Anyone ever fish the Caddo or Little Missouri RIvers? (updated with a report)

[pioneerhog]

Wife is planning on us going to Glenwood to see her parents next weekend and if I am gonna be down there I might as well do a little fishing. I have read good things about both of these rivers for smallmouth but know NOTHING about fishing either of these streams. I am looking for any tips on either of these streams that you can give me. Also if any of you live down that way and want to do a little fishing as well let me know, I will be fishing by myself and would rather have someone to BS with while catching a few brownies.

[pioneerhog]

This is what I am wanting to find out about the Caddo. Off of the Arkansas.com website.


The Caddo is one of the most underrated and overlooked cold-water fishing streams in Arkansas. That's unfortunate, for this small river offers excellent fishing in a peaceful setting that's ideal for a weekend family "getaway."

Smallmouth bass and spotted bass are the most notable sportfish inhabiting the Caddo. The most productive bass angling begins near Caddo Gap and ends below Amity. During low water periods, portions from Caddo Gap to Glenwood can be floated. Longear and green sunfish are often caught in this stretch as well.

[Buff]

sounds fun.  i'd like to get a canoe or kayak one day and start floating/fishing more waters like that.  good luck.

[pioneerhog]

sounds fun.  i'd like to get a canoe or kayak one day and start floating/fishing more waters like that.  good luck.

Canoe or kayak hell, I'm planning on wading if I go. As of right now it is looking like a trip to the Caddo for me, just not sure which stretch of it. All of the places I have been on it is wadeable, at the worst there might be a few places that I might have to get on the bank. I am also considering checking with some of the canoe outfitters down there and seeing if any of them have kayaks and if they do just renting one of those. I am hoping by this time next year to have me a kayak to fish out of on these streams and my dad is planning on buying a canoe in the next couple months so I should be good to go next year.

[pioneerhog]

So anyone gonna be in the area and want to catch some brownies? If you do let me know, by this time tommorow I will be in the water catching some fish.

[pioneerhog]

Sorry it has took so long to get back on this, kinda been lazy about posting it.

I started out at the public access near Amity on Hwy 184. I went downstream for a little ways. to a fairly long and wide slow moving hole. I tried a little bit of everything up and down this hole with very little luck, everything from worms to Mepps Spinners to some different crankbaits. I left that hole and started upstream, which is the way I prefer to wade, I fished a few holes going up stream, no big holes but ones that looked like they should hold some bass, I caught some bream and one or two brownies, pretty small one though. I get to the next big hole, long wide and slow moving, and up to this point I have seen at least 2 snakes. Well I start fishing this hole, I had been fishing this hole for probably 15 mins when I look to my left and see a Cottonmouth the would measure around 4 ft, this thing was probably 2-3 feet from me. Well I went ahead and fished this hole a little bit more but the more I thought about that snake the more I got to worrying about it, I am not scared of snakes but the water was real murky and I couldn't see but a foot or two below the surface, and since I wasn't doing much good I just decided to get the heck out of that area. I started back down stream and about 100-150 yards from the first Cottonmouth I see ANOTHER one, this one was a little bit smaller but not much, so at this point I kinda get in the haul a$$ mode. I fish a few holes going back down, the river forked below the last hole I fished and came back together near the first hole I fished so I was on a different part, I caught a few more bream and I think 2 more smallies. Well I made it back to the access and since I wasn't doing any good and it seemed to be snake infested I decided to go back up river a ways and try it out.


Well I head up to Caddo Gap, some of my wife's friends use to live on a road that crosses the river so that was the first place I went, since I wasn't to sure on what crossings had parking around them and this one just happened to have a good parking area at it. Well I go to getting everything together and out of the car, since this was a "family trip" we had to take the car and not my truck, I get everything out and lock the doors and close the door and about the time it closed I realized the key where STILL in the car. I just so happened to have cracked the windows and they had recently bushhoged this area and I find a tree that had been cut off that I could stick through the window and hit the PL on the other side. So OK this isn't starting out so good and I think about just going back to the house but thinking about spending all afternoon with the in laws I decided to try my luck. This section of the river isn't as big but there where several deep holes that held some brownies. I went upstream probably 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile fishing the holes and catching a few when I got to a fairly long hole about waist deep. I fished this hole all the way up and caught a few brownies, a Kentucky and several bream one of which was the biggest bream I think I have ever caught out of a stream. When I got to the end of this hole I decided to go ahead and call it a day and headed back. On this stretch of the river I caught somewhere between 4-8 brownies, most of them fairly small, one or two Kentucky's, a rock bass, and several bream.


