First time on the Current

[budman]

Planning a trip on the Current Oct. 6-9 and staying at two rivers campground. We are bringing kayaks and plan on floating/fishing at least two days. Any suggestions are welcome. Flies, lures or areas. The last few years we have floated the 11 Point on our fall trip but decided to try something new. 

[jdmidwest]

Usually a good time to be there, crowds are low and fish are turned on.  Do a float on Jacks Fork would be my suggestion, prettier river.

[Flysmallie]

3 hours ago, jdmidwest said:

Do a float on Jacks Fork would be my suggestion, prettier river.

Bingo. 
 

If you’re just planning on day floats you could float both. But if I had to choose one it would be Jacks. 

[Al Agnew]

Upper Jacks Fork won't have enough water.  Alley to Eminence will have enough water but fishing is poor.  Eminence to Two Rivers would be your best bet on the JF.  As for Current...either fish for trout from Tan Vat to Akers, with scattered smallmouth, or fish for smallmouth from Round Spring to Two Rivers.  Float Akers to Round Spring for the scenery, not the fishing.

[Gavin]

Al is spot on. You won’t catch more than a handful between Akers & Pulltite. 5 fish of any species would be a good day and arse hooked minnows count on that stretch. Great float though. The Jacks will be over by October, the fish seem to move out mid September. 

[WestCentralFisher]

The best fishing on the Akers to Pulltite stretch will be right around the put in and for a very short distance down for stocked rainbows. But they don't seem to venture very far in enough numbers to be particularly worth your time after that. 

I would echo the Eminence to Two Rivers suggestion. It's a pretty stretch of river that is full of smallmouth bass and goggle-eye. I've done well there when there were so many canoes you might assume they'd put the fishing off. They might get fished a lot, but I'm convinced the number of actual effective fishermen on those party stretches of river are a lot lower than you think. In any case, that won't be an issue in October. 

[budman]

Our plans have changed a little. We are driving up on Monday Oct 13 and camp someplace. Then plan to float and camp along the river Oct 14-16. Are there gravel bar to camp or is it better to go to a campground. Would like to keep it around 30 miles. Any suggestions?

[WestCentralFisher]

18 hours ago, budman said:

Our plans have changed a little. We are driving up on Monday Oct 13 and camp someplace. Then plan to float and camp along the river Oct 14-16. Are there gravel bar to camp or is it better to go to a campground. Would like to keep it around 30 miles. Any suggestions?

There are gravel bars all along the Current and Jacks. The answer to that question amounts to what kind of experience you want. A NPS/private campground will allow you relative ease and convenience but more people and noise. A gravel bar especially in October will give you all the solitude and quiet you could want, but you better have everything you need and if you tip the canoe and lose something life gets hard. 

I greatly prefer gravel bar camping, and usually do that if I'm with people who are at least somewhat experienced outdoorsmen, but it depends on the situation. I'm planning to go down to that area this weekend and we're staying in a campground with lots of amenities, but that's because we'll have people in our party that aren't very experienced paddlers, and I don't want to deal with the fallout if they flip a canoe and lose a water filter on day 1, or what have you. 

If you want a site at a NPS campground next weekend, reserve it now, and even then you're going to have to take what you can get. Since those are weekdays you ought to be able to find something 

[budman]

We are going to camp and put in at Cedar Grove on monday and then camp on the river and take out at Round Springs. Hope to take our time and fish as much as possible. We shouldn't have a problem because we have lots of trips float camping on the Buffalo and the 11 Point. Going to use Current River Canoe to shuttle our truck/trailer. We will get off the river at round springs and then camp at Echo Bluff State Park. Because they have showers and after three day on the river we will need one to drive home Friday morning. Looking forward to this trip and it will check off another great river.

[Ham]

On 9/30/2025 at 8:53 PM, budman said:

Our plans have changed a little. We are driving up on Monday Oct 13 and camp someplace. Then plan to float and camp along the river Oct 14-16. Are there gravel bar to camp or is it better to go to a campground. Would like to keep it around 30 miles. Any suggestions?

Gravel Bar for the win