Any Winter Fishing Tips?

[405z06]

Im looking for any helpful tips to help my smallmouth catch during the winter/cold months on the upper Meramec. This is my first year venturing out during the winter. My buddy and I fish out of a jon boat with a trolling motor. Because of the shorter days we usually do 5 mile floats (either Onodoga to Campbell bridge or the bridge to Blue Springs access). I am open to other areas of the Meramec if anyone has suggestions.

During the warmer months I like to run and gun with a spinnerbait and fish fast and usually do 10 mile floats. I realize that probably won't work as well in the cold.

I've read a couple interesting article on hair jigs for cold-water smallies, but was looking for other opinions.

[Al Agnew]

It's all a matter of paying attention to water temps and temp trends, and fishing accordingly...and finding the fish. Bass are not scattered throughout the river in the winter, they move to certain specific spots. Sometimes these spots may be very small areas, no bigger than an automobile. And they are not always the deepest place in a deep pool, either. You find spots pretty much by trial and error. Only real criteria is that they will be in very slow current, and they will either be around heavy cover (especially if the water is very clear) or in water that's deep enough that you can't see the bottom.

People have proved that it's actually possible to catch winter fish on surface lures, but to maximize your chances you have to fish slow and close to the bottom. Hair jigs of the right size and shape work about as well as anything, but some other choices are small tubes, under 3 inches long, 4-5 inch straight plastic worms...actually just about anything that's fairly small and can be fished on the bottom.

The reason I mentioned water temps first is that, if the weather is stable, water temps are a pretty reliable indicator of what you can catch fish on. If it's down close to 40 degrees or lower, you're almost wasting your time fishing anything but the small, slow, bottom-hugging lures. If it's in the mid to upper 40s you may be able to interest fish on suspending jerkbaits. If it's up around 50 degrees, slow-moving crankbaits sometimes work. But temperature trends also play a part. If there's a spell of warm, sunny weather, the fish sometimes become more active and you can catch them on various lures even if the water temps have only come up a few degrees above the 30s.

I've fished the section you mentioned many times. There are some good wintertime pools in that section. There are also some places that look really good but where I've never been able to find fish. Winter fishing is always a challenge.

[Haris122]

Not to hijack the thread, but I've got a question along the lines of the whole winter fishing thing, do you guys know which fish species to concentrate on hooking if you just want some catch and release action of any kind (on the Meramec south of Valley Park at that)? Or other way around, which ones not to focus on trying to catch, as they take things too slow in the winter, to really have a chance of hooking?

[joeD]

Below Valley Park is a veritable cornucopia of everything. You might catch a largemouth, spotted, drum, catfish, walleye (yes), crappie, car parts, human remains, you name it. But what you won't have is "action." Anything you catch will be luck. Go when the water looks green and is not a raging torrent. Shad Raps and live bait.

[Haris122]

Mmmmmmmmmm car parts (drool). Wow, the wide selection is exciting. I guess I'm starting to feel better about not even hooking any more than 2 fish in the past 6 or so trips. I'm curious though, what is it that makes it such a crapshoot? Btw my very first catch was what I'm fairly certain was a small smallmouth near Unger Park on the Meramec, so I guess there are still a few around in the sections known for spotted ones (just figured I mention it, seeing how there's a lot of smallmouth guys on here).

[Hog Wally]

Finally bow season is over! I'm gonna hit the Meramec this week my buddy is catching big smallies on crankbaits hearing of the giggers seeing big schools of channels in the deepest calmest holes there is a few walleye hanging in the same spots so were gonna drop some big minnows into the fray and see what happens big smallies up above Moselle access doing what they always do this time of year. Deep boulder holes with a little sunshine after noon they move up shallow on the sunny side of the river on dark mossy rocks and warm up. Slow slow retrieve downstream

[Haris122]

If you wound up going last week, did you have any luck hooking something HogWalley?

[eric1978]

I'm curious though, what is it that makes it such a crapshoot?

It's just biology. Fish are cold blooded, which means the colder it gets, the less active they become, especially with the warm-water species that live in the lower Meramec. To find more action, head upriver and fish closer to the springs, target some trout, or put on your jammies and hang up your rods until March.

[Haris122]

Went out today/yesterday (Saturday) again, despite it being kind of chilly, after skunking out the last few weeks (and months at that) and bam. I "willpowered" my way to 4 fish after a long time without success. First one was the craziest fight and biggest fish, taking close to 5 minutes before reeled it in, starting from probably less than 10 yards from the shore. Unfortunately it was also the only one I didn't get the fair way of catching in the mouth (snagged it at the dorsal fin).

Turned out to be River Carpsucker, or Buffalo, or something similar to those two. Probably 19-20".

Then got me 2 Crappies (one pretty nice, another nice smaller one), and finished off with a nice chubby White Bass.

.

Feels good to finally get something again.