Good Smallmouth Creeks?

[Smalliebigs]

Which is why I wouldn't mind seeing complete protection for smallmouth and mandatory killing of all spotted bass caught as an experiment on one section of Big River, just to see if it would make any noticeable difference. If you think the smallmouth are suffering from spotted bass encroachment in these streams, as MDC obviously does, then why not go all in?

[Smalliebigs]

Al I couldn't agree more with your idea but, not sure the MDC would ever try to inact something like that in a timely fashion or even in our lifetimes......that is unless it is regulations pertaining to Strippers in North Fork.....they(MDC) can make regulations for those fish in a matter of months???? I guess the native fish silhouette that is on the emblem for the MDC just doesn't mean that much to the MDC???They (MDC) leave a lot of room for peole to question their motives and that is a bummer.

[Terrierman]

Yeah! Stupid MDC! What the hell do they know! Nothing, those asshats!

Meramec River

Mainstem and its tributaries, except as noted below:

• Black bass—Daily and possession limit is 12 fish and may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
• Spotted bass—No minimum length limit

Courtois Creek

Mainstem and its tributaries:

• Black bass—The daily and possession limit is 12 fish and may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
• Spotted bass—No minimum length limit

Big River

Mainstem and its tributaries, except as noted below:

• Black bass—The daily and possession limit is 12 fish and may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
• Spotted bass—No minimum length limit.

Bourbeuse River

Mainstem and its tributaries:

• Black bass—The daily and possession limit is 12 fish and may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
• Spotted bass—No minimum length limit

Huzzah Creek

Mainstem and its tributaries:

• Black bass—The daily and possession limit is 12 fish and may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
• Spotted bass—No minimum length limit

Oh, whoops.

If you will recall, I believe the bent of this thread to the Smallmouth v. Spots discussion largely arose from some comments I made about having a problem with keeping smallmouth and if I wanted some fish to keep and I could choose spotted bass I would. Where is the whoops?

[Terrierman]

I was there Monday caught 7 on a tube and 2 on a shad rap there was enough water to float before the rain (with waders) The fish are there just like they always are!

You're lucky you didn't get snakebit.

[Outside Bend]

I'm not sure we should make the logical leap that because MDC hasn't declared open season on spots, they don't care about smallmouth management. It's more complicated than that.

Many anglers have a tough time differentiating smallmouth and spots, much less smallmouth, spots, and their hybrids. Even then, many fish which look like pure smallmouth or pure spots often have genetics of both species- looks can be deceiving. Liberalized harvest regs on spots could wind up killing lots of smallmouth, as well. Nor do you want to give the public the impression that, since spots are a nuisiance in the Meramec, they're a problem throughout the state.

Couple that with the sheer numbers of spots in the lower Meramec and other systems, their more generalized spawning and habitat requirements, and it'd take a lot of people killing a lot of spots to fish down the population.

[cullinby9]

You're lucky you didn't get snakebit.

No snakes but I did have a first a gnarly deer tick latched in my bottom never had that in January before

[Wayne SW/MO]

I was there Monday caught 7 on a tube and 2 on a shad rap there was enough water to float before the rain (with waders) The fish are there just like they always are!

I would think it was pretty skinny in a lot of places wasn't it?

[Chief Grey Bear]

solution= keep the spots!!, and if you cant put pressure on the MDC to lower size so they can be harvested. Catch and release is great and I am a big proponent of it, but we got to start keeping the spots.

That suggestion somehow sounds familiar.

Yeah! Stupid MDC! What the hell do they know! Nothing, those asshats!

Meramec River

Mainstem and its tributaries, except as noted below:

• Black bass—Daily and possession limit is 12 fish and may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
• Spotted bass—No minimum length limit

Courtois Creek

Mainstem and its tributaries:

• Black bass—The daily and possession limit is 12 fish and may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
• Spotted bass—No minimum length limit

Big River

Mainstem and its tributaries, except as noted below:

• Black bass—The daily and possession limit is 12 fish and may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
• Spotted bass—No minimum length limit.

Bourbeuse River

Mainstem and its tributaries:

• Black bass—The daily and possession limit is 12 fish and may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
• Spotted bass—No minimum length limit

Huzzah Creek

Mainstem and its tributaries:

• Black bass—The daily and possession limit is 12 fish and may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
• Spotted bass—No minimum length limit

Oh, whoops.

[Chief Grey Bear]

The blurb there on Big River is rather misleading, since the entire river from Leadwood Access to the Meramec is a special management area with a 1 fish, 15 inch length limit on smallmouth, and that also includes much of its tributary Mineral Fork as well.

But it's been noted here before that people either don't know or choose to ignore those regulations, and they tend to keep smallmouth more than spotted bass because the spotted bass in Big River are very heavily infested with yellow grub parasites. I always keep as many spotted bass as I legally can on Big River, but often have to throw them away when I get them home. I tried grinding them up and feeding them to the cat, but the cat turned up its nose.

So the problem with those regulations is three-fold...people ignore them and keep smallmouth, people don't want to keep spotted bass because of the grubs, and with some people the catch and release mentality is so ingrained that they don't want to keep any bass of any species. Which is why I wouldn't mind seeing complete protection for smallmouth and mandatory killing of all spotted bass caught as an experiment on one section of Big River, just to see if it would make any noticeable difference. If you think the smallmouth are suffering from spotted bass encroachment in these streams, as MDC obviously does, then why not go all in?

How is this the fault of the MDC??

You will never see a forced kill on any species. You can be encouraged but not forced. Until the Smallmouth in those streams are listed as threatened or endangered, you are seeing about about the strictest regs you are going to see. And we are still a long, long way from that.

[cullinby9]

I would think it was pretty skinny in a lot of places wasn't it?

Yey it was barely floatable it was 2.36 on the gauge 93 cfs did the lower section down to long creek had to walk the ledges. It needed the flush it got I'm sure its gonna need a few more. I saw alot of fish only caught them in two little holes.