Water Is Low Fishing Is Slow

[eric1978]

I love how you guys blame your poor fishing days on Jet boat fisherman......we all need a scapegoat for our bruised egos. I haven't seen good fishing many places right now so make all excuses you want.......I do the same thing.

I don't usually do that...I'm pretty honest with myself most the time. But the conditions yesterday were so primo...overcast, low pressure, a little cooler, a tiny rise and color bump to the water...everything you dream about. But I'd hit those perfect spots - you know the ones...the ones where you KNOW there's a fish, and one or two times out of ten you're right - but on this day, nada...every time. Something was awry on at least that stretch of river, I'm convinced of it.

[Greasy B]

Something was awry on at least that stretch of river, I'm convinced of it.

Oh, I don’t know, sounds pretty typical in my experience. Seems to me the Gasconade fishes slow most of the time. I’ve had days and even weekends where the fish went crazy but not quite as much as other streams that are smaller and clearer. I usually just make do working my tail off and waiting for the fish to turn on, catching some dinks, the occasional good fish and every now and then having a few hours of pure Smallmouth bliss.

[watermen]

You right greasy, it has been a weird year in aot of ways, the fishinng has not been up to par all spring for a number of reasons I have seen. First of all I was in a jet boat today, I fish wading, a canoe, a float jon and jet deending on water and who I'm with. I'm fortunate to live less than 20 miles from some of the best smallmouth water and have a work schedule that puts me in the enviable position of being able to fish at will with the experience to know when it's best. i saw more natural bait in the river today than I can remember. You could look in shallow water and see scads of minnows and yellowjackets everywhere and all the fish we caught were puking yellowjackets ( mostly claws). The moss is unusual I saw the slimier softer version in the black 2 weeks ago, the ridiculous amount today, and alot upstream in the meramec last weekend and it's bad inn one stream I won't mention. The oldtimers say it is because it never got cold for long enough this winter to freeze it off the shoals. The fish never did go into their spawn normally this year and nobody really got them as they staged the weather was too weird. Nobody I know has caught the big fish they usually do either this year. Nobody knows for sure why? they are still there and they've been running jet boats for 30 + years, sometimes in nature you can't see what is really going on, it's to foreign to us so we blame what we can see and what is tangible to us. The fish are still there, everything is relative. Three experienced anglers fishing in a jet hitting the best water and fishing for 5 hours 40 bass is a slow day. All were released and only one had signs of being caught recently. The fish are still there boy's relax there are things going on some you can point to and some you'll never know. My point regarding the low water was if you read into It I was trying to tell you paddle fishers of which I am one that some fairly pristine water awaits you because of the conditions. Like Greasy said if you time it or know enough how to you will catch unbelievable numbers on the gasconade when they are on. Usually the big ones don't bite on those days. Have a fun summer it's supposed to be fun. I have to go to work now, no more bass till sept.