Upper Black River Shore Access

[Justin92297]

Can anyone tell me of any access on the upper black river that would be good shore fishing? What parts of the Black are best to catch smallmouth? Thanks!

[Al Agnew]

If by "shore access", you mean places where you can do well just fishing from the bank, the characteristics of the upper Black just do not make it a good bank fishing river. Over much of the river, good habitat is interspersed with a lot of long riffles and shallow water, so the more mobile you are, the more good habitat you can fish. Any good pool that can be driven to is pretty much pounded by the locals, and this time of year, you have a couple more problems. Smaller streams like the forks of the Black just aren't all that good in the fall, as a lot of fish move out of them (some, probably all the way down to Clearwater Lake). And anyplace with a good pool that can be driven to is probably being gigged to death right now. To catch smallies out of the upper Black, you either need to float it or you need to wade it and be ready to do a lot of walking/wading.