The Demise Of Cardiac

[bikehikefish]

The "Dear Cardiac" thread was entertaining, but it brings up the question of what really happened here? Three years ago (I think it was three) it was fishing REALLY well. Every trip I could count on a couple decent browns and a handful of rainbows. The last two years have stunk. What changed? More poachers? I see them on occasion with sub-legal fish on stringers. Has the river changed; warmer? more gravel? Stocking patterns changed? Or have I just been hitting the river at the wrong times and the fishing has been better for others?

[fishinwrench]

Stocking patterns changed?

I haven't fished that area in over a decade, but my money is on that one.

[Flyflinger]

This place has got me stumped as well...I wish I had the answers.

[stlfisher]

I would say stocking patterns and warmer water due to the high water levels the last couple years. I was shocked at how warm the water felt the last times I was there.

[fishinwrench]

It shouldn't be any warmer than the Niangua below Prosperine, and the trout have no problems staying in that area throughout the Summer....When they actually stock them.

Drop a line to the area biologist and ask to confirm a fairly recent stocking or for results of the latest shock survey.

[ColdWaterFshr]

It goes through cycles. In fifteen years of fishing it, I'd say the lousy fishing days outnumbered the good fishing days 3 to 1. I know there are some big browns in there, but they ain't easy.

[snagged in outlet 3]

The guy who had the heart attack while clinbing the hill back to the parking lot, for which the area is named, died back in March of this year.

SIO3

[ozark trout fisher]

I'd say warm water temps may be the biggest factor in it's demise. We had an incredibly hot summer, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if there was some fish kill down there. The water coming in from above Meramec Spring is well in the 80s when it's that hot, and you also have Dry Fork Creek pouring in similar water temps., and Maramec Spring just can't offset that kind of heat coming in. So the trout either migrated to a the mouth of the spring-branch, sulked under the shade of an undercut bank, or went belly up. That's my theory anyway.

It could get slowly better as some more trout starting to move downstream, and of course there will be some decent fishing this spring after the brown trout stocking. But I do question the wisdom of continuing to manage that area of the Meramec as a trophy trout area-I just don't think the habitat is good enough for a truly high quality fishery, except right near the spring.

[bikehikefish]

Warm water seems like a good bet. I haven't seen too many of the small browns that were stocked last year, so I'm guessing they may have went belly up. And the larger browns we used to hook into a few years ago, obviously not stockers, are nowhere to be be found.

Not stocking trout in the Meramec in the future? That may be the choice if the average temperature keeps rising as it has the last 25 years. Scientific American reported in July that 2010 may be the warmest year recorded(average global, land and sea combined) since record keeping started in 1885. And they expect the trend to continue. Not trying to get into a global warming debate; I'm just saying it has been hot.

In any case, next trip I'll probably drive right through St. James and go the Current.

SIO3 - sorry to hear he passed away. He was a fine gentleman who I knew from my days in Meramec Basin - TU back in the '80s.

[ozark trout fisher]

I'm just surprised more streams didn't have a lot of trouble over this summer. There were some wild trout streams that I was worried about having fish kill over the summer, but trips this fall have confirmed that they did okay. As a matter of fact, most of the trout waters that I've fished have seemed alright, except the Meramec. A lot of them fished badly right during the heat, but most have recovered since fall started to cool things down. That tells me that the trout in most of the streams just went kinda dormant throughout our heat-wave, but I think a good number may have died on the Meramec. I also think that wild trout are more capable of finding spring-holes and other thermal refuges in high water temps than the stockers.

Of course the Current is the exception to the rule. It seemed to fish well right through the heat-it always fishes well.