My name is Jeff...and I have a problem. That Latest addiction didn't take long to rear it's ugly head this past week. With dry bags and wet gear still littering the garage floor from the weekends trip I made plans to do a one day float down another Ozarks smallie stream.
I left KC early and met my fishing partners Sean and Raz at the river about 7:30 Wednesday morning. By 8:00 we were loaded up and shoving off for a nice little 6 mile float down another one of the Ozarks finest.
It didn't take long to see what this river had to offer , on about the third cast I stuck a nice little smallmouth tucked in behind a bridge piling just below the access.
From there the fishing just got better for the remainder of the morning.
Great looking water , few people to contend with and a stream full of aggressive little smallies all made for a fantastic morning on the water.
We had the obligatory streamside lunch and a couple of adult beverages around midday but otherwise fished pretty hard from put-in to takeout.
Large streamers were the ticket again today and we were more than happy to oblige with some Double Deceivers and Sasquatch patterns.
We started out with the standard "two fish and swap" routine on the oars but soon realized that we were spending more time switching positions than fishing. We had to bump it up to somewhere around six fish per round and at times that was only twenty minutes in the bow. Needless to say we had a great time. Raz got to smooch a few fish and Sean and I caught smallmouth in all the right places on another wonderful Ozark day.
Great looking smallies.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kevin...We didn't catch anything that was over 16 inches on this last trip but I'm not complaining about the size. It's all good!
DeleteLove the pictures! Looks like a great outing! I'll be in southern Missouri this Thursday for a 4 day float down the Current. Next year I hope to venture out to a different stream/river down there.
ReplyDeleteThanks Justin...The Current is looking really good right now , nice water flow with the recent rains in the region. I know the trout fishing has been good up top (above Baptist) and I'd venture to guess that the fishing is hot down below as well. Good luck , look forward to the report.
DeleteThat's great to hear! We'll be floating Cedar Grove to Round Spring. I know last year they wouldn't let us put in at Baptist, because, of the low water. The fishing was still great last year. Looking forward to getting down there. Thanks for the little update!
DeleteLocation, Location, Location! I'm starting to wonder why we were not doing this all along. Smallies in the summer and trout in the Spring and Fall.
ReplyDeleteGood question? I've seen the light now though...
DeleteNice smallies! Great pics and post! Sounds like an amazing float with the added bonus of no one else on the water. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it...It was my first time on this particular river and I hope to be back before too long for a repeat!
ReplyDeleteNice, I think it's time for a road trip.
ReplyDeleteThanks Howard...I think a road trip every now and then is good for the soul.
DeleteAs always, I enjoy the post. Looks like awesome day. Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteLynn
Thanks Lynn...I'm excited to get back on this river , it was a lot of fun to fish.
DeleteExcellent!! Was the DD the top pattern? Excellent pics.
ReplyDeleteThanks man...Yep , the DD was the best producer by far.
DeleteThat addiction is a monster isn't it? Sounds like a new Twelve Step Program is in order.
DeleteStep One: We admitted we were powerless over our
backcasts and our wind knots had become
unmanageable.
Step Two: We came to believe that a 4lb Brown caught
an a #22 Parachute Adams could restore us
to sanity.
......etc
Dave
Where do I sign up for the next meeting??
Deletei don't fish, but i sure can appreciate the beauty of the fish, the waters and the area. and love a good lab! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's really what it's all about...the fishing is just icing on the cake. I often find myself sitting alongside a stream and just enjoying the solitude and taking in all of Mother Natures wonders.
DeleteWho doesn't love a good lab!!