Smalliebigs

Chief, I'm going to try to make it....the 17th right???? Is this float alright to bring an 17 foot Old Town SS canoe and my trailer???? or mabey I can get in Cricket's camo rig??? You guys need someone from the eastern half of the state there

I agree with you Gavin....We float from Tan Vant to Cedar Gove in September, October, and November every year since about 1995.We saw no one on the first two floats last year and I think two guys on the November float.we float Wedensday thru Friday so I don't know if that has something to do with it????? As Gavin said we have noticed and caught more big Browns in the last three years than all the rest combined.So that beeing said my experience makes me think the river is killer.You couldn't pay me to fish in the park though, that's a joke!!!! you might as well fish in the kiddie pond at the boat show One thing I have noticed about trout fisherman at all the rivers and streams I have fished in Missouri is that they are not affraid to move right up next to you and fish???? especially if you are catching some fish. I will never understand the "trouter" mentality. I shouldn't generalize because I have had some hoosier river bass fisherman do the same thing. I love the Current and will continue to go but, it will only be three float trips in the fall....I won't quit a good thing.

Pete, you got that right...we usually have them near a cheap roadside Inn that has hourly rates if needed.The "nymphing" thing runs deep with these people. Scott

How many acres and is there a well and electric????? I need to get out of St.Louis County bad, before they combine the city and the county!!!!!!

Touche', my friend!!! we have a very large extended family that offers many oppurtunities

Dude, I'm right there with you I wanted to post something about all of nymphs I've met thus far in my life but I held back. What does it say about you????? you're a funny guy

D, You are correct, I guess I really never payed attention to whether or not St.Louis County cared if I put my little 9 foot yak in there.Hell, I put in on the Meramec @ the Kirkwood ramp and float down around the corner to right where Unger is and drag the yak up to the lake, fish leave and paddle back up stream to my truck.I guess I have been doing covertly enough that I have only seen a few hikers and frisbee golfers.I have never been questioned or asked about my fishing there once and that goes back about 8 years since I have been fishing Unger.I guess I've been lucky???? I have seen jon boats in there in the past...that's what prompted me to put the yak and canoe in there. It would suck to Flyfish from the bank there...lot's of roll casting if any at all.

8.02....that will be my fish...Saturday

Hood, what's up??? Unger park holds a ton of every spieces that calls the Meramec home as it floods a couple times every spring from the river.It has a ton of Crappie and White bass and Largemouth I have even caught a few smallies out of there.The down fall it is hard to fish from the bank so you will want a small jon boat or do as a I do a canoe or kayak will help big time there.Right now is when you want to be slow rolling a 1/8 to a 1/4 ounce rooster tail, white with a gold blade and you will hammer White Bass, alot will be small but fun to catch.Unger has a huge population of shad and carp...way too many.If you want bass there you have to fish deep once the water warms up, I catch fish there with a nice size spoon jigged off the bottom. This time of year use a Stike King spinner bait, sexy shad triple blade, run it along the wind blown shoreline, which ever that one is that day. There is alot of flood timber from the river that settles in there so be ready to loose some baits. The Meramec right behind it, there is a nice hole that I catch Blues out of....you need cut skip jack herring for that. I live right up Marshall Rd on the opposite side of the river from Unger...so I fish that whole area when I'm in need of a quick fix. P.M. me if you want a guided trip of the lower Meramec...anything from the Big River to the Mississippi River.In my big boat there has to sufficient flow though.I'm in dire need of a jet boat

darn Al, that's brutal!!!!.....but funny as hell!!!!!

Has anyone ever seen one of these on a river???I think this thing would be funny on a river. Stoneroller this ones for you. the music is kind of gay but I couldn't help but laugh at this. a few flush mounts and rod holders and your crusing up the river.just kidding obviously.....March madness is back baby.....i'm in a basketball trance until Sunday night.

There's a fine line between me standing on the side of a river drinking beer and me fishing.....I always look stupid

How do you know he doesn't already take his kids or grandkids fishing on a regular basis?????? I don't even want to go into the argument of what is considered as real fishing....flyfishing vs fishing with a conventional rod n reel talk about opening a can of worms......sorry but real fishing to me is not standing next to some dork in a tailwater situation shoulder to shoulder but neither is siting in a beautiful cove in my boat trying to admire nature as a bunch of half cocked bass boats buzz from spot to spot with no regard for the waves they propel out towards anyone much less the noise......let's just not go there....leave Larry alone and go tie some nymphs and Larry will go spend $30 on a jerk bait.

you can ctach cats already you just have to know where to go.you really need a boat to fish the Meramec effectively for cats, you need good sonar to find the contours in the channel where they are holding.i have found in the last two decades blue cats have been coming in from the Mississippi more, all the way up to Eureka.the biggest i have caught thus far is 39 pounds,on the Meramec.with the blues came Skip jack Herring witch is what you want to use for bait.you should either fish for them with skippy jigs or cast net them.cut skippy's are the best bait for Blues but, cuy anything works.there is a good hole below hwy 44 towards george winter, good moving water about 8 foot that drops to 15 to 18 and it holds logs and debri.there is another good hole just above the old hwy 30 bridge water goes from 6 foot to 15 and the is a water outtake there, very good cat hole.another one is just below the hwy 141 bridge.all of these spots are hard to hit without a boat.i have several spots on the Mississippi and Missouri that will produce trophy Blues all the time.......pm me and i might run you over to one if you ask nice.......p.s. we need several skip jack herring to catch the big ones...over 50lbs.

