Tan Vat, 4/17 - 4/19

[creek wader]

WOW! SOONERS? Man, those are fighting words!

You're looking at 3 Oklahoma State University graduates in the above pictures! Go Pokes!!

It was a great time and great fishing.

Is the water around Baptist access look as good and fish as good as the waters above and below Tan Vat?? We never even made it down to Baptist this weekend....maybe another trip sometime!

Oops! my bad. Please accept my humble apologies. We hold nothing against the Cow Polks, even though, you got us last year, also. I'm glad you had a good trip, up here. The part of the Current that you fished, produces some nice Browns in the fall. You may keep that in mind. .. Wader

[Nortrad]

WOW! SOONERS? Man, those are fighting words!

You're looking at 3 Oklahoma State University graduates in the above pictures! Go Pokes!!

It was a great time and great fishing.

Is the water around Baptist access look as good and fish as good as the waters above and below Tan Vat?? We never even made it down to Baptist this weekend....maybe another trip sometime!

I've only fished upstream from Baptist. There's a nice set of runs along some small rock 'walls' for dries and some nymphs. There's also a nice deeper riffle on the opposite side upstream from there--get down deep with an indicator, they're there.

Nortrad

[Randall]

I've fished down from Baptist a few times with pretty good results. There's a stretch a few hundred yards down where the bottom gets real soft and the water is not so clear, but once you get past that, its just like the water farther up. There is no shortage of fish down there either. I didn't nymph last time I was there, just threw streamers but its all good water for nymphs and dries. There is also a section where the river is pretty skinny compared with whats upstream, but really deep and fast... I just avoid that but there are undercut banks and plenty of cover for some big boys to hold in. Baptist has changed a ton since last year, the boat ramp washed out and there used to be a brush pile where I saw a couple locals keep two really nice browns. The riffle that flows into the hole there has quite a few fish and the deep pool at the tail is a great place to strip a streamer. I never catch anything over 10" in the riffle just below baptist, but I've been told thats not the norm.

[XP 590]

Thanks for the report and pics guys. I made my first two trips to the Current last month and it's my new favorite river also. Please don't spread the word about it!

[ozark trout fisher]

Thanks for the report and pics guys. I made my first two trips to the Current last month and it's my new favorite river also. Please don't spread the word about it!

I don't think you need to worry about that. I bet that every trout fisherman in Missouri worth his salt knows the Current River well already. Its a great river, and can offer a challenge, but it always produces at least a couple trout for me every time I go. Of the streams in Missouri I've fished, it is by far the most productive. Last time I was there, I saw, (but unfortunately couldn't catch), a rainbow trout at least 7 pounds. At first I thought it must be some kind of a sukcer, but when I saw the pink stripe I was shocked. I spent at least two hours fishing for him before I finally gave up. Threw everything in the box, both spinning lures and flies.

Glad you had a great trip, and even more glad you're not sooner fans :lol: :lol: :lol:

[OKFlyFisher44]

Glad to see I'm surrounded by anti-sooner folk! Always a good feeling!

We really enjoyed fishing the Current...I had an absolute blast! I loved the fact that its a smaller river thats easily wade-able and fishable everywhere, well at least around the Tan Vat access. I think we were lucky enough with the weather that we seen VERY FEW other anglers. I think we seen 4 guys on friday afternoon and 1 other guy on saturday. Had the whole river to ourselves...so it gave you that "remote" feeling as you hiked your way up or down stream.

I'm anxious to get back very soon and try to catch the caddis hatch again. Catching that many brown trout on dries was freakin' awesome. I will have to go check out the area around Baptist. We hiked pretty far down from Tan Vat sunday....I bet we were pretty close to the access. There was still lots of good looking quality water that far down...

[ozark trout fisher]

Glad to see I'm surrounded by anti-sooner folk! Always a good feeling!

We really enjoyed fishing the Current...I had an absolute blast! I loved the fact that its a smaller river thats easily wade-able and fishable everywhere, well at least around the Tan Vat access. I think we were lucky enough with the weather that we seen VERY FEW other anglers. I think we seen 4 guys on friday afternoon and 1 other guy on saturday. Had the whole river to ourselves...so it gave you that "remote" feeling as you hiked your way up or down stream.

I'm anxious to get back very soon and try to catch the caddis hatch again. Catching that many brown trout on dries was freakin' awesome. I will have to go check out the area around Baptist. We hiked pretty far down from Tan Vat sunday....I bet we were pretty close to the access. There was still lots of good looking quality water that far down...

Its amazing how much different it is outside of the park than in. I guarantee you would have had a slightly different experience if you had been in Montauk! I think after my last experience there I'm pretty much going to confine my fishing efforts to below the park where the fisherman are fewer and the ones around tend to be friendlier.

By the way, there is some interesting water at the parker hollow access if you're looking for something different. There aren't quite as many trout, but there also aren't nearly the number of anglers. I caught mostly browns the time I went down there.

[brownieman]

Current has always been my favorite stream...the perfect wading river.

From the park to Cedar Grove there are only 3 or 4 places you can't stay in the water. The strech below Baptist has alot of very skinny water but holds nice fish.

I remember one time years ago we went down and fished the Norfork in my old jon...didn't have a very good trip fish wise. When we got back we decided to run down and hit the Current. Went above Tan Vat and I caught a 25 and a 23" brown...we just thought to ourselves why in the heck did we go to Ark. when we had such good water so close...just a change in scenery I guess and I couldn't run my jon on the upper Current.

My old 22 ft. river jon was a great boat...was I sadly say. A few years ago I completely restored the old boat from the ground up, used it twice and a couple of meth heads running from the law crashed into her and well...she's gone. Haven't been able to get my father to fish since then...just took something out of him. We used the old boat for around 30 years.

The pic is of the old jon...bent darn near in half.

[ozark trout fisher]

Current has always been my favorite stream...the perfect wading river.

From the park to Cedar Grove there are only 3 or 4 places you can't stay in the water. The strech below Baptist has alot of very skinny water but holds nice fish.

I remember one time years ago we went down and fished the Norfork in my old jon...didn't have a very good trip fish wise. When we got back we decided to run down and hit the Current. Went above Tan Vat and I caught a 25 and a 23" brown...we just thought to ourselves why in the heck did we go to Ark. when we had such good water so close...just a change in scenery I guess and I couldn't run my jon on the upper Current.

My old 22 ft. river jon was a great boat...was I sadly say. A few years ago I completely restored the old boat from the ground up, used it twice and a couple of meth heads running from the law crashed into her and well...she's gone. Haven't been able to get my father to fish since then...just took something out of him. We used the old boat for around 30 years.

The pic is of the old jon...bent darn near in half.

I agree with you. I'll take the Current River before the White or the Norfork any day of the week. I like the fact that, like you say, its pretty much all wadable. It and the Little Piney are my two favorite midwest trout streams. I haven't caught any 25" there though, I think my biggest is 18". That was a bow I caught just below Montauk, probably just a brood stock.

By the way, I know how you feel about your boat. A few years ago, someone stole our canoe, somehow ruined it, I guess just for fun and then put it back.................... I wish I had figured out who had done it.

[Guest]

Some pictures for you guys!

Here are a few more pics from our trip.