Wading Access?

[Don]

I am unfamiliar with Spring River and I plan to give it a shot this year. I seem to think that it is a totally different ecosystem than most White River basin tailwaters and I am up for the challenge. I would like to know if anyone can tell me just how wader friendly the river is and in what particular areas. I am interested in the area below Dam 3. I would also appreciate any advice on what type of flies are most successful.

Thanks, Don

[Brian Sloss]

Don't ignore above dam 3. The Lassiter access is a public access in a residential area of Mamouth and you can always catch fish there. Dam 3 itself is very wadeable and Bayou Access is good(closest to feeling like you are away from town anyway.

[John Berry]

I have been fishing the Spring River for twenty five years and I love it. Since it is a spring fed river and not a tailwater you do not have to worry about generation. What you have to worry about is the wading. There are several areas that have a bedrock bottom that is pretty slick. I always wear cleated wading boots and carry a wading staff. There are plenty of places that are deep enough to float your hat. My favorite place to fish is about a mile or so down stream from Dam 3 access. I generally walk the railroad tracks untill I get to the first island below the dam. I scramble the bank and fish the next couple of miles. The most effective way to fish it is with a sink tip and woolly buggers. To find out more about this area obtain a copy of the Home Waters Book published by the Mid South Fly Fishers. They have a listing of several other areas to fish and great maps. Good luck!

[Don]

Thanks guys, I'll take full consideration when I go. I will report back results on OAF.

Don

[SilverMallard]

I have been fishing the Spring annually since I was about 7 years old...with a few years missed here and there to fight wars and other irksome little dalliances.

Lassiter is good if you catch it when the bait fishermen aren't too thick. I like fishing there. It's pretty easy wading by Spring River standards.

Dam 3 has some good spots, but I tend to go down below at the end of the park. Wading is a bit tougher, but not bad. You just have to pick your way through all the boulders. No big deal if you don't get in a hurry and watch where you're going.

That's the big problem with the Spring to me: it's S-L-O-W wading. So you can't cover a lot of water very quickly. If I find a fair concentration of fish, I stick pretty close and approach that beat technically.

Overall, my best fly there is a #18 beadhead Zebra Midge...red or olive.

This is me fishing Lassiter right after 4th of July a few years ago.

[Don]

Thanks SilverMallard,

I'll keep Lassiter in mind when I go. Based on the summer aluminum hatch postings, I'm going to forego the weekend aspirations at Spring River as I initally planned this summer and wait for the fall or winter. I have chosen instead to hit the Little Red River when I go to AR on business in August.

Thanks, Don

[SilverMallard]

Well, you don't get canoe hatches at Lassiter. And if you are down below the ramp near dam 3 you aren't bothered by them until mid-morning. It's getting too hot by then anyway. I fish from dawn until the canoes start coming when I fish down there.

[Terry Beeson]

Hey, John... My sentiments exactly on the Spring... I hate dealing with generation charts and that's not a concern with the Spring at all...

I lived in Mammoth Spring a couple of years ago and fished the Spring almost daily for about 5 months. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the best advice is to fish Bayou Access around to Riverbend early in the morning, then switch to Lassiter after the first signs of the canoe hatch. Later, Dam 3 is a great place to end the day.

I've never fished the section that John Berry was talking about below Dam 3, but I can say that his secret is out because I've had a few other guys tell me the same thing. One day soon, I'm going to make that short trip down the BNSF track to that honey hole of yours.... LOL...

By the way... My avatar is at Riverbend in July of '04. Notice the falls behind me... Just below there is a shelf on the south side of the river... much ignored spot for some very nice SR trout, if you're patient.

[rebelman]

You must mean Riverside. Riverbend is a trailer park on the river near Hardy, just downstream from the low water bridge at Spring River Valley(Kamp Kierl). Riverside is a camp downstream from Bayou Access, with plentiful trout. Trout are rarely found in Hardy or Riverbend. I use white rooster tails any where on Spring River for trout or large and small mouth bass, not to mention the occasional walleye when my mojo is really working.

[Terry Beeson]

Yep... you're right... Riverside... My step-daughter works at Riverbend Restaurant in Mammoth. Guess I had that on my brain. RiverSIDE is the camp we were at.