ozark trout fisher

I know the Bourbeuse pretty well. It's all pretty shallow, so wading shouldn't be much of a problem at all. Any stream stretch you pick will probably be pretty easy to wade. There's plenty of access. It's not a well known stream for some reason, but the fishing can be pretty darn good for bass, catfish, and sunnies.

Oh, as far as flies go, here's a short list... I primarily spin fish, but I've had good success a few times on the Piney using a fly rod. 1. Woolly bugger #10, olive, white, or black 2. Prince Nymph #16 3.Beadhead Pheasant Tail #18 4.Hare's Ear Nymph #16 5. Elk Hair Caddis #14 These are just the ones that I've had success with in Little Piney. I'm sure there are many others that will do very nicely. The trout are not selective, if you make a drag free drift, and a fish sees it, chances are it will take. But they are pretty easy to spook. You'll want a 7x for sure.

Gotta agree with that assesment. Little Piney.. Good sized stream with an excellent population of wild trout, and few fisherman. The best water is from Lane Spring Recreation area to the Vida Slab access. Mill Creek... Small water, not many fish. That pretty much sums it up. Roubidoux... This time of year, warm water, few trout, and an urban environment. Little Piney is your best bet. Definitely

Just a tip.... Most likely, because of the dirty water, I have always had better luck fishing live bait for bass than anything else on the Meramec below the Bourbeuse confluence. I have caught nice bass on crankbaits and tubes there, but I consistently catch more fish on live bait, especially nightcrawlers, crawfish, and minnows. Of course this brings up the problem of having to take a bunch of catfish, sunfish, and drum off the hook. I know some people have a pretty strong objection to this technique, but its just a suggestion. Take it for what its worth, which is probably nothing. If your not into that, I have done pretty well on spinnerbaits (1/4 ounce with a couple silver Colorado blades is a good option, preferable with yellow or chartreuse on the skirt). Some crankbaits also work pretty well, especially Bombers. Sometimes a topwater like the devil's horse is a good option. One more thing... There really isn't any truly fast water on that section of the Meramec, but you'll want to focus most of your attention on the water that at least has moderate current. You'll pretty much only find drum and catfish in the really slow, dead water.

Catching wild brookies in a small stream is what fishing is all about. It doesn't get any better than that.

I'll be fishing the Bourbeuse on Saturday (wade fishing).... I'll make sure to give a report, hopefully with a few nice bass included.

No problem

Thanks Interesting... That kind of had me concerned. Glad to hear it's mostly likely just a gauge problem.

Sounds like a great trip... The Eleven Point is about the perfect river in my opinion. There are plenty of fish, and the scenery is the best you'll find in the midwest. By far.

Nope... I catch them on a tiny piece of worm on a size 10 hook. It's difficult to catch bluegill that size, but not at all difficult to catch green sunfish, because they have larger mouths. The maximum length limit for live bait is five inches, and anything smaller than that will do just fine, especially if your looking for bigger fish.

I appreciate your conservation ethic. With that said, as I stated earlier in the thread, I have caught hundreds of bass this way, and I can count on one hand the number I have deeply hooked. I deep hook bass far more often on soft plastics than with live sunnies. That is something you can choose whether or not to believe. I know its true.

That is definitely a concern. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what the solution. But something has to be done about this ambiguous gray area. To be totally unsure, and with no way to find out if you are breaking the law is a bad feeling. As a matter of fact, my favorite stream for trout and smallies (Little Piney) fits right into this gray area, as a stream just big enough to float a kayak, at least most of the time. For example, when I wade upstream from the Vida Slab Access, I never really know whether I'm legal. But the fact is, its my favorite stream, and I'm not gonna stop fishing it just because there may be some confusion as to whether the stream is owned by the public. It makes me feel pretty uneasy.

Nice fish. The last week has been the best bass fishing I have ever seen in Lake Sherwood. Even more congratulations on the release. There aren't enough big bass in Sherwood, and every trophy needs to be caught more than once.

I haven't been by the Bourbeuse in awhile, but according to USGS, it's only running 2.2 CFS. I can't help but wonder if this is going to cause a fish kill. Has anyone seen or fished the Bourbeuse lately? It's odd, because the MDC fishing report says its still fishing well. Surely this can't be true, considering it is flowing in the single digits. Any update would be appreciated.

I haven't been by the Bourbeuse in awhile, but according to USGS, it's only running 2.2 CFS. I can't help but wonder if this is going to cause a fish kill. Has anyone seen or fished the Bourbeuse lately? It's odd, because the MDC fishing report says its still fishing well. Surely this can't be true, considering it is flowing in the single digits. Any update would be appreciated.

It sort of makes me wonder if a law could be passed through congress, that states that all rivers that can be normally floated with a canoe or kayak at normal high water would open to the public. It seems like that would be a good compromise if that would be at all possible. That would eliminate the gray area, but I can't really imagine that backfiring to actually hurt fisherman. I could be dead wrong of course. Frankly, I don't know if passing such a law would be politically feasible or even legal, so this may not even be a valid idea.

Wow, this is really interesting.... It makes you wonder why a hard and fast rule wasn't made on this before everything got so complitcated.

Watched it a few nights ago, really interesting. Congratulations.

Also, Stone Mill Spring Branch on base is a state managed trout water, stocked every few weeks I've heard. It's only 1/3 of a mile long, so there can't be that much to it, but it still might be worth a try. They announce stockings, and I've heard you pretty much have to get there within a few days of the stocking to catch fish. Like others have said, you also have the Big Piney. Nearby, but not actually on base you have Spring Creek (wild rainbows), Little Piney Creek (rainbows, smallmouth bass), and the Gasconade (smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, sunfish, and catfish). All are good bank/wade fishing options, although the Gasconade is deep, and kind of tough to wade. Good luck, and thank you for serving our country.

This is a very good idea. I think I might just schedule a trip down to Crane next weekend, and spend a little money down there. I would try to make it clear that I had come purely to fish Crane. This is a good idea, and any locals we can get on our side will be helpful. On a side note, I sent a respectful but urgent email to the MDC, hoping to get them on our side on this one. As far as I can tell, I have been politely blown off. Things change though.

Bring 2 bucks and a social security card. That's all you need. Walmart has replacement licences.

Sound like a tough day of fishing.... It's a bummer, but it happens to be best of us.

Your are correct... 5" is the maximum length limit for sunnies as bait. I usually use fish 3" or shorter, so it's not a real problem. As an unrelated side-note, I don't think you can use goggle-eye or warmouth perch of any size as bait... But I could be wrong.

Wow, you almost use the exact same technique I do. I have recently taken to lip hooking them with a size 2 or 4 crappie hook, and it seems to do a very good job of hooking the fish. I usually don't use a bobber however, mostly because the lake I usually fish has extrordinarily clear water. Also, I often use green sunfish instead of bluegill, because they tend to at least as common as bluegill in this particular lake.

I've never personally floated it, but I've heard that section has pretty intense rapids, but lots of smallies.