TroutRinger

I just bought a screw-in paddle holder for my sit-in kayak. I just need something to keep my paddle from sliding off the rim of the cockpit when I'm fishing. Anyway, the instructions say to mount them on the side of the kayak running parallel to the hull. However, I think it would be much better to mount them on the edge of the cockpit perpendicular to the hull. That way when I set my rod down the paddle is right there already in position to begin paddling (and I don't have to worry about accidently dropping the paddle in the water). I am also thinking about just mounting one so it would be easier to remove the paddle, but I am afraid that might put too much stress on the holder and mount. Just looking for some thoughts or suggestions before I start putting holes in the kayak. Thanks

Anybody ever fish this area. I drove over it yesterday on 44, and the water looked pretty good. I just bought a kayak and am looking for a place close by to test it out. If you have fished there, what can I expect fish and floating wise? Thanks edit....Also what about Allenton Access, Pacific Palisades, or Dr. Heny A Uhlemeyer Access on the Bourbeuse?

I'm moving back to Springfield next week for school, and since I just bought a kayak, I am looking for some smallmouth streams/access points withing 30 minutes of the Missouri State campus. I would really like to fish the James or Finley rivers, but anything with good water will work. Thanks ...I'm also looking for a fishing partner/guide if anyone wants some company.

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/...72651.2674153#1 This is on sale at Dick's for $400. I would be using it mostly on streams for smallmouth fishing. Wondering what you all think (especially if you have any experience with one). I don't really want to spend this much money, but this looks pretty handy.

We are supposed to float this weekend from Alley to Eminence. Have never been to Jack's Fork before and just wondering what to expect? Wondering what the water levels are like and also what kind of crowd we are going to deal with. We have a couple of inexperienced floaters in our group of 8 and also a couple that will want to fish. Any suggestions/comments will be appreciated. Thanks I was floating the current on this last Thursday, and a park ranger told me that the Jack's Fork had a 9 foot rise with all the rain. Most of the campgrounds in Eminence got flooded out so if you might want to call a canoe outfitter to find out about water levels. As far as floating difficulty, as long as the river hasn't changed too much since I was there last summer, that section is not too bad. You should be okay with in the inexperience floaters especially if you stick them up front. The fishing is also pretty decent in that section, but I think it is a little better from Eminence down (but that is a much tougher float).

I thought for sure it had to be a largemouth to be that big, but it was definitely a spot. It had the rough patch on the toungue and the jaw extended only to the edge of the eye. I can always tell if it's a smallie or spot, but I usually have to do the jaw and toungue test for largemouth/spots.

Here we go...my friend put them up hours after he said he would just like with everything else he does.

I went to a friend of a friend's farm today and fished a creek that runs through his property. The area we were fishing was just downstream from a spring tributary so it was pretty deep and wide. There was this one deep hole with some current cutting through the middle of it. I was catching some nice but small spots and smallies out of there when 3 maybe 4 giant spots came swimming out from deep in the current and then back in. Needless to say I stayed there for about 30 minutes throwing an assortment of lures at them until I put on a brown 4 inch Zoom worm. On the third or fourth cast I hooked a monster. It pulled about 20-30 yards of line (4lb) and took about 10 minutes before I dragged him onto a sandbar with the help of my friend who scooped him on shore. My friend took a few pics on his cellphone (I'll post if he uploads them like he said he would) and measured it at 22 inches before releasing it. It gave me a nice tail splash on its way out, but I didn't mind. It was one of the biggest bass (definitely biggest spot) I have ever caught and for it to come from a creek was especially awesome!

Can you wade there or do you have to have a boat of some sort?

I'd like to second this. I've been looking at Kayaks for a few months now. I'll be living in Springfield in mid August and will be fishing probably a lot of the same streams you are.

That an awesoem fish...thanks for the pic

Looking for a SOT Kayak in the St. Louis area for fishing in rivers and streams. I need to be able to transport it securely in a standard 6.5 ft truck bed. Thanks

Recently I have doing a lot of smallie fishing in small streams. However, since I don't have a boat, I am quite limited in where I can go so I am thinking about buying a used kayak. I only plan on using it to paddle upstream to get to spots that I can't wade to and maybe a little further. It's been a while since I've used a kayak in a river so my question is how difficult is it to paddle upstream in a kayak (assuming a stream with an average current)....by the way, if anyone in the St. Louis area has a SOT kayak set up for fishing they want to part with let me know.

Thanks everyone...I ended up going with 6lb Vanish and have already used it w/o any complaints. I didn't see any need to go higher and if I was going to use 4lb line I might as well use my trout stuff which I still might end up doing because it is just so much fun. That reminds me, I need to go trout fishing.

Thanks as well...I go to Missouri State and I am fortunate enough to have no class on Friday's. I was looking for some spots to catch smallies down there.

I don't know anything about the nests getting washed away, but once the spawning smallies get into sunfish chasing mode, they are nearly impossible to catch. About two weeks ago I spent nearly an hour casting to these two really nice smallies in a little creek that were guarding a nest. I was doing my best to make my lure look like it was attacking the bed but they were so occupied with the sunfish I hardly got a reaction.

There's good fishing all over the lake in the summer. Just need to get out early in the morning and late evening/night. I've caught a lot of bass there in the summer right after the sun goes behind the hills. Docks in or very near deep water are always a good place to start as are bluffs. There are also plenty of fish along any shoreline with some decently deep water and structure. Here is a website that has some places you can put in http://www.funlake.com/do_see/outdoors/public_beaches.php. As far as lures, it's hard to beat 10" plastic worms in dark colors at night. In the morning and late evening, spinnerbaits and topwaters are my favorites. Like Ozarkgunner said, get off the water by 10 or you'll regret it.

What pound test and type of line do you guys use for smallie fishing in streams with really clear water? I've just been using 6# Trilene XL because it was either that or the 2# Maxima on my trout reels. I was going to buy some Tectan Premium Plus from Cabelas in a diameter similar to 6# Trilene, but they were sold out. I'm thinking about using some fluorocarbon line like Vanish in 6 or 8#'s, but I've never used fluoro before.

I had a feeling that might be the case with La Barque. If it's true, the MDC really needs to update their website. Thanks for the book tip. I think I might check it out.

Has anyone fished either of these two places? Any info would be appreciated...Where did you access the creek? Is it wadeable? How's the smallmouth fishing? Thanks

Nobody???

Spinnerbait at LOZ in a shallow log jam in a small cove.

Has anyone ever fished in La Barque Creek in Young Conservation Area, in particular for smallmouth? ...While we are at it, how about the Maramec and Big Rivers in that area. Is there any decent wade fishing?

Thanks...I'll give one of those places a try, and now I'm just realizing I posted this on the Maramec Springs page. Not sure how that happened.

I'm looking for a good river or creek to fish for smallmouth within 45 minutes of South County. I don't have a canoe or riverboat so I need a place that has good access for shore fishing and wading. I'm really just looking for a place to go for a few hours in the evening after work. If you know of any places I would appreciate it.