Smalliebigs

Yeah, you can come fish on my land. We have some land on the Meramec off of HWY N out of Bourbon, we have an awsome creek that flows threw the property called Brazil creek that would be great for a fly rod. It might be a little tight in there but you could roll cast easily, there are still some nice smallies in there and I have caught so many pig smallies out the river there I cant begin to count them. I don't use meth and wouldn't shoot ya....you just have to bring me a bottle of Macallan 12 year scotch.............just kidding man....but your right.

Fly, I'm not saying I'm out to shoot somone but I'll be darn if I am going to allow some freak to take me out like that. That is really the only incident like that I have come across but there have been a few other wierd ones with out guns. I had a guy on the upper Bourbeuse threaten to run my truck over with his tractor if I didn't leave.That was a true freak show!!! I will wade just about anywhere, I try to find someone for permission but sometimes you cant find anyone. I will still fish though, I guess that goes with territory???? I am a true creek freak!!!

Fly, I think these individuals were paranoid meth producers??? I'm not sure but I was not going to argue with them. I was 24 at the time and I just walked to my truck and left. At the time there was a bridge out on the road I drove back in there on and there was only one way out. As I was driving out of there going past a house just ajacent to the creek a woman threw a rock at me it was priceless!!! That is one reason I do generally carry a little Desert Eagle 380 with me most of the time when I fish alone in the sticks. When I got out of there I reported it to the Sheriff of Saint Clair, who is a buddy of mine. He told me it wasn't that uncommon back up in there, needless to say I don't fish there anymore. It's a beautiful creek but dangerous. Upstream on the Meramec from where the Indian dumps into the Meramec is where I have caught some of my biggest smallies by the way, I have several 20's in that area, not many people fish in that stretch....not much access.

Fly, I know it seems stupid but I have been escorted back to my truck at gun point out of that creek. It is great fishing too, or at least it use to be.

I know on our river property in Crawford county, if you have river frontage or stream frontage you own the land to the middle of the stream bed unless of course you own the land on the other side of the river. We are taxed for acreage to the center of the stream bed so this is are land but there is a easement set up by the state of Missouri that allows the public to navigate the stream or river via the water over your land. So it is legal to float or navigate the stream as long as you accessed via public land or access. As far as a stream that you are wading you would need a lawyer to define navigating as it pertains to wading. I know if you float the stream you are good to go as long as you accessed the stream via a public access. I know there are some streams from past experiences that you might want to think twice about wading unless you have explicit permission. One of them beeing Indian creek that flows into the Meramec in Franklin county, you can get shot back there if you wade thru their land...be careful!!! always try to find landowners and ask permission, offer a fee for fishing or buy them some beer, strike up a conversation.That's what I do and that's what I would want someone to do for me with my river property. I personally want to know who is on my land at all times.

Sorry Al, I would never want any stream to be decimated, in fact I picked so much trash from the acess point where I was on this creek I had to bungee it down in the back of my truck for the ride home. My partner and I always bend are barbs down on our hooks when we fish soft plastics wherever we go, I can't tell you how many trophies I have lost that way. I repect all water and land like it was my own. This creek is not one that feeds into the Mississippi, it dumps directly into the Big river.There were a few locals fishing with minnows where we parked and trash and it looked quit industrial, yet if you walked a mile or so up or down it was beautiful. Al, I completely respect your knowledge of the rivers and streams in our great state and in honor of that I will never disclose a locale on this forum ever again.I am truly sorry and you are right, I hope you don't think I could possibly one of those "GREEDY PINHEADS"???? I just love seeing and catching Smallies. Al, I deleted the prior post with name of the creek, I guess I was beeing a little naive.This dude is taking the canoe up stream for an evening float....see ya.

