BrianK

Fished at Lead Mine yesterday and started pretty slow until got up to the first decent hole. Found some good water with big rocks and found fish. All on soft plastic craws. Zip on topwater. My 9yo caught a nice 14 1/2" fish that gave him a tussle and we caught several in the 13" +/- range along with lots of small fish. Will be interesting to see how much the smallies slow down with the upcoming cold weather this wk.... (will try, again, to include a pic or 2) Brian ps- the 2 fish were a nice double we had. all released. bk

I agree.....need lengths on these monsters. 16, 18, 20" ??? And now I'll be going to the Gasconade this wknd with a group of 30 other canoes! actually, i agree with you and the fewer people the better. bk

floated from 160 to 142 Fri the 29th and the water had been WAY UP the wknd before. Was already back in pretty good shape though. Looked to me like the hi water mark had been 6-8 feet up below Frederick Ck. Only a couple feet up upstream of that. Not sure exactly where you are talking about since that was my first time on that section. bk

interesting. last wknd on the Eleven Pt saw a guy pulling his boat out REAL fast at Whitten after he had just ripped a tear at the hull / transom seam in the back of his boat. Wonder if a spray on or brush on truck bedliner would give similar protection. I floated my old alum rowboat down from Riverton to 142 this wknd with just a trolling motor (no jet) and had to drag over 1 or 2 riffles. Would have been nice to have a nonstick coating.... May also be good on the bottom of an old aluminum canoe to keep it from biting into the rocks and make quieter. bk

Fished 2 days last Fri and Sat. Fri am was COLD in hi 30's and had things pretty slow until afternoon. First time floating Riverton to Hwy 142. Started out fishing for the elusive pickerel!(not really) Hadn't caught any until the first 2 fish of the morning....hard fighting and fun. only caught 6-8 fish in am but about 20-25 smallies in afternoon when warmed up. Several nice fish in 14-15" range. all on softplastics. nothing on topwater or spinnerbaits. The river down from Frederick Ck had been flooded about 6-8'higher last wknd so that may have had the fish still a little messed up...or maybe it was just me. Sat fished from Whitten to Riverton. I could again try to come up with some excuses but i think it may have just been me. Caught about 12 nice rainbows and missed several others. largest about 15". mainly on stones, eggs, craw patterns.Beautiful weather, water in good shape, fall colors starting..... very nice. Possibly would have done better up above Turner (with a guide and drift boat) Another guy in our group was fishing for smallies and didn't do very well at all in that section. anyone else out last wknd? bk

I hope you're right and will let you know. I've not been on that stretch. Anywhere to take out before 142?? bk

hey brian- looking at coming down this wknd but will be staying down at Riverton with a large group from church. I'd rather come up to the trout water but have been wanting to hit the stretch from Riverton down to 142 for some smallies. will fish on Friday. Has Ryan (or anyone)been down there lately? Any recent reports? From previous posts, sounds like he makes it down there more than you do. Will be interesting to see what the water conditions are like by this wknd. I may need come upstream anyway for clearer water. I'll post report. Just curious, did the MDC stock downstream from Greer again this yr? brian

Decided to stay closer to home and check out some new water rather than head down to the Current. Good info on previous threads. thanks My 9 yo son and I fished 2 days down to LeadMine and the river and fishing was as nice as I was told. Yeah, access is a little challenging but I thought worth the effort. only saw 3 kayaks and 1 jetboat on Sat. no one on Sun. Weather perfect. Fish very cooperative. The topwater bite was crazy until about 830 then again in the evening. Tried a baby torpedo for the first time instead of a spook and the fish liked it. Missed a few monster topwater hits and hooked but lost a very nice smallie. Looked to be in the 17" +/- range. Soft plastics, mainly 2" craws, produced all day. I meant to keep track of #'s but lost track after about 2 fish. Caught fish anywhere there was good looking water. My fishing buddy (9yo) caught a nice 14 1/2" and he was pretty excited. All catch and release except a few gogs who donated themselves for dinner saturday pm. I'll try to attach pics. bk

I've got a copy around here somewhere. will have to dig it out. Sort of like a book of treasure maps. thanks

thanks. yeah, i saw your Jul 4th report. looked good. Not sure of that name either but do you know if there is river access down at the end of NN/ near Rocky Ck.... to take out if we go Powdermill down. I presume the jetboats are thickest below Blue spring. Do they venture above that very much??

wow,i knew there were some funky remedies out there but i haven't heard of some of those! As a family practice doc and one who has had it severely, i had to throw my $0.02 worth.... A lot of good advice above. some not as good. I definitely agree with the 'don't eat it' part. The Missouri conservationist had a pretty good article (Mar 05 I think) that I sometimes give to patients. This is what i tell folks: -Avoid it -If you think you got into it, yes, get it off your skin as soon as possible. Some people will be doomed after a few minutes, others have 2-4 hrs. Any soap will probably work fine. some listed above may be better than others. If no soap, try to at least rinse off with water.contrary to popular belief, "water rapidly inactivates urushiol" according to one wilderness medicine text. Bleach, etc probably no better than soap/water. -wash, clean or toss whatever has oil on it. just don't keep re-exposing yourself -Unless you take steroids (prednisone, etc)and start very early, the rash generally lasts 10-14d. if you want to tough it out then take otc benadryl or Claritin and try any of the otc topicals to help with itch. Prescription topical steroids may help a little more. Can take cool showers, Aveeno baths to help itch also. -caution: even if you've never had it, the next exposure may be your lucky day. You can develop a sensitiviy any time in life. And the opposite is true. You can have it severely as a kid and develop more tolerance to it as you get older (I'm in that fortunate category) -i haven't tried the banana trick but why not...I'm willing to try new therapies! (Now "itch-weed" (stinging nettle i think is it's real name) that should be whole other thread - that stuff is 30 min of pure misery!) BrianK

