Good Time To Fish Busch Lakes.

[BredMan]

Want some fun with a flyrod, Busch lakes have some nice bluegill hitting right now. Surprisingly you can pick up a few 1-2lb bass and some crappie too. As we all know Busch gets a lot of fishing pressure but this time of year it's not a bad option for a close fishing fix. In a few weeks when the trees and brush are full of leaves the mosquitoes and ticks will be in full swing so walking the perimeter of the lakes will get you ate up. Right now it's not too bad.

Yellow/black 1/64 to 1/100 marabou jig have done very well and thats about all I have needed to catch fish out there.

[Thom]

Thanks Bred. What lakes would you recommend?

[BredMan]

Thanks Bred. What lakes would you recommend?

Thom,

Lake-32....smaller of the two catch-n-release lakes located in the same area just off Hwy-D. I take my old waders or knee boots to wade the shore line about 10 yards past where the grassy area ends and the brush and woods begin (as you walk in it's the flat grassy area on the right). Usually wade out to where it gets about 3 feet deep and fish all around that area. I don't fish past that huge tree in the water. Beyond that tree it's just to shallow unless you wade around to the other side and continue to fish the shore line from there. Pretty mucky bottom if you wade but there are two boats on that lake you can rent as well.

I was out again tonight for 2 hours and it was non-stop big bluegill and a few small crappie too. 1/100 yellow/black marabou jig no more than 12 inches under a float. Most hits come as you start stripping right after the jig enters the water. Had a great time.

[STL Matt]

Cool, gonna have to get out there and try it. Been scratching the itch just barely in the city at Horseshoe Lake in Carondelet park, where you can get bluegill to bite almost anything on every cast, but mostly just the tiny ones, even if you use a bigger fly (in which case they just bump into it with their little mouths). Last summer during the cicada madness I had a fun time with some largemouth on one of those bluegill lakes too, and that was before I learned how to cast a fly rod decently at all.

[mic]

Can a person take a canoe out on those lakes?

[stlfisher]

No canoe's our personal watercraft are allowed, but you can rent a john boat for a small fee....I think $5 or so. Most of the lakes are pretty small, but you can also rent a trolling motor for the bigger lakes. Not sure of the price though.

[bsteele02]

I actually consider Busch my home waters. I don't have a boat or anything so I am a landlubber mostly private farm ponds bank angler. Busch is nearby and I usually have good success with catfish. I get frustrated bass fishing there though as I seem to lose more lures than catch fish. I have never caught a bass over a pound. But I have caught catfish up to 8lbs. I do agree it sometimes can be frustrating due to the fact it is over fished. I really need to make a friend with a boat. lol

[Greasy B]

Ouch! You guys are killing me. Oh well I guess anyone going through the trouble of reading this will tread lightly on our home waters. The boats are a bargain at $ 5.30 per day. The folks that rent them are great, they will even stay a little past past 9:00 pm closing to allow you to turn in a key. Way back the folks the ran the concession were jerks, the seemed to relish slamming the door on you at 9:00 sharp forcing you to come back the next day to get your drivers licence. Be aware that they now go around checking boaters to see that they have a key. So if you find a boat unlocked I wouldn't just take it.

[bsteele02]

Be aware that they now go around checking boaters to see that they have a key. So if you find a boat unlocked I wouldn't just take it.

Thanks for the head sup, when I was a teenage hooligan I used to pirate many of boats at Busch. lol

[Haris122]

Do you have to have some kind of boat/watercraft license or something along those lines to be able to rent them? And are the basic ones paddle operated or? Also how many people can fit in one of these boats?

Sorry, been getting the urge to go out again, now that school is out, so that stuff sounds like a fun thing to do, if I can.