Lower, Lower, Lower Gasconade Q's

[skillet283]

Hi all,

Some buddies and I have been going to Oktoberfest in Hermann for years and have decided the drunken debauchery in town is starting to get a little old. We still want to get together with everybody but we want to find something else to do on a Saturday in October. We thought maybe a little float fishing would be a nice change of pace.

We have a canoe and knew the Gasconade River was close enough for us to get to from our basecamp near Swiss. What we lack is any idea of how good a float the lower river might be or how good the fishing might be. I have done a little looking around online today and found some resources for descriptions of "what's where" on the river, including some access points. I needed some first-hand knowledge and somebody to give our possible plan the smell test.

It seems like that lower end of the river (thinking from Paydown on down the river) has a reputation as a slow float. What would a reasonable day trip be for two guys in a canoe who want to fish a bit? We're thinking no more than 4-5 miles. With that in mind, I saw that there is supposed to be a "county road access" about 4 miles down river from Paydown on the right. BUT the Paydown access is on the left side of the river, which makes shuttling ourselves and also getting there take much longer. Any access points on river right in that area? There are also public access points much closer to where we're staying near Swiss, but are they too far apart and/or is the river worth floating in that area? Any tips on private access points in that stretch of river?

Basically, we are looking for a leisurely float of, we think, 4-5 miles, within a reasonable driving distance of our starting point in Swiss. We'll be there the first weekend of October this year. Your thoughts and comments are most welcome.

Thanks,

jb

[cwc87]

Put in at rollins ferry HWY 89 and float to Pointers creek access west side of river but convienent shuttle.

[skillet283]

Put in at rollins ferry HWY 89 and float to Pointers creek access west side of river but convienent shuttle.

Thanks for the info, this looks like what we wanted. Close enough of a drive, easy shuttle. Appreciate the help.

Can anybody help with how the fishing might be in that part of the river?

jb