Not a lot of posting here so figured I would drop a note about this river that I have been spending alot of time on when not on the salt.
The French River has been through a good amount of junk through-out the years. Between an early rise of mills and factories to years of abuse the river fell into heavy decline. IN the last decade or so though the French River connection has been going into hardcore rebuilding of the area and their efforts have really paid off.
As it stands now this little known river really shines and thrives. Granted I wouldn't eat anything caught here yet but the action is incredible. I have made many a trip along this river now and can accurately say that on each trip I have easily topped 2-3 dozen fish if not more, and thats EACH trip.
So without more babbling let's get to the details
.
For full enjoyment I suggest setting aside a day to canoe or kayak through the about 8 mile stretch from Hodges village dam in Oxford (exit 4b off 395) to the old railroad bridge just off North main street in Webster. If you do not own a canoe or kayak ( or really any small boat capable of shallow water travel as it does shallow out sometimes) There are plenty of locations either at the dam, at the railroad bridge or anywhere in between that offer great shore fishing as well.
The water ranges from 3 -5 inches deep to around 10 foot and widths of 10+feet to almost lake-like proportions in some areas. The 8 mile journey begins in a small pond with ample pickerel/bluegill/small-mouth/yellow perch/Crappie along its weeded shores and underwater cover. The River continues from there through a nice slow wind along the next few miles. Ranging from a few inches to about 5 foot depths with another prime fishing hole almost every few yards. Fallen trees and bush-lined banks offer plenty of cover and food sources for fish to live in and flourish, along with the stocking of Rainbow trout. The river maintains a slow paced drift with no white-water and plenty of fishing . Near the end of the journey, I would say last 2 miles) the water deepens out and starts to widen. It becomes less river like and more liken to a small lake. Wide channels cut through deep weed beds ranging from 3-10 foot depths.
I have used light tackle with red/black and brown rooster-tails, small spinner type baits of the same color combo as well as brown and green deer hair popper flies and 2-3 inch green hued worms for jigging. Of course small -medium shiners and any type of live worms work well also.
This river has many fish species to offer as listed above I have personally caught Yellow Perch, Crappie, Bluegills, Rainbow trout, Chain Pickerel, Small-mouth bass, Brown bullheads. Of the fish I have caught they have ranged from 1/2 a pound to close to 5 pounds, with some fish (pickerel and trout primarily) getting over 20 inches in length.
Anyway If anyone is curious for more drop me a line at ericgrubb@charter.net I have many pictures of both area and fish caught and can hopefully give more detailed directions or what not if planning a trip to the area.
The French River has been through a good amount of junk through-out the years. Between an early rise of mills and factories to years of abuse the river fell into heavy decline. IN the last decade or so though the French River connection has been going into hardcore rebuilding of the area and their efforts have really paid off.
As it stands now this little known river really shines and thrives. Granted I wouldn't eat anything caught here yet but the action is incredible. I have made many a trip along this river now and can accurately say that on each trip I have easily topped 2-3 dozen fish if not more, and thats EACH trip.
So without more babbling let's get to the details
.
For full enjoyment I suggest setting aside a day to canoe or kayak through the about 8 mile stretch from Hodges village dam in Oxford (exit 4b off 395) to the old railroad bridge just off North main street in Webster. If you do not own a canoe or kayak ( or really any small boat capable of shallow water travel as it does shallow out sometimes) There are plenty of locations either at the dam, at the railroad bridge or anywhere in between that offer great shore fishing as well.
The water ranges from 3 -5 inches deep to around 10 foot and widths of 10+feet to almost lake-like proportions in some areas. The 8 mile journey begins in a small pond with ample pickerel/bluegill/small-mouth/yellow perch/Crappie along its weeded shores and underwater cover. The River continues from there through a nice slow wind along the next few miles. Ranging from a few inches to about 5 foot depths with another prime fishing hole almost every few yards. Fallen trees and bush-lined banks offer plenty of cover and food sources for fish to live in and flourish, along with the stocking of Rainbow trout. The river maintains a slow paced drift with no white-water and plenty of fishing . Near the end of the journey, I would say last 2 miles) the water deepens out and starts to widen. It becomes less river like and more liken to a small lake. Wide channels cut through deep weed beds ranging from 3-10 foot depths.
