DeeWilly

Jason, Sorry it took so long to answer your question. I have been working and turkey hunting this past week so needless to say I haven't been out on the river since lastweek. The fishing has still been inconsistent for me which is unuasual for me this time of year. By now I usually have at least on banner day but it hasn't happened yet. I usually fish the mined out areas left and right of GW and slip back to any flooded areas I can reach to fish brush etc. The last time out the river was still high with water hazards. I have not had any carp jumping yet but, I have seen many common carp feeding on the surface. How about yourself have you been out yet, how have you done, and where do you usually concentrate? Darren

Fished the lower Meramec near George Winter yesterday. The river was about three feet high and rising with lots of debris and water hazards. As for the fishing it was very slow. Caught a couple of bass all small, a crappie, and a few gar one of which was about four feet long but, straightened my light wire crappie hook. I was hoping for a strong crappie bite. Maybe next trip. Has anyone else been out this week on the Meramec? Thanks, DeeWilly

I am obviously new the the forum and just wanted to say hello to all the members. I am an avid outdoorsman who tries to spend as much of my free time as possible outdoors. I live in the St. Louis area and fish locally most of the time however, I do venture to Table Rock and some other smaller lakes around the state with my boat. I also wet wade many of the eastern Ozark streams in the summer. I am trying to learn as much as possible about fishing all over the state and in particular the St. Louis area. Most of my experience has been concentrated in the lower Meramec River. If anyone has information about the lower Meramec River and the Mississppi/Meramec confluence please help. I will contribute as much as possible to this forum and do my part for fellow members. Thanks for having me, DeeWilly

I am new to the forum and used the site to prepare myself for a trip to Table Rock this past weekend April 27-30. Although I have fished the lake for several years and have done fairly well the posts here helped to jog my memory on some forgotten techniques. I would like to thank all that have provided information and special thanks to Bill Babler for the fishing maps. Although I didn't fish that part of the lake that Bill mapped I was going to use that as my backup plan if things didn't work out on the Long Creek portion of the lake. I have chartered with Bill in the past and I encourage anyone looking to learn about the lake and just flat catch fish give him a try. Now, to the important stuff. As many of you know the weather in MO this weekend was trash: wind, rain, and thunderstorms. However, despite the weather I was able to put together a working pattern. The most effective was a watermelon seed centipede rigged carolina style and fished on the main lake pionts in the Long Creek portion of the lake. I also caught fish on top water along the wooded bluffs near channel swings early in the mornings. The rouge also worked but not very consistent along the same bluffs but, very close to the bank. In all I would say I caught about 30 bass in two days including smallies, spots, and bucket mouths most of which were between 10 to 15 in. The largest was a 18 in. spot that I am guessing weighted about 4 lbs. and is attached below. Well, I wouldn't have won any tournaments but, I had a blast. All fish were released unharmed. Best of luck to all and keep those lines tight.