Smalliebigs

Kevin, if you ever want to go let me know....I'll put you on some Hybrids it's a blast...you just need some braid and at the very least a med/heavy rod.

I always crack up when I here comments on this forum that there is no "good" fishing close to St.Louis pure ignorance.We fished 5 hours and caught several Drum from 2 to 6 pounds, which I know alot of you will frown on, we also caught a ton of White Bass from 2 to 3 pounds that most would consider trophies. Then we caught 8 of these brutes and unlike some of you on this forum I enjoy the fight the give up, they were anywhere from 4 to 7 pounds. The only other freshwater fish that compares is a Steelhead in my opinion ***bonus video of some the Bluff and chunk rock banks we caught Hybrids on*** I would like to thank MOsmallies for going out with me....you're like a little brother to me. It was great to get out on the water in a time of turmoil in my life....I thank you buddy. Get out ond fish!!!!! the fishing is awsome right now!!!!!

I have my CNC permit and a Curio and Relics License and have been carrying a Desert Eagle 357 when I float ever since July 18th 2003. That day will live with me for a long time as my wife and I were floating the Black River from BRL lodge to the second smiley face when we came around a turn in the river we saw a skirmish between one guy and six other guys. As we approached we noticed a family of two children and a distraught wife freaking out as her husband was getting basicly a murdered by six guys. Beeing the dumbass I am I jumped out of our canoe with my paddle to aid the gentleman who looked unconscious on the sand bar while some friggin looser was still punchling him. When I came to his aid they proceeded to gang up on me and I ended up with a fractured orbital bone, concusion, broken Ulna and a fractured jaw. They almost killed the guy I was trying to help, he had to be air lifted to St.Johns in St. Louis, I was taken to a hospital in Farmington I wouldn't take my dog to. I later found out the gentleman who was almost killed was defending his daughter who these pieces of dung were harassing. Since I have been carrying a chest holster with a 357 in it I can't tell you how many times a group of rude, wiggers has shut up completely when they notice my piece. I know it may seem a little over the top but, I will never allow a group of retards to have me held in the middle of nowhere with no one to help me, I will always have my security blanket after that day. Now all you anti gun freaks go ahead and blast me and I will laugh a loud to myself. Until you are in a situation where there is no one there to help and you are in dire need of help you will never know. By the way the Reynolds county prosecuter along with the Kangaroo court in Lesterville....which there is none did nothing to these hooligans. I will never brandish my weapon but, will not think twice to defend myself or others who are in fear for their lives on the river. Al, I agree with you, bite your tounge and move on it's the most prudent thing to do but, if you and your family were beeing assaulted on the river ahead of me you can bet that I would jump out and start blasting holes in some femoral artiries and defend you.

David, I think your canoe looks sweet from the pics and I happen to agree with your statement that Muddy put on his sig page. You made a great point at the time there are plenty of people who use drugs that function in everyday life and mabey a whole lot better than some on this forum. Sweet canoe!!!!!

sorry he wasn't fishing a Dahlberg Diver with the barb bent back on a 6wt flyrod so he could play the poor bastard until utter exhaustion set in and it floated downstream......could have died that way....just kidding but those fish shake those lures. my buddy and I still fish soft platics, jigs and things with treble hooks.....sorry I know thats not popular on this forum

If people would leave them in the river and leave their habitat unmolested...ready for the news flash?...they'll get bigger! AMEN brother!!!!! I hope all is well with you and the ladies????

lol......I knew someone like you Gavin, would know the potential of our Ozark rivers. The bummer is there is might be as many smallies that size in that river as fingers on your hand if we are lucky. I just would like to see one like that....it's been a long time. I saw a smallie in person that size once.....and unfortunately it was 1984 on the Meramec just above what is now the Redhorse access, right at what some call Shady Beach. It was an absolute monster and the biggest bummer was it was on an old chain stringer.My dad and I paddle our little jon boat over to the gentleman that held up the fish to see it closer and I did a half assed measurement which came out to a little over 23 inches....I will admit it wasn't the most acurate measurement. I estimated that smallie at 5lb plus and to this day I still fish that strech of the Meramec thinking there is still one in the area that size.....DORK!!!!!!

I had the pleasure to listen an account of a Smallmouth bass today, hooked and unfortunately broke off but, the size of the fish restores faith to continue the quest to catch a smallie over 5 lbs on a river. I know a lot of you will say, fish story or tall tale but, I have the pleasure of beeing a good friend of the dude who hooked this fish and subsquently lost it and he is one of the most honest, no nonsense people I know. He is also the type of guy who's passion for river Smallmouth is only matched by his passion for preserving them and that beeing said I believe everything he says. This gentleman is estimating the length at 23 to 24 inches and I know alot of you are saying BS.....thats fine because, I know when you have caught several smallies in the 20 inch and above range you know how big a fish that size looks. The great thing is he was actualy able to sight the fish before he hooked it as he thought it was a huge Common Carp until it turned and demolished his Wiggle Wart and proceded to snap 10 lb test line like it was nothing. Anyway I would like to tell him thanks for letting me know there's still a few smallies out there in our rivers that are true trophy class. When my crazy situation gets settled a bit I can't wait to go chase smallies with ya.

Ed, i can hardly wait!!!!!! our annual trip to Destin is an epic fishing adventure for the last eight years in a row. The people on this forum who haven't caught saltwater fish..... well you have no idea until you do.......any saltwater fish will punk out anything freshwater..... other than mabey steelhead.

