Bill Jr.

BTW whe i said "Bass" on 4/26 i wasn't talking about Whites... Just trying to prepare for the trip and wondering if i should even try to target the Whites or i should go after the Greens and Browns. Will be around the Shoal Creeek area

I'm planning a trip down the weekend of April 13-15th. i'm taking a buddy down and wanted to know if anyone thinks that the whites will still be back in the creeks.. Just trying to plan on what we should be fishing for. With the wacky warm weather I'm not sure... Any insight would be great. In the past I've gone down around 4/26 and killed the bass on shore in the scrub brush but it seems like this year is at least 2 weeks earlier.

this is a little late but thought that I would chime in. I fished Friday afternoon, Saturday 11:00 - 4:00 and a little on Sunday morning. Me and a couple buddies were fishing from a dock on the 8mm in Workmans Cove. We caught around 100 and fileted 60 for an upcoming guys "work weekend" and a few to bring home. We caught them on jigs until they slowed down and then used minnows. I caught most on a pumpkin seed/pearl chartruse slab slayer on a 1/16oz sicklehead jig head and I normallydo fairly well there. We fished 6-9foot in 11-15fow. preferred the deep shade. I would think that they will go shallow very soon. good look and have fun!

you can say what you want about Creve Coeur but you can catch fish there. Both the main lake and Mallard lake that is attached. You might want to give it a chance. I've caught a bunch over 4# up to 6# in the last 2 years. you do have to walk a bit but being close I love being able to go down for a couple hours. here are a couple pics I took in June of 09 when i found the place. I may not have attached correctly. Haven't taken a bunch of pics since but still catching them.

i just heard that from a buddy that likes to add a few pounds to the fish that he catches that there was a 65lb striper caught today! has anyone heard the same? said that they were at 125 marina looking for a scale. said they were fishing for Bass. can you say A-Rig!

Quillback - I 2nd the Seaguar 10# invizx. I use this most of the time for jigs so it helps with not having to many different lines in the bag.

Larry, Thanks for the comment. The smile is worth it all! I wish i could help on the temps. With a rigged out boat from 1972 i'm lucky to keep it running! I rarely travel 3-4 miles from the dock so I'm getting fairly familiar with their hideouts with all the good info from this site. I would say they were in the 44-48 range don't have the electronics. I'm working with a battery powered sonar and no temp. guage but usually do just fine. Thanks again and looking forward to a lot more memories in 2012.

I went down to my inlaws place this weekend to do some winter chain saw work and try to get some fishing time in. the WIND really shortened the fishing time. Quite a few boats out but I didn't have much luck finding a pattern. I caught a few on a jerk bait, jig, and spoon but mostly shorts. Mostly mid-creek on 45 degree banks. Went out from 1:00 - 3:00 and was able to end the year with a 20" LM that probably went around 4lb. I released it at the dock as i always hope they stay around and even made it a little more hospitible this weekend But the best catch is when my daughter wanted to go for a walk this morning along the shore. I brought a rod, hooked up on the first cast and she reeled in her first fish of the year. She loves to go fishing with dad and I couldn't be more proud of a up and coming fisherperson.

I'm pretty sure it was a white trumpeter swan. My brother saw a few last week duck hunting. He said they had a huge wingspan. Hopefully i can attach this picture showing one in flight with it's feet trailing behind.

Brett, Thanks for posting the link. I learned something new today and will remember this next time this happens.

I never went hunting before but was fishing this afternoon and talked to a couple that had some luck picking some mushrooms. I decided to take a break from fishing and look around. I found almost 20 in around 30 minutes. Sounds like fried is the way to go. Any condiment or just a little S&P?

The lakes are finally starting to come alive! I'm looking forward to going to my local county park to catch a few. I took some pics when I first discovered it but haven't lately. Here are some from '09 around this time. I am amazed how thick and healthy they are in a less than pristine environment. Get out there and catch some! Just let them swim another day.

with all this snow and cold water runoff I'm going nuts!! Hopefully we get some consistant warmer weather so we all can get out to these local lakes where the fish are active. I for one can't to get out after work for an hour or 2.

Mike, Thanks for all of your reports. They are full of tips which I am very appreciative. I do use this type of technique with cranks or spinner baits, but never targeted parallel very shallow with the jig. I have a question on jig/craw trailers. My fav is actually a 5/16 Eakins or 3/8FB PB&J with a little larger craw that is very lifelike and really can't get away from green pumpkin. I just think that it is better in the ultra clear water. With the lightweight jigs are you using something like Chompers stand up jigs with a 4 or 5" hula grub? Again, I really appreciate the time you spend on your reports.

I went down this past weekend and really had a tough time. Outboard was out of commission so had to rely on just a trolling motor. I never want to do that again! 45min. to get to the back of the creek to try for some whites to find out they are not going to cooperate. Then an hour back into the wind is not fun. would have been better if we were catching but it was few and far between. We then started for the green fish and I love the jig but they just didn't want it. Caught a few on jerkbaits but only managed 2 keeps on Sat. with 18" being tops. Oh well, there is always next month.

Better question is what type of fish? Cats, Bass, or something else. Probably still a week or 2 away from some better bass fishing with the snow and cold runoff but have you ever tried Mallard Lake? It's a hidden jewel if you wait a couple weeks and are willing to walk a little bit.

What are you looking for?

Will do. I would like to see more reports from the mid or lower portion of the lake. Seems like tight lips but I don't have a problem with it. The motor is having issues so I'll take it out on Sunday to get it serviced. I'll be putting around this weekend with the trolling motor but I'll have a back up battery and know enough spots within reach so it won't be too bad. Lucky to be docked mid-creek.

Hi all, I found this forum a little while ago and love the amount of information here. I live in St. Louis and have fallen in love with the Bull. Inlaws have some property mid lake and I "check to make sure things are running properly" as much as I can. Ok, maybe just to fish but I do some chores while I'm there. Anyway I'm heading down tomorrow and hopefully will chase a few in the backs of the creeks this weekend. Hopefully if I can figure it out I'll post some pics.