Love the Elk

[Okieflyfisher53]

I grew up fishing the Elk River and it is still one of my favorite smallmouth streams. The last time i floated it was in October and we caught a lot of fish, mostly on top on poppers and foam hoppers. Our fly fishing club has an outing to the Elk every year, either in summer or fall.

Steve

[Bill Butts]

I grew up fishing the Elk River and it is still one of my favorite smallmouth streams. The last time i floated it was in October and we caught a lot of fish, mostly on top on poppers and foam hoppers. Our fly fishing club has an outing to the Elk every year, either in summer or fall.

Steve

Steve,

What's your experience with whites and hybrids in the lower Elk?

I've heard the Hybrids come late, even June, into the river.

Any details you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

BB

[Wayne SW/MO]

Okie, hows the fishing west of Buffalo creek? Is it worth the license?

Have you seen that the Elk is only 24 fps above the all time low?

[Okieflyfisher53]

I grew up fishing the Elk River and it is still one of my favorite smallmouth streams. The last time i floated it was in October and we caught a lot of fish, mostly on top on poppers and foam hoppers. Our fly fishing club has an outing to the Elk every year, either in summer or fall.

Steve

Bill,

I have never fished the lower Elk for white bass. When I lived up by Grand I fished the Spring River and Horse Creek during the white bass run, and before the polluted mine water ruined it, Tar Creek.

Steve

Okie, hows the fishing west of Buffalo creek? Is it worth the license?

Have you seen that the Elk is only 24 fps above the all time low?

Wayne,

My experince with Elk River has been smallmouth fishing from Pineville to Hiway 43 bridge. I prefer the stretch above 43 bridge and below Noel because there is a lot less canoe traffic. The stretch from Pineville to Noel is good fishing, but gets crowded in the summer. My only experience with the Elk on the Oklahoma side has been crappie fishing in the Elk River arm of Grand Lake, and that was mostly from a private dock.

Steve

[Ozarkfisherman]

It has been a while since we floated Elk below Noel, but my experience was that a lot of whites were in the river all summer. Don't know if there were hybrids available back then, but am sure there would still be a good run in the spring and scattered whites thereafter. Ditto on the less traffic--it is much less than the Pineville to Noel area--and the fishing is good-usually a mixed bag. We used to catch a big variety of fish by using Rooster Tails or Mepps Spinners, including Channel Catfish.

Gary