T Hood

With having such a warm late October, would the MDC be advised to delay the release of Rainbow Trout into the Urban Stocking Program? Just looking for opinions. I'd hate to see all those fish dropped off this week and the water be unsuitable for them.

Laker67, I've seen the triploid rainbows caught up in Saskatchewan. How much would this fish eat to reach this size? Would the folks around Taneycomo want strain of fish this size feeding at the foot of the dam? https://www.google.com/search?q=triploid+rainbow+trout+lake+diefenbaker&espv=2&biw=1343&bih=811&tbm=isch&imgil=-Es6oboCtEvNoM%253A%253B0Q1qv_lnBUVGkM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.trophytroutguide.com%25252Farticles%25252Fdiefenbaker.htm&source=iu&pf=m&fir=-Es6oboCtEvNoM%253A%252C0Q1qv_lnBUVGkM%252C_&usg=__dzZRJQNRVGersPuljID1v1xvpXQ%3D&ved=0CDQQyjdqFQoTCJ3SlpexjskCFYtbiAodK74ETg&ei=lFtGVp24Gou3oQSr_JLwBA#imgrc=4z8VkJ-CFS99AM%3A&usg=__dzZRJQNRVGersPuljID1v1xvpXQ%3D

Has anyone been out to Busch and seen the November stocking yet? Curious to know if that's happened considering November 1 fell on a Saturday.

I just tried to call the Stocking Hotline and received the familiar busy signal. So, something's happening. If anyone has been successful in finding out stocking times and levels for the ABCA lakes, or any other lakes around STL, please post a reply here. Many thanks and best of luck to all. Troy

I grew up fishing that water. Good to see clear water again. Thanks for the photos.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned spoons. A smaller spoon can give you great action falling in the water column but also allow you to retrieve quickly to get reaction strikes. My perspective is skewed because I haven't fished this water, but I do know the smallies back home in Michigan will nail a falling spoon in a deep pool. Striker spoons with dressed hooks seem to work better than others.

There are bass in there, I've caught a few. A couple of them were decent sized. I believe the whole summer weather pattern affected the fishing everywhere. Last summer, it was a good little pond to work the ultralight and fly rod. It was practice. I'll be looking forward to a better year next year if the weather pattern normalizes and we actually have some snow this winter.

I was disappointed to hear that only Suson, Boathouse, Jefferson, and O'Fallon were stocked. I like the clear water and Busch.

That's a young Muskie. This is a Tiger Muskie http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&hl=en&biw=1218&bih=598&tbm=isch&tbnid=FPGDrtnydK47AM:&imgrefurl=http://karlfmoffatt.blogspot.com/2010/11/trophy-tiger-muskies-in-quemado.html&docid=xt9oVCLi0P1dlM&imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rs2B1d6ieXU/TNb0c1Kwx4I/AAAAAAAABWc/JXmYpjXnMGc/s1600/young%252Btiger%252Bmuskie.jpg&w=1600&h=1200&ei=5A9MULW5BcSfqwGUn4HYDg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=279&vpy=186&dur=4817&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=155&ty=103&sig=111790432766228043550&page=1&tbnh=110&tbnw=147&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0,i:186

As far as I know, there are still muskie in Lake 35. As far as I know, they still stock them (anyone who knows anything to the contrary, please chime in). A "Tiger Muskie" is a hybrid of a Muskie and a Northern Pike. They are sterile and don't reproduce. I don't know of anywhere around here with Tiger Muskie. Tigers are commonly used in big reservoirs out west to keep some fish populations down. Because they are sterile, there's no worry about them getting too numerous. Please forward a link or a photo. My guess is they have a baby Muskie; not a Tiger Muskie.

I caught these two on topwater (skitter pop) this evening. The female has quite a belly on her. Both of them were in less than 4' of water. I'm hoping this trend continues. It's always fun to get hits on topwater baits. Has anyone else had similar luck around the Meramec?

Jack / F&F: Thanks for the feedback. I've simply had ZERO luck on Rooster Tails. The willow blade drives me nuts. That said, I've seen the Sonic in the store; I may give them a try. I like the Joe's Flies as well. Their little spinners with a stinger are great in clear water. MoGuy1973: I know which ones you're talking about, the "FLASH" pack. They are weighted too heavy and don't spin well unless in fast water. Check out their Vibrax. They are very well made and the "gear and bell" chamber make a hell of a racket in the water.

