Still There, Still A Bore

[eric1978]

Well I got a new reel in the mail yesterday and wanted to try it out. Haven't fished in more than two weeks because I've been so busy with work, had a couple hours off this morning. Nice and cloudy with a few sprinkles, so I drove to Busch (ten minutes), tied on a spinnerbait and walked around a few of the smaller and less popular multi-species lakes. Bite was pretty good before 10 AM, caught about 15 green slimies, including two around 3 pounds. Bite pretty much stopped after 11 AM. All fish in less than two feet of water, no real relation to structure, just kind of roaming the shallows. Saw a good 5-6 pounder dead on the shore with his guts eaten out. Must have been gut-hooked by some idiot live bait fisherman. Can't imagine he'd just die, he looked pretty fat and healthy (aside from being dead). Busch wildlife bores me. I'm jonesin' for a stream and a smallie or two.

[ozark trout fisher]

Well I got a new reel in the mail yesterday and wanted to try it out. Haven't fished in more than two weeks because I've been so busy with work, had a couple hours off this morning. Nice and cloudy with a few sprinkles, so I drove to Busch (ten minutes), tied on a spinnerbait and walked around a few of the smaller and less popular multi-species lakes. Bite was pretty good before 10 AM, caught about 15 green slimies, including two around 3 pounds. Bite pretty much stopped after 11 AM. All fish in less than two feet of water, no real relation to structure, just kind of roaming the shallows. Saw a good 5-6 pounder dead on the shore with his guts eaten out. Must have been gut-hooked by some idiot live bait fisherman. Can't imagine he'd just die, he looked pretty fat and healthy (aside from being dead). Busch wildlife bores me. I'm jonesin' for a stream and a smallie or two.

Yeah, compared to a smallie stream Busch is definitely a bore, but there ..... Except in the winter, and sometimes even then.

[eric1978]

Yeah, compared to a smallie stream Busch is definitely a bore, but there ..... Except in the winter, and sometimes even then.

I'd like to put my canoe in that little lake near the office that's closed to fishing for "aquatic research." Something tells me there'd be nothing boring about that.

[ozark trout fisher]

I'd like to put my canoe in that little lake near the office that's closed to fishing for "aquatic research." Something tells me there'd be nothing boring about that.

Agreed. I bet there are some monsters in there.

Busch Wildlife just gets so much pressure, I don't fish it too much anymore. But, there is a pretty decent variety of fish there, so I guess its not all bad....

Have you ever fished for musky in that lake they stock them#35, I believe? I have not heard much about that before, but it would be fun if there were a decent number. Just doesn't look like good musky habitat to much to me, but who knows.

[eric1978]

Agreed. I bet there are some monsters in there.

Busch Wildlife just gets so much pressure, I don't fish it too much anymore. But, there is a pretty decent variety of fish there, so I guess its not all bad....

Have you ever fished for musky in that lake they stock them#35, I believe? I have not heard much about that before, but it would be fun if there were a decent number. Just doesn't look like good musky habitat to much to me, but who knows.

Never gone after the musky, wouldn't know how to go about it if I wanted to. You're right about the pressure. Tons of fishermen throwing everything from live bait to beer cans into the lakes. Even the lakes I went to the other day that were as far off the main roads as you could get had beaten paths around them, garbage everywhere, and old mono hanging from every tree limb. There is one lake that I won't mention that has always produced decent numbers and bigger fish for me, but you can't really access most of it by walking the bank, which is probably why it's better. Late fall and early spring have always been better for me at Busch, too, when the masses aren't out there. My guess is that the fish do most of their feeding at night during the warmer months, since the park closes at 9:00 P.M. I know that's what I'd do if I were a bass in one of those lakes. They gotta feel like a German on D-Day during the summer and say screw eating...I'll wait till dark.

[BredMan]

Busch will amaze you sometimes and provide some very good fishing. Best times are early Spring, Fall, and Winter(winter trout). Although no matter what time of the year Busch is also a magnet for stupid people who could care less about anything. Hence the piles of garbage under trees, beer and soda containers everywhere, not to mention the balls of mono and bait containers tossed all over.

It's a real shame that it continues to be that way. Years ago it was a great place to fish. I once asked at the office as to why they don't have as many trash containers around the lakes like they once had. They told me people would just bring their home trash and filled them faster than they could dump them. Another problem is the minimal staffing so repairs and routine maintenance just doesn't get done. Lake number signs have fallen down, road directional signs missing, and some roads in poor condition.

I've had my share of good times over there but the real glory days are long gone.

[eric1978]

Busch will amaze you sometimes and provide some very good fishing. Best times are early Spring, Fall, and Winter(winter trout). Although no matter what time of the year Busch is also a magnet for stupid people who could care less about anything. Hence the piles of garbage under trees, beer and soda containers everywhere, not to mention the balls of mono and bait containers tossed all over.

It's a real shame that it continues to be that way. Years ago it was a great place to fish. I once asked at the office as to why they don't have as many trash containers around the lakes like they once had. They told me people would just bring their home trash and filled them faster than they could dump them. Another problem is the minimal staffing so repairs and routine maintenance just doesn't get done. Lake number signs have fallen down, road directional signs missing, and some roads in poor condition.

I've had my share of good times over there but the real glory days are long gone.

That's right, it's a mess, but there are still fish there. I usually only go if I get a new piece of equipment or tackle and want to play with it. Or if it just seems like the perfect day to fish but I only have a few hours. If it wasn't so close I might never go. (I'm right next door to you in St. Peters)