I will be hard to miss, I might be the only one fishing in an aluminum boat painted from head to toe mossy oak/break up. I will be fishing from a catfish tourney boat, a Seaark that is mossy oak/break up all through out.Say hello if you see me, I'm also staying @ Big Cedar.

Is anyone here fishing in the Oakley Big bass event 03/26 & 03/27????

I've also said those who disagree -all the time- need to go to the corner cafe, sit down and have a cup of coffee OR go fishing together. I totally agree with this one, Phil

Crawpy, This dude just gave you a wealth of information without giving you a specific spot.Excellent job and great info from dtrs, you can't get anymore info than he just gave you....this is why I like this forum.

Aww, E that really sucks that you don't participate or stay by the sideline. E and I don't see eye to eye on most political issues and we still get along.We can give each other crap about it too and we don't care, he can still always man the front of my Seaark whenever he wants and we'll share some beers and probally laugh our asses off making fun of each other. Some of the guys on this forum are very sensetive and thin skinned. It's just a fishing forum.....but a darn good one in my opinion were not trying to save the world here.

Worms will catch just about any freshwater fish that swims. The biggest problem with fishing creeks with worms is the fish will swallow the worm so fast it can be hard to set the hook before the worm and hook are in the fishes gullet, thus killing the fish, if you are C & R....this sucks. The Goggle eye will practiclly walk on land to get a worm. I don't fish with worms or minnows on creeks or rivers anymore but, I use to and I think most will agree that they are going to be the best way to get a fish on the end of your line. When I was usings worms, we would drive a stake in the ground near are garden where the soil was much more nutrient rich.somehow make your stake vibrate and up come some Missouri Night Crawlwers, we would wacky rig them with a slpit shot.they tend to come of the hook very easily that way so you want make sure there are bass holding where you're fishing, so you don't waste so many worms on the bait stealers.you will have so many bass so fast, you will have your limit in minutes.

and turn on Rachel Maddow or Chris Mathews.....there's no spin there

I forgot we also hit several nieghborhood lakes or subdivision lakes. Lake Arrowhead comes to mind out in Chesterfield as well as many others in the West County area. The thing was it was alot of trial and error to find which lakes had been stocked good.We would usually look for older nice subdivisions that had houses right on them that nobody would think of fishing because the houses were to close. My really good friend lives in the Legends in Eureka and has a drainage pond behind his house.He is single, no kids and has plenty of money.He had the fish farm outside of Salem come and stock his pond with hybrid FL/IL bass in 2002, that place is really good fishing and I don't know if anyone knows theres fish in it.

I was able to kick my golf and golf course lake fishing addiction about 17 years ago. I have relapsed on the golf for about the last year only because I quit softball, the two swings when played anytime near each other, for me, usually ended with dangerous results. Now the golf couse lake fishing I completely kicked but, when I was on the pipe we had a complete guide with ratings on the different courses public and private.I was only busted once. WE caught several huge bass in the St.Louis area and St.charles area courses. We basicly would rate them by the easiest to access without prosecution and the best fishing. *best bass* 1) New Melle Lakes, the large lake is so full of huge bass it is beyound anything you can think of......several in the 5 to 7 pound class with average size around just under 3 to just over.::::: set backs the clubhouse is right with in clear sight of the lake and there are two houses on the lake which is probally 30 acres. 2) Westwood Country Club, both lakes hold huge bass lots of 5 pounders never caught anything bigger than 5.09 lbs, but the average size is off the charts.***** side note the smaller lake must have been stunted crappie, one time my buddy caught several 6 inch crappie in a row on a rooster tail and then two in a row that were both pushing 4 lbs....typical of a pond with stunted crappie. Westwood members had a rash of vandalism****watch out they don't mess around. 3)This one is interesting the lake is gone and there is a hospital there now::: The old Lakewood Golf course That lake held lots of big bass and was owned by the same people that owned the next course on the list??? 4) Quail Creek:::: easy to hit at night and has huge bass.....problem****other people were hitting it making not as good as it once was. 5) Columbia Bridges:::: very good fishing lots of 5 pounders caught there********there is also a nice pond ajacent to the course on the road we parked on that also held really nice bass Old Warson...very good and still is I caught a nice one there last september on a caddy day my brother is the caddy master:::: Bellreive:: very productive and easy to hit, until they shut down and re did the course I have twenty one more that we fished with reports and notes................we were loosers!!!!! bartend to all of hours of the night and go fish until dawn, that was my twenties

I can attest to the fact the Coosa will hold up pretty well to being hurled out of the bed of a truck. I am a friggin airhead I was so stoked to go fishing Friday I tossed the brand new Coosa on to Big Bend Blvd, It fared very well, I was impressed with how little damage there is. I'm very lucky that it didn't get hit by a Meramec college kid.From the yak in the road to getting lost in Illinois and my Mexican mishap @ Mardi Gras it was a brutal weekend