Canoe Trip On Elkhorn Creek/Where's The Fish!

[beaglegun]

Finally took my canoe down Elkhorn Creek yesterday. Been wanting to do this forever. I always heard about 150 fish days. I caught 4!!!!

I put in at Knights Bridge on 1900 and took out at Canoe Ky. I fished hard from 9am to 2pm. I tried a small Rattle Trap. 2 different size, small Rebel crawdad crankbaits, inline spinners, buzzbaits, small jigs with crawdad colored tubes. Didn't catch anything on any bait but the Mepps inline spinner. I fished still water, ripples, shallow, deep, nothing.

I paid Canoe Ky $20 to let me unload and park at their shop and they took me and my gear to Knights Bridge. This is the biggest problem with canoing creeks. There is no paddling upstream, so somebody has to take the truck to the "estimated" final destination. This *****!

Did I just have a really bad day, was I fishing the wrong area of the creek, should I have fished the North or South Fork instead of the main creek? It's a pretty creek, but I didn't drive all that way to view nature! Any advice on where to try next time and how and where to get my truck to the right destination would be appreciated.

[king fisher]

I just fished there on Sat. for the first time, I caught six smallies, averaging about 10 - 15 inches. I found them in the deep holes below the rushing water, about 6 ft deep, using a 3/8 pumpkin colored jig, just barely popping along the bottom. All and all , i considered it a good day of fishing.

[raincheck]

I fished it last week,found some short SM from the bank.I think if i stood there all day would ave caught 100 of them or more.Caught them on a jig,spinner,& buzz bait.Headed back friday too float a section.Will give a report after i finish the tournament on the 27th.We did a paddle up from Still Waters with no luck.
River Basser
Terry Adolph

[coachjoe]

I have not had any 100+ fish days, but several in the 30+. Worst day I every had on the creek was I think 10 smallies. That was on a day when the creek rose a lot and the second half of the float was useless. I float the same stretch you did most of the time. I am a big soft plastics guy so I will say that is what most fish were caught on. I have had some really good days wading another stretch as well. I would rather catch less numbers and bigger fish. Catch a lot around the 12" mark and usually always catch a few in the 15-16" range each trip. My biggest at Elkhorn so far is 17", but I have had two really big fish on - one threw the bait a foot from me and another broke my line because I didn't re-tie after my line got nicked on some rocks because I was almost done with the float.

[Carter1]

I have a little soft plastic hellgramite that I use on my flyrod. It always seems to catch them. But I'm afraid to use it much cause I only have two of them and they are older than me. And of course the Rebel Wee Craw was always a good choice. Might have just been one of those days that the fish were not biting much. Try it again before giving up on Elkhorn completely.

[beaglegun]

Should I be fishing that stretch? Should I try another stretch or the North or South Forks? The Ky Afield show that featured smallmouth fishing on Elkhorn was on one of the forks I believe. I know the guide was out of Geogetown.

[Carter1]

Beagle, I have not fished the area at Great Crossings in some time but last time I went there I caught most of my fish on a Zoom Baby Brush Hog. The color I was using then was red/black flake. I caught quite a few from wood.

[kydonky]

Finally took my canoe down Elkhorn Creek yesterday. Been wanting to do this forever. I always heard about 150 fish days. I caught 4!!!!

I put in at Knights Bridge on 1900 and took out at Canoe Ky. I fished hard from 9am to 2pm. I tried a small Rattle Trap. 2 different size, small Rebel crawdad crankbaits, inline spinners, buzzbaits, small jigs with crawdad colored tubes. Didn't catch anything on any bait but the Mepps inline spinner. I fished still water, ripples, shallow, deep, nothing.

I paid Canoe Ky $20 to let me unload and park at their shop and they took me and my gear to Knights Bridge. This is the biggest problem with canoing creeks. There is no paddling upstream, so somebody has to take the truck to the "estimated" final destination. This *****!

Did I just have a really bad day, was I fishing the wrong area of the creek, should I have fished the North or South Fork instead of the main creek? It's a pretty creek, but I didn't drive all that way to view nature! Any advice on where to try next time and how and where to get my truck to the right destination would be appreciated.

This time of year you have to find the deep holes. Also you have a lot of luck fishing in the rapids, lures just above the rapids and just below the rapids. Try floating a nightcrawler or crawdad with no weight on brass hook through the rapids. Have to be very alert, the strike in the rapids is very fast. You will think bumping a rock is a strike and it gets a little confusing. When I float a bait through the rapids I try to set the hook on about every bump I feel. Most are just hiting the rocks, get hung sometimes (just pull it out from the oposite direction), but them sometimes you get a nice surprize when that rod tip starts bouncing and your line stretches. I always have the best luck getting out of the boat and wading upstream. Fish a hole and then move on.

[artcarney_agr]

What was the water color? If it's dirty, it's tough........

Try a Rapala Countdown next time - those things are like crack to creek smallies! The way they flutter on the fall drives them nuts! Also helps you get down a little deeper more easily in those holes.

[artcarney_agr]

You might enjoy this video if you haven't seen it:
http://youtu.be/eGUtup6UgLQ

[coombro]

I've had my best luck on shallow running # 5 shad raps black and silver. Throw the deep runner #5 and keep your rod tip straight up in the swifter water as the current takes the action out of the shallow runners.

[redneckshadrap]

What has happened to the 150 fish days....??? Simple answer....

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