BobK

I drove by my boat ramp the other day that was 5 feet out of the water......I don't even know if I could find a ramp to put my boat in right now with these river levels. Thanks the report......might need to find a canoe.

Wow.........is the river low???? Never in my 35 years fishing the Gasconade have I seen the river this low for this length of time. Thanks for the post!

Have you ever seen the river this low?????? This is the lowest I have seen it for this length of time in 35 years.

Wow....what a beautiful fish. Thanks for sharing!

Wow......great shots.

Great photo's........thanks for sharing!

I too would go with a 16 X 52 with a 40hp motor with electric start. I made the mistake years ago buying a 40hp manual start....big error.

Great job......scared me for a second.

Doesn't surprise me about the tournament. The Friday we fished we encountered about six boats screeming down the river within two minutes of each other. When we floated past them they told us they were fishing a tournament out of #42 that went from 4-7 pm and 7-11 am that Saturday. We watched them pull a few small ones out but nothing of size. Two weeks ago the water was still clearing up from the week before. Last weekend should have been pretty good.

September 22-26 Water Temp: 72 Notes: Fished around Indian Ford by highway #42 near Vienna, Mo all four days. Top water bite was terrible. Spinner Bait ok along with jerk bait and rattle trap. Five inch Chomper by far best lure. Water pretty cloudy Wednesday – Saturday due to high water the week before down by Hazelgreen. Thursday: Water still on slow fall and cloudy. Chomper best bite. Tried red and green crank baits without much success. Friday: Some rain fell overnight but not enough to affect the river level. Water still clearing up but cloudy. Jerk bait did work but the chomper still best bet. Saturday: We had some success with a rattle trap and jerk bait but the chompers still caught quality fish. Weather: Hot and humid Wednesday and Thursday with highs around 90. Cooled down Friday and Saturday with highs around 75. High sky all four days and extremely windy Thursday with approaching cool front Caught several 14-18 inch smallmouth, same with largemouth and one 14 inch sauger....all catch and release. I haven't kept a river fish in 32 years.

I would say LM....nice fish.

Thanks for sharing .....I really enjoyed your story.

It is free.....I enjoy fishing this part of the lake in early spring before the big boats get out. It does tend to get muddy when it rains in the upper end due to the river.

All good points......it will be crazy at Meramec. Did it several years ago and promised myself never to do it again. That being said, it was worth the experience.....people were lined up shoulder to shoulder several hours before the bell. Did watch the guy next to me pull a big one out and then release it.....that was pretty cool. Have fun but remember to go with an open mind......don't let it bother you when the guy next to you is pushing you over to get a spot.

I have never jerk bait fished on the rock but have had luck off of the five mile marker.

Nice picture....did you use a tripod?

Those are some beautiful fish! I have river fished for 35 years (C&R)and have never ventured out there during the winter months....boat in storage. I need to rethink that after viewing these pic's. Thanks for sharing!

Nice fish. What did you fish with? The water looks really blue!

Thanks for the post.....just downloaded my 797 update to a card. Problem is the boat is in storage till March. Keep posting pictures.....it's making me crazy wanting to try it out.

Those are some great stories....thanks for sharing! I just looked in my tackle box and counted 12 wiggle warts.

Very cool!

Alot of it depends where you plan on fishing and time of year (water flow). I boat mostly around the Vienna, Mo area and can tell you an outboard motor will limit your access. I would highly recommend saving up for a small jet motor if possible. I did the same thing....bought a small boat and a outboard and then found myself upgrading a year later to a small jet. There are just too many areas on the Gasconade where you will find long deep runs and then encounter a shallow shoal requiring a jet to get through.

Oh my gosh......thanks for sharing. That is unbelievable!

WOW.......that thing is huge.