smallmouth in Little Sac

[KCfisher]

I heard the Little Sac is a great river to flyfish for smallmouth. Does anyone have any tips/experience they are willing to share? Thanks.

[Bill Butts]

I heard the Little Sac is a great river to flyfish for smallmouth. Does anyone have any tips/experience they are willing to share? Thanks.

KC,

I spend lots of time on the Lil Sac (and Big Sac) in April and May (great White Bass run), but rarely any other time in the past several years.

Yes, both are very nice smallmouth rivers.

On the Lil Sac, the best way to access and fish the river is to put in at the Hwy 215 bridge west Morrisville and float down about 4-5 miles to Taylor Bridge (first bridge, besides an old railroad bridge, you will come to) to takeout. It is about a 15 minute trip by vehicle to shuttle.

A canoe or kayak is the best.

Very usual smallie flies. Some noisy poppers for surface work, crayfish and sculpin type patterns, woollybuggers in black, olive and rusty tan, a few stone fly nymphs and some whit red squirrel nymphs are probably all you need, but many patterns are effective in our Ozarks smallmouth streams.

Hopefully, some others will see your post and reply. The Sac/Lil Sac topic is new.

You won't see a lot of folks on the river in the summer and early, and if you fish during the week it is very quiet. If you're allergic to poison ivy be careful when you get out on the streambank areas.

Good luck and be sure to report your successes and pleasures astream this year.

BB

[KCfisher]

KC,

I spend lots of time on the Lil Sac (and Big Sac) in April and May (great White Bass run), but rarely any other time in the past several years.

Yes, both are very nice smallmouth rivers.

On the Lil Sac, the best way to access and fish the river is to put in at the Hwy 215 bridge west Morrisville and float down about 4-5 miles to Taylor Bridge (first bridge, besides an old railroad bridge, you will come to) to takeout. It is about a 15 minute trip by vehicle to shuttle.

A canoe or kayak is the best.

Very usual smallie flies. Some noisy poppers for surface work, crayfish and sculpin type patterns, woollybuggers in black, olive and rusty tan, a few stone fly nymphs and some whit red squirrel nymphs are probably all you need, but many patterns are effective in our Ozarks smallmouth streams.

Hopefully, some others will see your post and reply. The Sac/Lil Sac topic is new.

You won't see a lot of folks on the river in the summer and early, and if you fish during the week it is very quiet. If you're allergic to poison ivy be careful when you get out on the streambank areas.

Good luck and be sure to report your successes and pleasures astream this year.

BB

Thanks alot Butts. I will keep you posted if I get a chance to try it this year.

[Greg]

Can you tell me if the river is easily wadable? Or do you need a canoe to fish it?

thanks,

Greg

[Hayduke-2-O]

I suppose it depends on what is considered easily wadable. Most of the time I have spent on the little sac has been during the spring white bass runs... so, obviously the higher water makes for difficult wading (on ther lower stretches), although there are occasional sand bars and shallows. As other white bassers can probably attest, bank access will allow some fishing and a wader can find enough water for a good day... you just might have to walk the bank in between areas. However, the bridges (215 and Taylor) are good put-in and take-out areas for canoes. Another thing to consider if you are chasing smallies, the water is pretty turbid... which I think is the case all year, not just in the spring. Good luck.

[Bill Butts]

Can you tell me if the river is easily wadable? Or do you need a canoe to fish it?

thanks,

Greg

Greg,

A canoe or kayak is not absolutely necessary but the very best way to access and fish the river.

It is a small stream during the summer and fall months of normal rainfall, with a nice murky color but definitely not muddy.

You should know that if you are allergic to poison ivy, like I mentioned previously, I think some kind of watercraft would be essential. Even a pontoon craft would be very good.

There are also lots of stretches with very tall mud banks so you would need to be crossing back and forth and maybe walking some of the longer slower stretches.

Wading is very nice, mostly gravel, but the banks are dirt. No felt soles are needed. I wear the aqua-stealth soles during spring fishing but for smallmouth in the warmer months some good sandals or any decent wet-wading shoes are adequate.

You will love the fishing and solitude on this little beauty.

Good luck.

BB

[KCfisher]

I haven't done any white bass fishing since I was a kid and never wtih a fly rod. When do you go and what do you use? I would probably float it in a kickboat; would I expect to mostly fish from the boat or get out and wade "fishy" areas?

[Bill Butts]

I haven't done any white bass fishing since I was a kid and never wtih a fly rod. When do you go and what do you use? I would probably float it in a kickboat; would I expect to mostly fish from the boat or get out and wade "fishy" areas?

KC,

You will find that catching whites, stripers and hybrids is a real rush.

Before I provide some specific rivers for you to focus on for spring spawning runs or lakes to find them in summer and fall, should I assume you live somewhere in the KC area?

(You may say duh isn't that obvious, but I've seen obvious names like that but they grew in the the city and moved hundreds of miles away at some point.)

There are lots of great streams and lakes for all the Striper Family species so I'll try to provide info that is as close to your home area as possible.

If you would, go to the Striper Family category on this forum and enter a new topic question for this under "where do you fish.......". OK? (will be helpful to others too)

You'll find some suggested tackle guidelines for all 3 species in that category, too.

Keep in touch.

BB

[KCfisher]

Yeah, I live in KC and fish mostly on the Niangua. I have been wanting to try the Little Sac for a couple of years and have not gotten around to it. I will start the topic as you requested. Thanks for the help.

[Arkamo Traveler]

Bill, thanks for the good info. As for smallmouth on the Lil Sac, I'm not sure I would trade it for the Niangua. I have caught a few smallies there during whitebass season, but even then you are more likely to catch a walleye (which isn't easy). I floated/dragged from 215 to Taylor this summer, and out of for experienced spin fishers, only one "meanmouth" was boated. It might be worth checking it out for yourself, but don't set your hopes too high. Here is an article in the Springfield News Leader about the future of the river (from today) called "Keeping the Little Sac Safe."

www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060104/NEWS01/601040338