405z06

Cool Deal! Glad you got your first MO smallie, plus some more! My advice for any MO smallmouth newbie is as follows: 1) Pick a day that you would be able to get down to Leasburg/Steelville or surrounding area by 8am 2) Call Ozark Outdoors to reserve a canoe for said day 3) Reserve float from "The Bluffs" back to Ozark Outdoors. Something like 9 miles. You wont want to do this on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day, typically, due to crowds.But during the week, it's fine. It's not the best fishing spot in Missouri, or even the best stretch of the Meramec, for that matter, but it's pretty darn good, and Ozark Outdoors is very accommodating to fisherman. That's the important part. 4) Focus on faster moving baits: When in a canoe, you are typically moving fast at the exact same time you are in the best water. Throwing a slow, bottom-bouncing lure in fast current while moving in a canoe is not optimal. You can take multiple rods, (I usually take 2 while in a canoe: a spinning real with a jig/bottom-bouncer, and a baitcaster with a fast moving bait). but take a rod/real that has the ability to throw something you have confidence in that is fast moving. If you don't happen to have confidence in anything like that,, throw a 1/4 oz tandem spinnerbait of some sort. Strike King, Booyah, War Eagle, whatever is available. Pick a bright colored skirt, if possible, so you can see it better in the water. 5) If you do well on that stretch, or enjoy it, then there are years worth of exploring at your disposal just in this area of the Mermamec, Huzzah, Courtois, Big Piney, and Gasconade. *I left off the Bourbuese and Big because they both suck and are chocolate-milk, frog-water waterways of Hell, and neither should really be considered an "Ozark Stream" 5) Bank fishing the Big River is a like the fat girl you try to pick up at closing time at the bar. Pure desperation. Sometimes you gotta do it just to get it out of your system, but the Big River is for addicts and hardcore folks only. I, too have driven down to Morse Mill or Rockford Beach when i was jonesing early in the season, so I understand your prerogative. I also recognize your shame. But don't do it. Just don't. Big River fishing is for super advanced fisherman or nihilists, it's not worth the stress. Certainty not from the bank, and usually not from boat/canoe, either.

Had a thoroughly mediocre day-trip on Saturday floating the Mermamec (the Bluffs to OOD). Fishing was really tough, but catching 5 spots - all about 9 inches - got my attention, as I probably haven't caught 5 spots combined in that stretch in the past 10 years.

If you are in a canoe or kayak, just fish it all (you kinda have to anyway without a motor), and you will figure it out quick enough, especially if you are an experienced angler on lakes and reservoir, like it sounds you are. When I first started I always looked for the deeper side of the river/creek to fish. If it is a turn, stay to the outside. If it's a straightaway, look to the bank and color of water to determine the side with the most depth and stick to those. Keep casting and you will pick up "patterns", usually related to current, breaks, wood, rocks, etc.

The Meramec is so diverse. I wish I could luck into an 'eye once in a while where I fish up river.

been watching these posts. was down near the 26 MM over this past weekend and it was the poorest fishing I have ever seen at LOZ. the bass fishing was so poor I bought some minnows for crappie and got skunked there, too. Back to the rivers and smallmouth for me, good luck, though.

Nice Poodle

Yeah, just a wee bit....

<i've said too much>

Are we talking about on the weekend or during the middle of the week? If it's during the week, it doesn't really matter. If it's a Sat or Sun, there are some nuances and tricks of the trade for the Meramec.

I'm no expert, and I pretty much stopped fishing impoundments when I discovered Ozark Stream Smallies, but I remember more than a few early May LOZ trips where fishing Wiggle Warts on main lake points that had a channel swing were magnificent. I also like to throw bubble gum floating trick worms behind dock cables. 1/4 oz tandem spinnerbaits are a good search bait. Those would be the 3 lures I would have tied on to start, and be ready and quick to adjust.

Yeah, the spot is pretty obvious. This thing was such a statistical fluke that i didn't think it was worth trying to hide the location. I caught a decent one there in March before the high water.

