Garrisons To Onondaga - Frozen? Canoe Trip 2/15-2/16

[Whiskey Joe]

A group of us plan on floating from Garrisons to Onondaga this weekend. We're concerned about ice.

I'm not too worried about thin ice in shallow areas because I can wade. I keep envisioning a long slow deep section and ice flips me over where it's over my head! BRRR!

Anyone driven by a long, slow stretch in that area? Ice?

[Mitch f]

I would be concerned too. I'd play it safe and plan for a different weekend.

[cwc87]

Your good to go the river will b perfect by this weekend.

[Hog Wally]

I hate it when I start having scary visions before a trip

[Al Agnew]

If cwc says it'll be okay, it'll be okay!

I've only done one float where I had a problem with ice. It was on Big River, a stream that isn't heavily spring-fed, and there were several pools with ice up to an inch thick. It was a LOT of hard work breaking through more than a hundred yards of ice to get through those pools.

Flew back into St. Louis yesterday evening, coming across MO just to the north of the Missouri River. Pretty interesting seeing the Missouri pretty thickly covered with ice floes. I noticed that the lower end of the Gasconade had an open channel until the final two miles or so before it entered the Missouri, solid ice for that last couple of miles.

[Whiskey Joe]

Thanks Al and CWC. We're going with less worry.

Winter trip: We mainly go on these trips just to get out. I love the wide view without the blanket of leaves. It's so quiet and wildlife seems less timid. I've had deer stomp at me from the bank, seen a bobcat get a muskrat, and a bald eagle steal a fish from a grey heron. The crisp, clear, sunny days in winter are awesome on the river. Of course we've had our rough weekends too. Once after a 50 degree 1st day, I think it only got up to 15 the next two days, now that was cold! Another year, a guy grabbed a Gatorade out of the cooler, took a drink, set it down and gathered firewood for a bit, came back and it was too frozen to drink.

Fishing: I mainly fish soft plastics, but plan to use hard baits (rapalas and such) twitching, slowly moving and stopped a lot. I don't figure any trout get this far downstream (40 river miles from Maramec Springs). I'll bring some marabou jigs too (white & olive). Probably won't fish much, mainly just breathe and simply exist for a while. It's good for the soul.

Fishing suggestions always welcome !

[SmallyWally]

Have a great time Whiskey Joe!!!!

[Mitch f]

Fishing suggestions always welcome !

Safety first! Always!!

Look for non moving water pockets, unfortunately they might be under the ice. I equate it to this: which is more comfortable for a man who is outside in the winter.....standing in the middle of a field in the winter with a 40 mpg wind blowing, or using a house as a wind break? Same for the fish, they're not (by very large percentage) going to be out in the heavy or even moderate current.

The best bite will be best from 11-2 during mid day. You might catch a few in the morning though. I assume the water will be very clear....if so, don't waste your time with crank baits or spinner baits.

I would only throw 2 lures; either a small plastic or hair jig, or a suspending smallish jerk bait worked very slowly. Like 5-10 seconds between twitches, not reeling in, but rod tip twitches, not moving the bait toward the boat more than 6 inches at a time. Be patient, the bigger fish will only be in certain spots, like every mile or two. Use lighter line and make sure you jigs have weed guards. Test the sharpness of the hooks often, check the last 5 feet of your line often. Pray for a sunny day, and use the sun to your advantage with the shadows. Make longer casts if the water is extremely clear. Most of the time melted snow run off doesn't make the water murky like a 50 degree rain would. Try to find any warmer water you can. My 2 cents!!

Wow, the bobcat taking the muskrat...pretty cool!

[Whiskey Joe]

Tip: Non-moving water, huh? I never thought of it that way, makes sense, thanks! Lure wise, we're thinking alike. I'm not real patient, but maybe I'll get lucky during lunch (twitch, take a bite, have a drink, twitch, repeat).

Bobcat/muskrat: It was cool! We came around a bend in the river hearing "cat-fight" noises. It was a ways ahead and we could just make out a ruckus in the brush up a steep bank. We pulled over the canoe and ran along the ridge until we were above the ruckus. We looked on the land side trying to see something, but nothing. We turned to leave and here comes a bobcat with a muskrat in his mouth walking up the hill straight toward us. In hindsight, we should have crouched down and watched for a while, but we were so excited we yelled "BOBCAT!" He scurried best he could paralleling the bank and slipped into some brush. I forget where exactly we were, but it was on the Meramec and I seem to remember our take out was near a nice MDC complex and we told the lady inside the visitor's center about our adventure. I don't get on the Meramec very often due to the yay-hoo rafters (nothing against them, I'm one on occasion) so I'm not familiar with the accesses.

[Gavin]

Id listen to Mitch about location...that there is gold.