OzarksRiverman

That looks like a nice goggle eye. Any idea how deep the water was where you caught it?

I can hit Beaver Creek and Swan Creek this weekend. Upper Bryant next week. I'll PM you.

good point. I might be jerking sunfish all day.

There is a place to access the river just off Sunshine out East of town... I haven't been there since mid-2000's so I don't know if no parking signs have been posted... Heading out Sunshine, right before you go around the curve to the left and downhill into the river valley, take FR 148 to the right. Follow that maybe 500 ft, stay right at the Y, follow downhill and around a curve to the left and you'll get to the old bridge. I used to go there back in HS and college (like I said, last time I was there was probably 2004ish) and park on the East side of the bridge and walk down to the creek. a few pretty good spots upstream from there...

In fishing smallish creeks for smallmouth & goggle eye, what kind of success do y'all think one of these 2.5" crappie tubes in watermelon green would bring? A 2.5" Crappie Tubes made with heavy salt and Megastrike bait enhance. These Megastrike bait enhancered tubes are also impregnated with salt, making them even more irresistible to fish.

The thing about John's Ford is that they've blocked any place you have to park. I just go down to Braden then come downstream. In my experience, if you don't show up with a case a Bud Light and loud music, you usually don't have much of a problem gaining access.

Hey guys thanks for the response. Gavin, I don't know if I could get an approval (the wife) for a $2200 purchase to support my creek-hopping habit\ .I'm probaby going to settle on a 12 foot flatbottom jonboat. If anybody's got an extra one laying around give me a holler.

duly noted.

I looked at the paddle jons and they look perfect. The hard part will be finding a used one for sale! I called about a new one in Licking and they wanted $2200 for it. Anybody have experience with using a Coleman Crawdad on float trips?

Hey everybody. Didn't want to start a new thread for this question, so I thought I'd resurrect an old one... I've been a creek wader for most of my fishing adventures, but I'm now thinking about buying a watercraft this summer. I've thought about a canoe, a couple kayaks, but it recently struck me that a small jon boat could be my best bet. My thinking behind this stems from the fact that the last few times I've been floating, I've been really uncomfortable in a canoe. I'm 6'8'', and since college I've packed on the weight (up over 320 now). Based on this--and the fact that my little girl could start attending short float trips within the next couple years, the jon's stability is what has me intrigued. Could y'all help me out with some questions I have about the jon boat before I go out and buy one? What is the skinniest/shortest (canoe-like) jon boat made? Suggestions? I have in mind a 12 ft. flatbottom I like to float medium size streams: James, Finley, Bryant, Beaver, Upper Big Piney, etc.... Will a small jon boat be a BIG nusiance when float in shallow water vs. a canoe? Are they real squirrely going into bends (vs. a canoe) Hard to flip? (vs. a canoe) Hard to paddle (pick up speed in slower pools)? Without a motor, will it need to be licensed?

I found a badass fishing hole on the upper Finley (above Linden) last weekend! I'm not telling anybody where it's at because it's so little... But the smallies were stacked up on a fast running bend with strewn boulders. I tried several different lures but the ole rebel crawdad was working best. I probably caught--and released 15 smallies and 5 goggle eye from that one hole in 30 minutes. Size ranged from dinks up to 3 or 4 nice 13-14 inchers! Not even May yet and I've got the fever. Good luck everybody.

Just go to the first exit North of I-44, get off 65, go left. Stay on that road up and down a couple hills, sharp curve to the right, then Valley Water Mill is on the left, can't miss it.

Poison Ivy. And it's bad this year.

By your picture, I can see what fate has in store for that channel cat.

Yeah, Olga is a good little spot. I fished just upstream from the slab yesterday. I like creeks this size because they're easily wadeable for miles and miles (I don't have a canoe). But it's important to tell everybody who goes with you--or encounter there fishing-- to consider catch and release. These smaller creeks can't stand a whole lot of pressure.

I fished the upper Finley today at Olga for a little bit. The water was about a foot high and greenish, not milky though. I caught 5 smallish (though feisty) smallmouth on bitsy tube. Didn't check the water temp but it wasn't too cold not to wade.

Beaver Creek is a dirty mess filled with old tires and cattle runoff...Don't bother.

I wonder if the Zeke Kuehn guy who posted he was going to put in at crighton and paddle up actually found the body and alerted the police?

Well, there was a body found today at chrighton access, and homicide is suspected, so.........

This thread is the Tommy DeVito of yak threads

You ever floated Beaver Creek, Swan Creek, or Big Creek (Bull ShoalsTrib.)?

Awesome. Thanks man.

What were you using in these water temps?

It's a little lake over by Wynne & Forrest City.

I've got to disagree with you here. You say that it's not navigable above Linden...It's a seasonal creek. I do a lot of fishing between Olga and Johns Ford--It is not a seasonal creek, I've floated it with minimal dragging on the first week of November. I've even floated down to Olga from Z Hwy, not in the winter, but in late summer. An honest question: How do you, personally, use this particular creek's characteristics to make the judgement that its not a navigable waterway? FWIW, I got permit checked by a warden at Olga last summer, and when asked he said he would classify it as navigable, but that's just one guy's opinion...