Fall Overnighter

[Dustin.Sellers]

Looking to try out my first overnight smallmouth trip the last weekend of this month.  Any suggestions on where to go?  Looking to get started around 4 or 5 Friday night and finish Sunday afternoon.  If there is an outfitter involved to shuttle me that would be preferred.  Thanks!

[Al Agnew]

As always, plenty of choices.  I would NOT do one of the smaller streams, like Huzzah or Courtois or upper Jacks Fork.  Nor would I do one of the big rivers like the lower Current, where you're likely to have gig boats going by you at night.  Think something in between...maybe the Big Piney, the Gasconade upstream from Gasconade Hills (they may still be open and able to shuttle), Niangua above Bennett Spring, Current between Round Spring and Two Rivers.  If you're depending upon getting a shuttle, you'll have to call around, because many of the liveries close down by October.  

One other thing to keep in mind...by late October, you'll be fishing a lot slower than you do during the summer, the river will probably be low, and the days are a heck of a lot shorter.  Plan on no more than about five miles per day.  And have something to do between supper and bedtime, because it's a long time between dark and daylight.

 

[Bushbeater]

Any certain part of the area? At any rate some of my most memorable SM trips have been late Oct. and early Nov. If you can deal with the gig boats most of the Meramec always is decent. If you're down south 11 Point is a great float. Good Luck

[Harps]

Putting in at 4 or 5 won't give you much time to get downstream to find a good bar to camp on before dark. Might try getting on the water a little earlier.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Sunset is around 6 PM that time of year.

[Pat Magee]

I floated from Riddle Bridge to Boiling Spring in one day last October but it would have been a much better two day overnight-er. It is scenic and pretty peaceful in the fall, we didn't see one boat last year when we went. Fishing was decent but we had to blow through a lot of water just to finish before it was pitch black.  If you need some more details on a shuttle, feel free to PM me.

[timinmo]

Many worth while suggestions.  We have done maybe 15 or 20 fall floats, mainly in October.  The fishing has been rather hit or miss but it is a great time to be out.  We just finished three days on the Gasconade, Schlicht Spring to Riddle bridge.  The river was low but the fishing was pretty good.  Obviously your preparation for a fall float is different from a summer float.  I have always went by the motto that if I could sleep warm and dry at night I could make it thru the days. In that vein good dry bags, good sleeping bags, and a decent tent went a long way.  The nights are long and the days are short but you can figure that out.

Go, enjoy yourself, but be prepared.  Twenty degree nights on the river are cold.   

[Ham]

1 hour ago, timinmo said:

Go, enjoy yourself, but be prepared.  Twenty degree nights on the river are cold.   

Truer words are seldom spoken. I was too cold to sleep on one of those low 20's nights. Absolutely, miserable. 

[Gavin]

20 is no big deal at night if you have the gear. Still warm enough for a light 40 degree bag now. Below freezing expected I'll break out the -20, and make sure I have fresh dry clothes and a hat on before bed. Biggest Thermarest you can find always.

[Ham]

Well, wrong tent, wrong bag, and inaccurate forecast = me shivering uncontrollably = minimal sleep.