How Far Are You Willing To Drive To Fish?

[Greasy B]

For as long as I have been fishing Ozark streams the drive to the river has been part of the price to pay both in time and gas money. Over the years some general rules have evolved as far as how much distance/time and gas money I’m willing to spend. I try to spend at least twice as much time on the water as time in the truck. From my home base in Charley Town a two hour drive will allow me to do a single day trip most anywhere in the Meramec basin, four hours total time on the road equals 8 hours on the river. If I’m going to reach out to the Big Piney or Gasconade I need a day and a half on the water. That usual involves overnight camping on a gravel bar. Typically trips to Jacks fork, Eleven Point or North Fork of the White require two nights and two and a half day on the water. For big trips out west one week will allow me to reach northern New Mexico, most of Colorado and southeast Wyoming, Two week will get me to the Yellowstone area and most of Montana.

This weekend I’m violating my rule and packing for a balls to the walls single night trip to Eleven Point River. It will be about nine hour’s total drive time for about twelve hours on the water.

I’m wonder how other folks look at the drive time vs. time on the water equation?

Thanks for any comments,

[Feathers and Fins]

Never had a rule for it. Ive been known on a Friday night to load up the truck and drive to somplace I read about or wanted to try. Hunting Ive drove from NWA to Texas Gulf Coast to Nodak. for fishing I,ve Drove to Louisina to get in on a wide open redfish bite with a friend only to turn around the next afternoon and head home. Spur of the moment trips are some of the best.

[Flysmallie]

8 hours for a day and a half, 18 hours for 4 days on the water. Getting there is half the fun.

[Mitch f]

For as long as I have been fishing Ozark streams the drive to the river has been part of the price to pay both in time and gas money. Over the years some general rules have evolved as far as how much distance/time and gas money I’m willing to spend. I try to spend at least twice as much time on the water as time in the truck. From my home base in Charley Town a two hour drive will allow me to do a single day trip most anywhere in the Meramec basin, four hours total time on the road equals 8 hours on the river. If I’m going to reach out to the Big Piney or Gasconade I need a day and a half on the water. That usual involves overnight camping on a gravel bar. Typically trips to Jacks fork, Eleven Point or North Fork of the White require two nights and two and a half day on the water. For big trips out west one week will allow me to reach northern New Mexico, most of Colorado and southeast Wyoming, Two week will get me to the Yellowstone area and most of Montana.

This weekend I’m violating my rule and packing for a balls to the walls single night trip to Eleven Point River. It will be about nine hour’s total drive time for about twelve hours on the water.

I’m wonder how other folks look at the drive time vs. time on the water equation?

Thanks for any comments,

I wouldn't worry about anything but the fishing. If I want to drive 4 hours to fish for 4 hours I would do it if I thought the fishing was great.

[timsfly]

Back when I was single, it was no big deal to load up and drive to the san juan and fish a couple of days and then turn around and come back home.

and turn right back around and drive back to colorado for a few days and then head back to the house, getting there is kinda fun, the more the merrier, they were all good trips.

[gotmuddy]

the wife and I drove to the texas coast to go redfishing two years ago. Fishing for the day I will drive 1.5 hours, that puts me at the narrows if I drive slow or CC if I dont. The southfork is 10 miles away though.

[Greasy B]

On the drive out, time flies whether two hours or twenty hours, the sense of adventure and the anticipation is enough. On the drive back exhaustion, boredom and back pain take their toll.

[bronzeback miner]

I usually use what I call the ratio method...

Ratio Method: hour/day i.e. if I drive 3 hours to get someplace for me in Springfield that would be like Eleven Point or Current, I would like to have at least a 3 day weekend to make it feel like it was worth my while, If 2 hours that falls in range of Big Piney or Gasconade I'd like to have two days, if it is someplace an hour or less I like to hit it in a long day.

Of course this is never hard and fast and always subject to change

[exiledguide]

Started driving to Cedar Lake above Vermillion Bay Ontario in '82 took 24 hours mostly two lane roads last trip in '99 mostly 4 lanes at least to Duluth about 20 hours. Each year the trip seemed longer as I got older and better roads = more boats on the lake! I guess if I could go back to two lane roads and less boats, I would still be going or at least want to go. When I owned a piece of land on the Big Piney River I would drive 3 hours each way to fish for 4 hours on Saturday evenings until I sold it in the mid '90s I was still able to fish and maintain my camp site until I got sick recovered retired and left the state. If you got a place you really love to fish do it whenever you can because in 20 or 30 years it will have been ruined all for money. My only regret is that I didn't start going up north 20 years earlier.

[fishinwrench]

Since I am basically poor and drive a truck with 200k miles on it I am not comfortable taking a trip more than a couple hours from home unless I have a spare 6-800 bucks just in case I break down, hit a stupid deer, or have some other mishap. A blown tranny 5 hours from home would take two months worth of mortgage payments to rectify.

I used to have a more carefree attitude and would take off to parts unknown with nothing but my gear and a handful of change, but these days the allure of greener grass doesn't outweigh the consequences if all doesnt go as planned.

I live in an area that has pretty good fishing for every species I like to fish for within a 60 mile radius and I log alot of fishing hours in a years time. It may not be "world class", but it is good enough for me. I dont jones for playing the tourist on far away waters anymore , they belong, for the most part, to those who live closer to them. So rather than wanting to fish new water I try to come up with ways to fish the old water BETTER.

Boring by comparison to those that fish the globe, I'm sure, but on the upside ....I am NOT a Didymo spreader