All in all the trip wasn't to bad since it was my first time on the river. Although who ever said this was one of the most overlooked and underfished streams in the state needs to come up here to Batesville and let me take him fishing. The stream I fish up here a lot, although it is quite a bit smaller, I usually don't go there without catching somewhere in the area of 20-40 brownies and even more on a good trip with some of them being 2+ pounds. If I take a pole back with me again I will probably try the Little Missouri River and see what it is like. I just wasn't overly impressed with the Caddo.

[Hawgon]

When I was a kid, we used to float the Little Missouri north of Daisy, well above the lake, two or three times a summer.  You can't really get there because of lots of locked gates (my dad knew people and had keys).  We would catch scads of smallmouth, 50 to 100 or better between two or three people.  Many would be over 2 lbs.  My cousin caught one of the biggest smallmouth I have ever seen.  It was better than 4 lbs. and it seemed to take him 15 minutes to get it in the boat.  It was a very good time. 

I need to get my dad to go back with me one more time while he is still able so that I can remember how to get back in there. 

[pioneerhog]

When I was a kid, we used to float the Little Missouri north of Daisy, well above the lake, two or three times a summer.  You can't really get there because of lots of locked gates (my dad knew people and had keys).  We would catch scads of smallmouth, 50 to 100 or better between two or three people.  Many would be over 2 lbs.  My cousin caught one of the biggest smallmouth I have ever seen.  It was better than 4 lbs. and it seemed to take him 15 minutes to get it in the boat.  It was a very good time. 

I need to get my dad to go back with me one more time while he is still able so that I can remember how to get back in there. 

SOunds like fun. You do need to get him to take you back, that way you can take me sometime. Just joking, fishing with your dad, regardless of age, is some of the best times a man can have. Everyone needs to enjoy them times while they can. I am fortunate that my dad is still able to go, just wish I could get him to go out more ofter, now if it is hunting you can't hardly get him to do anything else.

[Landonhog]

When I was a kid, we used to float the Little Missouri north of Daisy, well above the lake, two or three times a summer.  You can't really get there because of lots of locked gates (my dad knew people and had keys).  We would catch scads of smallmouth, 50 to 100 or better between two or three people.  Many would be over 2 lbs.  My cousin caught one of the biggest smallmouth I have ever seen.  It was better than 4 lbs. and it seemed to take him 15 minutes to get it in the boat.  It was a very good time. 

I need to get my dad to go back with me one more time while he is still able so that I can remember how to get back in there. 

SOunds like fun. You do need to get him to take you back, that way you can take me sometime. Just joking, fishing with your dad, regardless of age, is some of the best times a man can have. Everyone needs to enjoy them times while they can. I am fortunate that my dad is still able to go, just wish I could get him to go out more ofter, now if it is hunting you can't hardly get him to do anything else.

I completely agree!  Nothing better than creek fishing with your dad...  (some of my first fishing memories)

What streams do you fish near Batesville?  I've heard of Batesville, but I can't recall where exactly it would be on a map.  (I'm an Okie)

[pioneerhog]

When I was a kid, we used to float the Little Missouri north of Daisy, well above the lake, two or three times a summer.  You can't really get there because of lots of locked gates (my dad knew people and had keys).  We would catch scads of smallmouth, 50 to 100 or better between two or three people.  Many would be over 2 lbs.  My cousin caught one of the biggest smallmouth I have ever seen.  It was better than 4 lbs. and it seemed to take him 15 minutes to get it in the boat.  It was a very good time. 

I need to get my dad to go back with me one more time while he is still able so that I can remember how to get back in there. 

SOunds like fun. You do need to get him to take you back, that way you can take me sometime. Just joking, fishing with your dad, regardless of age, is some of the best times a man can have. Everyone needs to enjoy them times while they can. I am fortunate that my dad is still able to go, just wish I could get him to go out more ofter, now if it is hunting you can't hardly get him to do anything else.

I completely agree!  Nothing better than creek fishing with your dad...  (some of my first fishing memories)

What streams do you fish near Batesville?  I've heard of Batesville, but I can't recall where exactly it would be on a map.  (I'm an Okie)

I fish a stream called Polk Bayou. I fish several different places on it and have pretty good luck over any of it. One place I fish on it is close to the popular local fishing hole and I usually don't do much good the first 1/2-3/4 of a mile, Maybe more I suck at distance, after that first stretch though I usually start getting into them. There is also another one south of Batesville called Salado Creek that I have heard good things about but I haven't fished it. I have been aiming to go there but everytime I go I get lazy and would rather drive 5-10 minutes instead of 15-20. I'm not really sure how to explain to you where Batesville is. Some people call it North Central Ar and some call it Northeast, so I don't really know.  So I just decided to put a map up here.