First Timer

[Al Agnew]

Hate to contradict Eric, but at 50 cfs the upper river will involve a LOT of dragging and you'll at least scrape bottom at every riffle. And the farther up you go, the more rocky the riffles get, so the more often you'll bang on rocks and slip and slide when dragging the canoe. Anything under 50 cfs is a lot of work. In fact, I doubt if the canoe rentals will put their canoes in above Bay Creek at current levels...too hard on the bottoms of their canoes and too many complaints from customers about having to drag the canoes. It takes at least 75 cfs for the upper JF to be pleasantly floatable.

As for the horse poop, it is mainly below Eminence, and it isn't bad enough that the water LOOKS bad or anything. But it does cause elevated bacteria levels, and people with open sores probably shouldn't be swimming or wading in it at low summer water levels, nor would I want to do a lot of swimming and getting a lot of water in my mouth. I kinda like the lower river for fishing...the smallies apparently aren't bothered by the horse poop.

Chain pickerel are usually found in the slowest water you come to. Quiet backwaters are best but longer, slower pools also hold them. They'll hit about any bass lure that runs fairly shallow. Bottom bumping jigs and soft plastics aren't very effective for them, but swimming a grub in mid-water will catch them. Spinnerbaits are good, including medium size in-line spinners like Mepps and Rooster Tails as well as the traditional bass spinnerbaits. Minnow shaped lures like Rapalas are pretty deadly on them, and topwaters will also catch them. But a word of warning...their teeth are super sharp, and they WILL bite off lures. Expect to lose some lures to them. And don't try to lift them by their lower lips...there WILL be blood.

[eric1978]

Hate to contradict Eric, but at 50 cfs the upper river will involve a LOT of dragging and you'll at least scrape bottom at every riffle. And the farther up you go, the more rocky the riffles get, so the more often you'll bang on rocks and slip and slide when dragging the canoe. Anything under 50 cfs is a lot of work. In fact, I doubt if the canoe rentals will put their canoes in above Bay Creek at current levels...too hard on the bottoms of their canoes and too many complaints from customers about having to drag the canoes. It takes at least 75 cfs for the upper JF to be pleasantly floatable.

All true. It was a good amount of work. And you're also right that the liveries were not servicing that part of the river at those levels. Should have mentioned that.