A Lesson About Fishing...

[ozark trout fisher]

Today, I woke up and I immediately felt that I had to get on a stream somewhere and go fishing. It was cloudy, a little drizzly, and in the low 60s. That is my favorite sort of fishing weather. Not having time to go to any of the usual Ozark streams, I decided to go a little closer to home, and try fishing a little tributary that flows into the Missouri River just 25 minutes from where I live. This stream is nothing special. It is a small, shallow stream, clear, rocky, and fast in the headwaters, muddy and slow down by the Missouri River. It is at least moderately agriculturally polluted, and the fishing according to everything I had heard was not very good. It was north of the Missouri River, which was enough to make me think that it didn't have much smallmouth potential. But still, it has quite a bit of access, and it is 25 minutes from my home and I had not fished it. Reason enough to give it a try. I didn't expect much at all, but this creek would teach me a lesson; it would show me that good fishing can be found in the most unlikely places.

I started pretty far up the stream actually on one of the feeder tributaries, about 12 or 14 miles upstream from the Missouri. Here the stream was a very pretty woodland brook, but too shallow to hold anything but minnows for the most part. However, I located one very nice, deep pool that would do justice to a much larger stream. I rigged up with a small spinner, and took a few casts. I immediately got into fish, but they were all small. A few green sunfish here, some chubs, and while that is fun in its own way it wasn't enough to keep me interested for very long. I went on to another access, this one only about eight miles above the Missouri River. This was the transition section, where it went from a quick moving and rocky Ozark-like creek to a lowland stream. There was not as much current, but there was plenty of depth, and the water was still clear enough, with about 2 feet of visibility. I found a very nice bluff hole with a bit of current and some rocky cover, and watched to see if there was any life. It didn't take me long to see that the pool was full of fish, and some pretty nice ones too, But I couldn't figure out what species. It wasn't lost on me that although north of the Missouri River and solidly out of the Ozarks, this could pretty easily be a pool on some tributary of the Meramec or the Gasconade. I tied on a #0 Mepp's Spinner, and it wasn't long until I had found exactly what I was looking for. I hooked into a 9 inch smallie, and he gave me the kind of fight that only bronzeback of that size can. I gently released him and got back to fishing, but they were no longer interested in the Mepp's. I switched over to a Rebel Teeny Craw, and I was right back into them. That pool was very good to me. I caught several smallmouth bass, a couple of largemouth, as well as plenty of panfish. I saw one very nice small stream bass, maybe 18 inches, although I failed to get it interested in anything I was throwing. Now this is not the kind of day that would get many people excited if they were fishing somewhere in the deep Ozarks, but for fishing a stream that I had no idea had any real fishing possibilities at all, I considered it a great day. And in Missouri it really is at least a little rare to find any kind of decent smallmouth fishing north of the river, so that added to how good I felt about things.

How many times have I crossed this little creek, thinking that the habitat isn't there, that it's too polluted, too small, and the water gets too low and warm in the summer? No more. I plan to come back soon, and I'm going to bring my fly rod and see if I can get some of those smallies interested in that. It's been my loss discounting little streams like this for so long, and I won't be doing it any more.

[Justin Spencer]

A tiny white maribou jig on a fly rod and you should have some fun. I love finding those little creeks no one else bothers with!

[mic]

I love the small stream trout fishing...I'm going to have to give that a try sometime.

[Al Agnew]

Cool! I've had a yen for a long time to explore some of the north of the Missouri streams. None of them get publicity and if you can find the "sweet section" between the headwaters and the dead slow lower ends you should either get into smallies or spotted bass or both. And there are plenty of creeks within the boundaries of what we usually consider the Ozarks that are the same; seldom fished, look too small and shallow, but hold surprisingly good populations of fish if you're willing to do some hiking and wading to get to them.

[walleyerich]

Ever fish the Little Blue?

[ozark trout fisher]

Ever fish the Little Blue?

I haven't. I'm located quite a bit further east, but I'm out in the KC area a fair amount as my brother and some other family lives out that way...Might have to give it a try sometime when I'm out there.

Al, what you described is exactly the case on this creek. There isn't a very long stretch at all, probably based on what I was able to gather, no more than 2 miles of suitable smallmouth habitat, and probably less. It is truly amazing how quickly it turns from a clear, pretty little stream into more or less a muddy ditch where you couldn't really expect to find anything but catfish and carp. But that just makes the search all the more exciting on that kind of a stream!

