't crazy bout them spoons like me. Well hopefully the rains get the bills up and moving for ya. I get Good Friday and the following Monday off from work so I might head up that directon that weekend, unless we get a trip to the James River planned. Where would you recommend a person stay at up there? Just camp or at a hotel? I'll more then likely be the only one that goes up there because everybody else isn't crazy bout them spoons like me.

Welcome back Duckman. Yep, hopefully I'll bump into ya up there then. One question, the river looks really skinny up there where you snag at. How do boats go up through there and the bank snaggers get along? It shows that its only about 60 yards across on Google Earth and that just seems like a really thin area to snag since I'm sure a lot of people can throw better than that distance with there snagging rigs, especially surf rod users.

I made it up to Warsaw today and snagged off the Roadhouse Dock, but didn't hit anything. Nobody hit a fish near the bridge while I was there. The weather is supposed to be highs around 70 and lows around 50 for most of next week, what do you guys think the snagging will be like the following weekend with these kind of temps?

Ashercane bottom is where the river widens up about a mile above flat creek I would guess. There's and old boat house up by where the we hit the fish. The little cove that that boathouse sits in is almost always good for atleast one fish a trip for us. My buddy and his dad crappie fished during the day Thursday and boated all the way up to McCords Bend and said there was a ton of paddlefish up there that they seen too. One of them said they flipped there jig by a big log, and then the big log turned and swam past the boat, it was a big spooner laying right on top of the water. McCords Bend should stay hot as long as the water temps stay 50+ I would imagine with the water levels at pool this year.

Drove up and snagged off of the Roadhouse Dock from 11:00 to 1:30pm today and got skunked. I seen a couple really small paddlefish flop on the surface 20 feet from the bank and one nice one tied to a boat. Talked to a group of guys who fished around the 80 mile marker on 3/16 and caught eight spooners. They didn't have anything today when they pulled up to the dock. I look forward to trying it up there sometime when I have a boat or the water warms up and the spoonbill move up to the bridge.

I fished the James River from midnight to about 4am. We boated 7 fish, one was a short fish. We were the only boat with fish the way it sounded. If it stays up in the 70's during the day for a few more weeks, maybe the big sows will move up. We got a few sows about 50 pounds, but mostly just skinny males.

I hit a small male at 12:30 out in front of a cove below Ashercane Bottoms. About 2:30 the fish started flopping on the surface and we got into them again and hit nine fish and landed six. We got all of our fish around Ashercane Bottom. Nothing huge, biggest was only about 50-55lbs. Mostly small males. My dad and mom snagged up by us and never did touched a fish all night. Only difference was we were casting and using 10-15 foot surf rods and they were trolling using 9 foot casting rods.

Do you have any idea what the boat, motor, and trailer weigh? I'm interested in the boat, but I need to see if my truck could even pull it or not.

Man that is the best thing I have heard all day! Sounds just like the conditions we had last year for opening night and we tore the paddlefish up. Looks like I shoul get a good workout with my new snagging setup I bought this year.

This section is dead, but just curious if anybody here is going to be snagging up there this year?

I'll be getting in my share of crappie fishing while down there also. Those things just taste way to darn good not to try and catch a mess of. I wish I knew more about white bass because I have been dying to get into a school of those. Every time we go snagging, we see somebody with a stringer full of dandy whites. Spoonbill snagging works your butt over pretty good, but hey its good for you and there's not much that pulls harder than a 70 pound paddlefish.

Paddlefish: 74 pounds Grass Carp: 45 pounds Rainbow Trout: 27" 10 pounds Brown Trout: 19" Channel Cat: 10 pounds Largemouth: 21.5" 6 pounds. Longnose Gar: 4ft Bighead Carp: 10 pounds My girlfriend caught a 47" 45 pound blue cat last summer out of the local park lake. Not to mention that is was also only like the 5th catfish she has even caught in her life. Her second biggest fish is a 2 pound Largemouth.

Man, I am glad I have not had any opening day experiences like that. If it were me, I would stick to Taney and atleast wait till summertime before heading back to those trout parks. They aren't as crazy by then, atleast at Maramec Springs. I fished Maramec Springs yesterday and today and it was a mad house both days since the weather was so nice. Once the stream gets really clear and the heat of summer hits, the stream will be a lot more fun to fish. You even have room to use the evil fly rod down there at Maramec.

Started at the Lacy Hole around 3pm. Caught a lot of fish on Orange Trout Worms, Yellow Power Bait, and a Plain Jighead. Didn't know it until after fishing for a little bit, but I was standing right next to forum member Shawncat. It was great to fish with you for a while and shoot the bull! I went and got the fly rod and then moved up to the pond hole to find my family about 6:15. The fish started biting just as I got up there for my dad, who hadn't caught anything yet since we had gotten there. He picked up 4 fish in a short time using Double D's 007 formula bait. I ended my day by catching a nice 15-16" rainbow on a BH copper john with my 4wt fly rod. It put up a great fight and ended the trip on a positive note.

I'm for sure going to be down opening night this week. My parents and I and my buddy and his dad are going to be fishing from two boats up above Flat Creek up to Walnut Springs like usual.

I read about this when I was looking up spoonbill on Tablerock through Google. It said it gets its name from all of the spoonbill that they see when diving here. It sounds alot like the Virgin Bluff area because it drops off to 100 feet of water, but there is a shelf around 45ft and that is where they see alot of fish at. I put the coordinates into Google Earth and it takes me over by the state park marina south of Tablerock Dam. Does anybody else know about this place and has anybody ever snagged there before? I've only ever heard of snagging on the James River arm of Tablerock so I was curious.

RonS has the same plan as us. We usually start out at the bridge and just snag our way up river, but most of the time we don't get into fish until we get up to the mouth of Flat Creek on up. What do you guys think it will be like for the opening weekend? It's not as warm as last year and the spooners were really thick up above flat creek, but I don't think we will be as lucky this year.

If it is during Memorial Day weekend, then I don't know if I could make it. There is a catfish1.com Missouri get together up at Truman that weekend also that I had thought about going too. This is if there is nothing major planned by my family or girlfriend and her family.

With the water running, anybody think there will be spoonbill right below the bridge? I am thinking about going up there and try snagging from the Road House Dock that I've been told about. What is the best time to hit spoonbill right at the bridge usually?

I'm curious about the water levels and temps also. Do you think water temp or water flow is more important in making the spooners move up?

With snagging season getting close, I was curious as to what the water temps are running right now and what they might be up to come March 15. Anybody have any info?

Does anybody know what the water temps are from bridgeport on up past flat creek? I'm curious to know since snagging season opens up next week.

Sorry, I was referring to shawncat.

Oh was that you at the bridge hole with the fly rod? I was down there with a buddy fishing with spinning tackle. I was going to bust out the fly rod, but then I got lazy and just used my spinning tackle. I caught fish on yellow power bait, yellow Double D's, plain jighead, and a few on white and orange trout worms. I did the best at the hole between the Lacy Hole and the Bridge Hole. I'm not sure what they call that hole, but the fish bit good on the bluff side. The fish at the bridge didn't bite that great for us, we only landed 5 or 6 between the two of us in about an hour. I should of paid better attention and maybe I would of recognized you so I could of said "hello".

Was that your red ranger parked up by the pond hole? I was down at the springs tonight also and noticed that vehicle witht he toneau cover parked up there. You must of parked right besides me on opening day also because I noticced the same vehicle then too.