MOsmallies

All of those pictures are upsetting as hell to me but he's within his legal rights. He's not poaching. So you say those were not caught out of a river though?

Nice Brett! Looks like a Largemouth to me. Glad you got into some nice ones

I was hoping to avoid this discussion this year but the MDC busted someone and I just couldn't help myself. I'm glad siusaluki posted this. I'm hoping it makes some doubters realize that this is a real issue. One that many of us have been witnessing for years. I also agree that gigging will never be banned in Missouri but I would love to at least see some of the restrictions suggested in this thread put in place... Shorter spears, off-limit stretches, etc. Like Al, I look with envy at the states that don't allow gigging and look at their populations of giant smallmouth and wonder what kind of smallmouth fishing the Ozarks could produce with no gigging, stricter creel regulations, and increased enforcement. Growing trophy smallmouth in this state is what I want the most and is most important to me. To others it maybe growing trophy whitetail or the freedom to gig suckers or any number of things... But smallmouth are my passion so that's where I take my stance.

You are right poachers will poach anything and everything no matter the size. But it's undeniable that gigging and underwater spearfishing does give a person an advantage of being ABLE to only target big fish. Rod and Reel anglers do not have that advantage. Therefore gigging/spearfishing poachers have the ability to do a lot more damage on the big fish population than rod/reel anglers ever will.

Smalliebigs is gonna freak when he sees this thread. He's looking at an Excel Jet right now!!! His main concern is the weight of the boat and how shallow it'll go... Any ideas how shallow your boat can go yet Billethead?

That's not exactly what he's saying.... Basically if you are going to gig then you need to be 100% sure what you are getting ready to stab or don't stab it at all... We've both heard several stories over the past couple winters from locals on the Meramec who have claimed that young, inexperienced, but coordinated giggers in their boats have accidentally gigged trophy smallmouth, largemouth, and walleye. This may not have been their intention but the end result is equally as devastating. The first thing ethical giggers should be teaching the next generation is to not gig anything unless you are 100% sure it's a legally giggable species. The same applies to your example of hunting... Hunters should be teaching the next generation to hunt ethically. They should be teaching young hunters to only take good, safe shots. If there's any doubt or obstacle in the way that could compromise the shot and raise the risk of injuring the animal as opposed to killing it, then don't take the shot... It's that simple... If you are going to kill a resource then make sure you are absolutely sure before just taking a shot in the dark. It's called practicing good conservation.

I couldn't agree more ALLSTAR1!!!!! But it's not as easy to bust em as you'd think. Most poaching giggers are using private accesses and there's just not enough enforcement available. I just read an article today written by a Conservation Agent. A Bald Eagle was shot and killed in Clinton County and the Conservation Agent was basically pleading with the public to help identify poachers. He even said he can't be everywhere at once so he really relies on tips from locals to point out the poachers. Unfortunately gigging will never be outlawed in Missouri... The MDC itself anoints it as an "Ozark Tradition" (See the Sept/Oct 2014 Missouri Conservationist Magazine). It's up to all of us who witness or know of illegal poaching to report it to the MDC. This bust in Ripley County is a huge opportunity for the MDC to make statement and I truly hope they take advantage of it. Throw the book at this lowlife poacher. Revoke his fishing license for several years, confiscate his boat and gear, and hit him with a fine that will hurt his pocket book immensly.... And then blast it all over social media. Social media is a very powerful thing in this day and age. This won't deter all poachers but it may deter some. They have to make an example of somebody!!!! I hope they don't let this opportunity slip away. Man I hate poaching!!!!

Nice! Jerkbait??

You'll get on em again soon Al.... What were the water temps?

Where'd you find this article siusaluki? I'd imagine someone called this guy in as opposed to the agent just so happening to be there. We need more people to speak up and turn these poachers in to the MDC Agents!

Dam glad this @sshole got caught!!!! Makes me sick to see those dead bass though! One poacher down... Many more to go!!

This is priceless!!!!!!

Wrench - I'm really starting to like the wobble head and it pairs real nice with Mitch's craw... I plan to give both a real nice workout on LOZ this spring. moguy1973 - There's some better pics of Mitch's craw in this thread.... He designed, developed, and pours them himself. They are legit! He also pours the wobble heads himself.

You are right about Mitch... He's too humble to claim it but he's one of the better river fisherman in this area! It looks like you've been on em down your way as well. I've enjoyed your reports and videos lately!

