Eleven Point River
Fishing Reports This page was updated 12/18/07
Owned by MO trout fishermen, so be sure
to give them your business!
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 11/7/07
Days Fished: 11/3 - 11/6/07 Times Fished: All Day Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Below Average Water Clarity: Gin Clear Successful Baits: In report
Took 3 guide trips in 4 days and the fishing was solid. It was not as fast and furious as it was a month ago, but still quite
good. We fished deep with Stoneflies, crawdads, squirel nymphs and eggs. Yesterday we spotted fish on gravel in
numerous places indicating the spawn is under way and of course avoided fishing to those guys all together, and I hope
others will as well. If you leave those fish alone, we may get a few extra fish in the next year or two if we are lucky.
Also, if you see this behavior from fish, please avoid wading these spots, so as to not step in any redds. Good fishing
to all.
Thanks again Brian.
Brian is a professional fishing
guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 9/19/07
Days Fished: 9/18/07 Times Fished: Afternoon Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Below Average Water Clarity: Gin Clear Successful Baits: Don's Crawdad
Took an old friend from Columbia (originally from New Zealand), Tayz, and his fellow Kiwi,
Banz, for a half day trip through the Blue Ribbon area. We decided to buzz through the upper
stretch since they electroshocked on Monday through that area and concentrate on the lower
end. Both had only fly fished a few times but did well. Once again the fishing was great using
Don's crawdad fished deep with the tailout of Little Huricane shoal producing best. Only saw
a couple of other people all day. On the way out we saw lots of Hexes coming of the water,
but no risers. Hex nymphs will work, but the crawdad was doing great, so we just stuck with it
anyway. If you ever get the chance to spend the day on the river with two former Kiwi Rugby
players, I highly recommend it. Very fun guys and a great day.
Thanks again Brian.
Brian is a professional fishing
guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 8/9/07
Days Fished: 8/8 Times Fished: 600am - 300pm Air Temperature: Steamy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Below Average Water Clarity: Gin Clear Successful Baits: In Report
Took a gentleman from St. Peters, Art, out for a guided trip in the blue ribbon area today and the
fishing was on fire. Stoneflies with crawdad, bloody Mary, and red copper john droppers were all
solid producers fished deep. A lot of fish in the 12-14 inch range were caught and released and 3
fish in the 17-18 inch range that were caught and released as well. As for numbers of fish caught,
I have no idea, but it was lots. If you are planning a trip to the river, the heat requires you to bring
lots of water, but the fishing is worth it. The White ribbon area is fishing very well right now too. I
have plenty of openings for guide trips right now on weekdays.
Thanks again Brian.
Brian is a professional fishing
guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 6/10/07
Days Fished: 6/5 - 6/8/07 Times Fished: All day Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Above Average Water Clarity: Gin Clear Successful Baits: In Report
Over the winter I donated a guide trip to the Ozark Fly Fishers club in St. Louis for a fund raiser of
their's. Don and Rita bought the trip and booked a couple of extra days as well so we could cover
the entire 20 miles of trout water on the Eleven Point.
On Tuesday we hit Whitten to Riverton which had been reporting the best fishing on the river recently,
and that held true for us. That stretch of river produced the best over the 3 days. Stoneflies,
crawdads, yellow eggs, bloody Marys, green caddis larva, and when it clouded up for a while,
red San Juan worms tore them up. As you can see from the list of flies, no distinct pattern stood out
as the go-to fly. Don landed a nice 18-inch rainbow.
On day two we hit the blue ribbon area and did pretty well up there compared to how it had been
fishing the last time I went up there. My proudest moments were when Rita landed a nice trout after
the 1st island in the fast, submerged boulder strewn shoal and when Don got a nice 'bow out of the
fast water in Mary Decker shoals. They both did well presenting their flies in difficult water. The fly
selection was much the same as day one.
Day 3 was the slowest day we had and that was between Turner and Whitten. This section had been
getting hammered by fishermen for a couple weeks and it showed. The number of caught trout on this
trip beared that out. Though Rita did hook a beast that got away that was at least 20inches. Don and
Rita were great folks to spend 3 days with on the water.
