Fishing Campsites

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Strikenmike

Strikenmike

Active member
Joined
Feb 13, 2008
Posts
38
Location
Danville, IL
This is your opportunity to contribute to the well-being of a future RVer.    I would like to develop a discussion about  specific campsites acrossed the country that are close (say within one mile) of quality fishing opportunities.  In a couple of years, when we are able to get out on the road, I would hope to have more locations than I can possibley visit.  Wet/Dry, it doesn't matter. 

I will provide a couple that I am familiar with.

Kickapoo State Park (full service sites) outside of Danville, IL.  You can fish a national scenic river (North Fork of the Vermilion River) for smallmouth bass or a series of strip pits for largemouth.  Excellent trout fishing is available in Clear Pond in the spring and fall.

Barkley Lake State Park (full service sites) outside of Canton, KY.  Beautiful site high on a bluff overlooking a bay that has some of the best spring crappie fishing in the midwest.  Also excellent bass and catfishing.  A nearby state lodge offers great meals for that special night out.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
 
I don't know about quality fishing, but every Core of Engineers campground is, by definition, on a waterway.  COE campgrounds typically have large sites, 30 or 50A electric, and many have water at the site as well.
 
Along the lines of what Ned mentioned, there's New Melones reservoir off Hwy108/Hwy49 in California with a nice COE campground.
 
For that "Salt Water" touch you can try the many NPS campgrounds along the Outer Banks of NC.  These are dry sites only and first-come-first-serve IRCC.  There is walk over and/or 4X4 beach access to isolated beaches from each.  There are numerous private campgrounds that cater to fishing campers as well.  lou
 
The best campground I have ever fished is one of the ones that Sharon and I managed (and resided in) last summer and will manage again this coming summer.  It is Ansel Watrous campground 15 miles west of Fort Collins Colorado.  It is on the Poudre (pronounced "pooder"} River.  Most of the sites are within 20 feet of the river edge.  It is a Forest Service campground with water availability but no power or sewage. The Admiral and I were fortunate to have full hookups including 50 amps as resident managers for 3 campgrounds in the area.

Any time I wanted dinner I grabbed my spinning rod and had 4 trout (brown, rainbow, and brook) in the pan within 45 minutes.  Also did a lot of catch and release with the fly rods.

The rules get stricter as you go higher up the mountain, but at Ansel Watrous a total of 4 fish may be kept by a licensed angler and even live bait is permitted.  Want dinner fast, put on a worm or a live grasshopper.  Want some fun, then a barbless fly on the fly rod.  Most days was non stop action.

The location is eye busting gorgeous.  We even have long horn sheep (with the curved ram horns) that show up on the precipices above the river each evening. before sunset.

Smoky
 
Smoky said:
The best campground I have ever fished is one of the ones that Sharon and I managed (and resided in) last summer and will manage again this coming summer.  It is Ansel Watrous campground 15 miles west of Fort Collins Colorado.  It is on the Poudre (pronounced "pooder"} River.  Most of the sites are within 20 feet of the river edge.  It is a Forest Service campground with water availability but no power or sewage. The Admiral and I were fortunate to have full hookups including 50 amps as resident managers for 3 campgrounds in the area.
Click to expand...

Good to know about this place.  We will be going to Alaska next year and we are passing through Fort Collins on the way. 
 
Don:

If you pass by in the summer between May and the end of September, stop by site zero at Ansel Watrous and say Howdy!  If you go by in the Winter we have winter caretakers living there and I hear the fishing is still good if the Poudre hasn't iced over.

Smoky
 
Smoky said:
Don:

If you pass by in the summer between May and the end of September, stop by site zero at Ansel Watrous and say Howdy!  If you go by in the Winter we have winter caretakers living there and I hear the fishing is still good if the Poudre hasn't iced over.

Smoky
Click to expand...

We will be going through Ft. Collins in late June/early July and we will stop and say HI!
 
Smoky,

Two years ago, September, we fished right there in your "backyard", on the Poudre. You are right the scenery is stunning and the fishing is superb. We are strictly fly fishers and found it quite challenging, yet very exciting.

Just watch out for the rattlesnakes. :eek: It was right there on the banks of the river, where I stumbled on the biggest rattlesnake I have ever seen. Needless to say, I was done fishing for the day...... ;D

Mariekie
 
Don:

Hope we see you this summer!!

