Crane Lake, Iron County, July 17th, 2010: Fishing slow, but paddle trip excellent

Ray and Jenni in Kayaks- this was her first kayak trip with us

Small Bluegill caught on bottom rig- water is really clear!

Crane Lake, Iron County, MO, July 17th, 2010: If you kayak the lake, make sure you check out the Shut-Ins below the dam!

This is the Shut-In area below the dam at Crane Lake.  This area really reminds me of either West Virginia or Colorado, the way the rocks are structured.  This is a part of the Mark Twain National Forest and is in the "Arcadia Valley" of Missouri. 

Crane Lake, Iron County, MO, July 17th, 2010: What a beautiful lake!

Council Bluff Lake, Iron County, MO. April 2nd 2010: Rough waters...fish appear to be before the spawn still

The kayak made it's first appearance of the season. It was outstanding getting out on the water again (it has not been out since around Halloween). The water temperature is still really cool (around 55 degrees surface) so with a sit on top kayak, you have to dress accordingly. I wear jeans and hip waders due to the nature of the kayak.

Council Bluff lake is run the the National Forest Service and it is located in the Mark Twain Forest (just south of Potosi). The water is incredibly clear. This would be a good training lake to practice up for Table Rock...the water reminds me of Table Rock. From what I understand, it also has smallies like Table Rock does as well. It appears to be about 50' or so in the middle, but I bet you could find a deeper spot. I make an attempt to fish the point, but I was dealing with some serious white caps. Found it hard to keep the craft stable, so I ended up fishing the wood lines. The wind gusts were so bad, you could hear their roar ahead of time. I threw a slip bobber/nightcrawler rig, white spinner baits, rooster tails, and even a jig with no success...glad to have found this lake, however....will be back!

Fish ON!

MLT