On Friday I took Jeff from Wentzville from Whitten to Riverton, since it fished the best of the
previous 3 days. With overcast skies in the morning and a light rain, I thought we would tear them
up. We fished all the usual suspects listed earlier and more in the morning with little success. I
practically had Jeff throw the whole fly box at them and he still only had a couple on and none
landed, by no fault of his own. The fish just were not buying what we were selling. Over lunch we
were trying to devise another plan of attack and Jeff mentioned he had some 1/16 oz marabou jigs.
I don't normally fish with them, but what the heck, nothing else was working so we threw on an
olive one and fished it under a strike indicator (deep) and drifted it like a dead minnow. Within
5 minutes, bam, a nice trout. From then on, fishing picked up and he even hooked a smallie. The
best fish came fishing the fast water at Hall Bay Shoal. Hard to hook and hard to land in that fast
water, but Jeff handled it like a pro. A good day after a slow start, and I am going to have to carry
some emergency jigs now.
Thanks again for all the help Brian. I can't tell you how happy I am
that the Eleven Point has made such a dramatic come-back. I'm itching
to come down for trip myself!
Brian is a professional fishing
guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 5/24/07
Days Fished: 5/22/07 Times Fished: All day Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Above Average Water Clarity: Slightly clouded Successful Baits: In Report
I took a couple of St. Louis gentlemen, Gene and Jim, out for a guide trip between
Turner and Whitten. Wonderful couple of guys to kill a day with. Though the day
started out a little slow, it ended fine. We had a couple of hook ups early in the day,
but they were not landed. Jim had a nice fight at tumbling shoals, but again it was
lost. After lunch it looked as if it might rain and it did for about 5 minutes on other
parts of the river, but not ours. Anyway, the fish seemd to perk up after that threat
and we even had a couple double hook ups, though we never landed both (just
one fish landed with each double). Gene caught a chunky 15-16 incher and that
was the fish of the day. Though we didn't light the world on fire, fish were stung and
a good time was had by all. By the way, we threw the whole fly box at them with no
distinct pattern rising to the top until the end of the day when eggs dropped off a
stonefly fished deep started to produce.
Thanks Brian. Brian is a professional fishing
guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 3/14/07
Days Fished: 3/14/07 Times Fished: Various Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Above Average Water Clarity: Gin Clear Successful Baits: In Report
I have not given you guys an update on the Eleven Point recently, so here are
some highlights of recent outings. On Monday the 12th a friend from St. Louis
surprised us and wanted to fish. I was able to put aside some shop duties and
get out at graveyard hallow (island 1 below Greer) for a couple of hours. The
water is starting to come down to a better level now than it has been for quite a
while. It was still about a foot high on Monday, but is coming down nicely and I
look for better fishing by the weekend. That said, we didn't light the world on
fire, but we did catch a few, and the ones we landed looked very healthy.
Water was swift, making it hard to get things to the bottom, but with some extra
weight we were able to hook our fish with stoneflies and eggs.
A regular customer of mine went out Mon and Tues in a canoe and reported the
following. On Mon he floated Greer to Turner and though he didn't land any record
numbers, he said he kept busy enough to stay interested and landed a fat 18 inch
rainbow. He said he mixed up the flies all day and found no one fly that outperformed
another. On Tuesday I suggested he try a float he hadn't done before, Cane Bluff to
Greer. This is not in the traditional trout waters, but with higher water, it was a chance
to fish with a little easier wading. I told him to wait about 2 miles into the float and
start fishing were Spring creek puts in. He then proceeded to pull another 18 inch
rainbow out of that spot followed by a 15 inch smallie. The fishing was hit and miss
from there on out, but he got a few more before reaching Greer. If you want to try
some smaller water on the Eleven Point and still have a chance at trout in the winter,
fishing above Greer can sometimes work out, because some trout will move upriver
while the water is cool enough. Well that is about it for the Eleven Point recently.
Oh, the White Ribbon water should be getting its first stocking of the year within the
next week or two.