1. Bleeding Bait Tubes 2. Inline Spinners (preferably Mepps or Panther Martin) 3. 6" Lizards (unweighted) 4. Any Popper as a top water 5. Chatterbait BTW, is everyone using "Rooster Tail" as a generic term for inline spinners? I seem to hear that quite often. Or, is this area committed completely to Warden's Lures and the Yakima Bait Company? Just asking.

I picked up this one http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shopsreg;-Extremereg;-Qualifier-360-Backpacks/product/10204414/87305?cmCat=CROSSSELL_THUMBNAIL It can carry quite a bit of gear or just enough to make the trip worthwhile. Thanks for the feedback. When have a chance to be in Springfield, I'll definitely come by the outlet.

Gentlemen: I'm in the market for a new tackle bag. I have $50 to spend. I do most of my fishing from the bank; both in rivers and lakes. Any suggestions would be most helpful. Happy Holidays.

I had a good day at 21 and 28 today. It also marked the first time I've seen a trout taken with a Rat-L-Trap!! When you take a bass fisherman with you, strange things happen!! The fish were very active. I had luck with both spinners and Trout Magnets. Chrome was the best spinner color and natural greens and golds were best with the jigs. Congratulations to the gentleman who landed a lunker on 28 around 1pm. His fish was at least 5#. I hope this activity holds up; it's lots of fun for those of us who can't get down south for the good stuff.

I had a fun couple of hours before work in Tilles Park (STL) as the trout were hitting between 10:30-11:30. I tried my usual 'go to' spinners and spoons with no luck. After going to a white Trout Magnet on a gold head, the hits kept coming!! Landed five in the next 45 minutes. Not bad, and, lots of fun. I noticed that the stock trout tend to hit little jigs like the Trout Magnet as the weather gets colder. They also tend to lay off the spinners and spoons. A general question from a 'rookie": Are they adjusting to seeing so many spinners? Or, are they slowing down as the weather cools off? Again, not sure on this one. Give me your take.

I'm with Gavin on this one. It doesn't seem that far fetched at all. I'm all for helping support the County Parks on two conditions: 1. I'd like to have an idea of how much they are really spending on parks as a percentage of total budget. I'd be shocked if it were anywhere close to significant. 2. Instead of a tax increase, I'd like to see them propose some sort of across the board cuts that would help balance the operating budget. If people holding political office started operating their offices more like a business (specifically, an entrepreneur), we'd have few problems. Lastly, (this'll fire up a few folks, I'm sure), I'd like to see some variety in party representation in City and County politics. I'm not a member of either party, but, seriously, when was the last time a Republican held the County Execs office or the St. Louis City Mayor's Office? When one party has their way in one place for too long, it's rarely a good thing.

Boats have been put away for the winter. Going to have to walk the lake and get casting to reach the Muskies.

Great Catch!! I went out today. It was not very good between the high winds and high temps. I didn't think they put Rainbows in 33 or 35. The hotline lists 21, 22, 23, 24, and 28 with 21 and 28 being catch & release. If they're in there, please confirm. Also, where do you go to nab muskie from the bank on Lake 35? Still have to give that a try.

Seems like they just needed a few days to settle. Had another good day. Five fish in total between Busch lake 28 and 21. Tried 22 but it seems as though it's been well harvested already. Caught four of the five on inline spinners; all different from the other. The one I caught on a fly rod was on an olive Woolly Bugger. It was a fun day all around with the exception of the wind. Hope everyone else is enjoying this resource.

Just as I posted the question, I had a decent trip today out to Tilles Park. A 12", a 14", and an 18" trout in under an hour. Not bad. Sorry, no photos. Camera is shot. Thanks for all of the input. Troy

Has anyone had any success with any of the stocked trout from the Urban Trout program. I'm striking out. Where is everyone having luck?

Just a bump to keep the topic fresh. Has anyone been out on 35 and hooked up? Troy

I fished the C&R area, fly-only, and Spring Branch. (Sorry if I'm not naming them correctly). The fish were there, just not hitting the cracklebacks and prince nymphs. I even went up to white and olive wooly buggers; no dice. Once I switched to my spinning gear, I landed four below the falls where fly-only ends and the all-bait area begins. There's a very big chance that I'm doing something incorrectly here. Please offer any comments you may have. Also, I imagine the weather difference from last weekend and last Tuesday must have made a difference. Troy