Best Time To Float

[lukem]

I was wondering what time of the year is generally considered the best time to float for small mouth. Last year I did a 3 day float with a group of guys in early June and we caught a TON of fish. I'm not sure that same time frame will work out for us again and I'm wondering if we had a "fluke" weekend or if that is generally a great time of year. Is there a general rule on this river or is all circumstantial? We floated from 17 to Alley Spring last year. This year we would like to float from Prongs if the water is high enough.

[eric1978]

June is a great month for JF if you can float weekdays and avoid the crowds. The liveries will stop servicing above Alley Spring when the water gets to normal (low) summer flows. You can still float from 17, but be prepared for a ton of work and you'll need your own canoes because the rentals don't want theirs scraped to hell and their customers to complain about all the dragging they just did. The Prongs to 17 will be as much dragging as floating by July on a normal year. So yeah, June is perfect if you don't mind being on the river with a bunch of drunk idiots.

Be aware of flash floods on that river and release the smallmouth!

[lukem]

^{We didn't have any trouble getting a livery to rent to us and it was the second weekend in June. We just told them we were fishing but Buck Hollow was the furthest up they would go. I would like to go again at the same time but I just don't think it will be able to happen due to scheduling conflicts. Is the fishing better or worse earlier in the spring, say the end of Apr?}

^{We released all fish we caught!}

[eric1978]

No, they'll service the whole river until at least July, and as long as there's enough rain they'll go all summer. Keep an eye on the gages, and if it gets really low, be sure to call the rental before you go.

The fishing will be more consistent during the summer months...but that doesn't mean you can't catch 'em any time of year. Good luck.

[lukem]

So what you are saying is that even up through July, we can get a rental to take us to Buck Hollow? If that is the case, maybe we would be better off waiting a few weeks and doing it towards the end of June, begining of July.

Thanks for the advice.

[eric1978]

I'm saying watch the gages and call first, because they will stop putting in up there if it gets too low. And a weekend in July will be a circus from 17 down.

[Al Agnew]

Eric is right...once the river gets below about 100 cfs at Alley Spring (the gauge is above the spring) the canoe rentals get reluctant to put in canoes up at Buck Hollow. And they definitely don't like to put anybody in up at the Prongs, because it's more work and travel for them. If the river is up enough for them to put canoes in, the river gets crowded on weekends. You're most likely to have enough water up until the middle of June. You're more likely to catch a bunch of fish on weekdays, or if you can get somebody to put you in when the river is too low for the rental crowd. But normally June is about as consistent as anytime on the Jacks Fork.