joeD

Dear Smalliebigs (and others who are of the same mindset): Please tell us who is deserving to fish Missouri's Ozark smallmouth streams. Who is not? Thanks. Love, Joe

With all of the changes, it's not a Sammy anymore. But, I admire your tinkering, Rodney Copperbottom!

Uh huh. Thanks for the picture Mitch! Splendid! Glad to see it. Excellent question too. Kind of like George Clooney asking his buds, "Hey, should I go with the razor stubble and a Victoria Secret model, or, should I shave, slick my hair back and escort an unknown hot wench to my premier? Really, guys, tell me!" Just kidding. Nice fish. Smallmouth. If not, who cares. Still a nice fish that we didn't catch.

iPhone? What's that? Oh, that's right. What my wife and daughters have, but not me. (Que the sound of a crying baby)

Going to a river that changed your life is always worth it. Right?

Dizzy looking at the picture. Please expound on your description "old tagged." How old? What does it mean (if anything)? More importantly, why does the Courtois look like the Meramec? Water level? Or. Never mind. Old tagged fish. That's all. Thank you and good night.

That dog has been there for years. Don't get sucked in. He doesn't love you. You are not special. You are just another customer. Sorry.

moguy1973- Now you know something about the Huzzah, based on your experience. There is tremendous value in that. Contrary to popular opinion, I was giving you advise, not dismissing your question. I get it. We all have a small window of opportunity to fish for smallies in our Ozark streams, and we want to make the most of it, and not make uninformed decisions. This forum is a great way to get that beta info. No question. I am not anti-info. I am anti- too much info- where we rely on so much input and opinion, that we are hamstrung in making decisions, fearing we will be wrong, then consequently doing something we didn't intend to do, like not going fishing. When it comes to fishing, I don't think there is such thing as a "waste of time." I'm glad you went fishing, even though it wasn't at a place that wasn't your "first" choice. And you learned something, on your own, to boot. Experience is the best teacher.

Well, thank goodness they are alive. No one likes a deadly outcome. On a related note, Mother Earth weeps, because there are 3 extra people she has to support, and, insult to injury, reduces the Earth's IQ by a factor of 10.

moguy1973- go to the river yourself. it is an absolute MUST that YOU know , in real terms, by YOUR eyeballs, what the (any) stream looks like, at certain levels. Please quit relying on others to interpret data for you. I'm not saying the people giving you advise are wrong, I'm just saying that you have to do things yourself. You must put in the time and effort to become an effective smallmouth angler. I love having river gauges on the streams I want to fish. They are invaluable. But, I also know what the gauges mean, or, how to interpret the numbers. That comes from experience. Yes, I know it is easier to ask someone if a certain stream is floatable and/or fishable. But wouldn't you rather know for yourself? That you know what the Meramec looks like at 1200 cfs? The Huzzah at 4.5 feet at Hwy 8? The Jacks Fork at 3 inches at Eminence? Numbers say a lot. It is up to us to find out what they mean.

Joe- It will be tough to float and or wade this weekend anywhere in the Meramec watershed. I'm not saying it can't be done, but, it'll be tough, if not dangerous, depending on where you might go. If you are hellbent to fish, you might try the Jack's Fork, three hours from St Louis. It's easy enough to look on-line for outfitters in just about any area you desire to fish. They can generally give you info on stream conditions. On the other hand, sometimes weather and river conditions just won't allow fishing. Spring in Missouri. Side note: A fellow angler wanted information, but all we gave him was an unrelated question about fishing in flooded fields, a story about a trip in Maine, and pictures of recently caught fish, huzzahs naturally following. So tell me, where does jgentile, and his query, fit in, in a subject that he initiated? Plainly, was his question answered? No. Then why not?

Mizzou football will be competitive with the second tier teams in the SEC. We are not even in the same room with the top tier teams. Not even close. Mizzou basketball will be a definite ...maybe. Depends on how our scholar-athletes handle themselves during the summer. The police blotter vigil starts now.

They're there. We gave up. The fish didn't. Despite Missouri's finest trying their hoosier best.

I agree. Calm. Talking. Disagreeing, yet empathetic. Finding common ground somehow. Our elected representatives could learn something from this clip. Of note: Notice the particular use of verbiage: "harvest" on one side, "murder" on the other.

It doesn't matter anymore. Conference affiliation- Gone. School rivalries- a thing of the past. Player and coach loyalty- non-existent. The world of college basketball and football can be directly correlated, and directly reflects, the world of Wall Street and big business, and the self-interest and lack of any moral or ethical empathy that that world embraces. We have created "empires" of colleges and their athletic programs. Ideals of sportsmanship, fair play, and "collegiality" are ground to the earth under the boot of monetary greed. To our nations peril, colleges and universities are no longer within reach of most Americans. The monster of keeping up with the sporting Jones' must be fed, or else be left in the educational dust. So, when it comes to Mizzou, or SLU, I just don't care anymore where or who or why they play where they do. It doesn't matter. If that's your team, cheer them on. Just pretend they're Goldman Sachs. Or Bank of America. They'll break our hearts while taking our money.

