BrianK

Brian- Unfortunately it wasn't close to Thomasville. probably 4-5 miles down. maybe a mile or so above the private bridge??? probably a goner but you never know. thanks

sounds good. will do.

Called yesterday. No more canoe outfitter or shuttle service at Ozark Springs. (probably not a bad thing though) Need to check with Gasc Hills

this little fella gave me a good tussle on topwater last fall. my first. was down in the lower river below Riverton. Hey Brian, anyone ever mention finding a fanny pack in the past couple wks up on the Thomasville to Cane stretch. My 10 yo left it on a gravel bar....could still be there. Let me know if anyone runs across it (or admits to it) thanks alot and thanks again for the shuttle help B

hey Joe. wow, looks like you got out just in time. the gauge at Tunnel Dam shows that it came up 5 or 6 feet after you got off the river! you almost needed that escape route. (scary) good work! gonna try to visit the Gasconade this wknd. bk

Are there any HP regs or restricted locations for jets like down on the Current / 11Pt? or is it anything goes?

thanks fellas- I've done the Gasc Hills to Hazelgreen stretch once and wanted to check out some lower river. I may see if they shuttle in that area. CT's book also mentions a resort near the Rochester bridge. may call them too. Maybe i'll just keep it short and try the 4 mi from 7 to Rochester. Looks like an easy shuttle too. My concern is that if too easy and convenient then that's the most crowded section of river! How's the water thru there? Does it get hammered? thanks again, i'll let you know what i find. B

Looking at exploring a new stretch of river this wknd and was wondering if anyone is familiar with this area.... Plan to just do a one day canoe float/ FISH (all C&R smallies) on one of these stretches. Trying to talk my wife into taking a book and going with me (maybe i should put that under the Prayer Requests thread) 1- Hwy 7 to Rochester Rd (4 mi) 2- Rochester Rd to Schlicht Springs access. Paddlers guide says 9.5 mi but Chuck Tryons book says 13.9 miles!!! That's quite a difference. Anyone know the actual distance? 3 Schlicht Spgs to Hwy 17 Also a variation here. Paddlers guide-10.2 mi and Chuck says 6.2 miles. 4 - late entry to the possibilities: hwy 133- hwy 7 ( 8 mi) First, are these still real accesses? Hate to get there and not be able to get to the water. anyone know the real distances? Any recommendations for or against any of the above stretches of water? (ie- based on canoe/ boat traffic, fishy looking water, etc) Know any good outfitters who can provide a shuttle in that area? would like to not go broke driving 2 vehicles. Any help appreciated. thanks, Brian

So how bad was the mayhem and chaos last wknd??? I suspect that the scattered rain off & on might have kept some of the crazies off the water....maybe not. Were the authorities out in force after all???

Good work! Nice pic / article in Rural Missouri a few days ago. b

Was there back in about 97 and yeah it's beautiful. Fished the Pigeon R. for a few hrs just above Gatlinburg and waded up into the natl park. Did ok for not knowing what i was doing. Kinda strange to park in a hotel parking garage and walk to the trout stream....gets pretty remote fast though. didn't see another person. Mainly used egg patterns if i recall. Good luck. I think a recent issue of Fly Fisherman had an article about fishing for backcountry brookies in the Smokies. check it out. bk

Hmmmm, I didn't think of Greer Spring branch separately. How long is that branch? So in 2013 it goes to the Park Service and the public? Brian, any info on the wild rainbow population specifically in the spring branch? That's currently not open for public fishing right? I'd agree with keeping it protected and remote.

That book is a must have if you are looking for some smallie water. I use it in conjunction with the Paddlers Guide and a good road atlas. Can pretty much figure out most accesses with that library. I waded the S. Fork of the Spring R. many yrs ago as it travels down into AR. Not sure how far from Theodosia but was good small water.

