Lead Mine

[Mofloatjunkie]

Going camping at lead mine tomorrow nite. Taking the flat bottom and doing a short float from the boat ramp to my campsite. Anybody caught anything it that area? Any suggestions on what lures to use? Would love to catch some smallmouth.

[MOPanfisher]

last time I went there were two lures that were the "go to". Majority of fish on a 3" brown curly tail Spring grub with a 1/16 oz. large hook head. Swim it slowly or hop it along likely spots. The other was a Rapala 2 3/4" or something close original minnow, I like the Hot Steel color but don't know if color really mattered or not. Down stream from the old mill site is a big long hole with lots of boulders that hold some good smallies and gogglers. Don't know how getting a flat bottom through there will work as we had kayaks and had to drag them a ways. You can always go upstream to the first set of stumps/riffles and catch gogglers and small smallies. That area that is easy access from the put in gets hit pretty hard.

[Mofloatjunkie]

Fishing was awesome. Caught a lot of smallies in the 12 to 15 inch range. Most of my fish were caught on dark colored curly tailed grubs. Thanks for the advice mopanfisher. My buddy caught the biggest fish of the trip on a scatter rap that looked like a craw dad. There were some obstacles that were pretty tricky to get through in the flat bottom, but we managed. Released all fish unharmed.

[MOPanfisher]

SWEET!! Sounds like a great trip. Might have been a little hot in the campground there, seems like the wind has been dying in evening, and skeeters and horseflies coming out.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Interesting. So you just floated the conservation access?

[fishinwrench]

I think it's safe to say that every piece of wood that makes it past the concrete ramp finds a place to anchor just below Jakes. That short stretch is Strainer central.

How'bout those lilly pads though?

[Mofloatjunkie]

Wayne, to answer your question yes. We put in at the boat ramp and floated to the campsites at the end of mill pond trail. Not a long float by any means and has a lot of hazardous obstacles, but produces good fishing every time for me. We get out of the boat a lot and wade fish as well.

[Goggle-Eyed]

We used to always go to the lower access on our Overnight "Prosperine to Lead Mine Float" but after a couple of trips involving a portage to get through that area we normally just stop at the ramp on the over nighters. If we are just day floating and don't have any gear we will still go through to the lower access but it sounds like it is going to be bad again the rest of this year...

Mofloat, would a small jet jon have made it through? I know there was at least one tree down below the ramp that would require me to "ease over it" but didn't go all the way down past Jakes... Just curious.

Thanks,

Joe

[fishinwrench]

The way that the river divides onto 2, and sometimes 3, smaller channels between the ramp and Milldam run, it's always gonna be choked up with wood.

Someday it might choke up to the point that the river cuts a whole new channel through there. I can't imagine being able to run it in a jet unless the water was 700cfs or more, just because of all the wood.

[Goggle-Eyed]

I ran it for a couple of years with no problems as long as it was over 250-275CFS but someone had cut out alot of the wood. It was actually easier in the jet than the paddle jon because of how the shoot was. It was too deep to "walk" through and too swift to paddle the jon through... right now it is choked about a 3/4 mile above the upper access and I don't think you could "safely" get a jet back down, up is manageable but down probably not good...