Trip Report 7/6-7/7 Round Springs To Two Rivers

[405z06]

I buddy and I floated from Round Spring to Two Rivers starting on Friday morning and taking out around Noon on Saturday. Neither of us had ever been on the Current and we were both very excited, and didn’t really know what to expect.

We arrived at Eminence Canoes, Cottages & Camp at 7:30 on Saturday morning. We loaded up on the short-bus (ha!) and waited for some of the others that were going on the same trip. Besides me and my friend, there were 6 other people on the bus. I looked for fishing equipment and there were two rods loaded that weren’t ours. It appeared to be low-end equipment and rigged for catfishing, which was good to see.

We got to Round Spring and got unloaded. The other 3 canoes, we found out, were all doing the 18 miles in a single day (!). It took a little longer for us to get loaded up, so we waited for the other people to get going and ahead of us a ways. We cracked a celebratory morning Busch Bavarian beer to celebrate our first trip on the Current (We had been up since 3, so it felt later, right?)

The first ½ mile or so of the river simply looked like smallmouth heaven and we started catching fish immediately on ¼ oz white spinnerbaits. I have never seen a stretch so long, that was filled with so much bassy goodness. Infinite rocks and boulders with good depth. This was truly a fishemans’s paradise. We were giddy.

We didn’t see much of anybody for quite a while aside from passing one other canoe we put in with. But we knew it was a Holiday weekend, and we knew it would get busy at some point. The fog wore off, the sun came out, and it warmed up quickly, and there was no shortage of good swimming areas to cool off. We were still catching fish, but not quite at the pace of the morning.

At some point around noon the Jets started roaring. Whoever makes the BlazerSS is doing very well selling them in this area. Due to my job, I don’t get to fish during the week, so I can’t be too picky about when I go, and that includes summer weekends, and Holiday weekend like this trip. I’ve been on the Meramec around Onondaga and St Claire when the Jets are out, but I have never seen anything like this. The funny thing was, we must have seen 40 jets and only 2 of them had trolling motors on them. These were all party boats.

As mentioned, we had never floated the Current, but looking at the map we knew that Big Creek came in on the left somewhere about ½ way, so that was our cue to look for a camping spot. We also wanted to make sure that our camping spot had good access to wade fishing, as we would fish as long as we could take it. We ended up on a bluff that we later found out was called Bee Bluff. There were other tents set-up close by, but every sandbar had campers on it and we were getting hungry and tired.

A little after setting up camp, the owners of the other tents landed ashore via jet. There were 3 boats and about 12 people total. We had kinda infringed on their area, honestly, but they were nice about it, and invited us over for a beer. They were all really young, from 16-23. They were locals that had set-up camp on Wednesday, and they were partying hard. We fished the area in front of the bluff off and on until about sunset when we decided to crash for the night. We probably caught about 15 smallies on this bluff, one measured at 16.5”, but nothing really to brag about. I had one come unbuttoned on a texas-rigged senko about sunset. It pulled like a freight train. If it was a bass, it def. would have been pitcure worthy. I never saw it, so it could have been a big drum for all I know.

Saturday morning we got up about 6:00 and made some coffee, packed up and hit the home stretch of the river. Again, there was definitely a morning bite that cooled off as the temperature warmed. We tried to find a spot or two where we could get out, kill some time and catch some fish, but that never really materialized and before we knew it we were at the confluence of the Jack’s Fork and it wasn’t even noon.

Overall, we caught a ton of fish, but that picture-worthy pig never bit. We each missed a few that may have qualified, but isn’t that how it always goes? The river was spectacular, the scenery and habitat were first-class. The weather could not have been better for early July. The jets were a pain in the butt, but I’m not gonna fight that battle Overall, I was very happy with this trip and look forward to maybe hitting it again when it isn’t so busy.

Here are a couple pics of our campsite and one of my buddy with a fish from there

[countryred]

Looks like you had a fun trip!!!! I never would have thought to throw a spinnerbait in that water,,..its something I will keep in mind.

[moodyfour]

To be honest I don't think it matters weekend or weekday anymore for the jet boats... No offense to those that have them, but I never float that stretch anymore due to the amout of boat traffic. Some of the best water in America though... Glad you had a good trip.

[justincarf]

Sounds like a great trip! I haven't floated past Round Spring in the past 2 years, because, I grown tired of those boaters. I have always loved the fishing on that stretch, so, maybe I'll have to just grit and bear with the boats next time. I never would have thought to throw a spinnerbait there, either. Glad it produced for you!

IMO - Carr's is the best place to rent a canoe. I believe they have the best prices, and are better with customer service than some of the rest of the outfitters down there.

[jdmidwest]

We did that float in a day, once. Longest day on the river in my life. Paddled from Big Creek down to camp at 2 Rivers just to get there by dark.

Nice stretch of the river. Lately we put in at Williams or get picked up there.

[semobowhunter]

So what stretch of the current do you fish to avoid the jets?

[go4ducks2]

Nice report 405.....makes me wanna get out there again this weekend(did Gasconade last weekend)....the water looks awesome.....glad you had a good time

and thanks for putting up a report.....when I can't fish I look for something to read and I depend on this website for my "fix".

[Mark]

A buddy and myself floated Round Springs to Jerktail about 2 weeks ago on a Wednesday - our first trip on the middle Current section. We were pleasantly surprised - only saw 3 jetboats all day, maybe 18-20 canoes with 8-10 of those in one youth group floatilla. We caught fish early on rooster tails and didn't switch - both of us relatively new to smallmouth fishing, rooster tail was catching fish, and didn't see a reason to switch. We caught fish on and off all day, nothing huge, but were amazed at the tons of huge fish we saw.

Since it was the first time to Eminence for both of us, we spent a good day and a half just exploring the area by truck - more of a reconnasance mission. We checked out all the accesses on the Current and Jacks Fork in the area with a little wade fishing at each. My gosh, what a beautiful area!!! Even from the truck, some of the scenic overlooks are spectactular. About a mile north of Eminence on HWY 19 is a scenic overlook with a pull off area on the road - this has to be the most beautiful scenic overlook I have seen in Missouri overlooking the river valley. For as far as the eye can see, nothing but steep wooded hills and deep valleys. My buddy Terry commented that most people wouldn't believe this sight was in Missouri. The drive on HWY 106 overlooking the Jacks Fork valley is just as spectactular. The whole area reminded me of upstate New York and New England. Enjoyed checking out Alley Springs Mill too. My personal favorite spot was the Salvation Army access on the uppper Jacks Fork. Huge gravel bar across from a massive bluff, and a deep pool of water under the bluff that must have went for a couple hundred yards. And only a young couple from KC and their young daughter were camping there.

I'm definitely working on my trout fishing buddies to take a break from the trout waters and try a trip to the Eminence area. I would love to float the Jacks Fork. I have always heard of the beauty of the river, and from I saw from driving the area and checking out the accesses, it is at the top of my list of must do's.

We may have hit the area at just the right time - middle of July and temps in the high 90s and the middle of the week, but we never saw an abundance of people on either river like we expected. Very pleasantly surprised with the whole trip.

[Al Agnew]

Weekdays are kinda the luck of the draw. On many weekdays you won't see any more people than Mark did, but if you happen to be there when two or three big groups have rented canoes and such from the same outfitter, you'll swear the river is way too crowded even during the week. But it's worth the gamble, because these really are the true gems of the Missouri Ozarks, and the fishing can be excellent as well.