You've heard it from Smalliebigs (Scott) and I before.... Fishing time is a premium these days due to young children and work. No one on here gets out as much as they'd like to, so we all want to make the most of our opportunities. Early in the week the forecast was looking favorable and we were both obligation free. But as the week wore on, the forecast suddenly turned bleak. Oh well, you gotta make the most of your opportunities, right? We were able to enlist the help of our good friend and local winter smallmouth guru, Mitch Fields. And let me just say you'd be hard pressed to find a nicer, more knowledgeable guy than Mitch. I've known Scott for about 10 years and have gotten to known Mitch over the past 2... and I can honestly say I learn something new every time I fish with these two! We arrived at the ramp around 8:15 am and were casting by 8:30. Air temps hovered between 48-50 the entire drive but were already starting to plummet by the time we pushed off from the ramp. No water temp reading but we guessed upper 30's. Rain and possible snow were being called for later in the day but we were prepared. Two gapers ready for a day on the river... There was a small hole near the ramp that Mitch had caught some fish in before so we threw an array of jerkbaits, hair jigs, and Mitch's craw before buzzing upstream. No bites in that first hole, so we were off. We reached our second spot after a brisk boat ride to find a long, deep, bolder strewn stretch that looked prime to hold some winter smallmouth. We started in the middle of the hole and worked our way upstream. Each of us switching baits til we found a bite. Scott got us on the board with a 13" in largemouth on the jerkbait and Mitch followed suit about 30 yds later with a beautiful, fat 17" smallie on his craw...Thank you ma'am... We continued to fish this hole with nothing except a few more bites, but Mitch had mentioned that it tended to be an afternoon hole. Remember... Mitch knows his stuff... We headed upstream again but for a little longer ride this time. Mitch navigating some skinny water like a pro and Scott and I gawking at several Bald Eagles. We stopped at a backwater that Mitch claimed to usually hold largemouth. Within two casts Mitch was reeling in a 14" largemouth and 2 more just like it on his next three casts. Scott got in on the fun with a few more largemouth while I tried to find a jerkbait in my box that matched the right profile and depth as my cohorts. We had caught probably 8-10 largemouth with the biggest around 15" before heading downstream to another spot. We had a few more bites on Mitch's craw but no more fish landed in this stretch so we buzzed back up to the largemouth hole. I was able to finally get on the board with 5 dink largemouth in about 10 casts out of the same hole we had just fished 30 minutes prior. Scott and Mitch each added a couple more as well, but there wasn't a whole lot of size to the largemouth in this backwater. We headed back downstream trying a few likely looking spots along the way to no avail. We ultimately decided that the long, deep, bolder strewn stretch we'd fished earlier in the morning was our best chance to land a nice smallmouth or two. We buzzed downstream and started fishing at the top of this hole. And again it didn't take long for Scott to put a 14" smallmouth in the boat on his Jerkbait. I chimed in with a largemouth and smallmouth on the jerkbait from the same general area. A few minutes passed without a bite and for some reason Scott put down his pointer in favor of the Megabass. He launched a cast quartering downstream and began working the bait with some longer pauses. As he went to twitch his bait after a pause, his rod loaded up and doubled over. Both Mitch and I turned around after hearing Scott grunt. We immediately knew he had a nice one on. Mitch asked if he wanted a net and in typical, pessimistic Smalliebigs fashion Scott responded... "Eh, I think it's a drum". I grabbed the net regardless and moments later a glob of bronze came wallowing to the surface. The guesstimate's quickly went from 17" to 18" to possibly pushing 20" as the fish slid into the net. Scott had nailed a beautiful, thick, broom-tailed smallmouth that hit the measuring tape at 19.5". A stud of a fish! Mitch and I were just as thrilled as if we had landed the fish. Please excuse Scott's Willy Wonka look (a la Johnny Depp)... And just as predicted this hole produced an afternoon bite! The next hour was just solid in terms of bites and numbers as we milked that entire stretch. Opting for Mitch's craw, both Mitch and I began pitching around the boulders and pulling out 13-16" smallmouth. A half hour went by when I looked back at Scott and asked if he had made a cast since that big fish. With a huge smile he simply replied "Nope!". He was as happy as could be! They were simply choking Mitch's craw. No need for the hair jig. The way they were reacting to his craw in this cold of water temps was downright impressive. Mitch even tied on a crankbait at one point and nailed a chunky, 16" largemouth! All told, we had 35+ fish between the three of us on a cold, wet, cloudy January day. Location is so key this time of year. All our fish came from two holes. You just have to be patient and work your baits slowly and thoroughly. It was just one of those days on the river that rejuvenates you and gets you pumped for another year of chasing river smallies. I can't thank Mitch and Scott enough for an awesome day and a ton of good laughs. Just sharing a boat with these two was the highlight of the day.... Well maybe the 19.5" drum, I mean smallie, was the highlight but you get the point. I'd say we made the most of our opportunity!

This is hilarious!!!! You had me rolling Wrench!

I've been wanting to do this on the "urban" Meramec as well... Let me know if you end up doing this and if you are up for company, I'd be happy to put the kayak in with you and leave a car for the shuttle. I've always thought of the lower Meramec as a mini Mississippi... Lots and lots of species and under-utilized.

Here's a quote from McClelland... The sound of the RC55 is inconsistent. There is a time and place for rattling baits but the Rk55 will run silent but also have a subtle rattle due to a tungsten ball inside it. I really like that mixture of sound patterns.

These guys know what they are talking about! And the chance to see Mitch's craw in person is reason enough to go! The thing is ridiculous!! Wish I could make it. May need to find a babysitter. Thanks for posting Phil Paul MOSmallies

LOZ local pro Dion Hibdon was also dropped by Chevy

Fishinwrench - One other way to tell is the thickness and shape of the bill... Pre Rapala warts have a noticeably thinner bill that is more cupped... The newer ones are thicker and have a flatter bill. The newer ones also have a raised line that goes from one side of the bill to the other up where the bill meets the body of the bait. Kind of hard to explain but once you see it, it's pretty obvious. I have custom painted ones as well and this is how I can tell the difference. Hold one you know is old and one you know is new at the same time... You can tell a difference

Any fishing trip is worth a try in my opinion... That being said, fly fishing is probably not the best possible tool for winter river smallmouth fishing. The smallmouth will be grouped up in few deep holes with very little current which I imagine being tough to fish effectively with fly gear. Conventional tackle would just be a better tool for the trade this time of year. Hair jigs, small soft plastics, and jerkbaits... fished low and sloooowwww!

You are a way better man than I am DangerClose.... I'd be wishing for that a-hole to fall while opening that box and sink 50 treble hooks into every inch of his body! I hate thieves with a passion!!

Looks like Yamamoto is trying to get a share of the Ned Rig market.... http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Yamamoto_3_Fat_Senko_10pk/descpage-YMFS3.html