Anyone with any reports on the lower river for smallies? Looking at Two Rivers to Powder Mill or Powder mill to Roberts Field area? I've never been below PowderMill/Owls Bend. Is there really access somewhere at the end of Hwy NN? The MDC map online says there is access at Roberts Field (camp and access??)Is it safe to leave a truck there overnite. Just trying to find out from someone who's been there. Anyone recommend one stretch over another for a 1 or 2 day float? Any help appreciated. thanks, Brian

Looks like flows may be good for a few more days. Go today! Hopefully this rain will continue. I was also thinking about making a return visit in Sep maybe from Ebb/Flow spring or Rhymers down to Bay Ck. Any advice on the best shuttle?? - Go Ebb/flow (any access there?) to Bay and stay on North side of river to shuttle? - or go from Rhymers and down and around Alley to Bay (looks long)? - or is neither a good idea??? First trip went from Blue Spring to Rhymers. Anyone been fishing there lately?? bk

I'll let you know next time i'm heading down (won't be long) and give me a call if you ever want any company. B

finally made it back out last pm for a few hrs. Was going to paddle up from Lead Mine but couldn't get there b/c hiway 54 was closed from accident. My first time to check out the Prosperine area. Paddled my old broken down kayak up from there (i appreciated the kayak info on the Beaver forum). Water was beautiful despite alot of much needed rain. Did better than i expected probably b/c nice overcast rainy conditions. Caught 25-30 smallies including a nice 15" and lost a few others in that same range. Was definitely a great few hrs with no one on the river. All on small soft plastics (well almost all, i couldn't resist trying a dead sculpin i found floating - they hold up amazingly well on the hook) Will definitely want to check out the water downstream from Prosperine. Thanks for the great info above. Some nice water and nice fish. Brian

Joe- A report like that gets everyone's attn especially so close to home. I'm up the road from you in Sunrise Beach and have been trying to scout out the lower Niangua. So far have only been up from the LeadMine access. Water looked great and caught a few fish. Looks like access is limited which prob explains your 2 day float and great fishing. I would also be interested (if you don't mind) to know what accesses you used. I've been wanting to check out the MtnCreek to LeadMine stretch but looks like takes 2 days.... Need to get away from the Lake Shootout madness this wknd. Brian

I'm not familiar with those accesses.I've usually been between 6Crossings and Ross or up around Slabtown. Sounds like some nice smallies though for just a 4 hr float. Guessing they are below Ft Leonard Wood??? thanks bk

That is a big smallie anywhere...any pics?? I agree, easier for me to fish the NFk than get over to the Bryant. I'll keep an eye out for you and try to keep the wisecracks to a minimum. bk

Catman- I was on the North Fork all day Monday....I might have seen you??? Did you end up floating NF or Bryant? How did you do? I always mean to get out on the Bryant but seem to end up on the NFork. Did pretty well Mon early am. 7 rainbows in first hr of daylight. Then floated / fished all day with the masses of canoes and picked up about 8-9 more literally in between the canoes/tubers. Looks like you may be close to Lake of the Ozarks? I'm in Sunrise Beach on the west side of the lake. Brian

Brian, Which one is Lamb shoal? just curious. I know there is a nice riffle/ run above Kelly and then the one below Kelly at the 'octagon house/cabin'...... look forward to getting down soon. bk

Sounds like a great wknd! any pics? 14 mi is a long float especially when fishing. I usually find myself crying as i pass by all the good looking water on the last several miles just to get to the take out before gets too dark. Do you float that stretch in a canoe or johnboat? How is the shuttle on those floats (fri and sat)? (i don't have the map in front of me) Didn't do much fishing this wknd...always the next. bk

There are restrictions on live bait like the N Fork, right? Can't use from Greer to Turner????

First visit to Jacks Fk on Sat and is as beautiful as was told. Gorgeous water, boulders, runs, bluffs, etc. Floated Blue Spring to Rymers. Hot day, light traffic (only about 6-8 kayakers), low water flow (low 40's cfs), drug through most riffles but had 2 dads and 2 kids. Fishing good but fewer big fish than expected. Lots of small fish in 8-10 in range. Biggest only about 13 inches. Good #'s to keep the kids busy. Still had awesome day and caught probably 30+ smallies each but that was over 12hrs on the river. Used mainly soft plastics and topwater - torpedo / zara puppy. tried others but not as productive. Talked to one local who agreed that they were more finicky on Sat (??b/c fed all nite with full moon on Fri pm??) and that he's had to start resorting to live bait in the deeper pools around boulders. We never did break down and throw minnows/craws but wish we had after talking to him. Will definitely be back and would like to check out Rymers to Bay. No good fish pics but some nice scenery (if i can attach them) Brian Sorry, i'm still figuring this out. Can anyone remove the other 2 duplicate reports?? sorry bout that. bk

Fished the JacksFk on Sat. will report on that thread separately. Good to hear the positive report. The Gasconade is on my radar to hit soon either by canoe or with a small johnboat (no jet). How was the size? any big fish (for me that is about 15+ ")? Anyone with any experience on the 18" mgmt area further downstream? Good accesses? bigger fish? Is the lower river overrun with jetboats? canoes? I've only floated the upper Gasc. above Hazelgreen and above Hwy 42. bk

agree with the above and i also downsize alot with a 2" soft plastic craw on a 1/8 or 1/16 oz jig head. middle of the summer, sometimes you need to finesse em a little...especially midday. good luck. what stretch of river are you headed to?? i usually go 6crossings to Ross and still quite a few canoes. not horrifying though. bk