Mostly smallies but many nice gogs over 9" (which i think is the length limit). Didn't keep any but could have eaten very well. b

thanks again fellas for the good info. Had a great couple days on the river this past wknd. Definitely worth a return trip but will spend less time in the cow water. Gave a more detailed report separately also. Brian

Been busy catching up after a day off work. It was worth it. Thanks to all who chimed in with advice on this stretch of river and thanks to Brian Sloss for the shuttle. Put in Sat pm and fished down for a couple hrs before pitching camp the first nite. Fished all day Sun and took out Monday around noonish. Weather spectacular. Just enough water now but in a few wks be ready to work very hard and pack light! Me and a buddy and 3 kids and lots of gear. Had to portage twice and lots of dragging and walking thru snags. If you fish, it's a 2 day float! Sort of a tale of 2 rivers.... As previous posts mentioned, the upper river is cow infested! a beautiful river but the habitat and bank is in really bad shape. not much cover and generally shallow. lots of mud banks. fewer fish. Then after a few miles the cows stay out and the river is beautiful and the fishing reflected that. Caught probably 3x more fish in the lower river when rocky cover improved. Just have to suffer thru the upper 3-4 miles of small muddy creek that's not even floatable in summer to get to prime water.... Lost track of fish #'s but they kept us busy except for the cow water. Had we known, we would have moved faster through the upper few miles and focused more on the bottom half of that stretch..... No tackle busters but a couple 16+ and several 14-15's. The bigger fish were hitting topwater but missed a couple that were probably over 18". Missed one guy that hit 6 times coming across the river and another that came all the way out of the water like a great white taking a seal on topwater! Heartstopping. Most fish on softplastics (small craws) in deeper water or topwater early, late or in shade. not much on spinnerbaits. Only saw a couple beds but didn't look active. Oh, if anyone finds an orange 'fannypack' with some knives, flashlights, and misc items about 4-6 mi down, let me know. My 10 yo left it on a gravel bar . he's bummed. Brian

yeah, looks like SealLine is top dog out there. Looking at REI site and Seattle Sports packs look pretty comparable (and are on sale now!) There is a big pack 7000+ cu in on sale for $60 .... I have learned though that you get what you pay for and may just buck up for good gear. You don't want to be on a cold river to find that your sleeping bag is wet! b

20 yrs x 25 trips per yr! i think i'm doing good if i get in an overnite trip once or twice a summer....next wknd though! Thanks guys for the good info. will keep checkin. b

I need to invest in a drybag(s) this year. Have usually jammed gear into big Rubbermaid containers or 5 gal buckets with a sealable lid which works fine but too bulky for overnite canoe trips. Any suggestions? plain rolltop adequate or go backpack or hi dollar duffle type? I'm thinking backpack for most versatility. Any brand suggestions? or ones to avoid? haven't really started looking yet but usually go Cabelas, REI, BPS, etc... thanks fellas, Brian

Bueller? Anyone? I live just 2 minutes from the dam. guess i'll have to go check it out to see if any whites up there yet. Anyone been out there? will report if i get out. bk

Never have fished the newer style pontoons that sit you higher out of the water. have an old round 'belly boat' that's ok for small ponds but pretty slow. I talked to a couple guys fishing the N. Fk. 2 wks ago and they made it look effortless to kick their feet to stay stationary in the current while fishing. Main advantage i see is hands free to fish instead of messing with paddles. Good and bad to all boats though. Just get one of each and you are set! bk

I fished Montana also for a few hrs but was pretty close to the highway. lots of combat king fishing going on. like opening day at the trout parks!!! nice stream though and still caught a few fish. Glad to hear Moose Ck is good looking water. My buddy up there doesn't fish. would like to check out any previous pics you took.... bk

JD- I'd have to get the map out to see where 20 Mile is but I was up in Talkeetna summer 04 in early July for kings and trout. The Susitna was too milky / hi from glacial melt but fished Clear Creek for kings and rainbows. I've heard that when the glaciers refreeze then the big rivers clear up and that's the time to fish for big rainbows! I also have to chance to go up the first wk of August (5d float down Moose Ck) and it's killin me that i may not be able to......I think Moose Ck is a trib of the Susitna. My buddy lives in Talkeetna now so i'll definitely be back. Wish I could help you on the flies. Sounds like you did very well. That was my first trip so i'm no expert. Just learned all i could from websites and locals when i got there. There is probably an Alaska forum out there similar to this one. Sounds like Phil has lots of connections up there, he can probably give more info. Big egg-sucking leeches or eggs were one of the better flies for big rainbows when i was there. Good luck. Brian

my thoughts exactly. this should keep flows up until i can get down there. Anyone have an idea how it will affect the spawn? i'm guessing they do ok unless there is hi water off and on thru May. bk

Wondering if anyone has a canoe out there that they need to sell. Probably looking to stay in the "well-used" market...alum or plastic. One of my fishing buddies is looking for one so i thought i'd throw a line out here to see if anyone needs to do some spring cleaning.... He's down around W. Plains. Let me know. thanks, Brian