Rum River Smallmouth

[kabfisher]

How easy is it to take a flat back canoe with a 4horse on the rum river during the summer? I would like to take a day trip targeting smallmouth. Where is the best place with the least amount of rapids. I was thinking of launching from the Rum River central county park and either floating up or down from there.

[B D]

Kabfisher -

Very easy and lots of fun . . . . From someone who grew up on the Rum, just south of there running an old school 5 1/2 hp Johnson (greenish) on a 12 footer.

You will not see rapids from there south through Anoka (under most circumstances!) Now if you launch a bit farther north at Cty Rd 22 you will often see rapids for the first couple hundred yards.

A good option is to launch at Central Park and throw in some rollerblades. 2.5 - 3 hours of meandering, fun smallmouth territory and when you get to the Hwy 7 bridge (first bridge across Hwy 7 after you take the right into Central Park going north) you skate back to where you started in about 15 mins from the Hwy 7 bridge back into Central Park to grab your vehicle. Mostly all downhill ! If you don't have rollerblades - it is a very doable hike.

Standard smalie gear: Mepps, twisters with a spinner, etc. if you have a fly rod and some poppers / streamers that can work too.

Your segment options in that area are:

1) Hwy 22/Viking Blvd to Central Park (3+ hours)

2) Central Park to Hwy 7 (3+/- hours)

3) Hwy 7 to Anoka County Fairgrounds (a long time!)

[crappiegetter]

Should be pretty easy with a canoe, I normally fish from hwy 7 to the Anoka dam. It's not too busy north of hwy 7 with bigger motorized boats, but do watch for them some don't slow down for the people in canoes or kayaks especially that area out of the no wake zone. The fall is even better when the current really slows down and you don't have to fight too hard to sit in a spot for a few minutes. Another lure too make sure to bring are the shallow cranks, I use kvd 2.5 in the 2-4ft range work really well.

[NowthenJoe]

B D summed it up well.

A couple things to keep in mind...

The river does fluctuate water levels quite quickly on this river. Keep an eye on the gauge from the DNR (http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/river_levels/index.html), as high water can make things difficult. There is a lot of wood on the river, and once the current gets you moving, it can be tough to avoid. I almost dumped it a couple times last year because of this. It is surprising how fast you come upon debris in the river and if you are not ready, it can be a bit scary. I run a square back Old Town frequently and it does fine for the most part. I am usually with my wife, so between the two of us, we can handle the canoe and get a fair amount of fishing in usually. Going solo might be a challenge depending on river level.

When the water levels are low, I usually just leave the motor at home and drift from point A to point B. Motoring back up not only cuts into your fishing time, but is exhausting trying to avoid shallow water obstacles. When I do run a motor, it is an old Johnson. I always keep a few sheer pins handy, just in case.

Hot Summer days mean you are almost guaranteed to get eaten alive by dear flies. We launched last summer on one of these days, got about 200 yards down river and I turned it around, thankfully had the motor with me. By the time I had it loaded back up, I was swelling up all over from those nasty critters. Not Fun. Live and learn. I will be wearing long sleeves and putting some fly paper on my hat next time.

-Joe

[bassfshin24]

I wouldnt mind venturing out on the Rum sometime this summer. Is there a good area to put a bigger boat in?

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Is there any place that rents kayaks around there?

[crappiegetter]

The last time I was looking up places to camp for a weekend with the kids I believe a few of the camp grounds rent them out. Off hand I can't remember the names of them but google camp grounds on the rum there are a few that pop up and check them out.

[crappiegetter]

country camp and rv park is one I could find that rents right in Isanti and will shuttle you back

[crappiegetter]

I wouldnt mind venturing out on the Rum sometime this summer. Is there a good area to put a bigger boat in?

Anoka county fairgrounds is where I put in at only problem is it's a no wake zone for about 3-4 miles so its slow going till you get out of it, but there is still good fishing there and depending on the size of your boat be carefull for rocks in the shallower parts of the river I have hit a few on occasion.

[Stick in Mud]

If you really want to have fun catching smallies on the Rum, head a wee bit north on 169 until you hit Onamia.

[NowthenJoe]

Bigger boats go in at Anoka County Fairgrounds. Going in at Anoka will usually get you some fish, but you will also deal with more traffic and the no wake. We tried putting in a larger boat (16 foot Sylvan with 60 HP Merc) at Central during high water. Easy going in, not so easy coming out. Will not be doing that again. That current really grabs those larger boats.

-Joe