Hit the Meramec today. The last 3 weekends have been blown out due to high water, but before that - back in March, - we were really putting a hurt on 'em, numbers-wise. Which usually isn't the case this early in the Spring - at least for me and the people I fish with. With the weather decent, the river level and flow back to near normal, my buddy and were chomping at the bit to see if they were still in their haunts and active. Well, they weren't. We only caught 6 fish the entire day, but one of them was the freak below. I've been Ozark Smallie fishing for about 10 years and have never caught anything close to this, nor have I personally ever seen a another fish this size. 5.51 lbs on the Rapala digital scale. Didn't have a way to measure her length, so I am not going to take a guess. Beautiful, healthy, fat fish. She didn't have a mark on her, except on the top of her tail. Not sure what that could have been from. I could probably fish these rivers for the next 50 years and never catch another fish this big, so it was a very special moment! This post has been promoted to an article

I enjoy a good forum troll more than most. But to be a good troll you need intelligence and wit. This guy needs to go back and get his troll game polished somewhere and come back and try again.

LOL Right on, brother!

Every time my buddy and I float Huzzah Valley, we pay, get our boarding pass, and then drive down to the landing to park. Form there it's an all-out sprint to see who can cast first into that area where Dry Creek comes in. It's good to get off the schnide even before they put you in a canoe

Not used to looking at these, is there a legend? PSD? RSD12? Etc?

I'm not familiar with that put-in. Is that the one that is referred to as "The Railroad"? I floated Harper's to HV on the same day you were there (Thursday) and the bite was brutally tough for the Huzzah in May. 4 people, 2 canoes, 6 miles, 5 smallies total. Granted, the other 3 gents I was with were somewhat novice fisherman, but for me to catch only 4 fish on that stretch in May was disconcerting. Went again Saturday morning, this time HV to Scotia - crossing our fingers the whole time that the storm wouldn;t jack up the creek- and we totally killed it. The difference of 48 hours was amazing. Fish were super aggressive and chasing.

Rockford beach? I think I know that spot's name...Charlie?

Back to the future fish!

I absolutely love the huzzah in May...some of the best smallmouth fishing there is.After that i let the party folks have it

I have a love/hate relationship with the lower Big. For the weekend of 3/12 we had plans to hit the Meramec near Steelville, but the water got high and flowing, and our only real option was to float the lower Big. The water was up, swift, and muddy, but we got off the schneid for 2016 with 4 smallies, 1 largemouth, and the fattest 13" spot I have ever seen. In the first 30 minutes we broke one of our two paddles and lost a bait-caster combo worth $400+. It seems pics of fish always look much smaller than reality, but this fish was 19" for sure. Probably the biggest fish we'll see all year. But I look forward to the days of 100 fish and sunburns over rainy and cold. I like action,

I had never heard of Wildwood Springs so I had to Google it, but that is right in the heart of Meramec smallmouth goodness. You literally can't go wrong anywhere in this section. Indian Springs resort - who has new owners - could put you on from Scott's Ford back to their place. About 6-7 miles. For some reason I catch a lot of largemouth in this section, which isn't a complaint, just weird. One of my favorite stretches of river. Hit it about 3 weeks ago and cleaned up. Garrison's could put you on at Bird's Nest. Good Water. I've never used the RaftingCo, which is the closest outfitter to where you are, but I'm sure they could put you on somewhere near Riverview access (maybe Indian Springs?). Not sure where they put in, but it is good water. When it comes to cabins, Ozark Outdoors is top-top, but that is a bit of a drive. They also put you on good smallie water (Bluffs to Ozark Outdoors).

Yeah, it's probably just poor timing. It's funny how that happens...the first couple of times I float-fished the Huzzah, I get whooped, and for years i avoided it. There is a report I gave on this forum of the fist time I ever floated the Huzzah, It was the first trip that I was ever skunked. I didn't catch a single smallie. Not even a Googlie. The water was skinny and gin clear. But the Huzzah is truly great, especially in the spring, imo, and I had just hit it at a bad time. Crappy luck. The same thing happened the first time I floated the Meramec from Scott's Ford to Indian Springs. I think I caught 2 smallies that entire trip. And I avoided it for years. Then a few years ago, I tried it again and became my favorite stretch of river that season. The first time I floated from Slabtown on the Piney was dreadful. Then I tried it again and It became my favorite float for a couple of years. The only river that I have ever sworn off and not had to acknowledge my error in doing so is the Bourbeuse. And I'm sure that would be a mistake if there wasn't but one outfitter on the river.

i know you said "lately", and I haven't been on the Huzzah for about 2 months, but I hit it more this Spring than I had ever fished it before and it quickly turned into one of my favorite streams. The floats I had on the Huzzah in May and June were for the most part phenomenal.