Floated a new river last year

[fshndoug]

Thanks Mosmallies

[Gavin]

Cash Bar at Goff Moll BTW

 

[drew03cmc]

13 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

Spawn can start in early April, and can go on until early June.  Mostly depends upon water conditions...seems they will spawn as soon as they can, so if the water is warm enough in early April to get them going they will.  If it stays too cool, as it does sometimes in cold spring weather, they still feel the pressure to spawn, and if it hasn't warmed up enough by early May they'll go ahead and spawn anyway.  But they don't all spawn at the same time, and if there is a lot of high water making spawning difficult, seems like some keep trying up into June.  I've seen spawning activity by the first or second week of April, and seen them still spawning in June.

So I wouldn't call May "pre-spawn".  On the rivers I fish, pre-spawn is late March/early April.

That's a good point, but in April, I'm concerned with high water. March, might be a winner due to the activity picking up, crankbait weather...

2 hours ago, Gavin said:

Think you are right Al. There were some cabin rentals in Devil's Elbow called Piney Beach, have seen folks put in at Devil's Elbow before..Easy day float down to Boiling Springs Resort on the Gasconade. Popular area but it can produce some nice fish. They are not usually easy.

 

 

 

They weren't easy that day either with the apocalyptic rain, but they were right on cover for the most part. 

[Al Agnew]

Yeah, that stretch gets enough jet boat fishermen that, like nearly all the jetboatable stretches, the fish get a little sophisticated.  I've had a few good days and a few mediocre ones on it.  Haven't fished it all that much.  I like to wait until the Piney is low enough that most of the jet guys won't run up it.

[Hog Wally]

If I had to pick my favorite month to smallmouth fish our rivers in this area, it would be march   Prespawn fatties, stacked in very obvious locations.   

[Mitch f]

I’ll take Thanksgiving as my favorite time of the year for big fish

[Johnsfolly]

The one river that I fish the most gets good just after July 4th. Fish are done spawning and I enjoy the topwater bite at that time. Lots of ravenous smallies and largemouth. May not be as heavy as the prespawn, but plenty of fight. Also lots of other targets if the bass aren't biting (I can't recall when they weren't)☺.

[Harps]

On 1/11/2018 at 6:45 PM, Al Agnew said:

Harps, you're getting your Boiling Springs mixed up.  I think he's talking about the one on the Gasconade a couple miles below the mouth of the Piney, not the one a long way up the Piney.

Figured that had to be the case, I'd never heard of Piney Beach either......

I am un-experienced of Gasconade.