May 15Th

[smbass43]

With the forecast for this week, I think we'll be doing more drinking than fishing; if we get on the river at all. When checking the river levels what CFMs and feet would make the river too high and fast to float?

[Gavin]

NPS usually closes it to floating if you have water at the top of the Cedargrove Bridge or 4' at Akers..

This should answer most of your questions about what you can and cant do in the park. Cheers

http://www.nps.gov/ozar/parkmgmt/upload/Supt-Compedium09.pdf

[jmarco21]

Well, it's his right. You'd think most anglers would rather catch them than eat them, though. Some fish are just too cool and scarce to be filleted. From what I hear the bigguns don't taste as good anyway.

I've never ate brown trout before, like you I always release them. I don't even really bother measuring them with much accuracy, just don't want to even handle them that much. Take a look, marvel, release them and reflect. My dad recently kept a nice lookin' one for the taxidermist, although I'm not really into that either, neither is the mrs.

[smbass43]

Well the weather was about 60-degrees and rainy, but we had a blast. The river in this stretch is beautiful and great to float. The water was a little stained from the recent rains, but still pretty. Fishing was actually great. Caught a bunch of smallmouth and rainbow trout. Biggest were around the 16 to 17" range. The highlight of the trip was seeing 2 Bald Eagles take off from a branch 10 feet above our heads, incredible. We took so long fishing above Welch Springs that we had to paddle through good fishing holes from Welsh to Akers. We will definitely be back for this trip, but not during the summer. I'd imagine that there are quite a few people that float this section of the river.

Thanks for all of the advice.

[ozark trout fisher]

Well the weather was about 60-degrees and rainy, but we had a blast. The river in this stretch is beautiful and great to float. The water was a little stained from the recent rains, but still pretty. Fishing was actually great. Caught a bunch of smallmouth and rainbow trout. Biggest were around the 16 to 17" range. The highlight of the trip was seeing 2 Bald Eagles take off from a branch 10 feet above our heads, incredible. We took so long fishing above Welch Springs that we had to paddle through good fishing holes from Welsh to Akers. We will definitely be back for this trip, but not during the summer. I'd imagine that there are quite a few people that float this section of the river.

Thanks for all of the advice.

Sounds like you hit it perfect. I was planning on floating that area Saturday and Sunday, but the river had other plans.

I'm really glad you got on there when you did and got some fish.