Saturday Float

[catman70]

Floated from Cable Hole down to 160 Bridge Saturday afternoon. Using 1/8 oz. Chartreuse Road Runners tipped with crappie minnows we caught one 4 lbs. walleye, lost one of equal size and had a monster straighten a hook on us. Caught a few bass on jerk baits, but no walleye. Didn't see any whites.

With regards to the previous topic; I think the law sees the Norfork impoundment as beginning at the convergence of the two rivers. My neighbor did very well under the 160 bridge Friday night on jerk baits - had one that must have been 8 lbs.

We did some bank fishing on Sunday at Dawt Mill and about 10 miles up the Bryant without a bite. Maybe it got too cold for them. Saw lots of row on the ground around Dawt Mill Bridge. Small and yellow, I don't know what type of fish they were from - lots of piles, though.

[Wayne SW/MO]

If you don't mind sharing, where is the Cable Hole?

[catman70]

Didn't mean not to share, I just don't know the proper name of the access. At the junction of 160 and J West of Tecumseh there is a gas station and small store. There is a road just to the West of the store that will lead you North to the access. It's marked all the way. If you need tackle check out the tackle store just West of 160 and PP on the North side of 160. A fella named Vernon owns it and he'll take care of you – you may have to call him and wait though.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Thanks catman. Would that be Cook? Do you know of anyone providing shuttles for Bryant?

[bryantsmallie28]

yeah that is Florence C. Cook access.

[catman70]

Not to the Cook (Thanks, Bryantsmallie28). Riverside will shuttle you to the next access upstream – about 10 miles. I don't know if the walleye have gotten up that far, but maybe. I don't see why you couldn't talk one of the folks at the gas station on the corner to shuttle you for a few bucks. If you can wait till next week I might meet you down there for a float.

[Brian Wise]

Millers is the gas station, honestly I doubt they would shuttle you though. Cooks is 5 minutes from my house and my in-laws live about 3/4 of a mile from the access.....it's nice. My family homesteaded the land at the turn right before you go down the hill to the river (the house with the log siding), unfortunately it was sold years ago.

There is also another access upstream at the end of a dirt road that most people don't know about (I'm sure Riverside would know though.) It's about time some outfitters are covering the Bryant, for a while NO ONE was. Twin Bridges is covering the upper part of the Bryant.

If you put in at Cooks paddle upstream to the first big, long hole and make sure to fish where the little creek comes into the river just below it. I have stood at the feeder creek and caught a walleye on the first cast, 4lb smallmouth the next cast, and a little white bass on the next. Small rebel craw crankbait.

Brian

[Gavin]

Justin @ Sunburst Ranch has offered to shuttle us on the Bryant before but I've never taken him up on it. I believe Riverside offers shuttles but I've never stayed there. Cheers.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I fished the spot at the creek mouth very hard last summer on a trip over, but caught nothing. I still don't know why, its one of the best looking holes I've seen on any of our rivers.

I would like to explore Bryant more, but paddling up doesn't take me as far as I would like. Some reasonable shuttles would be the ticket.

[catman70]

My brother caught a nice smallie out of that hole last summer using a 3" plastic crawdad. Here's an idea to solve your paddling woes: Old Town sells a bracket that fastens across the canoe behind the stern seat for roughly $30. You can buy a 30lbs. thrust troller for about $70, and have it cut down and the electrical wires lengthened and alligator clamps put on for about another $20. A good marine battery tops off the deal and for about $150-$170 total you have an electric powered canoe that can get you upstream to the holes, allows for easy boat control in the wind and can get you downstream in a hurry should you need to make a break for it.