Kings River: JD Fletcher Access on Highway 62 to Stoney Point/Summers Ford

Kings River: JD Fletcher Access on Highway 62 to Stoney Point/Summers Ford

The first part of this post is about what its like to paddle this section of the Kings. The second part will cover fishing. 

Paddling:

A few weeks ago, my whole perception of the Kings River changed. What I had gotten used to on Kings River floats was narrow stream width, bluffs, giant rock walls, and usually very little flow. However, the stretch from JD Fletcher Access to Stoney Point/Summers Ford has several key differences from upper stretches that makes it a viable option for floating and fishing later in the season. 

    First of all, the confluence of the Kings and Osage Creek is right above Highway 62 bridge so there is a significant boost to the flow. The Osage Creek that meets the Kings is different than the one that meets the Illinois River... which needs to be clarified for those who have seen my blog posts and aren't familiar with this area. But even still, the contribution that Osage Creek makes to the Kings is similar to the contribution that the other Osage Creek makes to the Illinois. That added flow is why the Kings River gauge at Berryville is not representative of what the cubic feet per second is at upper accesses such as Marble, Marshall's Ford, Rockhouse, and Trigger Gap. For example, as of today (9/7/23), the CFS is 82.7 at Berryville. There is no reliable way of figuring the CFS based on that reading but without any meaningful rain for the last few weeks, it is safe to say that an upper stretch of the Kings is way too low to float. Even still, I would consider 82.7 a reasonable flow... if the stretch from JD Fletcher to Stoney Point wasn't 13 miles long. 

    The length of this float is daunting which was why I was slightly nervous to try it at first. If you fish as much as I do, you can be in for a long day. Especially if the flow is anywhere near 82.7 CFS. Fortunately, the first time I floated this stretch, the CFS was at a brisk 300. I discovered that it was not difficult to make good time. This leads me to my next key difference of this stretch: a wider bank width with plenty of deep channels. This feature makes it  For beginning paddlers, this stretch is perfect for a relaxing day without any reason for concern when it comes to capsizing. 

    Next, the surrounding topography and sediment composition. There is a transition into more rolling hills and less steep rock walls along the river. As for sediment, more sand is mixed in with the bigger chunk rock and gravel compared to the river above JD Fletcher. Even without the scenic aesthetic of these features, this float is very beautiful and appealing. This is mostly thanks to the water quality which is outstanding. 

    The last difference of this float is the shuttle. For me, one of the main reasons I'm reluctant to float the Kings from Marble to Marshalls Ford is because of how long the drive is from put-in to take-out. An hour long shuttle makes it harder to enjoy the float especially when you have to drive back to the put-in at the end of the day. What makes this float so nice is that its only a 30 minute drive from JD Fletcher to Stoney Point and back. Arguably the best part of the shuttle is that if a vehicle was left at JD Fletcher to be picked up at the end of the float, its easy to pick up that vehicle on the way back if you're heading towards Eureka Springs.

  

The fishing:

      My main take away after two floats on this stretch: The fishing is fantastic! We mostly caught smallmouth, although I did manage to catch a nice spotted bass (pictured below). I wasn't fishing as hard on the first float but still managed to bring a few to the boat. On the second float, dad and I fished hard. We both caught 15+ smallies and a handful of spots as well as a couple largemouth. Despite the temperature rising to 100 degrees, the fishing remained reasonably consistent throughout the day.. with only one lull around 12:30 to 1:30.

    Lures that were effective were:

    1. Fluke

    2. Watermelon worm as a ned rig

    3. Megabass MagDraft

    4. Strike King Rage Menace Grub (Colors: Watermelon Redflake and Blue Gill)

 

Dad and I both caught good numbers...

17.5" Smallmouth that is by far my biggest Kings River smallmouth ever. It absolutely crushed my Ned Rig worm after a small sunfish tried to eat it.

The smallies were hitting early and often

On the first float, my buddy Fernando managed to catch his first smallmouth in years

Cottonmouths were found on both floats. Clearly, the conditions that the stream provides attracts them

Here is the nicest of a couple spotted bass I caught.. this guy gave me quite the tussle after smacking a topwater fluke

And here is the release video for the 17.5" smallmouth I caught! This video makes me want to get back out on this stretch ASAP!

Thanks for reading, now get to fishing!