Winter smallmouth bass fishing?
- This topic has 11 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated Dec 10, 2010 at 4:44 pm by
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I’m planning on hiking part of the Ozark trail along the Current River in Missouri this winter (early January). Curious if anyone can comment on the feasibility of catching smallmouth bass in the winter? Is it possible? Any techniques to share? Local beta would be great but I welcome any winter smallmouth comments, regardless of geography.
How big of river is Current River?
You may want to to talk to Randy Ratliff, on this board, about winter time smallmouth fishing.Brian, I fish the Ozarks often…that time of year…youll want to hit the spring holes for smallmouth because the water is warmer there…usually 56-58degrees……… a small crappie jig under a float is all you need….but they will hit buggers & streamers too.
That said….I’d probably go trout fishing instead….The upper end of the Current and Eleven Point have some very good trout fishing…and
Thanks guys!
Gavin, Is this the section you are talking about?
Google map link: http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=36.79373,-91.33108
Thats it…..The six miles of water from Greer Spring confluence to Turner Mill is the blue ribbon trout area…Flies & Artificials only, 1>18″ limit. The fish are mostly stocked rainbows, but there are some wild fish to be had. 13-16″ fish are pretty common, but 10lb rainbows are caught occassionally…Good smallmouth bass & chain pickeral fishing too…No fishing in Greer Spring Branch, but its well worth the hike in to take a look at the spring. Its one of the must see spots in the Ozarks.
You’ll have a real adventure down there, thats for sure…The Eleven Point is a big river by Ozark standerds, hard to wade, and impossible to cross on foot in many places and it flows through rugged country. Expect a difficult trail, and difficult access to the water. I usually float it & camp on the river…because its much easier to fish that way…
Canoe Rentals, guide services, & fly fishing supplies, are availble at Eleven Point Canoe Rental just up the road in Alton, MO if you want to go that route.
In contrast, the Blue Ribbon trout area on the Upper Current between Montauk State Park and Cedargrove is very wade fisher friendly…mostly a brown trout fishery with a few rainbows mixed in…plenty of 12-17″ fish, but they get allot bigger than that…its allot easier to get around down there due to all fisherman & horse trails.
Check out the Current River & Eleven point forums over at http://www.ozarkanglers.com Lots of knowledgable folks over there willing to help out. Cheers.
When you guys float-fish these streams, for smallmouths or trout, do you primarily use the pontoon-style floats, with your legs dangling in the wader in waders? Or do you prefer a canoe or kayak?
I’ve been considering a kayak to get into some skinny backwater areas around here where the bluegills and bass go to bed, but also for taking some float trips in the Ozarks and central Kentucky.
Those of you who use a canoe or kayak, do you take and anchor along to hold the boat on productive fishing holes where there isn’t a shoal or something to use for wading? I’ve heard of people using poles that they spike into the bottom.
Curt, I have a 17′ tandem canoe and a 14.5′ solo canoe that meet my needs…I usually camp on the river so I like canoes for the excess gear capacity..Hard to fish out of a solo canoe or kayak though…Toons rock for solo fishability….but you have to choose the right kind of water…Kayaks…nice…very stable…but heavier than a solo canoe…good beginners boats, but no real advantage once you learn how to paddle a solo canoe…
A couple shots..Top shot is the Current River January 2010. Bottom shots are from the Eleven Point…February 2005. Cheers.
To Gavin Poppen:
You said…
“Toons rock for solo fishability….but you have to choose the right kind of water”
What is the right kind of water? I’m leaning toward a canoe because I’ll be using it primarily for still water and occassionally for moving water. Maybe I’m backward on that decision. For what I’ll be doing, I will need to cast from the boat, not from a shallow shoal or the shoreline.
Toons are great on a relatively fast fast water…They move allot slower than a canoe or kayak, and the wind really plays heck with them on slow or still water…they are also kind of wide…not well suited to marginally floatable waters were you have to snake through narrow channels and logjams…..
I’d probably go with a canoe and some stabilizers for still water fishing, maybe a small trolling motor, and an anchor system…for moving water I’d take the stabilizers off…unless its a big wide river with nothing to hit…Cheers.
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