St. Francis Last Weekend.

[Gavin]

Spent Thursday-Sunday camping down at Sam Baker kiddo camping with 3 other couples. Big Creek was dry in spots and the St. was really low. Set up Thursday and went swimming...Scouted access below 34 on Friday...and nothing looked like a good spot for the gals & kids to swim while the dad's floated on Saturday AM...Mike, Marc, and me opted for the park to 34 float on Saturday morning...Fishing...was poor by any standard...but I did catch a new personal best gar on a 1/16oz jig while fishing for shadow bass...Havent seen the pics yet...but I was at least 3' long..It peeled alot of drag, and a made a nice jump before I got it boatside. Surprized my 10lb flouro leader held.

[fishinSWMO]

Congrats on landing a new p b gar!

I haven't got one to the boat in a few years.

[jdmidwest]

I started out the door Sunday morning to float the 34 to Greenville portion, but was met by rain clouds here. So I backed out.

I guess the rains did not add any water to that river?

[Gavin]

Thank SWMO!..rare occurance for me too! Lets go fishing on the James sometime soon...I've never floated there.

Rains didnt add much to nothing on the St. JD.......Rained Thursday, Friday, & Sunday before noon...no rise that we could detect...Not bad from the park down to the rock pile..some draggin in the last half..funny watching the renters from SAB negotiate some of that. Think they dropped 6-12 boats a day.....not busy.

[jdmidwest]

That new channel below the rock pile has some tight bends. For years, the river flowed straight east for about another 1/4 mile into a big bluff hole and turned south. Then a flood opened up that old channel and cut off the other one. It shortens the float a bit too. I always thought that channel was a creek running into the river and not part of the old riverbed.

There have always been some good fish in that hole around that rockpile.

[Gavin]

Kinda peaved that we didnt land a drum....there were some big ones cruising...and I made 4-5 good presentations to them...didnt act spooked..if they were redfish,they woulda ate easy but I blanked..... Dont have that species dialed in.

[jdmidwest]

I have caught tons of drum on bait, mainly worms. I have caught then on a white twintail jig also, but not with any consisitancy.

They should go after a san juan worm or a fly of that nature. Some of the new power bait worms should be good too.

[Stoneroller]

worms or white. those seem to be the keys to the drum i've caught or seen caught.

[fishinSWMO]

Sure thing Gavin. Hopefully we get some rain soon.

[Gavin]

Gar...photo by Marc Poston