Thanks again for the help. Brian is a professional fishing
guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 1/10/07
Days Fished: 1/10/07 Times Fished: All Day Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water Clarity: Gin Clear Successful Baits: In Report
John Kern, a customer down here and long time fisherman on the 11-
point who has caught many fish in the Blue Ribbon waters got out in a
canoe today and gave me the following report. Though numbers of fish
caught were less than what he usually catches here (about 11 or so taday),
he did hook a couple of dandies. The biggest being about 24 inches or so
and another more like 20. He was fishing DEEP and I do mean DEEP. In
a lot of places, 10ft of 4x to the indicator. The biggest fish was caught while
anchored in a tailout below a fast run in an eddy by the seam between fast
and slow water with his indicator all the way up to the fly line. He used 2 A-
sized split shot to sink the Dan's Crawdad. This fish, a female, launched itself
a few times from the surface and put on quite a show before being released.
He lost a lot of flies on the botttom, but that is the price to have a chance at
a big fish in the higher than normal conditions and faster water we have had
this winter. Hopefully the picture will follow in a couple of days when he gets it developed.
Nice! It's good to hear 11-point continues to re-develop as a
trophy trout fishery. Noone can complain about two 20+ inch fish
from the same day of fishing. Brian is a professional fishing
guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 12/19/06
Days Fished: 12/16 & 12/17/06 Times Fished: All Day Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Overcast Water Level: Above Average Water Clarity: Slightly Clouded Successful Baits: See Report
I took a couple of guide trips this past weekend and also got to see first hand
some of the changes to the river from the flood. Just above the 19 bridge, we
have a tree almost entirely accross the river. At Turner Mill there is a tree all the
way accross the river that you need to portage around and the boat ramp on the
South side is covered with a gravel bar. There are new holes and new shallower
areas through out the blue ribbon area. The flood did a job on the river. So how
was the fishing?
On Saturday, I took Andy and Jeff fly fishing from Greer to Turner and they caught
between 20 & 30 fish (didn't keep count) with 1 being a smallie. The water was
about a foot higher than normal and the flow of the river was fast (about 1000 cfs).
That meant heavy flies. The rig to use that day was a heavy stonefly with an egg
dropper. The seams between fast and slow water were key, as were drop-offs in
the shoals. All and all a good day with a couple of funny KC guys.
Sunday I took Gary and Ferrel from Kentucky out for a day of spin fishing from
Greer to Turner. They wanted to catch a little of everything. Spin fishermen often
ignore the blue ribbon area, because they can't use soft plastics, and that is a
mistake. There are very good smallies there. We caught similar numbers to the
previous day, but we caught just about as many smallies and pickerel as we did
trout. Smaller deep diving crank baits that looked like crawdads were most effective.
We found trout in the same areas as the day before and fished slower waters and
sloughs for smallies and pickerel. A good day with good company.
Thanks again for the updates, Brian. Many of us are quite jealous
of the variety of fish you have available to you and your clients.
Brian is a professional fishing guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 11/21/06
Days Fished: 11/19/06 Times Fished: 10:00am - 5:00pm Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Very High Water Clarity: Slightly Clouded Successful Baits: Bitch Creek, Don's Crawdad, San Juan worm, eggs, MOAT
My friend Chrys Fisher and his buddy Mike came over from West Plains and we got out for a day on
the river Sunday. It was nice to be out fishing in the drift boat for fun rather than work. The conditions
were marginal at best. The water was up about 1.25 feet above normal and 1.5 feet above its level
a couple of weeks ago. The clarity was decent, which was on our side. The depth and the flow being
almost double was working against us. I always throw heavy flies to get deep here, but Sunday you
really had to be willing to use some serious weight.
After meeting the great white trophy hunter in the Greer parking lot (the oddest man I've met in quite
some time, who took hunting and fishing stories to a whole new level of obsurdity), we hit the river.
I was worried my friends were going to have a tough day, as neither have done much fly fishing. My
fears were put to rest at island one where we had a couple of hook ups. Though we didn't light the
world on fire, we did catch fish regularly out of the boat. At every shoal we could wade we stung a
couple fish. Mike, being the least experienced, landed the best fish of the day right above Mary
Decker. A 16 inch wild beauty was caught and released on a Bitch Creek stonefly. The aforementioned
fly, Don's Crawdad, San Jaun worm, eggs, and the MOAT were the producers. Saw a couple eagles
and a good time was had by all.
You want to hear crazy fishing stories? Try driving a truck with taxidermy
signs on it! A few weeks back, I had a guy at one of the Meramec parking
areas telling me he'd caught two browns in the 40lb weight class up in the
trout park. Funny how we haven't heard about that in the news, eh? Thanks for the
report, Brian.
