goosetalk

Lots of options if you want to mainly target bass. My only experience has been the 9 mile float offered by Ozark Outdoors from The Bluffs back to their place. It's a little longer than I like to do for my style, and by the time you hit the Huzzah confluence it seems the last stretch takes forever. Lots of jets put in at Onondaga. If you like to fish fast stuff most of the day then you have plenty of time to fish, even with a few stops if you get out on their first shuttle. They also offer some floats below their place, but I can't offer any advice on those. Otherwise, though not the Meramec, I have always enjoyed using Bass (Courtois) or Huzzah Valley (Huzzah) and fishing down to Scotia on one river the 1st day and then down the next the 2nd day. I prefer the Courtois as it is a bit more scenic float. Both are 6 mile floats. They also have floats above their place, although I have only done the Courtois trips. It varies every time I go on what works best, but I tend to carry 3 rods. One with a topwater, one with a fluke, and either a HD Craw, Chomper Hula Grub, or Ned. My best trip was a great spinner bait bite along with one stretch where the Ned hammered both bass and goggle eye. My wife and I will likely be floating from Scott's Ford down to Indian Springs the beginning of July to try out a new section.

Well, we will not be doing a float Saturday. Thanks everyone for the insight. I will keep it all in mind when I take a trip with my wife in July.

Thanks for the information. I have never looked into those resorts west of Steeleville, and have never been up that far on the Meramec. Looks like between Fagan and Indian Springs you can float just below where the Red Ribbon trout area ends. Anyone catch trout below that area?

A friend and I may do a day float on May 19th and I have a few questions/concerns. It's been years since we have been able to fish together. We will being using one of the resorts on the Meramec, Huzzah or Courtois, just not sure which one yet. We will likely do a 6 mile float so we can take our time. I have never been this time of year, as my trips have always been in June and July. How are the Saturday crowds at this time? I would like to avoid targeting spawners if possible, but I may not always be able to avoid it. What locations should we target first for either pre spawn/post spawn fish? (not sure at what stage most of the fish will be at by next week). I've read a few articles, but local experience always helps. We will likely bring panfish stuff as well if the bass are not cooperating.

Thanks. I fished 16 on Friday and had some decent results on a white and also a grasshopper colored popper. Small bass and a few bluegills

I know of a few lakes that would work but what are the best lakes for a fly rod novice?

Courtois.

Well, not the greatest trip ever. Discovered a fluke bite if fished very fast on top or just under the surface. It wasn't consistent though. I did loose what I know was at least a 17" plus on the fluke after it out from under a log in current and created a wake. I got a good look at it but I couldn't pull it over a submerged log and it came unhooked. I tried a spook as well and had another really nice fish smash it, but my line broke. However, the fish was nice enough to jump out again and shake the bait so at least I got it back. A pleasant day on the water regardless.

I'm heading down Monday to fish. I'm using Ozark Outdoors so I will either have them put us in at Huzzah Valley or Bass. I'm leaning towards Bass. I don't know what it's been but I seem to have better luck on the Courtois than the Huzzah even though most seem to prefer the Huzzah. Has anyone been on these stretches since the floods and if so were there any big changes to be aware of? I'm carrying 3 rods, one with an HD Craw, one with a fluke, and the last will be topwater. I'm leaning buzzbait but have spooks and chug bugs as well. It will be plenty warm so hoping the top water bite is on

Grub or Sassy Shad

I fished the Huzzah and Courtois which was likely much clearer but spinnerbaits around laydowns was best for me. Also had luck on the Ned with half a ZinkerZ in PBJ color. Tried Flukes and a buzzbait with zero strikes

What did you catch them on?

Holes had that emerald green color. With polarized glasses you could make out the bottom. Shallower areas were clear. Had no problem seeing fish hit the spinner bait from a distance.