Fresh caught Flounder is delicious!!!!! and so is taking a Grouper from the reef to the skillet and a little blackening seasoning and i'm starving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh i want a fresh grouper snadwich!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are going to be fishing the destin bridge and doing some beach kayak fishing in three weeks hammering pig Reds, Blues, Ladies,Pompanos,Cobia a few Spinner sharks and throw in some spanish and i'm already there, can't wait!!!!!!! The jetties and the bridge over the east pass provide some of the best fishing on the gulf coast without having to go off shore, there is also two artificial reefs with in a mile or so off the coast right at the Crabtrap and Pompano Joes....both spots hold huge fish. Last September I had a fish start to tow me out to sea and I pussed out as the beach started to disapear in the horizon and cut the line. Destin is the redneck riviera but, i love it

What's considered huge???? we catch at least a couple everytime we go to Taney on the upper end that are above 6 to 7 pound class........always at night or dusk on our own modified jerk baits.

???????? I'm pretty sure that's tounge n cheek but ya never know....you cut it off and call a number an mail it to MO conservation and give a little info.Then they mail you a check and hopefully he released the killer current river smallie unharmed.

Andy, I couldn't agree with ya more brother....... thank you for the small beacon of truth.

Kev, I really don't start catching the true trophies until the fall so that would be no i never shun the water. Anytime give me a pm we are close to each other I'm in Kirkwood.

Wally, man sorry about the hull!!!! wow I'm glad neither you or dad were hurt other than your pride. There are some nice fish down there that's for sure. The best way to post pics is to store them at outside site like imageshack or something like that and then use your insert image button up top on your menu when you are posting.If you drag your mouse over it you will see insert image, click it and delete the address that is prefilled and insert your image of the biggest Walleye you have possibly ever seen. Go get his toothy butt, you are really making me want to hit Sand Ford!!!!!!!!!!! P.S. as you know becareful coming back to the ramp at Sand Ford going upstream, you have to really stick it in a small curved channel there with a few big olde rocks....three people I know have ripped their hulls open like a can as you said

You are a lucky man the river there is awsome!!!! We catch several big smallies every year out of the Black but, as you said I don't know if it's locals or whoever they put a beat down on the Smallies in the Black. It's unfortunate but, it's reality. You are correct the MDC produced some very impressive results, if you pm me I will send you pics of some the fish they tagged.I met one of the gentleman who was doing the tagging and he gave me pics. As a matter of fact where your pavillion is we caught a 19 incher this July 1rst, your area is awsome right there. As you know those bass in the Black are an educated bunch of fish that not only see alot of pressure but, they see alot of pressure from bait fisherman, which makes them even more tight lipped.The trophies are in there, they are just very smart and I have found that in the Black you really need to be down which can be hard to do with the current there. It always seems impossible to get your lure where it needs to be for any lenght of time to entice the hit. It can be a tough river to fish which is why I like it, and that also seems to keep some people away after they have fished it once.....which I love about that river as well. If you ever know ahead of time that you are going to do a clean up please pm me and I will be there with my trailers, vessels and trucks to help. I truly love the area down there and it's the least I can do as an avid user of the resource.

Kev, pm me sometime and we will go there......we need a second vehicle for the shuttle....preferably a truck or something that can haul my little canoe/kayak trailer. I have been staying away from the olde creek for two years now and I hope the locals haven't destroyed it yet????

Wally, that's awsome!!! I hope your dad catches a nice one. Downstream from Sand Ford are some of the best holes on the river, from Sand Ford to Redhorse is trophy time!!!!! good luck and please post pics and next time you are playing hooky......please pm me ahead of time and I will pay for gas and anything else you need. You can nail the Walleyes and I'll hammer the Smallies.

Sweet!!!! I love the river around Redhorse. the biggest Smallmouth I have ever witnessed caught was taken from just below Shady Beach where the Indian creek flows in, although that was 1985.......still asweet area though

purely tounge and cheek Al, I admire your art and truly love the post's. It's just it seems like a riddle sometimes and I won't spill the beans.....I figured you had to give us some mis/direction.....I know I would. Al, I have a creek I would love to show you someday that I'm sure you have hit but, also very remote and it seems as though nobody fishes it. It's has little flow at one of the few access points, so I think not many people think it holds fish but, it holds monsters and the creek really has nice water away from the only access I have found but, as you said very precarious and fragile. I sure wish I coud show it to you. For all of the riddle masters reading this the creek is on page 62 and 63 of the Delorme Missouri atlas and I'm positive I'm not catching Neoshos out of this creek as alot of the fish are pushing 20 inches and a few have been well over 20.Also as Al decribed his creek I have never seen anyone there????? which is fine with me and I have only taken one person there and drove him the way around route to get there.

once you give too many clues to your personal creek it's hard to turnback

Oh.......the Cottonmouths gave it away....I have been thinking long and hard about this creek since you posted you're astronomical numbers last year. I know the creek now and am deffinitely hitting it.....just need a second truck for the shuttle you finally gave enough clues Al.

Oh, Wally you know where the "EYE" holes are on the Meramec, don't you???? and if you don't pm me and I will tell you where I catch them....here a hint the close you go to the Lou the better you will do.

Justin, I could not agree more.....Old Town has gone to crap!!!! buy a Wenonah. My Old Town Predator SS is warped and it's a year old.....crap....they are making their hulls millimeters less thick to save money on material????....crap. I'm a Wenonah man now

You got that right Mitch.....one gut hooked fish every now and then is nothing compared to the freaks in Missouri that rape our rivers every day. Fish all the soft plastics you want and do it guilt free.