Greasy B

IMO you would be better of floating in a tupper wear bucket than a Coleman anything.

Thanks for the report. You got me thinking about the big holes between Bay Creek and Alley.

They might call you weird, look at you funny and keep their distance.

Good lord, the very first "if" got me. I am a Smallmouth Snob.

Ouch! You guys are killing me. Oh well I guess anyone going through the trouble of reading this will tread lightly on our home waters. The boats are a bargain at $ 5.30 per day. The folks that rent them are great, they will even stay a little past past 9:00 pm closing to allow you to turn in a key. Way back the folks the ran the concession were jerks, the seemed to relish slamming the door on you at 9:00 sharp forcing you to come back the next day to get your drivers licence. Be aware that they now go around checking boaters to see that they have a key. So if you find a boat unlocked I wouldn't just take it.

Scott, You wlll find as the season progresses the fishing will get more predictable. About mid or late may the fish on Meramec will go onto a summer pattern that will hold through September. As the weather heats up the fish will become much more active especially the smaller bass. If boat traffic is light you can often find feeding fish in every likely spot. Another peculiar thing is the predictable time of day the bite happens, if you catch a lot of fish during a particular time of day you can often find the same holds true day after day.

I enjoyed the report Scott. I think there are a fair number of MSA folks on this forum including myself. Joining would be a great way to gain friends and knowledge. One of the most enjoyable aspects of stream Smallmouth fishing is that it can be such a challenge. I'm looking forward to more of your reports.

78 cfs at Buck is fine water. Might be a little skinny below Bay Creek.

Slab Queens, now that's scary. I don't know about monsters in the water but know for fact there's a colony of flying monkeys living up Dry Fork River.

Great fish! What part of the river is your favorite?

There are none that fluctuate as much in area for sure. There are probably few in the whole country. The white does suffer from an unstable substrate, maybe more than a natural river due to the extreme fluctuations.

The things we did every day in high school would now get you kicked out, probably make the news paper too. Field trips were crazy affairs that you would make good comedy movies. Hell I remember mooning a police helicopter. When it landed and the police stepped out they took pictures of us while we were pulling up our pants. They threatened to have us arrested but in the end they laughed it off. Why has our society become so intolerant of fun?

For many years I considered the three day float from Adams Ford to G H the sweetest in the ozarks. Very quiet water, gravel bar camp sites are hard to come by the closer you get to G H.

I enjoyed your post Blazerman, the meramec is a treasure for sure. Do you have a theory about the gap between 10" and much larger

Bronze on Grumman. Fantastic fish!

I'm in Tri Stste Trolling Motor in north St Louis county a couple of times a year. They sell some high end batteries. I have always wondered if they're worth the extra money??

I think Cedar Creek offers some bass fishing, I'm not sure about access but it's in the 200 S.A. book. Cedar creek is just south east of Columbia. There is some National Forest land in the area but I'll bet it's all uplands.

Well now they often call me Greasy but my real name is Mr Earl

The trick with spending a weekend on the Slabtown Ross float is to put in at Slabtown early afternoon sat. then fish hard and float slow so your behind the crowd. You want to get to 6x late afternoon Sun. and take out at dusk. You'll swear the river was empty when in reality everyone was ahead of you.

While I have seen a fair number of fish in the 20" class most all were when I spooked them in the open and they fled for cover. I only held one in my hands about 20 years ago. Another was when I friend caught one within site of a very popular boat ramp. He had only been Smallmouth fishing for a year or so, I'd hate to think he'll never get another.

Yea I would also go with Slabtown to Ross but you'll want to camp on a gravel bar along the way. A one day float in that area would have you floating 6 crossing to Ross, a beautiful part if the river but not the high quality experience you would have coming down from Slabtown.

Thanks for the Montana update Al, I was also wondering about the snow pack? Have you spent much time fishing the lower river between Livingston and Big Timber? That area strikes me as way to avoid the parade of boats in Paradise Valley, I'm not sure if battling the wind down there is worth it.

That last half hour of daylight is magic this time of year.

Yea, slowing down your casting stroke is the key to throwing the heavier lines. Your really don’t want to slow down the part of the cast where you are driving the rod forward or backward loading the rod just when you hesitate between each stroke. Try standing sideways and turn around to watch your line unroll behind you on the back cast, start your forward stroke just as the line has completely unrolled.

Welcome Prestone, This forum is a great place to learn the ropes of enjoying the Ozarks and its wonderful fishing opportunities.