I have used light tackle with red/black and brown rooster-tails, small spinner type baits of the same color combo as well as brown and green deer hair popper flies and 2-3 inch green hued worms for jigging. Of course small -medium shiners and any type of live worms work well also.
This river has many fish species to offer as listed above I have personally caught Yellow Perch, Crappie, Bluegills, Rainbow trout, Chain Pickerel, Small-mouth bass, Brown bullheads. Of the fish I have caught they have ranged from 1/2 a pound to close to 5 pounds, with some fish (pickerel and trout primarily) getting over 20 inches in length.
Anyway If anyone is curious for more drop me a line at ericgrubb@charter.net I have many pictures of both area and fish caught and can hopefully give more detailed directions or what not if planning a trip to the area.
how are the trout there? plentifull?
does the river branch off alot? i go down the blackstone river quite a bit and i know that there are certain ways that i cant go. wouldnt want to get lost.
what type of lure/bait do you throw most frequently on your trips?
does the river branch off alot? i go down the blackstone river quite a bit and i know that there are certain ways that i cant go. wouldnt want to get lost.
what type of lure/bait do you throw most frequently on your trips?
Good questions Tim
First does it branch off. The river from Hodges ville dam to just about Webster is perty much a straight, though winding shot, no turn offs that would get you lost. The last about mile opens up a lot and there are various paths you can go about. There is really no way to get "lost" persay, as all paths head the same direction and end up at the same place. Maybe paths is a bad choice of words to describe it..it's more like a small lake with many coves. Once it opens up it is easy to spot the rail tracks that run along the water, then the old rail bridge stands out strong against the horizon marking your final destination.
In a nutshell it is very easy to navigate the stretch, and I would recomend it to a beginner due to ease and lack of white-water. Anyone that is experienced would have no trouble at all.
Trout..extremely plentiful. The first part of the journey, that is Hodges dam and a short stretch past that is mainly panfish/small-mouth/pickerel/perch. Once you reach the first bridge ( a short trip from Hodges) the trout population really starts to pick up. I have caught many Rainbows from this point on, sometimes numbering a dozen or so in one run. Smallest trout I have pulled out has been about 8-9 inches with the largest reaching approx. 22-24 inches. All seem healthy, I haven't noticed any fungus/parasites or sickly behavior in them. There are a multitude of other species here..but after the first bridge I really start to focus on Trout more so then any other as I feel they are quite abundant. Keep in mind I am catch and release (for freshwater, saltwater I tend to keep a lot
) so any I have caught stay there..maybe you'll grab one that I know .
As far as bait. I almost always use artificial. I know and have used small minnows and/or red-worms and they kill on this river..though your more likely to hit up pan-fish and small-mouth this route. My favorites are small rooster tails and/or spinners of a red and brown color combo ( that is most all shades of both colors seem productive). Also, if you look at Wal-mart or similar store, they sell those flies with a spinner (where the spinner is on the one side, fly on the other, you tie it to your line in the middle) work really well along the bushy banks. I use a small split shot just to aid casting and toss em as close to or just under the bank overhangs. Even if you don't get one a lot of times you will see one follow your bait out and know you may wanna hang round a bit.
So in a nutshell, I like red and brown..usually rooster tails or small spinners/fly spinners the majority of the time. I have at times gone down this river with a red rooster tail on and never switched the whole run...and with great results. IN all honesty my tackle for this river is one of my smallest side boxes heh..I am that confident of a few colors and types I dun feel the need to bring a lot. Outside of the occasional snag/break.
I have also had luck jigging green hued worms. From grub size on up to 3-4 inch worms. This tends to bring more bass as they are quite abundant as well, so I mention it secondly.
One more note. There are some locations that are shore-fishing friendly. You may notice a decline in trout activity here as they seem much more skiddish. Thankfully this is paid back by offering at least a dozen areas/spots to one of these shore accesses. The majority of the trip the fish seem quite aggressive and not to afraid of anything. I have dropped a paddle in the water, fumbled to get it back and still managed to catch trout in that area within moments...so yeah, it's not a hold your breath and make no noise at all run.. hehe, though I guess it always helps.
