Dragover Camp/Float

[cj5752]

Greetings all. I am fairly new to paddling. I am planning a camp/float trip March 25-27 for my family at Dragover. We are hoping to do some fishing. Does anyone have any info on fishing up there this time of year. I have fished in the lakes for years but I'm new to river/creek fishing. Need help with lures and species. All help welcomed. Thanks

[AR-Nimrod]

I have fished this area a few of times. Had moderate success with jerk baits, smaller size spinner baits, medium and small crank baits and beetle spins of various sizes. Smaller beetle spins resulted in more fish caught but a lot of those were small bream and goggle eyes. I use lightweight spinning gear with 8 lb. line. If you've got the patience I hear that jigs fished on the bottom work pretty good in the deeper pools.

[cj5752]

What about colors?

[AR-Nimrod]

I choose my colors based on water calrity. Dingy water I use brighter colors (chartreuse, bright orange, yellow, white or a mix of those) clear water I use dark colors black, browns, dark blues, dark greens sometimes a mix with a little white) naturals like crawfish and shad colors seem to work moderately well in either water.

[Jim Krueger]

CJ,

Dragover is a great place to camp and float-fish. The campground itself is rather small, 6-8 spots, so I'd recommend getting there as early in the day on a Friday as convenient.
Chris hit the fishing tackle subject well, I could only add my number one Smallmouth and Walleye lure is the 'Tiny Brush Hog', it's a 3 1/2" soft rubber, worm-like bait we usually fish on a 1/4 oz. lead-head hook. My favorite color is what they call Pumkin Seed, I call it dark motor oil greenish-brown. For the best luck, we fish this rig slowly along the bottom making short hops back on the retrieve. We usually fish it along the steep drops along the bluffs and around the bigger boulders in the river.
The Dragover float is fairly short, about 3 miles or so, but when fishing slow, it makes just a great distance. While we fish much of this section from our canoes and kayaks, I highly recommend getting out and wade-fishing on the downstream side of the boulders, especially in the last half of the float.

Good luck with the fishing, have a great time!

Best Regards
Jim

[cj5752]

Thanks