My favorite river

I treat myself to several solo floats a year, and I treated myself to one this past week. After finishing up my thesis I was ready for some much deserved fishing time. I floated for 3.5 days putting in on a Saturday afternoon and taking out Tuesday morning. Floating solo gives me the opportunity to move at my own pace. The weekend was especially hot, and I spent quite a bit of the days snorkeling and messing around with my waterproof camera.



Most fish were caught in places like this--shade and large chunk rock with nearby moving water. If you didn't know how to fish a spinnerbait the right way, you wouldn't have caught a fish for the trip.



I didn't really expect to catch much the first day, as this is an especially popular river on weekends. I could barely park or put in due the amount of people swimming at the launch. It didn't seem to affect the fish at all! I actually caught a nice 17 inch smallmouth out a popular swimming hole with about 20 people swimming in it. The fish jumped like crazy and pulled my solo canoe around for several seconds. The people swimming were very impressed.


Fish on this trip were aggressive, but VERY spooky. That wasn't really a surprise because the water is almost air clear in dead low water conditions.



It is and incredibly beautiful river.










I don't know why, but I always take a picture of the first fish I catch.



The fish I caught out of the swimming hole.




Largest fish of the trip 17.5 inches.



Early the second morning I drifted by these two snakes.

Rivers

I love to fish rivers, every single one I have ever been on is different. They may be generally the same in some areas, but each one has it's own identity. The state of Missouri has such a wide range of rivers...I wish I had time to see them all. I have floated all over the state--from the sluggish turbid northeastern Mississippi river tributaries to the clear spring fed creeks of the Ozarks. I have yet to make it to the south west part of the state, but it is only a matter of time.

Upper Current river in late September.



St Francis river


Jacks fork river




Eleven point river in December


I especially love the small streams. Wade fishing these streams takes me back to my childhood, every bend in the river has something new to see and another fish to catch. I will walk for miles down some creeks. I am almost always alone on most of the little creeks that I fish.


A small Mississippi river tributary in Southern Missouri


Another from a watershed farther to the south