[Guest TLewis74]

Today, I woke up and I immediately felt that I had to get on a stream somewhere and go fishing. It was cloudy, a little drizzly, and in the low 60s. That is my favorite sort of fishing weather. Not having time to go to any of the usual Ozark streams, I decided to go a little closer to home, and try fishing a little tributary that flows into the Missouri River just 25 minutes from where I live. This stream is nothing special. It is a small, shallow stream, clear, rocky, and fast in the headwaters, muddy and slow down by the Missouri River. It is at least moderately agriculturally polluted, and the fishing according to everything I had heard was not very good. It was north of the Missouri River, which was enough to make me think that it didn't have much smallmouth potential. But still, it has quite a bit of access, and it is 25 minutes from my home and I had not fished it. Reason enough to give it a try. I didn't expect much at all, but this creek would teach me a lesson; it would show me that good fishing can be found in the most unlikely places.

I started pretty far up the stream actually on one of the feeder tributaries, about 12 or 14 miles upstream from the Missouri. Here the stream was a very pretty woodland brook, but too shallow to hold anything but minnows for the most part. However, I located one very nice, deep pool that would do justice to a much larger stream. I rigged up with a small spinner, and took a few casts. I immediately got into fish, but they were all small. A few green sunfish here, some chubs, and while that is fun in its own way it wasn't enough to keep me interested for very long. I went on to another access, this one only about eight miles above the Missouri River. This was the transition section, where it went from a quick moving and rocky Ozark-like creek to a lowland stream. There was not as much current, but there was plenty of depth, and the water was still clear enough, with about 2 feet of visibility. I found a very nice bluff hole with a bit of current and some rocky cover, and watched to see if there was any life. It didn't take me long to see that the pool was full of fish, and some pretty nice ones too, But I couldn't figure out what species. It wasn't lost on me that although north of the Missouri River and solidly out of the Ozarks, this could pretty easily be a pool on some tributary of the Meramec or the Gasconade. I tied on a #0 Mepp's Spinner, and it wasn't long until I had found exactly what I was looking for. I hooked into a 9 inch smallie, and he gave me the kind of fight that only bronzeback of that size can. I gently released him and got back to fishing, but they were no longer interested in the Mepp's. I switched over to a Rebel Teeny Craw, and I was right back into them. That pool was very good to me. I caught several smallmouth bass, a couple of largemouth, as well as plenty of panfish. I saw one very nice small stream bass, maybe 18 inches, although I failed to get it interested in anything I was throwing. Now this is not the kind of day that would get many people excited if they were fishing somewhere in the deep Ozarks, but for fishing a stream that I had no idea had any real fishing possibilities at all, I considered it a great day. And in Missouri it really is at least a little rare to find any kind of decent smallmouth fishing north of the river, so that added to how good I felt about things.

How many times have I crossed this little creek, thinking that the habitat isn' there, that it's too polluted, too small, and the water gets too low and warm in the summer? No more. I plan to come back soon, and I'm going to bring my fly rod and see if I can get some of those smallies interested in that. It's been my loss discounting little streams like this for so long, and I won't be doing it any more.

Yeah, there are a few streams north of the Mo, with fishable population's of Smallie's like Auxvasse and Cedar Creek's in Callaway County and some in Warren County like Charette and Lost creeks, both of which have alot Purple Paint at parking spots.

St.Charels county used to have a few but development has altered the streams to where they just have Largies in them now, due to lack of flow. As a matter of fact the stream that flows behind the Daniel Boone estate used to be a fine little creek to fish for bass but that was some time ago now.

If you were able to get into the one's in Warren Co , and not get ran out on the weekend, good job.

Alot of the creeks that are fishable within 50 miles of Stl, you gotta fish like a Ninja, and you're best bet is to be dropped off and and be picked back-up at the end of the day. By the way OTF, you have a nice blog with some nice vivid pictures, enjoyed reading it.

[ozark trout fisher]

This stream is one of the few in the area blessed with real, honest to goodness public access. No long stretches or anything, but there are a few places that you can fish and be pretty well assured that you're legal, which is nice.

Thanks for the nice comment on the blog!

[Guest TLewis74]

This stream is one of the few in the area blessed with real, honest to goodness public access. No long stretches or anything, but there are a few places that you can fish and be pretty well assured that you're legal, which is nice.

Thanks for the nice comment on the blog!

Don't want to ask about the stream specificlly, but how about the county???