Intro And Thanks

[eric1978]

Hey everyone. Just wanted to introduce myself before I started posting elsewhere. I live in St. Peters, MO, fish almost exclusively smallmouth in MO streams, and don't get out nearly enough. My favorite float is the upper Jack's Fork, but can usually only get down there once a year. My dad just sold his house and property right on the Huzzah, so I've spent most of my time fishing that area of the state. Since the luxury of having a place down there is now gone, I've been thinking about branching out.

I'm planning on doing some wading this weekend, and thought about trying Mineral Fork, upper Big River or Joachim Creek, since they are so close to St. Louis. Also considered the upper Bourbeuse, but kind of get the sense from reading older posts that it's not the most wader-friendly stream. How about higher up like the Mint Spring access? I plan on taking a buddy who isn't in terrible shape, but tends to tire out faster than I do. You guys have any ideas for these areas?

I'll also disclose immediately that I use only artificials and always always catch and release. I don't even keep spots in areas where they're considered problematic since I don't care to lug around dead fish and I couldn't bring myself to toss any bass on a shore to die. My friends and I do a lot of backpacking and we are very strict about the "leave no trace" philosophy. So I pledge an oath to you all to leave your beloved streams and forests in better shape and cleaner than I find them.

Thanks to all of you who contribute to this forum and especially Al Agnew, who appears to me to be an absolute gold mine of information on smallmouth fishing in Missouri. Sorry for the long post, I can be long winded when I'm excited . I may post this question in another area for better results, sorry if that's irritating. Thanks for your help!

[Phil Lilley]

Thanks for posting- welcome to the forum.

[Danoinark]

Glad to have you.

[tippett7]

Welcome to the forum. I would love to fish with you for smallmouth. I live in Branson.