I'll give your chance of taking this trip 0%. If I'm incorrect, I will apologize to you. But you have to post and say you did or did not take your trip. Otherwise, your lures are great. They'll catch something somewhere sometime. Good luck!

Please forgive me. I think we would enjoy the NCAA Tournament more if we didn't fill out brackets. Meaning, we cheer for teams we want to win, instead of teams that would advance our cause in "pools." I guess I shouldn't write "we." Me. When did it become important for me to win a "pool?" Well, not important, but, "having a monetary stake." Showing my college BB knowledge. Which is nothing. I have Colorado State beating Mizzou. (do you trust MU?) What fun is that? I'm beginning to think that "pools" are bad. They go against our "better" natures. Wouldn't it be nice to cheer for teams we want to win, instead of teams that we "need" to win? Eeh. Screw that. I'm taking Colorado St and the points.

I have no problems asking questions. Geez, that's what I do. My point is, that people think it was a quality fishery (for trout) in the past, and it is (was) just not true. We force fed trout below Meramec Springs in the hopes to create a "trout fishery," banking on the fact that the cold waters of the spring will sustain a population of trout downstream for a few miles, like the Current River. But the Meramec is not the Current. The idea that the reason trout can't thrive below the spring is because of man-made obstacles and environmental issues due to our "negligence" is just plain incorrect. The Meramec is an Ozark jewel, no doubt. But.The Meramec River is not a trout stream, however much we want to wish it so.

Who cares? Humans have been doing dumb stuff forever. It is our nature. The idea of "prevention" is laughable. The debate over guns is an insult to the human race. The purpose of weapons is to kill people. Even in 2013, we accept lying, cheating, murdering, and stealing, as an acceptable form of business and government. All one can do is golf. Then get sucked into the earth after a beautiful 5 iron shot.

Sand huh? Ok. works for me. It's not as if the smallies leap out of the river and go someplace else.

Jack- On Ozark streams, your fishing success will absolutely NOT depend on your usage of a baitcaster, nor a spinning reel for that matter. So don't fret about which is "better." The underlying subtext of your question is that using a baitcaster is somehow related to fishing prowess. That, spinning reels are for amateurs, and real fisherman use baitcasters. And you are somehow deficient if you can't operate one effectively. Like graduating from a Zebco 33, to a Daiwa spinning reel from Grandpas, to a Shimano Stradic from Bass Pro, and now you need the next evolutionary step, a baitcaster. It's nonsense. I'm not saying don't try or buy one. But do it for the right reasons. You might love it. Or you might hate it. But it won't make you a better fisherman. Remember this fact: the majority of all trophy bass (in lakes anyway) are caught in 5 foot or less of water. The type of reel used is rarely mentioned, if at all. Because it didn't matter. Moral of the story. Some people love baitcasters. Some don't. There are caveats for both spinning and baitcaster reels. It's not a question of better. Don't feel you have to have one to feel "complete." PS: All this talk about arms and wrists and angles and reeling and pressure per second per second is twaddle. You throw a lure out with your rod and reel and bring it back. Rinse. Repeat.

I like to fish for trout too. Unfortunately, they are not in the upper Meramec. Maybe the mdc was wrong in designating this section a trout area. It happens. They are human. If you want trout, go elsewhere.

The cure for watching mizzou choke is watching the billikens. Three in a row against any team is hard. Guarantee we're in butler's head now. Vcu will not be the same team we played couple weeks ago.

Why is it so important to you guys to have trout in that section of the Meramec? Why should the State of Missouri put trout in that area? The basis of your argument seems to be that there were trout there years ago. So, why aren't there trout there now, huh Department of Conservation? Where is my trout on the Meramec gosh darnit!? I WANT MY TROUT! We will stop at nothing to reclaim the Red Ribbon Area for trout on the Meramec as a place worthy of our attention, just like in the good ol' days! Has it ever occurred to you, that, maybe, probably, the Meramec doesn't like trout? That, despite all our ministrations and contortions and public goodwill toward that poor river, it's just not gonna work? Where is it written that between Hwy 8 and Scotts Ford there must be trout? Things change. That's nature. Like when you're with a random girl, in bed, you're ready, she's ready, but, somehow, things aren't clicking. There's nothing wrong with you. Or her. It just ain't happening. Like the Meramec with trout. It ain't happening. Get over it and move on.

"Bracketologist" Joe Linardi has only two "locks" for the tournament from the SEC, Florida and Mizzou. And he has always had Mizzou in there, for weeks and weeks. Meanwhile, us fans suffer the agonizing ups and downs of this team. You will notice however (despite my first post on this thread), that I have averred that the less Pressey does, the better off the team is (yeah whatever). Tonight was an example. Disjointed as Mizzou is on offense sometimes, there is no denying the sheer physicality and talent that they have. I think that they have to accept that they are all scorers, and trust each other to make a shot. I thought they were more focused on defense tonight also. Still. Still. Hey, look at it this way, look at all the teams who WON'T be in the tournament. Breathe Joe. deep cleansing breaths. breathe. that's it. relax. it's only basketball.