Thread: River fishing 101

Thanks for the info on this Fall pattern guys! I doubt I will be travelling to any of your honey holes, but this sounds like something good to try on about any lake. WTG! Good post, even if it was a hijack.:D

So, are you fishing vertically with jigs, or some kind of rig? Are you dipping timber and cover that you can see, or slowly "trolling" jigs until you bump into hidden cover? Sounds very interesting... I know of some dynamite cover upriver from Council Grove that might need to be poked around in.

Well said esoxesox. The other thing you have to worry about the Rock is the road that goes down to the boat ramp. There are holes in the road that you have to zig zag around, and if you don't your trailer possibly could bottom out in these holes. And i know that the road to the Wak is no smooth ride either. You also have to worry about the mud flat by the boat ramp in Rock. If the water drops another 8" and you don't know where to go... you will get stuck on the flat. As for the depth of Rock... there are some places in there that are 10' deep... but the average is around 7'-8'.

esox and Nate, that was some excellent info. I am not much of a river fisher, but If I can get my boat back there i'll be givin it a try this year. Thanks.

Hey Chatt---Is there anyway to have a repost on this with the right title so people can find this info later if they need to?

esox and Nate provided some good info here.

thanks chatt

Can You Get To These Honey Holes From The Lake

Scotty you can put in at the boat ramp back in Rock Creek. It's easy to get to. Head south across the dam until you come to a stop sign. Take a right at the stop sign and keep going straight until you see a little sign on your right that says " Rock Creek Boat Ramp". Take a right at this sign
and drive down the bumpy piece of crap road. When you come to the bottom of the hill take a left and you will see the ramp. The big holes that are in the road with water in them is not the river:D There is a shallow mud flat by the boat ramp.. so when you put in at the ramp make sure that you stay to the left along the last set of trees in the water and head towards the bridge. The water is only about 2'-3' deep at the most by the ramp so be carefull.

Thanks folks there sure has been some good info posted with this thread.

esoxesox I have launched in the Wakie and fished down to the bridge and thought it looked like a very good place to fish. It kind of reminded me of what the Walnut looks like at Toronto. The handful of times I've been there I haven't fared that well and the times I would want to be there is around November through January but the signs there indicate it is a closed area through most of that time so I haven't really been back trying to learn more about it. Am I reading and interpreting those signs correctly? I really need a good place to fish on those windy winter days.

Thanks for all the vgood info on river fishing guys. I only fish the river down here a few times but the crappi you do catch in the river are usually all big.

LBM...................I think that the date is Oct 15th that there is an area on the river downstream that runs out to the lake that becomes a closed area for migratory birds......a holiday inn if you will. The state posts a sign on the river. I noticed last year they moved the sign up river a bit. However, from the boatramp to that sign downriver, I'm guessing is 1.5 miles. There is alot of river to fish down and up for that matter. If you prod slow and methodical, there is more crappie hiding spots than you can cover. Without the consideration of ice up, the closed section should not crimp you style.

The road to the Waka ramp is not that bad. When it is real dry for an extended time, the gravel road kicks lots of dust. I drive very slowly then to keep the dust out of the rig. The turnoff to the ramp is dirt. I've noticed this year that it has gotten really bad with ruts and low areas. It is better that the dirt road to the Rock though. As Nater says, you can bottom out your trailer there. If either of them are wet with rain, slick and tough.

Those that want to start on the Waka, I would caution not to go to fast on that river. You can't look at the bank at absolutely tell where the channel runs. Plus, there are snags right in the middle in some spots. I still do not go too fast. Do not take the pretty boats up the Waka or Rock, after a few trips, those drainages will stamp their tattoo on your floater.

LBM.........the post I had for you and Meeder about the top end of Melvern / the Maris de Cygne river is analogus to this info. The Cygne is a beautiful place and some big crappie run that strip too.