jackdizo

I say I have to agree with Smalliebigs... I floated Cedar Creek to the U road bridge with a friend yesterday and overall I would have to agree that the area must be getting pounded in recent years. Im a catch and release only guy, caught a good amount of fish, but the majority were smaller fish, only a handful of 14 inch fish and one 15 inch fish in that stretch of the river between the two of us. With it being better than average habitat (in my opinion) for SM bass in that stretch of the Big River, I was somewhat confused as to the numbers of SM bass, specifically larger fish. Now I obviously cannot catch only "big fish," however, I feel like the area must be getting ran through pretty hard to not give up any more than what we ran into. To add to it, the spotted bass population was pretty strong through that stretch as well, which also adds fuel to the fire for those smaller SMbass to get big. I understand its tough either way to enforce better regs on a stretch of river such as that and many others in Missouri with the amount of manpower the MDC has, however without doing anything, the SM bass in the BIg river and other streams throughout Missouri will continue to suffer unfortunately. I can only hope the MDC takes two steps back and really looks and listens to what the anglers such as the many of us on this forum (and are out there experiencing first hand) have to say about the current state of SM bass in many of our Missouri streams... "it cannot always be great, but it can always be better"

I like that it would be across the board for 15 and one a day, although still very hard to police. Should make for better fishing in the future. It would even be great to see certain rivers and stretches have a catch and release only section, but I understand why this will never happen, and can make for confusion to your weekend angler whom does not get out much and is mis-informed or educated on regs. Either way, kudos to the MDC to start a process of protecting such a coveted species in our ozark streams.

Nice work, Great fish. Were there alot of floaters out on that stretch over the weekend?

Thanks! JPB. I have targeted carp at that lake on the fly quite a few times and come up empty handed. Was happy to finally get one, regardless of size. Hopefully I can post a bigger one for you guys in the near future. I have some other good spots near St Louis, but with all this rain we have been getting Im waiting out the right conditions. Carp are such a overlooked game fish, especially on the fly! One of the funner fish on a fly- rod to catch in my opinion, when it comes to freshwater.

I caught this one yesterday on the fly. Took a rubber legged prince nymph with a gold beaded head of all things, threw at them for a while and could not get a take until I tied this on. Since the location is a tough spot to stalk carp at and sight fish them I will give it up. Forest Park Jefferson Lake in St Louis. Everything has to align for you to have a productive day, weather, water clarity, and fish activity. However there are good fish to be had at the lake. Thanks! Jack

Unfortunately I cannot make the meeting. Would love to hear the current studies and findings the MDC has to present to the MSA. Will be out of town for work. Please let us know what comes from the meeting and how the discussion went, as well as any future meetings that will be taking place such as this. Thanks!

Great Smallmouth. Nice work Joe!

WOW! great fish! need to get back down to the current soon. did that fish hit the 20 inch mark?

Would love to participate in these in the future if there are any. Can you PM me a schedule if there are more to come? Thanks, Jack

I know its last minute. But the Kayak River Bassin Trail St Louis stop is tomorrow. If your looking for a little fun tournament kayak fishing, get registered and out on the water tomorrow. You can find all the info about the event here : http://www.riverbassintrail.com/ Also one next weekend in the ozarks.

Sweet Video! Loved the editing and music choice! Really enjoyed it. Hoping to make a few myself this coming year as I just got a go-pro. Is that what camera you are using for shooting video? Also what program are you using for editing if you dont mind me asking?

Just stumbled upon this thread, and I know its old but that is a great and beautiful smallmouth! Nice work! Been itching for some smallmouth action. Spring cannot come soon enough!

Fished the Meramec Red-Ribbon Trout section of the river this past weekend. I am newer to fly fishing and am still learning, definitely a rookie. I have fished this section of the river in the past, but with spinning gear targeting bass. So I do not have much to go on, but I personally thought the river was fishing great. Especially for brown trout, possibly due to the efforts mentioned on this post by the MDC. Fished for around 4hrs and caught a total of 10 fish with some really nice browns in the mix. Actually caught 5 browns and 5 rainbows to my surprise which was a great mix. I am very happy the MDC is not giving up on this section of the river and am happy to have something close to home where I can go target brown trout. Attached are a few images of some of the browns from the day. Crazy how each fish is so different looking from the next. And you cannot beat mid 60 degree temps in February! All fish were released unharmed and handled with care. Tight lines and long drifts!

Fished Lake 35 this weekend, just a heads up to anyone, my car was broken into and had a few things stolen out of it not too mention the hassle of a splashed window. Talked to another guy out there and he said thats the 3rd time he has heard of this happening. Keep an eye on your car and leave no belongings behind. Fishing was OK, some bass and crappie were caught. Fished for Musky for about 2 hours with no takers or followers.