TR: 11 Point River
 

Forty,
Saw what you wrote about this water. Looks like things have
drastically changed since you were there last year.
Went down to the 11-Point around Alton, MO with Wayne "Gear Whore"
Knight. Summary to follow, longer TR later.
"Drifted" the river in a 22 foot long, 5 foot wide fiberglass
johnboat with a 20 HP jet. Guide took us hole hoppin'.
The second hole, the guide recommended fishing at the base of the
riffle. I saw a spot about 15X15 foot with current over the top of
vegetation. Decided to fish there against the recommendations of the
guide. Started casting and pulled out 12 fish in under 20 minutes.
About 50/50 between stockies and natually reproducing rainbows. The
stockies have all wintered over and are fat as footballs and fought
like hell. All the fish were in Fall colors. Absolutely beautiful.
There is no didymo on this water (the White is totally infested).
The locals don't want the word to get out about how great it is. Its
the "Unknown Comic" of Missouri Blue Ribbon streams (which means 1
fish over 18 allowed a day).
We had high sun and temps in the high 80's. Should have put the
fish down, but this wasn't the case. Guide reported back to the
outfitter that we had an average day. Hmm, 40-45 fish apiece.
Quality fish with a lot of jump in them and not leader shy. Would
like to see what a great day was like. Got to look down into 10 feet
of water and watch fish schooling up around the rocks. Gorgeous.
Frank "Didn't go swimmin', no, not once, no matter what
Wayne says" Reid

TR: 11 Point River
 

Frank Reid wrote:
Forty,
Saw what you wrote about this water. Looks like things have
drastically changed since you were there last year.

I fished it at a very bad time. It was so bad the guide called
me at home minutes after I had already left to tell me not to
bother to make the drive. When I got there he left it up to me
to cancel with no penalty or go fishing with the water *way* too
high. I caught fish anyway but you talk about seeing fish in 10ft
of water and we couldn't see 10 inches it was so muddy.

Lookin' forward to reading the unabridged TR. Did you catch any
on dry flies ?

--
Ken Fortenberry

TR: 11 Point River
 

Lookin' forward to reading the unabridged TR. Did you catch any
on dry flies ?

No, not on the 11 point, but didn't have my hex flies with me. Later,
we did fish the falls at Mammouth Springs in Arkansas with the hex
getting knocked down by the falls. Those were nasty looking stockies
that looked like they'd been in some wierd Chemical Ali experiment. I
used a yellow stimulator there.
Watching the water on the 11 point and this squadron of brown bombers
heads upstream at low level. HEX! We had a hatch of hexagenia
atrocaudata and when my brown crawfish pattern hit the water, the fish
were nailing it at the surface. Of course, I only have little
mayflies and nymphs in my vest. I did get some on a hopper pattern.
Don't know if that's properly a dry fly (it was a foam hopper).
By the way, found out that underwater logs in Missouri have a tendency
to role. Damn the bad luck.
This was one of the clearest streams I've ever been on. All limestone
springs feeding it and its running through a limestone canyon with
caves dotting the cliffs. The amazing thing was is that we saw only
one other guy fishing during the whole float.
I was going to write a story about the place for one of the
magazines. The business owners wanted it, but the locals didn't. The
locals want to keep the place secret.
Frank Reid

TR: 11 Point River
 

I fished it at a very bad time. It was so bad the guide called
me at home minutes after I had already left to tell me not to
bother to make the drive. When I got there he left it up to me
to cancel with no penalty or go fishing with the water *way* too
high. I caught fish anyway but you talk about seeing fish in 10ft
of water and we couldn't see 10 inches it was so muddy.

By the way, I WILL be back so if you would like to float it next year,
give me a hollar.
Frank Reid

TR: 11 Point River
 

On Sep 24, 12:59 pm, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:


Lookin' forward to reading the unabridged TR. Did you catch any
on dry flies ?


