Current Trip Today

[stlfisher]

Made it down the Current today and found the area pretty deserted for a weekend. The weather was cold and the wind was blowing, but it really wasn't too bad as long as you avoided open areas. The fishing was pretty good for my fishing partner, but a little tougher for me. We started in the park and ended the day fishing the upper 2/3 of the river below the wire. The recent rains have changed some of the features in the upper stretch. The fish were tough to see with the water up, and I kinda think some may have been pushed downstream with the recent rain. Nothing of size to brag about, but still a good way to spend the day. Size 18 midges worked the best for me and a few on Eggs. I missed one nice fish toward evening due to cold fingers and a poorly tied knot....8 hours in the cold will do that to ya. The highlight of the day was the coloring on some of the rainbows...some of the brightest I have seen this year.

[Adamg]

My brother and I were down Saturday as well. Man was that breeze chilly, had about the same luck as you did drifting nymph's and wolly's. Caught about 7 or 8 apiece nothing real special though. After some time in the Current we made a side trip to the Little piney creek. We didn't last long there considering I took a header into the creek after about 10 minutes.BRRRRRRRR

[stlfisher]

Man, I bet that was cold! I saw an older gentleman take a header up in the park. He was less than thrilled and moving quickly for his cabin. I waded with a little extra caution for the rest of the day.

[Gavin]

Sounds like fun and thanks for the reports! A dunk in cold weather is always a bummer....always bring have some extra clothes, and something to start a fire..a bag of matchlight charcoal works great in a pinch (no need to gather wood). Cheers.

[ozark trout fisher]

Man, I bet that was cold! I saw an older gentleman take a header up in the park. He was less than thrilled and moving quickly for his cabin. I waded with a little extra caution for the rest of the day.

I had something similar to that happen to me on the Current last winter.

I was fishing just a couple hundred yards down from Baptist Camp, and I got a fly hung up in a deep bankside slot across the stream, and decided to wade over there to get it back as it was the last egg pattern in my box. Normally, I could have made it fine, but the water was up a little and, although I thought I was being careful, but just as I grabbed the fly off the bottom I felt the sick feeling unique to an fisherman filling his waders on a cold day. The air temp that day was in the 20s, and I was completely soaked all the way up to my chest. Not fun... Waded back to the truck, changed clothes, warmed up a little with the truck heater, and got back to fishing. Turned out to be a good thing I got the Glo-bug back, as I caught a couple nice browns on it afterwards.

[stlfisher]

I am lucky that I haven't taken a header in the cold weather and knock on wood have only fallen once, but it was a 10 on the scale of wipeouts. I was wading below Tan Vat and backed up a step or two. There was a rock about knee high that hit me right on the back of my leg causing me to buckle and rotate. Well I did a 180 and that was when the current caught me. I then proceeded to stumble in knee high water for about 15 feet before I ate it into shallower ankle deep water. It was 90 out so the water felt kinda good, but man it hurt like hell. Saved the fly rod and tackle which is always the most important thing.

I always feel kinda bad about laughing to myself when I see someone take header, provided it is nothing more than a bruised ego, but man it is kinda hard. I know my buddy had a good laugh at my expense. I got my revenge a few weeks later when he was "rescued" by a canoe full of teenage girls below Baptist.

I guess I am going to hijack my own thread, but anyone else have any memorable headers?

[Gavin]

Had a really nasty one down at Dead Beaver Camp Hole (2nd Bluff below Ashley Creek with the chimney rock) 8-10 years ago. It was a mid-April Saturday, cold rain and the river was up about 2-3ft. Paul Dallas's brother Phil & his friend Neil dumped their canoe at the top of the hole...both were wearing hip boots and and had a hard time getting to shore but they made it..

Paul & I set to gathering their gear while Phil & Neil gathered their wits, and some wood...I tried to cross the river at the top of the hole to grab a couple of dry bags floating across the way, when the gravel cratered under my feet and I went floating on down into that 20' deep hole...I was really glad to see Dallas's canoe coming to get me. 3 out of the 4 of us were wet, so we decided to camp on the gravel bar just below there...While setting camp, we noticed a big stink and tracked down the source...There was a giant dead beaver bloated & floating in the small eddy in front of camp. So we got a big stick and pushed it out into the Current....Funny thing was it floated back to camp not once...but twice. before we got rid of it....And thats the story of how Dead Beaver Camp Hole got its name.

Maybe someone will chime in with the story of Loch Ness;>)!

Cheers.

[Justin Spencer]

Had a friend break his ankle on Spring river got his foot caught between some rocks and was unable to move for 30 minutes or so until someone came along and freed him, kind of scary!

My best dunking came during winter here on our place at fantasy island. Waded below the island on the gravel point below it fishing to both sides and turned to go back upstream and found I couldn't move. Current was too strong to go back up as I had ventured above my waist. After a five minute stalemate I did the only thing I could do which was to jump in and float to the back downstream. Cold and ashamed I started to make the cold trip back to the house when I discovered I hadn't reeled in yet and to add a little salt to the wound I was hung on the bottom and had to break off my fly.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Had a really nasty one down at Dead Beaver Camp Hole (2nd Bluff below Ashley Creek with the chimney rock) 8-10 years ago. It was a mid-April Saturday, cold rain and the river was up about 2-3ft. Paul Dallas's brother Phil & his friend Neil dumped their canoe at the top of the hole...both were wearing hip boots and and had a hard time getting to shore but they made it..

Paul & I set to gathering their gear while Phil & Neil gathered their wits, and some wood...I tried to cross the river at the top of the hole to grab a couple of dry bags floating across the way, when the gravel cratered under my feet and I went floating on down into that 20' deep hole...I was really glad to see Dallas's canoe coming to get me. 3 out of the 4 of us were wet, so we decided to camp on the gravel bar just below there...While setting camp, we noticed a big stink and tracked down the source...There was a giant dead beaver bloated & floating in the small eddy in front of camp. So we got a big stick and pushed it out into the Current....Funny thing was it floated back to camp not once...but twice. before we got rid of it....And thats the story of how Dead Beaver Camp Hole got its name.

Maybe someone will chime in with the story of Loch Ness;>)!

Cheers.

Almost forgot about that one. I recall laughing the whole time, seeing the panic on everyone's faces, as they struggled to keep their heads above water, their gear going downstream, or sinking to the bottom of that hole. Good times!

Oh and the beaver rot smell was powerful. Thats the spot where we camped last year, isn't it? The trip of Ness's Nightmare, or the Three Tip Trip as some have called it. I won't open that one up. The wounds are still too fresh.

[Gavin]

Yep, across the creek from our camp last January & February...Persistant cold rain, rotten beaver stink, no tarp, & soggy wood. Ended up eating our dinner nose to nose off the top of a cooler with a golf umbrella over our heads..Good Times!