Brian is a professional fishing guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Jay _________ of Wentz on 10/21/06
Days Fished: 10/16/06 Times Fished: 1000am - 400pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Average Water Clarity: Gin Clear Successful Baits: BH Pheasant Tails, BH Olive Wooly Buggers
Three of us float fished the Blue Ribbon section of 11PT. Greer to Turner bite was good all day. They were hammering the Wooly Buggers.
No big fish -- 12 and 13 inch was the largest. A lot of fish seen and several caught on the first half of this section. We should have spent alot
more time than we did in the upper half. 1st time on river we will know better next time. Great River!!!
Welcome aboard, Jay. The Eleven Point is definitely an under-appreciated river. Now that the MDC has
resumed stocking to bolster the wild trout population, the fishery has really recovered well. More
Missouri trout fishermen need to make the journey down to experience this fine river.
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 9/24/06
Days Fished: 9/22/06 Times Fished: all day Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Overcast Water Level: Below Average Water Clarity: Gin Clear Successful Baits: Stoneflies, Don's Crawdad, Eggs
Took a couple of St. Louis guys (Roger and Ted) fishing in the drift boat Friday and the fishing was fantastic. Too many fish hooked to
keep track of. They caught most of their fish on stoneflies, Don's Crawdads, and eggs most of all. They fished deep all day and the deep
water on the backside of all the islands was most productive. I don't know what else to say about the day except the fishing is red hot!
Roger and Ted were fun to hang out with and a good time was had by all. The Sat trip was unfortunately rained out and the water is on the
rise. The lower river around 142 has flooded, but the upper remains ok, but still coming up and I don't know how high it will crest. The
Spring river (just south of here) actually had a drowning -- they were pulling people off the river last night. The Eleven Point flows into the
Spring, so I thought it might come up more.
Since writing this report originally, the river has crested and didn't come up too high. Will be off color a couple of days though.
Thanks again, Brian. Isn't it amazing how the fish seem to just be waiting for a string of cooler days
to get active again? Brian is a professional fishing guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 9/21/06
Days Fished: 9/20/06 Times Fished: 1100am - 500pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Below Average Water Clarity: Gin Clear Successful Baits: Don's Crawdads, Eggs, Stonefly, Northfork Special
The fishing is red hot now. If you have not fished the Eleven Point before and want to try it, now through the winter is the time to
do it. I will give a more detailed report after a couple of guide trips this weekend. I have plenty of open dates for anyone interested.
We caught more fish than we were willing to count.
Sounds like your river's getting the Autumn kick-started the right way. Brian is a professional fishing
guide as well as the co-owner of Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact
Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 7/27/06
Days Fished: 7/26/06 Times Fished: 12:00 to 4:00 Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Very Low Water Clarity: Slightly Clouded Successful Baits: Don's Crawdads, Stonefly
Got out between Turner Mill and Whitten for about 4 hours and the fishing was solid. I took an employee of the canoe rental
out who has tried fly fishing out for about eight years here and there without success and wanted to learn how to do it. He
caught about 5 and they were his first on a fly rod which was cool. I caught plenty of fish including a 17 inch beauty. The
fishing has been good from Turner Mill for 14 miles down to Riverton all summer.
Thanks for continuing to help out with reports, Brian. Brian is a professional fishing guide as
well as the co-owner of Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact
Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 6/30/06
Days Fished: 6/27/06 Times Fished: 5:30am - 5:00pm Air Temperature: Sultry Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water Clarity: Gin clear Successful Baits: Don's Crawdads, BH Bomber, Rooster Tails
Took a guide trip from Turner Mill to Whitten in the drift boat, the blue ribbon area had been fishing slowly, and we had a
decent day. The morning fished well with a couple 15 inchers and one in the 18 inch range. Don's crawdads and bh bombers did the
best and the swing is where they hit the most. Fishing slowed in the afternoon. They have since stocked that area and it should fish well
for a while. My business partner Ryan and an employee, Shorty, did very well on rooster tails after the stocking at Stinking Pond.
