5/14 Report

[zthomas]

Cool weather and wind may have kept a few people off the river, but there were still plenty of canoes.

Caught my usual--a bunch of little smallies but nothing over about 12". Most were on a brown crazydad in 2 or 3 feet of fairly fast water over cobble and gravel. Got on the water about 2:30 and, for me, the bite slowed dramatically around 4 or 4:30. Spoke to several gear fishermen, though, who said the bite turned on for them just about that time. So I guess the fish must have moved out of the runs I was working with the fly and into the deeper pools where I couldn't get to them but the guys throwing jigs and plastics could.

A few observations that might be useful:

-At around 2.4' on the Ponca gauge, some of the rapids on that stretch get a little sporty. I saw a lot of people swimming--and not just tourists who were paddling a canoe for the second time in their lives. Especially in the last mile or two above Kyle's, there are a few you might want to scout if you've got a boat full of fishing gear.

-The float took me about 5 hours, but I did an awful lot of rowing on the second half. If you want to fish it thoroughly, give yourself 6 to 8 hours at similar flows.

-Definitely the prettiest part of the Buffalo I've seen so far, but if I fish it again, I'll take off a weekday to do it. Just too many canoes.

-There are, as Bobber or someone said, a LOT of fish up there. If I can catch as many as I did, on a fly, solo in the boat, on a chilly, windy day, with a constant parade of canoes going by, you know it's just lousy with bass.

[Wheatenheimer]

Nice report! Although it has been many, many years since I have been on that stretch, I agree......the prettiest part of the Buffalo (dare I say, any stream in the Ozarks!)

Thanks for sharing!