God Bless The Kentucky Bass

[cwc87]

Ok I'll weigh in on this. Crappie Are they native? To the meramec. Lucky clover lake flooded and crappie are caught from meramec springs to st Louis now. Any studies on there diet? It seems in the lower reaches of both the meramec and gasconade crappie and spots are more populated and the smallies r less. Just my opinion. Do they eat the smallmouthfry

[joeD]

Yes yes yes. I am absurd. That is the least of my foibles. But.

BUT.

I am completely baffled why so many of us, no, scratch that, so many of YOU, OAF anglers, are so defensive about spotted bass in the Ozark streams we love to fish. This notion of "who came first," and what constitutes "native" as a some sort of moral or ethical guide to our fishing habits is nonsense and disingenuous. The focus of progeny as a function of the "rightness" of a certain species of fish to be in a particular stream is wrongheaded, and moreover, as an argument, moot.

For those of us who have fished for smallmouth bass in certain waters, for quite a long time, the negative effect of spotted bass on the smallie population is a fact. To conclude otherwise is a mistake.

Not in your waters? Spots and smallies coexisting in 3 and 4 pound harmony? Awesome. Count yourself lucky. Otherwise, I'll continue to try and protect the streams I fish from these useless invaders.

Maybe with luck, the Asian carp in the Illinois River will eventually make it downstream on the Mississippi to the Meramec confluence, and start upstream. It would be cool. Think of it. Another species of fish that we can pursue. After all, acceptance is the American way.

[Al Agnew]

Umm...the asian carp are already in the lower Meramec....along with Joachim Creek all the way up to De Soto, so they don't mind fast, clear water. Scary.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Yes yes yes. I am absurd. That is the least of my foibles. But.

BUT.

I am completely baffled why so many of us, no, scratch that, so many of YOU, OAF anglers, are so defensive about spotted bass in the Ozark streams we love to fish. This notion of "who came first," and what constitutes "native" as a some sort of moral or ethical guide to our fishing habits is nonsense and disingenuous. The focus of progeny as a function of the "rightness" of a certain species of fish to be in a particular stream is wrongheaded, and moreover, as an argument, moot.

I don't think anyone is being anymore defensive than the other on either side of the discussion.

Did somebody bring up the native issue??

For those of us who have fished for smallmouth bass in certain waters, for quite a long time, the negative effect of spotted bass on the smallie population is a fact. To conclude otherwise is a mistake.

I won't say it has not had some effect. To what degree has not been established by the scientific community. In every statement I have read by the MDC, habitat destruction has always been listed ahead of Spotted Bass. If you, or anyone else, can provide a link to a statement made by the MDC that the Spotted Bass is soley responsible for Smallmouth bass loss, I would love to read it.

Not in your waters? Spots and smallies coexisting in 3 and 4 pound harmony? Awesome. Count yourself lucky. Otherwise, I'll continue to try and protect the streams I fish from these useless invaders.

Good luck. I doubt they are going anywhere.

Maybe with luck, the Asian carp in the Illinois River will eventually make it downstream on the Mississippi to the Meramec confluence, and start upstream. It would be cool. Think of it. Another species of fish that we can pursue. After all, acceptance is the American way.

Actually, they are moving up the Mississippi. And the Mighty Mo too. Went past the Lou a few years ago.

[Haris122]

Umm...the asian carp are already in the lower Meramec....along with Joachim Creek all the way up to De Soto, so they don't mind fast, clear water. Scary.

To date, I've seen some as far up as Pacific Palisades CA on the Meramec. Probably will see them further one of the days that i fish even further upstream than that.