Opinion on Courtois Float

[goosetalk]

Longtime lurker, first time poster

I will be taking my son and nephew on a kayak fishing trip on the Courtois the last week of May and just curious on what might be the best float. My son and I floated from Bass down to Ozark Outdoors last year and had a great float. Since it was a long float, his first time in a kayak, and the occasional thunder shower, we did not fish hard at each spot but we did have plenty of action and I got some nice ones on the fluke bite. I was thinking of taking a shorter float (6 mile) so we could take our time and fish hard for bass, goggle eye, and sunfish. I will focus more on bass while they will throw lures to entice all. In your opinion would Bass to Scotia or Blunts back to Bass be the better float. I did float back to Bass 2 years ago, but it was after high water and the flow was still too strong when we went so it wasn't much of a fishing experience for us. I am not against starting at Berryman either but have never been up that far.

We look forward to fishing the area at least once each year but have focused on the Meramec and Huzzah in the past. We will also be fishing around a month earlier than normal.

Thanks

[Al Agnew]

Either float is good. Bass to Scotia can be very good in the first three or four miles, but when you get close to the access that's about 1.5 miles above Scotia the fishing seems to decline from there on.

Whenever I do the float above Bass I always put in up at Hwy. 8, and seems like I usually have to paddle through the last couple of miles above Bass because I'm running out of time. That float beats me to death. It's the only float I've done in the last few years that has resulted in me getting wet by accident. I've lost rods, liked to never got my canoe out from under a log, and tore a muscle in my arm on it. It has a few tricky spots in the upper part, obviously, when the water is up a bit. Beautiful habitat, though.

[goosetalk]

Thanks Al. We took a raft 2 years ago staring 6 miles above Bass after the high water receded enough to float but still flowing pretty strong. Even in the raft there were times that I was pretty nervous. Two bends above Bass we actually walked the raft across a rock bar because the run just look to dangerous to go through. I only caught one bass on that trip and it was 2lb+ Spot holding on the edge of the current next to some backwater. We usually take a longer float on the other streams and the last few miles is always more paddling than fishing. I think we will have them put us in up near Hwy 8 / Berryman, especially since we will be in Kayaks. That will give us plenty of fishing opportunites and the boys will have more river time for the day. Hopefully we don't get a big rain that weekend.