I was set for a week of floating on the Meramec and some of it's tributaries when I was delayed a day or so. I had to get my Smallie fix so we went wading again in a creek I have never hit before. I will just say I am going to hit it again!!!! We caught them on a variety of soft plastics and we caught a ton of fish. We had several double headers, the biggest fish was a hair under 18 inches, we caught a tremendous amount of 12 to 15 inchers. This creek would be perfect to take a kid to start them out in creek fishing it's an absolute gem, pristine water, scenic, and not that far from St. Louis for all the city boys like me.This creek runs into the Big River and it blows me away it was right under my nose for the last 30 years and I never hit it. Here are the images and once again a bonus video: Also I appologize in advance for my disgusting fat butt, I need to start working out again!!! It was hot in the creek that day my friends, like to rats fu**ing in a wool sock.notice the difference in color between the two smallies caught out of the same hole Bonus video of a OAF member, with a perfect cast that day and he is rewarded with a nice smallie....god job Paul. I will be back next week with a ton of good images from the Meramec, Courtois, and the Huzzah...hopefully

Flytyer, I love the tatoo on your left arm!!! Man I wish I lived in your area down there, to many places to fish down there not enough time!!

Sorry, I had just drank a bottle of Pinot Noir before I posted this, I thought I was in General Angling discussion.I posted there as well if you want to see better pics. This is obviously not Elk River, it's a small creek that runs into the Mississippi in St Genevieve county. Cricket, What up??? I like your style. I fish 6 pound fluorocarbon on the creeks and 8 pound on the rivers.I catch plenty of nice smallies on 6 pound, look at some of my post. Like this one caught on 6 pound test :::Creak Freak:::

Al, thanks for the insight, I knew you would know the deal. It's really interesting you saying some fish would represent a Smallie more and some would represent a Spot more.The Meanmouth thing, that is just what the guys I was with when we caught them @ the Rock were calling them. I didn't know that there was Largemouth bred with Smallmouth in a lab, it almost sounds like a Horror movie. Your brother catching a 19 inch hybrid, now that would be sweet. Although I guess it's indicative of bad things to come for smallies where this occurs. Al, I learn something new everytime you post on here....thank you

ColdWater, it was well worth posting these pics for your reply alone.....thank you!!!!..very nice. Man I am still laughing!!!

Gavin, I am am idiot, my friend said the same thing....Spot*Smallie hybrid not Smallie*Largemouth.........I think I am going to agree with you. That fish in person did not look like a smallie????

We caught a bass the other day that my buddy swears is a hybrid between a Smallmouth and a Largemouth bass. I didn't think bass did that in streams.I have caught a few Meanmouths @ Table Rock. The fish did not have a patch on it's tounge, it did have vertical bars like a Smallie but it also had a faint horizontal bar like a Largemouth and was built like a Largemouth. The upper jaw extened just barely past it's eye. I would say it's a spot but it didn't look like a spot. I was sure someone here would know if SM & LM hybridize in streams and you would have opinions.It kind of looked like a Shoal bass from some creek in GA. Here are the best images I have of the fish. ::Creak Freak:: bonus video of 16 incher fighting for freedom that day :::Creak Freak:::

jd, I can't believe you haven't shown that pic to authorities!!!! That is the best pic of a Missouri Sasquatch I have ever seen!!!! beautiful..... did anyone try to feed it or get any molds of any foot prints???

3wt, I'm not sure what the legal deffiniton of "navigable" is in repect to navigating a stream.I know I have riverfront property and my deed and what I am taxed on as the property owner is to the middle of the stream bed.That land is mine, but there is a variance from the state of Missouri that allows people to navigate the stream over my land.That how it has been explained to me by my lawyer and the county of Crawford.I think if someone wants to navigate the stream they must access thru public accesses or with permission from private land owner.I always try to get permisson from the closest house I can find to where I wade. You would be suprised what a case of beer and nice conversation will get you.My friends rarely ask permission and they getted kicked out of a lot of spots. I always have no problem trying to talk to someone about permission, that is what I would want someone to do for me. Most of these creeks the landowners are pretty cool other than Platin creek, the landowners there are ruthless.I can't say I blame them it is a beautiful creek and alot of people trying to access are half witted hoosiers that litter and have no respect for the land or the water.

