Slow River, Slow Fishing

[eric1978]

Floated the Bourbeuse with a buddy yesterday, from Mill Rock to Wenkel. 78 degrees, slightly overcast, nice weather. Put in around 11:00 A.M. Water clarity normal for the Bourbeuse, moderately stained. Current: none. Slow slow slow river. I've forgotten how slow it is. Started off paddling through the dead water and focusing on the pools around the riffles, with little results. Few small fish here and there, nothing to speak of, and not really where I expected them to be. The smallies were relating to rocky banks with pretty much no current. I guess they got used to living in slack water since most of the river is that way. Didn't really catch many fish where riffles drop into pools, in eddys, etc, the types of places you'd think they'd be.

Couple hours into the float, started fishing a long pool with just the slightest current running over a smattering of boulders in about 5-7 feet of water. Caught a nice 17 inch smallmouth on a white spinnerbait and a few other smallies and chunky largemouth in that hole. The 17 incher turned out to be the best fish of the day, but made the trip for me. Thought I hooked one of those boulders when he hit my spinnerbait.

The river was so slow that we were really either paddling, dragging, or not moving all day, so we were only at the half-way point by around 5:00 P.M. We started paddling our butts off and I was pretty frustrated to haul past some really nice looking spots, but we had a long way to go in just a little time. Wound up getting back to the take-out about an hour after dark. Floating at night on a slow, skinny river isn't much fun. Had a leech on my toe, but got him off before he latched on. Gross.

All in all, caught about 50 bass between us, about half of them small spots. The rest of them about equal numbers smallmouth and largemouth. All fish taken on spinnerbaits and flukes, a few on a Sammy where the leaves weren't a problem (they're starting to fall already) and my buddy caught a few on a jerkbait. The fishing seemed slow but I have the feeling it was simply because the Bourbeuse has a bass problem. The fish we caught were aggressive and eager to feed, there just didn't seem to be very many fish to catch. I've caught that many fish wading one mile of a decent creek.

Saw two giggers at night on our last mile of the float before take-out, and we were really pretty far upstream for jet-boats. Wonder why there are no fish? I won't be going back to the Bourbeuse anytime soon, at least not anywhere below Mill Rock. Too many spots. I might try wading way upstream past Mint or float up there in the spring.

[ozark trout fisher]

Floated the Bourbeuse with a buddy yesterday, from Mill Rock to Wenkel. 78 degrees, slightly overcast, nice weather. Put in around 11:00 A.M. Water clarity normal for the Bourbeuse, moderately stained. Current: none. Slow slow slow river. I've forgotten how slow it is. Started off paddling through the dead water and focusing on the pools around the riffles, with little results. Few small fish here and there, nothing to speak of, and not really where I expected them to be. The smallies were relating to rocky banks with pretty much no current. I guess they got used to living in slack water since most of the river is that way. Didn't really catch many fish where riffles drop into pools, in eddys, etc, the types of places you'd think they'd be.

Couple hours into the float, started fishing a long pool with just the slightest current running over a smattering of boulders in about 5-7 feet of water. Caught a nice 17 inch smallmouth on a white spinnerbait and a few other smallies and chunky largemouth in that hole. The 17 incher turned out to be the best fish of the day, but made the trip for me. Thought I hooked one of those boulders when he hit my spinnerbait.

The river was so slow that we were really either paddling, dragging, or not moving all day, so we were only at the half-way point by around 5:00 P.M. We started paddling our butts off and I was pretty frustrated to haul past some really nice looking spots, but we had a long way to go in just a little time. Wound up getting back to the take-out about an hour after dark. Floating at night on a slow, skinny river isn't much fun. Had a leech on my toe, but got him off before he latched on. Gross.

All in all, caught about 50 bass between us, about half of them small spots. The rest of them about equal numbers smallmouth and largemouth. All fish taken on spinnerbaits and flukes, a few on a Sammy where the leaves weren't a problem (they're starting to fall already) and my buddy caught a few on a jerkbait. The fishing seemed slow but I have the feeling it was simply because the Bourbeuse has a bass problem. The fish we caught were aggressive and eager to feed, there just didn't seem to be very many fish to catch. I've caught that many fish wading one mile of a decent creek.

Saw two giggers at night on our last mile of the float before take-out, and we were really pretty far upstream for jet-boats. Wonder why there are no fish? I won't be going back to the Bourbeuse anytime soon, at least not anywhere below Mill Rock. Too many spots. I might try wading way upstream past Mint or float up there in the spring.