Late Thursday afternoon we had the hexes Frank mentions. As with many
of the MO tailwaters most fo the fish stayed down during it but I
managed to raise a couple on a larger Robert's Yellow Drake, include a
short strike by a very large "tail". I fished on up stream a ways and
then went back and cast the Drake, there was a hit and an ensuing
tussle which resulted in the 3X parting from the rest of the leader. :
(

TR: 11 Point River
 

Frank Reid wrote:

By the way, I WILL be back so if you would like to float it next year,
give me a hollar.

Sure, I'd be up for fishing it when it wasn't blown out.
Keep me in the loop next year when you're planning dates.

--
Ken Fortenberry

TR: 11 Point River
 

By the way, I WILL be back so if you would like to float it next year,
give me a hollar.

Sure, I'd be up for fishing it when it wasn't blown out.
Keep me in the loop next year when you're planning dates.

--
Ken Fortenberry

I just want to watch you paddle a canoe with a 7-iron. :-)
By the way, most of the older stockies fought like brownies (i.e. not
a lot of jumping, as you mentioned in your previous report on the
river). This reminded me of something, there is a petition going
round down there to stock brownies in the river. At first blush, it
sounds like a bad idea. Then again, looking at the slow moving
"froggy water" in many parts of the river and the high levels of
crawfish, brownies would compliment the rainbows. It may be a good
thing.
Frank Reid

TR: 11 Point River
 

On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:19:01 -0500, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:

Frank Reid wrote:

By the way, I WILL be back so if you would like to float it next year,
give me a hollar.

Sure, I'd be up for fishing it when it wasn't blown out.
Keep me in the loop next year when you're planning dates.

Well, you fishing whore! It is a tailwater. You don't fish tail
waters, do you? All the grief I've taken for fishing the Rapid (which
isn't a tail water because the water discharge changes temps as the
season warms.) Gear whores are one thing, but just plain whoring....

Speaking of tail waters. Of tomorrow morning with a local friend to
fish the West Branch of the Penobscott from the dam down to Big Eddy.
Should be some big salmon involved. Back Thursday.

Dave

TR: 11 Point River
 

Dave LaCourse wrote:
On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:19:01 -0500, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:

Frank Reid wrote:
By the way, I WILL be back so if you would like to float it next year,
give me a hollar.
Sure, I'd be up for fishing it when it wasn't blown out.
Keep me in the loop next year when you're planning dates.

Well, you fishing whore! It is a tailwater.

No it's not. Hell, I didn't even know it was stocked. I had read
that Missouri didn't stock their nine Blue Ribbon Trout waters
which apparently was true at one time but has since changed. The
guide told me that the section I fished last year, Greer Springs
to Turner's Mill had been stocked for the last three years.

You don't fish tail
waters, do you? ...

No, that was my stunt double fishing the San Juan. ;-)

I'll get out to the Rapid one of these days but do you realize
how much good fishing I'd have to drive by to get all the way
out to Maine ?

Speaking of tail waters. Of tomorrow morning with a local friend to
fish the West Branch of the Penobscott from the dam down to Big Eddy.
Should be some big salmon involved. Back Thursday.

Good luck and tight lines. I'm planning to get out myself if
the old hippy working on my old Volvo ever gets it out of the
shop.

--
Ken Fortenberry

TR: 11 Point River
 

On Sep 24, 4:53 pm, Dave LaCourse wrote:
On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:19:01 -0500, Ken Fortenberry

wrote:
Frank Reid wrote:

By the way, I WILL be back so if you would like to float it next year,
give me a hollar.

Sure, I'd be up for fishing it when it wasn't blown out.
Keep me in the loop next year when you're planning dates.

Well, you fishing whore! It is a tailwater. You don't fish tail
waters, do you? All the grief I've taken for fishing the Rapid (which
isn't a tail water because the water discharge changes temps as the
season warms.) Gear whores are one thing, but just plain whoring....

Speaking of tail waters. Of tomorrow morning with a local friend to
fish the West Branch of the Penobscott from the dam down to Big Eddy.
Should be some big salmon involved. Back Thursday.

Dave

Not a tailwater. Most of the water flows in from Greer Spring, the
second largest in the state (10th largest in the world).
Frank Reid