ThisFish

Anything that walleye seem to like? This spot is close to home so I may try a few timea, not having much luck at the moment.

I was fishing under a peach colored indicator and I kept getting hits on the indicator instead of the nymph. And yes I'm actually going out with Sam. He didn't mention which river but since we're supposed to meet in St. James. Looking forward to it!

Hey no there was some really good advice in there I have a lot to learn. I found a guide and will be going out in a couple weeks. Going to spend some time in the yard working on casting as much as possible. I'll report back if I end up catching anything!

Thats a really good point. I'm also thinking I may try to find a fly fisher and go with them just to observe (not fish myself) how they approach, drift their flies, etc. Honestly most of my casts were based on trying to avoid trees and other obstacles near by. For edge runs like the photo I posted, I'd cast about 45-70 upstream and let the indicator/fly drift through the run and into the bottom. On the pools/riffles, I tried to approach from the bottom and cast up to again let the fly drift through. When I could get away with roll casting that was my preference but I can only do it well (beginner well) when going straight up and down. On the runs where i was approaching from the side I'd have to do a few false casts to get the fly direction changed, get some more line out, and end up back in good position.

Hey thanks so much for all the help. I really appreciate it. I owe you a river beer if I ever run into you. I had some smaller tungsten, I was worried about the bottom drag but nice to know its a good option. In this type of creek do you jump down to the next pool or riffle in-between spots or try to get everything on the way down. I think some spots I selected were too shallow.

Thanks for all the resources I will definitely check this out!

I had 6x tippet but my bugs were definitely on the bigger size. Mostly 12-16 so ill look at finding some smaller options. For a small creek like this, do you have a good leader size? I used 9ft to a ring, indicator just off of it and another 2-3ft to the fly.

Yeah i think I learned that lesson the hard way today. Any other smaller rivers that are easier to approach?

Good to know. I thought I was sneaky but in reality probably not as much as needed.

Well it was definitely beautiful out. The water was clear and there were definitely some fish. No luck catching anything, I've been fly fishing just a handful of times and this was my first small stream experience. Unfortunately I spent a lot of my time getting myself out of trouble. I tried some smaller patterns, had a few show some interest but no takes. Definitely solidifies that I need to find a guide to learn out to fish/present. Walking down stream i mostly swung wet flies under an indicator. There were a few spots where I could actually cast across into a little riffle and try to let it float through to the slack water. There were a few pools where I could do this too. Walking back up stream I mostly stuck to the spots where I could swing a wet through the riffles again. I tried to stay on the bank as much as possible and out of the water. I added a photo of one of these spots, along the right bank where I was trying to float some wets through. I had fun either way but any constructive criticism would be appreciated. Thanks!

Awesome fish, nice job!

There was one canoe but thats it. Really nice in that regard.

Hey this is a belated trip report, My father and law and I have been trying to get out on the water lately but all the rain has put us off. We went out on 5/21 to the Courtois near the Huzzah MDC access and the Meramec near Birds Nest. No luck at either spot for us, the current was ripping. First time trying for the both of us, and the first time wade fishing after growing up floating with kayaks. It was just hard to get up or down river on foot and a few times I just stepped back out of the water and said not today, moving to a shallower spot. Had fun getting out but it'd be nice to land something. Used jerkbaits for a while then switched to cranks.

Thats where I bought my gear a few years ago! I need to get back. I should probably expand my guide search to outside STL. Really anyone that I could pull a day trip with. I think places like branson would be a little far.

Hi all! I've been lurking here for a little while and really appreciate all the information here! I grew up on the east coast and fished the upper delaware with my dad growing up. We used to float on kayaks and just spend the day fishing holes and riffles for trout, walleye, small mouth, large mouth, you name it. Fast forward to now, I live in the St. Louis area and am trying to explore some local waters sans bait. It's hard to find time to get out so I'm looking to work some streams and rivers closer to home. I've also taken up fly fishing for the first time and was curious if anyone could recommend a local guide? Its all a bit overwhelming and I could use some help. Also if anyone has any recommended local streams or creeks proximal to the St. Louis area Id appreciate it! Not looking for you to give up your secret honey hole, just trying to find some water nearby to get the waders wet and a fly in the water.