Hey Al - Is Creek Fishing Done

[Jerry Rapp]

fyi, for the last couple of weeks more and more smallies are showing up in Clearwater Lake.

[exiledguide]

Exiled,

First, define stream... do you mean creek like the Huzzah or river. Second, what is your approach to winter fishing. I love the Ozarks in the winter, but like I said, long drive so I want to improve my odds.

I pretty much wade fish year around. Nowadays it's the James here in Greene and Christian counties, Also I've been retired for almost 15 years so I usually only fish during the week now. When I lived in the St Louis area I usualy stayed around St louis and in the winter fished the Meramac in St Louis county the Big river down around St Francis State park or going a little farther down hwy 67 to the Castor at Marquand or Marble creek or The St Francis around Silver Mines, all those streams obviously needed enough water to make them worthwile. I forgot Joachim creek which is closer also and the Huzzah and Courtois. One thing to look for on streams are springs which usually are about the same temperature year around. I would usually stop fishing when I had a hard time catching fish and I never fished streams during the Closed Smallmouth season (we thought it was unethical).

[Gavin]

Think main river not the branches right now....they move up in the spring, down in the fall. Springs will concentrate...but I'm figuring thats just as bad as wacking fish off beds in the spring.

[Chief Grey Bear]

I guess these browines over this way don't know anything about this mass migration. Or any other species for that matter. Tactics are a little different but, fish are in the same areas for the most part.

[Al Agnew]

Don't know about Chief's streams, but here's my experience on the streams in this half of the state...

Once the water temps start seriously dropping from summertime levels and the days are getting seriously shorter, the fish start moving to wintering areas. Consistent temps below 60 degrees are one indication, but I believe the fish start moving even before they reach that point some years. And once they start moving in the smaller streams, they become more difficult to find and catch. Where in the summer I might average 50 fish a day on, for instance, upper Big River, by early October that average probably drops to less than 25 fish a day, and by late October it might be no more than 10-15 fish per day. It's not that you can't catch them this time of year, it's that you simply don't catch many and you don't catch many big ones, either. By the time winter gets here, say late November/early December, the fishing is exceedingly tough on most wading and marginally floatable streams. It's still an open question how many fish actually leave the creeks completely to winter in the rivers they flow into, though after the findings on the tagged Courtois Creek fish being caught many miles up and down the Meramec in the winter, we now know for sure that some, maybe a lot of them, do move completely out of the smaller streams. Of those that remain, unless the stream is very heavily spring-fed, they seem to go almost completely dormant and seek out places where they can hide completely out of sight. When you think about it, it makes sense. The smaller creeks have few really big, deep pools and are almost always extremely clear in the winter, so if they get really cold, the fish are much more vulnerable to predators because they have fewer places to hide and more constricted areas to flee from whatever's after them. So they probably bury themselves under big rocks and log jams and seldom come out.

So by early to mid-October, the larger streams become the best areas to fish. The fish in them seem to be slower to start moving toward wintering holes, and they have a shorter distance to go, so you're less likely to miss them in transition. And at least some of them stay active through the winter.

Of course, not all smaller streams are the same. In some, the fish probably don't have anywhere to go. I doubt that smallmouth on the small streams flowing directly into the Mississippi, like Joachim Creek, move all the way down into the Mississippi to winter. But even if they don't, they have to move to the relatively few deep pools in the upper creek, or into the slower, deeper water down closer to the Mississippi, and they probably pretty much go dormant wherever they are. Courtois and Huzzah fish, on the other hand, probably make a major movement into the Meramec, which is not only a lot bigger, but also more heavily spring fed and warmer than the creeks.

I'm still learning about these fish. I have had a couple of experiences that tell me that, if the conditions are right, smaller stream fish CAN be caught in colder weather in enough numbers to make it worthwhile to fish for them. A heavy, not too cold rain that raises the creek and makes it a little murky can bring them out of dormancy. A strong warm spell in November, which we sometimes get, can bring them out to play, too.

And although I know there are a bunch of people who fish the big spring holes in the winter (and I've done it myself), it probably isn't very good for the fish population. If you DO insist upon fishing the rivers below the big springs in the winter, PLEASE be extra careful about how you handle the fish, release them all, and don't pound them relentlessly. Even in the winters where I succumbed to the temptation to fish one of the big spring holes, I only do it once a year!

[joeD]

Mic- The answer to your question is yes. Smallmouth fishing on creeks is done. And on most other Ozark streams too. Oh, I'm sure lots of people will tell you otherwise, that you can always catch smallies in the winter if you vary your tactics. And that is true. Sometimes. Or less than sometimes. There will always be, of course, exceptions, and pictures to prove it. What those pictures and stories don't say, however, is how many fishless hours and trips were spent before and after a nice fish was caught. Smallmouth fishing in the winter is just not that productive. Sure you can do it. Sure you might catch a fish (HOORAY! I CAUGHT ONE! THOSE GUYS DON"T KNOW WHAT THEY"RE MISSING!). Chances are, though, you will be shut out. Count on it. So, the question is, how do you want to spend your valuable fishing time?

[ness]

So, the question is, how do you want to spend your valuable fishing time?

Hunting!

[gotmuddy]

I am just starting to gear up for smallmouth fishing for the year on the 11pt.

[Guest]

Mic- The answer to your question is yes. Smallmouth fishing on creeks is done. And on most other Ozark streams too. Oh, I'm sure lots of people will tell you otherwise, that you can always catch smallies in the winter if you vary your tactics. And that is true. Sometimes. Or less than sometimes. There will always be, of course, exceptions, and pictures to prove it. What those pictures and stories don't say, however, is how many fishless hours and trips were spent before and after a nice fish was caught. Smallmouth fishing in the winter is just not that productive. Sure you can do it. Sure you might catch a fish (HOORAY! I CAUGHT ONE! THOSE GUYS DON"T KNOW WHAT THEY"RE MISSING!). Chances are, though, you will be shut out. Count on it. So, the question is, how do you want to spend your valuable fishing time?

Cold water is trophy bass time, so is fishing for 1 or 2 bites all day worth it?

You betcha,

some people are more patient than others and are willing to strike out on occasion just to get one bite.

yeah, its tough to stay focused when your fingers are freezing but I refuse to sit on the couch.

[405z06]

Last year was the first year that I winter fished much. With the mild weather, my buddy and I fished all year, mostly on the Meramec. I never pass up an opportunity to fish, but I can honestly say that I don't remember one trip last winter where we caught more than, say, 5 smallies. We fished slow, we fished thoroughly, we fished holes that we both decided would be target areas based on depth, but we basically fished for a few bites a day every time. Still worth it and enjoyable, but the 50 fish days are over for while, sadly.