carptracker

Murv, I lived in southern Illinois for 12 years and had a chance to work in all the bottom 13 counties. The Cache is a unique river in So. IL but nothing like the clear gravel bottom rivers in the Missouri Ozarks. We have a place on the upper-mid Meramec (and sponsor the Meramec RIver forum here on OA). Would be happy to help a fellow southern Illinoisian catch a few smallies. Check out our website and let me know if we can help out. Carptracker Our home-made "carptracker" boat (couldn't afford the new Basstrackers) made a few trips to Kincaid.

Looks like a good day on the water....but the games were pretty good too! Tough choice but #1 son called and we met in St. Louis and took in both games. Only down side was missed the Northern Iowa vs Texas A&M on the tube (should be an instant classic). Maybe will be able to watch March basketball from a gravel bar down the road. Like your Grumman canoe, my mom bought the same one for my Dad using coupons from Uncle Ben's wild rice (around 1981). Many trips in the old "silver streak". Thanks for posting.

Nice looking hefty & healthy fish. What a couple hours of fishing, good work!

Congrats on a great fish. Lived in Pinckneyville and worked in So. IL for 12 years. Many good lakes and strip pits. Have a great year in the great south!

Congrats to both on a great catch! Gotta luv those lunker smiles.

Fought off some mosquitoes Saturday evening. Even had a few the last weekend in January this year.

Mitch, heard from a reliable source that Frank St. Marseille wants to be on this team and be the token french fishing whore.

Missouri Smallmouth Alliance held a fall outing October 9th, 10th & 11th on the Meramec. Great weather, food, fishing and shared fishing tips made for a good time. Always learning something new through the experiences of other members. A few photos from the trip.

Mitch look forward to trying some of your senko color combos on the river. Dunn's green pumpkin has been a standard but have always wonder about some blood red "bleed" in the middle of the senko. If it doesn't work the red and green will work well as Christmas decorations. Speaking of Christmas a few more MItch craws are on the top of my list!

Wade fished for about 30 minutes late Sunday afternoon on the Meramec. River is low and clearing but not as clear as it usually is for late October. The fish seemed to act more like it was September than late October (good bite and aggressive). Until the water gets cooler a wide array of baits should work well. Great weekend to be out in the Ozarks.

Meramec Scenic View, you can click on the logo on the Meramec River forum. We usually host a couple groups attending the Wild Wood Spring's fall concerts every year.

If fishing is an important part of your trip please check out our website. We sponsor this Meramec River forum. Garrisons uses our access for their down stream float take out. Enjoy working with members of Missouri Smallmouth Alliance and Ozark Anglers.

Riverview to the Steelville city/county access just above Birds Nest would be a short public access to public access. Scotts Ford to Indian Springs is not a long float.

The linked letter lost some credibility when they stated that corporate farms are dumping pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer into our streams. I have worked with farmers for over 30 years and have never found anyone using inputs in an irresponsible manner. Farmers big or small take pride in their land and improving their soils. Most are hunters and fisherman. No-till and minimum till farming, variable rate fertility programs and seed technology have all been good for production and the environment. Using inputs in an irresponsible manner just hurts their bottom line. When statements are made with little knowledge behind them you run the risk of being labeled a radical. We all want to enjoy our natural resources and pass them on to the next generation in good condition. We all also need to eat three squares a day, keep warm in the winter and drive to our favorite fishing streams. Be a realist not a radical.

February float with a good group. It never got above freezing but was pretty comfortable (no wind). One of the group caught a very nice winter smallie (on the cover of the Bronze Back News) and I enjoyed seeing the structure on the bottom of the river that is usually not seen at other times of the year. Never a bad season to be out.

Great report Seth. Was going to head to the Gasconade Wednesday afternoon but when the wind kicked up I whimped out (getting old). Thanks again for the good information. Joe's interpretation (tavern terms) was a big help too.

MSA is a great group. Even if you can't make many meetings it is worth your while to join. The Bronze Back News is worth the price of admission alone. Have learned much from MSA & OA. Looking forward to the Feb. Freeze Out.

Very much like to fish with a gentle rise and a slight staining to the water. Caught a smallie last Sunday that still had a live shad in his mouth when I went to take out my senko, he was an aggresive feeder. One of the locals who rents a camp spot caught 6 smallies in a row on a fluke, so they are actively foraging. They seem to move to wood and mouth the bait more as the water clears later in October. Pretty and productive time of the year to be on the river.

Fished the upper Meramec last Sunday (waded) and float/waded Sept. 6th. 4" senkos with a very small sliding bullet weight worked well both trips.

Congrats, has to be extra special catching one like that on top water.

This dude seemed to be a nice enough but keep all your picnic tables out of harms way.

Agree with all the good advice above. Would add the following, always have eye protection. Will carry sunglasses and clear safety glasses when fishing. Good luck!

Was fishing south of Gerald and the part about jets & flying carp was tongue in cheek (can't believe everything you read on here). Thanks for the information about what's considered upper & middle. Did not see a soul Friday evening. Good luck on your next trip.

First time to get out on Whiskey Joe's favorite river. Could not make it to the Meramec the last few weeks and had a few hours to wade fish yesterday evening. Pretty stretch and deeper water than expected. First 4 or 5 were all spots in moving water and fished some deeper water a pretty good time before hooking the only smallie. Solid 16er that made the drag talk. One crappie and it was getting dark. Nice way to get a river fix in a couple hours. Way too many jets and flying carp I doubt if I go back. What sections of the river do you all consider upper, middle & lower?