MissouriDave

My best is a 20" from the Meramec watershed. 9 others over 18 but none that made it to 20".

Did a one day float on Saturday on the Bourbeuse. My buddy and I landed 42 bass with 16 being over 12 inches. The river was very low and mostly clear. The two best fish were an 18 1/2 " largemouth and a 17" largemouth. Caught smallies early in the day and them mostly green ones later in the day. Caught a total of 5 spots. The best bait of the day was definitely the senko/salty sinker in watermelon red.

We really did fish it hard. None of us had fished out of a canoe in a long time. Although I use a canoe on the Bourbeuse (my home river) I have outriggers on it and a trolling motor. We got out and mostly waded Crooked Creek. I think the big mistake we made was we skipped a lot of what I would call skinny water. We concentrated mostly on the deeper holes and as we got closer the the takeout we fished the shallower water with more current and caught a lot more. My brother had only caught one bass when you went through and he caught 8 more between there and the takeout. Next time I will make sure and formally introduce myself. I was the big guy wearing the floppy hat. Hope to see you on the Bourbeuse sometime in the future. Cheers. Dave Beckering.

Actually we were told to expect to do a lot of dragging. Although we had to get out 5 or 6 times a day, there was no actual dragging. The boats floated through even the lowest riffles. I was really impressed by how little the boats drafted. I would say no more than 3 or 4 inches. In many of the riffles even though we hit bottom the boats slid through without us even getting out. Since this was our first trip to the Buffalo we used guides both days so there were actually 3 guys in each boat. The second day the boat I was in had me (6'6" 260 pounds and the guide who was 6'4" and 260 pounds) my son (skinny 20 something and the guide. No problem even with the three of us. We originally were going to do an overnighter on the lower river but there was not enough water to bring the commisary boat with all the tents and gear.

Al, Thanks for the great report. I was one of the "Missouri" guys you passed on Crooked Creek. Glad to hear you had a great day. My brother did catch a 17 1/2 inch smallie right after you passed us. I posted a report on our trip as well.

Just finished a trip to the Buffalo River and Crooked Creek this week. Went with my son, a brother and a buddy. We fished the first day from North Maumee to the 14 bridge. This was the first trip to the Buffalo for all of us. The river was low and crystal clear. We used the long ozark johns with 9.9 outboards. Almost no floaters the first day. Started out very slow. We threw topwater and plastic. The four of us ended up with 39 bass. The best fish was a 17 inch smallie. We lost two more in my boat that were in the same category. Most of the fish were caught on the Senko (or the Chompers Salty Sinker) rigged wacky style. We also lost about an hour and a half due to a large thunderstorm at lunch. The second day we did the 14 bridge to Rush. The river came up about 3 or 4 tenths of an inch but stayed very clear. Similar day to the first. Had sixty five canoes comes through mid morning but they went through quickly. Not much on topwater and the best bite was again on the Senko and Salty Sinker. The second day both the wacky rig and the texas rig seemed to work. Best fish the second day was a 19 inch smallie. We caught 50 bass between the four of us on the second day. The third day we did a float using canoes on Crooked Creek. We put in at the snow access and took out on a private spot which made for a 5 or 6 mile float. With the three inches of rain the creek had come up a foot and was dropping. It had a slight stain. Size wise the creek reminded me of the Bourbeuse River but had more current and was much clearer, even after a good rain. Again the best bait seemed to be the senko and salty sinker but we did catch a few on the tube. Best fish was a 17 1/2 inch smallie on the tube. The four of us caught 30 bass on Crooked Creek. For the three days we caught 119 bass, 114 of them being smallies, with one kentucky and four largemouth. The Buffalo and Crooked Creek are both beautiful streams and worth the drive from St Louis just for the float, let alone the fishing.

Just finished a trip to the Buffalo River and Crooked Creek this week. Went with my son, a brother and a buddy. We fished the first day from North Maumee to the 14 bridge. This was the first trip to the Buffalo for all of us. The river was low and crystal clear. We used the long ozark johns with 9.9 outboards. Almost no floaters the first day. Started out very slow. We threw topwater and plastic. The four of us ended up with 39 bass. The best fish was a 17 inch smallie. We lost two more in my boat that were in the same category. Most of the fish were caught on the Senko (or the Chompers Salty Sinker) rigged wacky style. We also lost about an hour and a half due to a large thunderstorm at lunch. The second day we did the 14 bridge to Rush. The river came up about 3 or 4 tenths of an inch but stayed very clear. Similar day to the first. Had sixty five canoes comes through mid morning but they went through quickly. Not much on topwater and the best bite was again on the Senko and Salty Sinker. The second day both the wacky rig and the texas rig seemed to work. Best fish the second day was a 19 inch smallie. We caught 50 bass between the four of us on the second day. The third day we did a float using canoes on Crooked Creek. We put in at the snow access and took out on a private spot which made for a 5 or 6 mile float. With the three inches of rain the creek had come up a foot and was dropping. It had a slight stain. Size wise the creek reminded me of the Bourbeuse River but had more current and was much clearer, even after a good rain. Again the best bait seemed to be the senko and salty sinker but we did catch a few on the tube. Best fish was a 17 1/2 inch smallie on the tube. The four of us caught 30 bass on Crooked Creek. For the three days we caught 119 bass, 114 of them being smallies, with one kentucky and four largemouth. The Buffalo and Crooked Creek are both beautiful streams and worth the drive from St Louis just for the float, let alone the fishing.

Al, Thanks for posting such informative useful data. I have been fishing the Bourbeuse since I was a small boy. A couple of the guys from the alliance have fished out of our place during the spotted roundup. Appreciate the great work the alliance does and really appreciate you sharing your knowledge with the rest of us. Missouri Dave

Thanks for the inputs. Got a call today and the overnight trip on the Buffalo is out. The river is too low for the boat with the camping gear, etc. Still plan on doing two one day floats on the Buffalo and a one day float/wade on Crooked Creek. Looking forward to comparing a "blue ribbon" smallmouth river to the Meramec Basin I fish in Missouri. Will post a report after the trip the week of June 11th.

Thanks, we are going to use Wild Bill's. Just looking for some advice from someone who has fished the river.

Doing a two day float on the Buffalo River in Arkansas the week of June 11th. Would appreciate any advice from others who have fished the river. Interested in your experience and the type of lures, colors, line size, etc. We are experienced smallmouth river fisherman and mostly fish small Missouri rivers. We will also do a one day float on Crooked Creek. Thanks. Missouri Dave