Fishing the Blue ribbon area on the Eleven Point and the NFOW,

[Al Agnew]

9 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

See Al !      Y'all should have gotten out of the boat on those fast spots instead of blowing through them.  😊👍 

I honestly haven't been on it since 2017 but I've talked to several that have, and I have seen videos that were made since then.  I think there are still plenty of fish there, and the hiking/wading looks like it is a bit easier now.

On the NFoW if you are right on the verge of getting swept off your feet then odds are you are standing in a good spot to catch a fish.

Well, I actually do that when I'm fly fishing for trout, unlike the way I fish for smallmouth.  I agree with you completely about the good spots, and the only good way to fish them is to get in there with them.  I have a friend who used to guide on the North Fork out of a big johnboat, and from June through mid-September he spent most of his time in the water at the back of the boat, not in the boat, holding it in the current so his clients could fish those fast water areas without getting out of the boat and possibly drowning.  He's a good sized lad and strong, so he could hold that boat in the middle of a rapid, or hold it in water up to his neck in the perfect spot to really pound a good run.

[Mark]

I generally just use the canoe as a taxi when trout fishing. There's something about having a good stretch of wading water all to yourself that I find so relaxing, and take the time to fish a stretch hard to figure out where the fish are feeding, instead of floating thru and getting 3-4 casts. I could spend all day on a 5 mile stretch of water, and pull over every 1/4 mile at a spot. Plus sitting in a canoe all day is tough on these old bones.

[Terrierman]

5 minutes ago, Mark said:

I generally just use the canoe as a taxi when trout fishing. There's something about having a good stretch of wading water all to yourself that I find so relaxing, and take the time to fish a stretch hard to figure out where the fish are feeding, instead of floating thru and getting 3-4 casts. I could spend all day on a 5 mile stretch of water, and pull over every 1/4 mile at a spot. Plus sitting in a canoe all day is tough on these old bones.

A buddy and I used to do a five mile three day float trip on the upper Current.

[dgilchrist]

I'm hoping to float and fly fish the Eleven Point and North Fork of the White in my Stealthcraft Hooligan this spring if the water levels come down and before the recreational boater hatch begins in force. Like Mark - I love wade fishing a remote section of river. But after kayak fly fishing a couple of years, I got to try a Stealthcraft Hooligan raft and it's been an absolute game changer. We float Taney, Bull Shoals and the Norfork frequently and absolutely love these fishing rigs. Smithfly and Flycraft also make similar rafts. You can stand and cast floating or anchored in various waters. And throw a sweet little 2.5 hp motor on the back for lakes and slow sections of a river with a headwind. Ya'll should check them out. 

[fishinwrench]

12 minutes ago, dgilchrist said:

I'm hoping to float and fly fish the Eleven Point and North Fork of the White in the Stealthcraft Hooligan this spring if the water levels come down and before the recreational boaters hatch begins in force. Like Mark - I love wade fishing a remote section of river. But after kayak fly fishing a couple of years, I got to try a Stealthcraft Hooligan raft and it's been an absolute game changer. We float Taney, Bull Shoals and the Norfork frequently and absolutely love these fishing rigs. Smithfly and Flycraft also make similar rafts. You can stand and cast floating or anchored in various waters. And throw a sweet little 2.5 hp motor on the back for lakes and slow sections of a river with a headwind. Ya'll should check them out. 

Those do look pretty sweet, but doggoneit when I study them I keep seeing something that's priced about 2700.00 more than it should be.  Not that that is a shocker when looking at things that float.....but still. 😅

[snagged in outlet 3]

5 hours ago, dgilchrist said:

Ya'll should check them out. 

My buddy went nuts for a Clacka back about ten years ago and he quickly tried to sell it due to the rowing aspect.  Can't fish and row.  We had a college kid doing it for us for a couple trips but he got tired of rowing and not fishing too.   

[Al Agnew]

If you want a raft type craft and don't want to row, check out a Water Master.  One person raft that you sit on with your feet dangling in the water, so you control the boat with swim fins, but it has a set of oars for getting somewhere more quickly or running rapids.  You can stop in fairly shallow water just by standing up and wearing the thing like a doughnut around you, and fish there for as long as you want.  The only problem is wearing swim fins and trying to get out of the thing and wade or walk.  I tried some high dollar swim fins that fold up again.st your shins, but they pretty much suck.  Still trying to find a solution to that.  But the thing is really sweet on the Yellowstone (I keep my Water Master in Montana).

[dgilchrist]

18 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

My buddy went nuts for a Clacka back about ten years ago and he quickly tried to sell it due to the rowing aspect.  Can't fish and row.  We had a college kid doing it for us for a couple trips but he got tired of rowing and not fishing too.   

I fish my Hooligan solo a lot. It has a pretty sweet anchor system right in front of the rowers seat to either drop and anchor to cast as you work your way down a river. Or simply lower it just enough to drag for a very controlled drift while standing and casting.  Will plan to do the same on lower flows with power anchor system and break away straps on our river boat.  But at really high flows we'll take turns rowing and fishing with someone on the oars

[Brian Sloss]

For the 11 Point, if you decide to stay in Alton, I have lodging at www.elevenpointcottages.com and guide services at www.elevenpointflyfishing.com.  For canoe rentals or shuttles, I would use Eleven Point Canoe rental at 417 778 6497.  They also own Hufstedler's, but the Eleven Point Canoe  location in Alton is better for floating the blue ribbon area.  You can easily spend 2 or 3 days fishing different sections for trout.  The Blue ribbon is great, but ignoring the white ribbon stretches simply because of their designation is cheating yourself.  If I had just one day, I would choose the blue ribbon, but with multiple days, I am mixing it up.   On the North Fork of the White, Sunburst is where I would go.  There are 2 days worth of trout fishing floats there too.