I floated the Huzzah on 6/7 and the Courtois 6/8. Put in at Huzzah Valley and floated down the Scotia the first day. Fishing started slow and I was only picking up fish on the Ned rig. Water was still fairly swift so I was only finding bass around wood with little to no current. Tried a buzzbait and a fluke with no bites. Later on I decided to ditch the buzz and put a spinnerbait on and started catching immediately. Ended up catching around 20 bass, still in the areas will little to no current. Some came from deep holes around large trees, but most were alone laydowns on the bank. I was fishing the spinner just under the surface and the bass would come from under the logs and nail it. I wasn't burning it but I wasn't slow rolling it either. Steady retrieve. Any pauses seemed to cause trailing fishing to turn away. Nothing over 14 inches but a fun day. The next day I floated from Bass to Scotia. I started with a spinnerbait and Ned. Fishing started off a little slow again but the spinnerbait started to produce. A few times a bass would miss the spinner and I would pitch the Ned and pick up the fish. I was finding fish in more current anywhere there were large boulders or trees. Any spot that looked right would produce at least one fish. Several times I had multiple bass following the one hooked. We then came to one bank that was maybe 200 yards long. The pool had current but was the perfect speed. Went through once with the spinner and caught a few. I got hung up near the bank and when I went over I noticed some rock bass. I decided to run the bank again with the Ned. It got to a point where almost every cast produced a rock bass or smallmouth. Had a smallmouth hooked and 3 other bass were following it at one point. I would cast the Ned down stream and let it fall on slack line. By the time I tightened the line I would usually have a fish. It was a blast. Ended up with 5 fish over 15" with the biggest going about 17" coming off the spinnerbait as well as three of the other biggest ones. I believe I caught around 50 fish with maybe a dozen being rock bass. It was my best day ever on either stream. Some bass were still guarding beds, but not many. Sunfish were on beds. Sorry no photos. I forgot my Pelican case with camera at home

Yes, it's now dropping so we should be fine. I didn't know how much rain fell upstream Saturday. I've done way to much gauge watching this past week

Thats very scenic. Looks like the Saturday morning rain has finally hit the gauge. Guess I'll see just how high it goes. May push the floats back a day

We are heading down to float Tuesday and Wednesday. Thanks for the report. Nice to to know what may be going on when we get there. We will be fishing the lower sections of the Huzzah and the Coutois. Haven't decided which parts yet. Will report our trip when we get back.

I think I will be saving pieces of my Zinker Z's or Zero's when they finally need to be changed to catch bluegill and small green sunfish for trot line bait.

Sent you a PM about your jig heads as well. Must be something wrong with your Inbox. I will email you

Facebook showed me last weekend was pretty good for crappie at MTL. I did not see a pattern mentioned. Crappie.com has a Missouri forum where a few people report on MTL, but I checked and nothing lately from those guys.

Thanks for the great information. I'll be sure to try it out on our floats in June.

Thanks. I think when I approach a riffle, I am so focused on the proper course going though for me and my 11 year old son, that I fail to stop and fish those riffles and runs like we should. This year I have a two day trip planned in mid June (staying at campground) and the two days combined with be less than the one day float I took last year on the Courtois. Planning on slowing down and really fishing, first for the active fish with topwater and then try and pick apart cover for bass and rock bass.

I get out maybe once or twice a summer for a float so my expertise is novice and always rusty. For those of you that float often, how do you approach to fish a riffle? Do you make long cast into the riffle from the pool above out of watercraft? Do you stop at the back side of the gravel bar and walk to the top of the riffle and work your way down? I usually carry 3 rods for top (buzz/spook), middle (fluke/spinnerbait), and bottom (Ned/craw) and I have no problem parking and doing some wading, but that usually is fishing the bottom of the riffle. A lot of times I have found my self going through the riffle and stopping before it dumps into deeper water and fishing the current seam and structure there.

Although not common, I usually catch a few smallmouth while targeting whites in the Mississippi River and its tributaries north of St. Louis.

How is the flow above Dry Creek?