Where On The Bourbeuse?

[Whiskey Joe]

My sister is in from Madrid, Spain and wants to go floating with a few of her friends (6 people, 2 - 17' canoes). We're in St. Louis.

I typically go to a friends place near Anglers by Beaufort, MO. Or I go up between Cuba and Owensville.

I would like to try something different.

Looking somewhere between MDC's Tea Access and Noser Mill for about a 5 mile float. Would like to have 5 miles between accesses for the bike ride, but could bring another car.

Is there any access on Juedeman Rd or CR-533 south Tea Access? Shawnee Ford? H-Bridge? CC Bridge?

A few years ago I took my Dad from Mill Rock to Wenkel (7.2 miles) and we snuck off on the CC Bridge after only 4 miles. Wasn't a very scenic trip. Dad did tie into a nice largemouth that broke him off though which fulfilled my Father's Day present.

Looks really nice downstream from Tea, but can't find an access.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Whiskey Joe

PS I've floated Mint Springs to Tea and Noser Mill to Reikers many, many times. Would like to look in between.

PSS I strictly abide by the river rules: Only leave your footprints, clean up after others, and eat the spots!

[hank franklin]

You might try Tea to Shawnee Ford Road bridge. There's an "informal" access at Shawnee Ford Bridge which I've used before. This time of year it will be quite weedy however so be prepared for some bushwhacking. It should be doable though. It's also a fairly easy run or bike ride by county roads to get back to Tea. I ran it once and didn't have any problem.

There's also an informal access off the Hog Trough Road slab. I've used this before also and didn't have a problem. Parking here is a little more tricky however. This also is pretty easy to run or bike back.

I've walked in at H bridge recently and really wouldn't recommend it. Pretty rough bushwhack.

My personal rule of thumb is you need the High Gate USGS gage at 3.0 feet or better to float the upper Bourbeuse. I really prefer 3.5 and 50 cfs.

Of all the upper sections Tea to Shawnee is probably my favorite stretch.

I haven't been between Mint Springs and Hog Trough. Any pointers there?

Thanks

[Whiskey Joe]

You might try Tea to Shawnee Ford Road bridge. There's an "informal" access at Shawnee Ford Bridge which I've used before. This time of year it will be quite weedy however so be prepared for some bushwhacking. It should be doable though. It's also a fairly easy run or bike ride by county roads to get back to Tea. I ran it once and didn't have any problem.

There's also an informal access off the Hog Trough Road slab. I've used this before also and didn't have a problem. Parking here is a little more tricky however. This also is pretty easy to run or bike back.

I've walked in at H bridge recently and really wouldn't recommend it. Pretty rough bushwhack.

My personal rule of thumb is you need the High Gate USGS gage at 3.0 feet or better to float the upper Bourbeuse. I really prefer 3.5 and 50 cfs.

Of all the upper sections Tea to Shawnee is probably my favorite stretch.

I haven't been between Mint Springs and Hog Trough. Any pointers there?

Thanks

Thanks for the information! I'll try those later this summer. I tore up one of my canoes, so we've decided to go to Devil's Back.

Back at ya:

About 3 miles downstream from Mint Springs is a low water bridge on Koenig Road. That's a nice family float.

About 7 miles downstream from Koenig is a rough access that used to be an old suspension bridge. That's my favorite stretch, but it's a long day and rough access, so I haven't done it in a few years.

There's a guy on the forum that fishes near the Meramec. I hope to get with him this summer too, but I like the little stuff better.

In my opinion, the best stretches of a river is when the skinny stuff (dragging) is just long enough to balance the holes (ying/yang). Too much deep or draggin all day are the same in my book.

Whiskey

[creek wader]

Sounds like my kind of river. Love the "skinny water". I just use my yak to get across water that is too deep to wade. Let us know how you do.

[Whiskey Joe]

It's a hot hot Sunday, so I figured I'd finalize about my float last Saturday (7/19/08):

Took the Devilsback float. I didn't realize how floating with non-fishermen would hurt my fishing. They got on and paddled fast through the good stuff and slow through the long slow areas (gar water). I only caught a few and really small (just bigger then my lure).

Swam with a cool leech, though. My kid likes leeches and this was a winner at about 4" long and an inch across. Real pretty dark green with specs.

Last part of the float is a lake! I didn't realize how much Noser Mill dammed the river. I intend to try crappie fishing there in April.

Busy until Sept, so I'll chime in after the next one. I'm looking at a day from Laubinger to Peters or maybe an overnighter from Wenkel to Peter.

Whiskey

PS My sister had a drug problem, so I went beerless. Big mistake - headache all day! Also, I'm thinking about adding a trolling motor to my canoe. Would have come in handy on that trip.