5 Days Greer To Riverton

[cullinby9]

Thursday morning we slipped the canoes in at Greer and made a right turn. Headed up stream we instantly began catching bows on a little jerkbait and a jig. Didn't go up very far just to the bridge. Fishing was lights out, knowing that I was around fish I started to cycle thru jigs and discovered solid dark colors grey,black and dark green. Started down the blue ribbon and we caught fish everywhere from the shoals to deep holes if we could keep our bait wet we caught fish with the grey jig doing most of the catching. We were able to move at a snails pace and when I'd catch an eddie the low flow made it possible to sit still and concentrate on the jig. When the day came to an end we had floated down below mary deckers and caught a gravel bar. The fish count was good I had 21 and my buddy Mack had 9 but he had an eighteen plus, my best was a 16.

Day two we decided to go back up and keep camp set. This proved to be tougher than we thought not the upriver part but fishing two out of a canoe we mostly waded and fly fished with limited success I had 4 and Mack had 1 on all on the fly rod. Day three we got started and at the first shoal got into them caught a few but they were not as spread out sitting at the head of the pools you could catch multiple fish in a hole then go a few bends fishing the turns without a bite. Then I figured out if I set up on the high bank side I could catch them off the eddie seem where I had been sitting the boat I was in a really sweet spot where three currents came toegether and caught quite a few without moving. The bite slowed but instead of leaving I made a sandwich as I sat there eating it a fish rushed minnows up in the eddie, I picked up my rod cast that jig over to the seem it didn't sink ten inches and thump fish on head shakes this is a good one to the surface it comes and breaches water like a tarpon this is the biggest bow I've ever hooked the fight continues hard runs no stopping her I turned her and back to the boat she came another jump I kept her down I can see her in the water she sees the boat burns drag out of sight and GONE she just decided to spit that jig out. I went to the bank shaking from adrenalin nothing I can do so I finish my sandwich. We made it down to the island a couple miles above Witten and camped again.

Day four we continued to catch trout and below Witten I started to bass fish I was fishing a 2.75" tube green pumkin the smallies were'nt in every hole but when I found them I caught several nothing to big about 2 pounds the best. Day five its time to go everythings wet and cold slide the canoe in and the first hole I pitched the tube towards some big rock thump largemouth a nice largemouth about 3 pounds there are fish everywhere a huge school of bass I sat in that pool and caught them for an hour 14 total most of them fifteen" or better never done this before it was a great way to finish off a great trip too many eagles to count nobody on the river but us epic time to do a long float. If your going to bass fish right now take alot of tubes and hooks the pickeral are biting I caught 7 in the last two days. I have pics and will post them once Mack sends them to me.

[tjulianc]

Nice. Sounds like my kind of trip. Taking you time to get down, leaving camp up for a day and maybe doing a little exploring along with wade fishing. Can't wait to get back to the 11 point and do that stretch again.

[Greasy B]

I enjoyed the big fish gets away story. Its nice to have the time to really work a river.

[Brian Sloss]

That first shoal after Mary Decker where it sounds like you camped, had spawning redds all over the head of the shoal a week ago as did the following shoal where Huricane creek enters. Did you try an egg pattern there with the fly rod? We fished downstream in the shoal from the redds with egg patterns a week ago and did real well. There were also a couple redds just upstream from the boulders and just downstream of the boulders at Mary Decker, though we did not do as well there as we did at the next two shoals. Sounds like a fun trip, glad you had fun.

[cullinby9]

Hurricane Creek enters on river left we were on the gravel bar on the right. I thought it would be a good spot but we didn't catch them there. Up at the first run after MD shoal I caught a couple and up from MD shoal at the head of the pool with the heavy rapids is were i caught the others on the fly rod. I didn't try anything other than small jigs my fly tackle is very limited I'm still using a friends old 8wght that he lended me to see if it sticks. Other than some bluegill and a few trout below Table rock dam those are the first fish in current I've caught its different for a guy who fishes a power bass style.

I normally don't tell the big one gets away story but it was the highlight of the trip for me, when I lose a big bass at the lake I try to forget about it immediately. A magical moment like that on this body of water is something I'll never forget and why I'll fish the 11point forever in person or in my dreams.

[Nortrad]

Wow! Great report, gotta get back to the 11 Pt.

[cullinby9]

a few pics from december the first two on the point the last was a couple weeks before on the current