Flytyer57, you are killing me!!!!!!!!!!!!! bust out as many jabs as you can, I got your back.......hilarious!!! I don't know what was more funny your sacasm or sliders reponse.....I just about pissed myself when I was reading it......priceless

Geoff, without exposing my buddies farm property to the genral public and having him shoot me with his SigSauer, I'll tell you this.the last two post I have made were on creeks that run from the ozarks to the Mississippi under HWY 55. Their are 6 that I hit from Festus to Cape, going in order from north to south, Joachim,Platin,Fourche De Clos,Establishment,Saline, and Apple creek. I would give specifics on my spots but I think you should explore them all, they are all kick butt creeks with varible water and awsome terrain.The other reason is my buddy will kill me if I give directions to his access on one of them and he is on this forum.::: note to you Geoff....access on Platin can be sketchy at best, I have been chased out at gun point.Sometimes it's best to float if you can versus wading.

Gary, I live in St.Louis, but I wanted to thank you for the effort.I deffinitely like the effort...don't give up. JDC, thanks for showing concern, I like to to see younger people with an eye for conserving our states resources. I always thought if the SMA could get in front of people going into Basspro or Cabelas for a day or two to spread knowledge to people about such and important resource like smallies, you could enlighten a ton of fisherman. Good luck and keep up the good fight.....you only live once so don't worry about what if

We went wading again after the sucess last Tuesday and once again we had a sweet day. We caught 20 plus smallies, 8 Largemouth and some Goggles. Last week we caught them on soft plastics on a creek a little closer to St.Louis, this time it was topwater, Sammy's and Torpedo's on a creek further down on HWY 55. I love catching smallies on topwater. I think recent rains in the area around the creek we fished helped the fishing and water quality :Creak Freak lives on:...........next week will be spent on the Meramec, Huzzah, and Courtois all week

Eric, I must agree the show is cool, but Jeremy is playing for the other team if you know what I mean. I wouldn't go camping with him in the Amazon, you would have to pull the tea bag from your chin in the morning.

After the sucess we had the other day on a Ozark creek we thought we would try another. We tried another creek further from St. Louis but still only a little over an hour away. The smallies were hitting and it was blast, plus I'm saving money on gas for the boat. The pattern we were catching them on was different than last week. Last week was soft plastics this time we were hammering them on topwater, Torpedo's and Sammy's.Oh, how I love to catch smallies on topwater, we caught 19 smallies,7 largemouth and 6 goggleye.The creeks seem to be hot right now, i need to get back into my creek freak mode. I personally think recent rains this area, where it was parched before has turned them on a bit.

I appologize cat, I have been edited by the administrator on my last post, so I will make this as vanilla and as clean as I can...... Sorry to you and to anyone I have offened with my fowl language.

Flytyer57, that was awsome!!!!!!!!!!!! I laughed so hard I spilled my coffee on my desk @ work........thank you I needed that this morning.

Sorry Cat.....I don't know what's got into me lately. I'm just a pissy, old bitch these days. Actually Manhattan is not that bad and Kstate seems to always kick Mizzou butt for some reason. I think back to 1987 and I got my butt kicked up there @ the Sig CHi house for beeing a smart butt, that is most likely my where my ever so fond memories of Manahattan begin. Hey, I like your sense of humor...we deffinitely need to hook on the river sometime.You, me and Eric can all sit around screwing with each other.

We were going to go to the pool the other day and decided to wade fishing instead.My buddy and I decided to hit a creek that flows into the Mississppi, it was a good choice. We did pretty well between the two of us we caught 21 smallies, 5 largemouth, 4 goggleye and one walleye??? I think... I attached some pics, we had a double header so I made my buddy do the poacher pose.We were using an 8 inch pork pin by V&M, basicly a trick worm, texas rigged with a brass bullet. All in all it was a good trip and way better than going to the pool ::Get out and hit the creeks:: ::Creak Freak lives on::