Mariekie, yes there are big rattlesnakes in the area.  We had one at site 5 that was a monster and hid by the weeds right at the site sign post.  A marine volunteered to whack it's head off with my shovel.  We had about 1 sighting per week but they seem to be much more afraid of people than people are afraid of them.  I learned that my hearing has once again deteriorated, because everyone in the campground could hear that rattler at Site 5 except me.  I stood 5 feet away and could not hear a sound, not even a whisper of a rattler.  I started wearing long pants after I discovered that LOL.

We also have a bear that roams up and down the highway from campground to campground.  And a red fox that would come to our picnic table in May because the winter caretakers fed him. We did not feed him so by June he did not come around.  Likely he will be back this winter.

Wendy, I should mention that this past summer was like the way you used to envision us before you came to Cold Spring last year.  Two days off every week, and lots of time in the evenings to fish and relax.  Not at all like it was last year.

Smoky
 
I fish the Au Sable in Michigan quite a bit.  There are several campgrounds along the river, especially along M-72, east of Grayling.  Burton's Landing is a really good one.  Only catch and release, fly fishing only, but lots of fish.
 
AndyinLexington said:
I fish the Au Sable in Michigan quite a bit.  There are several campgrounds along the river, especially along M-72, east of Grayling.  Burton's Landing is a really good one.  Only catch and release, fly fishing only, but lots of fish.
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Do you fish the Mason Tract?  I can wade that stretch for hours and never see another person, except the the occasional canoe. :eek:
 
I've fished the Mason Tract quite a bit in the past.  I've got a fairly severe beesting allergy, so generally try to stay a little closer to civilization now-a-days.  A typical day in the Au Sable system for me now is to start at Thendara Road access, go from there to Burtons, then over to the South Branch at Chase Bridge, fish downstream and upstream there, break for an afternoon nap (depending on time of year), go have dinner at Gates Lodge (Stephan Bridge road, at the crossing), then fish the loop at the lodge, and call it a day.  That's if I have a lot of energy.  I also like the Manistee River south of M-72.  Some good access and not too heavily fished, at least by the visiting anglers.
 
Huntington beach State Park  South Carolina ,campground right  near ocean . You can surf fish or walk a mile to rock jetty ,good fishing. If you bring a boat you can launch close by in murrels inlet. Besides fishing there are thousands of things to do and places to eat.
 
Duck Island RV park near Rio Vista, CA. Adults only Rv park right on the Sacramento River, they have six docks specificaly made for fishing right on the river edge.  Small, quiet and very well kept.  Dan
 
Thanks Dan. We've passed Duck Island numerous times over the years (on Hwy 160), but have never stayed there. I'll make a point of driving in next time we're passing.

BTW we have an article in our forum library on RV parks in the CA Delta.
 
Smoky said:
The best campground I have ever fished is one of the ones that Sharon and I managed (and resided in) last summer and will manage again this coming summer.  It is Ansel Watrous campground 15 miles west of Fort Collins Colorado.  It is on the Poudre (pronounced "pooder"} River.  Most of the sites are within 20 feet of the river edge.  It is a Forest Service campground with water availability but no power or sewage. The Admiral and I were fortunate to have full hookups including 50 amps as resident managers for 3 campgrounds in the area.

Any time I wanted dinner I grabbed my spinning rod and had 4 trout (brown, rainbow, and brook) in the pan within 45 minutes.  Also did a lot of catch and release with the fly rods.

The rules get stricter as you go higher up the mountain, but at Ansel Watrous a total of 4 fish may be kept by a licensed angler and even live bait is permitted.  Want dinner fast, put on a worm or a live grasshopper.  Want some fun, then a barbless fly on the fly rod.  Most days was non stop action.

The location is eye busting gorgeous.  We even have long horn sheep (with the curved ram horns) that show up on the precipices above the river each evening. before sunset.

Smoky
Click to expand...

Big Horns, sir! Not some Texas showing there, is it!!! All right if it is, I married an Aggie! (Pity me!)
 
1.  Try the Guadalupe River at Canyon Lake Texas, lots of campsites along it.
2.  Try Tellico River, Tellico Plains, Tn.  Koa has the river running through it.
3.  Little River in Townsend, Tn.  is great with a lot of Camping right on the river.
4.  Cherokee NC
 
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