Float Fishing Shoal Creek.

[denjac]

Have not been down there in awhile. I bet with all the high water your log jam is gone, but there are probabbly new ones. It would be a crap shoot on clear sailing.

[Whack'emGood]

Yeah, Denjac, that's kind of what I'm thinking. Still, I would like to go try it, but haven't been able to pull the trigger. The fishing has been so good at TR, that I haven't been able to pull myself away. When I finally do end up trying it, I will let y'all know how it goes and what I find out.

Whack'em

[otter]

canoed it on friday, Jun 20th, put in at Jolly and took out at the public access before hwy 60. one log jam on Capps Creek and one on Shoal. tricky, but not absolutley terrible. but a very technical section overall with so many trees in the water.

4 trout, one was 16-17 inches, and a few small bass, water was up a little and moving well.

[chefshef]

I floated with some friends yesterday on Shoal Creek from Ritchie to the old highway E bridge (same as wagonwheel, I think). We made it through just fine, but there were a couple jams and we were in canoes; I imagine getting a johnboat with a motor through would have been more difficult, though possible. There was a TON, nay TONS of debris lining the banks and piled in turns, but I think the heavy flooding has done a nice job of clearing the main riverchannel in most places. The majority of the stuff was pinned to the banks or lifted into the trees. I was with non-fishing friends, so I didn't get much chance to do any serious angling. I only made the occasional cast while moving and didn't catch anything.

[Whack'emGood]

Thanks for the report. It is much appreciated. I'm about ready to go and try it. When we do, I will report back as well.

[CDC]

First post on this site. I just moved back to Joplin from Nacogdoches Texas and am very excited to get back to that same float. Was back on vacation about a year ago and floated it and hit the same log jam....we dragged our canoe over it and walked on the logs...tricky though.

Anyway, I tend to fish pretty slow so that is actually a pretty long float for me. I can cut it in half by taking out at Racoon Road. The road dead ends at the creek and there are a few houses down there but I have floated it for years and even talked to one of the people that live down there. They said they didn't mind us parking there at all as long as we don't leave a bunch of trash. I put in at Ritchie bridge and take out there. A little bit of a steep bank but not too difficult of a take out with a canoe (may be difficult with a jon boat) and avoids the big log jam on the second half of the float. Great stretch of river...got to love those fat shoal creek smallies and goggle eyes.

[Whack'emGood]

CDC,

Welcome back! Thanks for the info. Yeah, love that float-- but it is a long one-- we fish slow too. Would definitely be a better length to cut it in half that way. We still haven't been yet this year-- been fishing night bass tourneys at TR and doing well, so it's hard to pull ourselves away from the Rock right now. We're gonna try it soon though and we may do the shorter float thing-- it sounds good. I will post a report when we do it.

Thanks again!

Whack'em

[CDC]

Just thought I would let you know that I did the shorter float about a week or two ago and it was a pretty tricky take out. The ice storm has put some brush in the way and the creek is a tad bit deeper there then it used to be. We had to pull the canoe over a downed tree (while standing on it) and under another one. It still wasn't as bad as the log jam from last year but I hear that the river is pretty much cleared out now and it might be a very tricky take out with a jon boat.

[Whack'emGood]

Thanks for the info. CDC. It is much appreciated. I think we will try the whole (long) float in a week or two in that case-- I have a really good trolling motor that we can zip through most of it with. I will report how we do.

Whack'em