Thanks for continuing to help out with reports, Brian. The recent heat has certainly effected the fishing
all across the state. Brian is a professional fishing guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 6/2/06
Days Fished: 6/1/06 Times Fished: 9:30am - 4:30pm Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Overcast Water Level: Above Average Water Clarity: Slightly clouded Successful Baits: Blac Stoneflies & Don's Crawdads
Memorial Day produced some spotty fishing reports and I had a rough day at the 19 bridge. So today I decided to
take a kayak and float fish the whole blue ribbon area. I had to fish hard and very deep (lots of weight), but I got
about 15+ trout and a real nice smallie. Most fish took the Stonefly but a couple took the crawdad dropper including
the smallmouth. The backside of island 3 produced the best along with the shoal above Mary Decker. The big fish
was 17-18 inches measured crudely against my arm and the smallie was about 16. If you don't catch the bottom every
now and then, you are not deep enough.
Thanks for continuing to help out with reports, Brian. "Fish deep" is certainly the fishing guide's
credo -- especially in summer. Brian is a professional fishing guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 4/22/06
Days Fished: 4/21/06 Times Fished: Evening Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Average Water Clarity: Gin clear Successful Baits: #8 Tungsten Prince
First, about a week ago I had a good day on a guided trip in the Blue ribbon area and plenty of fish were caught. The
real reason for this report was to let you know about a big fish caught the evening of 4/21/06. A regular fly fisherman here
named John Kern caught a beast in the Blue Ribbon area, and I am sworn to secrecy as to its exact location. But I can tell
you he caught it on a size 8 prince nymph heavily weighted with tungston. No picture is available, but it has been verified
by a local he waved down to help net it. It was at least 24-26 inches and around 5-7lbs. That is a big rainbow folks. Just
goes to show you have to get deep to have a good shot at a big one around here.
Also supports the idea that big baits catch big fish! Thanks, Brian. Brian is a professional fishing guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 4/6/06
Days Fished: 4/5/06 Times Fished: all day Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Above average Water Clarity: Gin clear Successful Baits: Various (see report)
Took a guided trip with clients from Michigan today, and it was a beautiful day. We had a 50% chance of rain,
but it held off. The river looks awesome and we only saw one canoe. Got the drift boat in the river about 8:30 and
were out 'til about 6:30. The first mile and an half was very slow, but just when I started to worry we got our first fish
and then continued to catch regularly from there. We had 4 or 5 in the 15 inch that were well fed and fought well.
Most of the rest were in the 11-13 inch range with a couple smaller ones as well. I think we lost a bigger one when it
broke off after a long, tough fight in one of the shoals. We nymph fished mostly and getting deep was key.
Stoneflies, MOATs ("Mother of all Tungstens), Don's Crawdads, poxy back sparrow nymphs, birds nest nymphs, hare's
ears, and eggs all caught fish at one time or another. I had them pound the bank with streamers in the long slower stretches,
and though they got strikes, they weren't able to land any of those. All in all a good day.
Thanks, Brian. It's great to know there's good quality driftboat fishing in Missouri.
Brian is a professional fishing guide as well as the co-owner of
Eleven Point Canoe Rental. Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
This report was submitted by Brian Sloss of Alton on 3/26/06
Days Fished: 3/25/06 Times Fished: about an hours worth Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above average Water Clarity: Gin clear Successful Baits: MOAT (Mother of All Tungstens)
I was able to get out and fish briefly during the late afternoon yesterday in the blue ribbon area. The water is
still up about a foot above normal and rolling along swiftly. I went to graveyard hollow where I was able to land 3
out of 4 strikes on a MOAT during 45 minutes of fishing. It kind of looks like a stonefly, but mostly it looks like a
big meal. Size 8 hook, 3 tungston beads, rubber legs and peacock dubbing. In higher water, a MOAT gets down
quickly which is very important on the Eleven Point. On a day like today, a boat would have been a big help as I
couldn't get to a lot places on foot that I know would have been fishing well. As the water continues to recede and
slow this week, the fishing will get better and better.
Thanks for the report, Brian. I know a lot of people have been anxiously awaiting to hear how the Eleven Point continues
to progress as a trout fishery. Based on our conversations, it sounds like you guys have figured out the formula.
Brian is a professional fishing guide as well as the co-owner of Eleven Point Canoe Rental.
Contact Brian for a great trip.
Brian Sloss
(417) 778-6497
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