Alright, I am rambling now.
NUTSHELL VERSION:
red and brown colors work well
Rooster-tails and spinners are one of my favorites
Trout seem plentiful and mainly healthy
Easy to navigate, no crazy paths to choose from
On a side note, speaking of Blackstone river. I just recently discovered that area..been hanging round Uxbridge at the canal portion doing some Carp fishing. Pulled a 4-5 pound Mirror carp out yesterday. Haven't canoed it yet..seems a little more complicated and I wanna get some research/scouting done fore I try.
Anyway hope that helps some, sorry for the delay have been away form my puter a bit so
First does it branch off. The river from Hodges ville dam to just about Webster is perty much a straight, though winding shot, no turn offs that would get you lost. The last about mile opens up a lot and there are various paths you can go about. There is really no way to get "lost" persay, as all paths head the same direction and end up at the same place. Maybe paths is a bad choice of words to describe it..it's more like a small lake with many coves. Once it opens up it is easy to spot the rail tracks that run along the water, then the old rail bridge stands out strong against the horizon marking your final destination.
In a nutshell it is very easy to navigate the stretch, and I would recomend it to a beginner due to ease and lack of white-water. Anyone that is experienced would have no trouble at all.
Trout..extremely plentiful. The first part of the journey, that is Hodges dam and a short stretch past that is mainly panfish/small-mouth/pickerel/perch. Once you reach the first bridge ( a short trip from Hodges) the trout population really starts to pick up. I have caught many Rainbows from this point on, sometimes numbering a dozen or so in one run. Smallest trout I have pulled out has been about 8-9 inches with the largest reaching approx. 22-24 inches. All seem healthy, I haven't noticed any fungus/parasites or sickly behavior in them. There are a multitude of other species here..but after the first bridge I really start to focus on Trout more so then any other as I feel they are quite abundant. Keep in mind I am catch and release (for freshwater, saltwater I tend to keep a lot
) so any I have caught stay there..maybe you'll grab one that I know .
As far as bait. I almost always use artificial. I know and have used small minnows and/or red-worms and they kill on this river..though your more likely to hit up pan-fish and small-mouth this route. My favorites are small rooster tails and/or spinners of a red and brown color combo ( that is most all shades of both colors seem productive). Also, if you look at Wal-mart or similar store, they sell those flies with a spinner (where the spinner is on the one side, fly on the other, you tie it to your line in the middle) work really well along the bushy banks. I use a small split shot just to aid casting and toss em as close to or just under the bank overhangs. Even if you don't get one a lot of times you will see one follow your bait out and know you may wanna hang round a bit.
So in a nutshell, I like red and brown..usually rooster tails or small spinners/fly spinners the majority of the time. I have at times gone down this river with a red rooster tail on and never switched the whole run...and with great results. IN all honesty my tackle for this river is one of my smallest side boxes heh..I am that confident of a few colors and types I dun feel the need to bring a lot. Outside of the occasional snag/break.
I have also had luck jigging green hued worms. From grub size on up to 3-4 inch worms. This tends to bring more bass as they are quite abundant as well, so I mention it secondly.
One more note. There are some locations that are shore-fishing friendly. You may notice a decline in trout activity here as they seem much more skiddish. Thankfully this is paid back by offering at least a dozen areas/spots to one of these shore accesses. The majority of the trip the fish seem quite aggressive and not to afraid of anything. I have dropped a paddle in the water, fumbled to get it back and still managed to catch trout in that area within moments...so yeah, it's not a hold your breath and make no noise at all run.. hehe, though I guess it always helps
.
Alright, I am rambling now.
NUTSHELL VERSION:
red and brown colors work well
Rooster-tails and spinners are one of my favorites
Trout seem plentiful and mainly healthy
Easy to navigate, no crazy paths to choose from
On a side note, speaking of Blackstone river. I just recently discovered that area..been hanging round Uxbridge at the canal portion doing some Carp fishing. Pulled a 4-5 pound Mirror carp out yesterday. Haven't canoed it yet..seems a little more complicated and I wanna get some research/scouting done fore I try.
Anyway hope that helps some, sorry for the delay have been away form my puter a bit so