A 17" smallie on the Bourbeuse is a really good fish for this time of year...

The amount of spots you caught that far upriver is more than a bit concerning.

[eric1978]

A 17" smallie on the Bourbeuse is a really good fish for this time of year...

The amount of spots you caught that far upriver is more than a bit concerning.

The 17 incher was a great fish and made my day. But the river in general was a little disappointing. Yep, the amount of spots we caught surprised us, too. A spot was the first fish I caught when we put in at Mill Rock, and the majority of fish we caught were spots. The largemouth and smallmouth were all bigger than the spots and nice and healthy, but you can tell there is something wrong in paradise there on the Bourbeuse. I decided to make a point to return in the next few weeks. I'm gonna go way high upstream and just wade a stretch. If I catch more spots than smallmouth above Mint, I won't go back. I hate feeling that way because it's so close to St. Louis, but the extra 30 minutes to the Meramec is probably worth it (in the off-season anyway). I think MDC needs to start a SMA on the Bourbeuse, in my opinion. Why why why can't they make just one species of fish off-limits??? Sigh.

[ozark trout fisher]

The 17 incher was a great fish and made my day. But the river in general was a little disappointing. Yep, the amount of spots we caught surprised us, too. A spot was the first fish I caught when we put in at Mill Rock, and the majority of fish we caught were spots. The largemouth and smallmouth were all bigger than the spots and nice and healthy, but you can tell there is something wrong in paradise there on the Bourbeuse. I decided to make a point to return in the next few weeks. I'm gonna go way high upstream and just wade a stretch. If I catch more spots than smallmouth above Mint, I won't go back. I hate feeling that way because it's so close to St. Louis, but the extra 30 minutes to the Meramec is probably worth it (in the off-season anyway). I think MDC needs to start a SMA on the Bourbeuse, in my opinion. Why why why can't they make just one species of fish off-limits??? Sigh.

You're right. The smallie fishing is better on the upper Meramec.... Probably worth the drive.

But I really do like the like the Bourbeuse, although I don't really know why. Not so much for the fishing I guess as the solitude, especially in summer when the Meramec is what it is then. The fishery is definitely in complete dissaray right now though. It's pretty sad.

[eric1978]

Yeah, you're bound to be alone on the Bourbeuse, at least up high. Aside from the giggers we saw at night, we saw no one else on the water except for some local kids playing around in a pool near their property. We saw zero floaters or other fisherman. I suppose there's a reason for that, though.

[hank franklin]

The spots are thick until at least 19 bridge. As I've said in another thread, it's amazing how quickly it happened.

In my experience you need to float the Bourbeuse either in spring or after a little push of rain. You don't want a big rain because that can turn the river muddy. Just a little push to give a bit more "gurgle" to the flowing sections.

Though the Bourbeuse is my home stream I too don't like it during the slow and slack water of summer. Time to go elsewhere. And while I still think the river has big smallies in it, the spotteds in many ways truly have ruined the river. Sad.

[eric1978]

The spots are thick until at least 19 bridge. As I've said in another thread, it's amazing how quickly it happened.

In my experience you need to float the Bourbeuse either in spring or after a little push of rain. You don't want a big rain because that can turn the river muddy. Just a little push to give a bit more "gurgle" to the flowing sections.

Though the Bourbeuse is my home stream I too don't like it during the slow and slack water of summer. Time to go elsewhere. And while I still think the river has big smallies in it, the spotteds in many ways truly have ruined the river. Sad.

Agreed on every point. I'm going to check it out way up high in the next few weeks, and if I don't see different results from the middle Bourbeuse, I hate to say it, but I may not be back for quite some time.

[hank franklin]

I'd be interested to hear how you do. I've been above Mint Spring three times in the past couple years and really didn't catch much of anything. Smallies, spots and largemouth, not many of any. I like the water up there but so far it hasn't really produced.

[eric1978]

I'd be interested to hear how you do. I've been above Mint Spring three times in the past couple years and really didn't catch much of anything. Smallies, spots and largemouth, not many of any. I like the water up there but so far it hasn't really produced.

Is the water wadable that high (up past Mint) or do I need to bring my canoe?

[hank franklin]

If I was strictly wading I'd go up to one of the two slabs above Mint Spring. I forget their names, they're on county roads with parking. There are slabs above there too, been awhile since I been there. If you're going to Mint, bring the canoe. It's not real good wading around there as I recall. You could paddle upstream a ways if I remember right.