Castor River

[Guest]

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[FishinCricket]

Since I had a three day weekend, I decided to go fishing. I thought that my usual haunts would be full of people I decided to try the castor river. I had a group with me that doesn't fish so I decided to go to the castor river shut ins, they could hike and sunbathe and I could fish. It is a beautiful place. Fished the fourth of july and I was the only one fishing the whole park! Caught lots of fish. Smallies, LM bass, longear sunfish, rock bass, bluegill, green sunfish. Nothing of real size, but I caught 2 LM bass that were about 17 inches. Fished the pools in the shut ins as well as the river below. Long casts were the ticket. The water is extremely clear! Next time I fish the area I will hit some access points farther south, and I will try the Whitewater river to the east as well.

Andy

Sorry if I sound stupid, but is this Johnson's Shut-ins?

Also, Are you a teacher or student at SIU? Many people don't know what Saluki is, but I do.. Very interesting story behind saluki's... Do you like them, or is it just your name because the Saluki is your school's mascot?

[Al Agnew]

I'll take the liberty of answering for siu...Amidon is not Johnson Shut-ins, which is on the East Fork of Black River, it's a shut-in on the upper Castor River. Similar geology but different-colored rocks. The traditional name for Amidon is Pink Rocks Shut-in, and it's an apt name...the rocks are a bright salmon pink and positively glow in bright sun. It's a beautiful area but the stream is small and cannot stand much fishing pressure. The upper Castor rivals the upper Black River in normal water clarity, and is probably one of the two clearest streams in the Ozarks.

[jdmidwest]

Great report, Castor has always been my Home Waters. We own a farm about 10 miles south of 34 on the Castor and have been fishing it all my life. The creek that runs thru our main farm is a tributary of the Castor. It remains clear and fishable until you get down below 34 then it enters farmlands and slows up. Holes become muddier and so do the banks and bottom. I have fished it all the way down to where it becomes the Diversion Channel at the Block Hole access, which is a good spot for some Jack Salmon at times.

Whitewater is a good stream also, it ends up in the Diversion Channel below the Castor and forms a big ditch that runs to the Mississippi River south of Cape Girardeau. Not quite as clear and fishable as the Castor but can be good at times.

[Guest]

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[jdmidwest]

Almost all accesses are from gravel roads at low water bridges. MDC has an access at Plantation Access, this is where it really starts to slow down and deep holes form. You can float from here to Millersville, it was pretty rough last fall, lots of trees in the river that you had to pull over or thru. Everything else is wadable, the further up the river the smaller the holes. Most of the river above Plantation is to low to kayak or canoe after May unless we have flooding like we did today. No camping like there is on the Castor. Almost all of the Whitewater is surrounded by private land and few gravel bars for camping.

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[Guest Brian B.]

Finally got out and about in my new area here Saturday, checked out a few spots, Amidon being one of them, what an under rated gem... Not so much for fishing, but just sheer beauty and taking in creation, one of the most beautiful places I have seen in all of Missouri. A must see, ow to find some spots down creek that may actually hold some water without breaking my neck walking what looks like a lunar landscape.

Checked out a spot or two on the Little St.Francis, ehh.... Have to do some more searching down creek. ( I'll have to find my Missouri Gazetter, I seem to remember all the accesses identified in there...)

Cool place here though, so much different than Illinois, although I dearly miss the strip mines.

[jdmidwest]

There are mine pits in your area, you just have to look for them. Many have good fishing.

Have they cleaned up the graffitti on the Pink Rocks at Amidon? I read a report a few weeks back that some defaced them.

There used to be a few rocks there that made good loungers on a hot summers day, too bad nature did not add a cupholder. I would rather go there than Johnson Shut Ins. Saw my only Prairie Collared Lizard on those rocks, about 25 years ago.

[Al Agnew]

I would dearly love to be about 6' 6" and 250 pounds and actually catch somebody putting graffiti on the rocks in places like that. I'm afraid they'd be eating a spray can, paint and all. Not much makes me madder than some pinhead idiot ruining something like that for everybody else. It's happened a couple of times on the high rock outcropping at Pickle Spring Natural Area, I've seen it on bluffs at water level on several rivers...ggrrrr!!