The Meramec Red Ribbon Trout Doesn't Have To Suck!

[Ted Calcaterra]

I for one refuse to accept the current state of the red ribbon section of the Meramec. I think most would agree that in the past five years, the Meramec isn't in the same converstation as the Current, NFOW, Eleven Point, etc. as evidenced by the traffic on formums, fishing pressure, and even the MDC data. Maybe it will never be the fisheries like the ones listed above but....it certainly can improve. History has shown that the Meramec is capable of producing quality browns and rainbows. I remember when I started flyfishing my freshman year in 1992 and Hargroves would have a bin on their counter with white flies. That proflic hatch was routinely discussed and anglers would anticipate it. The parking lots at Cardiac and Suicide Hill were often crowded. The Meramec was a quality trout fishery.

Now one can argue that drought, floods, herons, otters, the Mayan Indians and other factors have taken its toll in recent years but I don't buy it. Those same factors have affected other trout streams and yes some of those are "down" compared to years past but not at the rates as the Meramec. One of my buddies informed me that in the last survey by the MDC, it had 11 browns per mile. Heck one of the city parks where trout are stocked probably has more then 11 browns. That number can certainly be debated but its tought to catch a quality brown. Thank God for stockers escaping from the park.

I fished their yesterday and water levels are great, the stream is clear, cool, and habitat looks good. I would like to see the way the stream is managed changed. For example the browns will be stocked this April and my guess is that they are stocked at the access in front of the cabin below the park along with a few other accesses. I say this because every spring I fish it right after stocking and its like the Becky Thatcher Pond at the boat show. Those fish don't have a chance.

Some of my suggestions would include.

1. Increase the stocking frequency to account for floods, drought, etc. I am not saying increase gross amount or spend more money but stock the river more frequently instead on one time.

2. NO Gigging in from Hwy 8 to Scotts Ford.

3. Stock with rainbows in addition to browns. Reallocate some of the states resources to this river. Does every city park in the state need rainbows next winter or does Taney need more trout swiming at ones feet?

Some may have better ideas but we dont have to accept this river underperforming. It has one of the biggest springs, decent and adequate habitat, and a big city nearby with conservation minded anglers. It can and should get better.

[fishinwrench]

Trout? Pfffft!

Do you just consider it to be "underperforming" because there's a lack of trout?

How are the native species holding up?

[jdmidwest]

I can remember when it was a great little trout stream. The trophy area seemed to hold more fish than the upper Current River trophy area. But something changed it, don't know what. And like you, I never hear much about it any more. The only time I really spent much time there was when I lived close by back in the late 80's. I just seem to head other directions now.

I would like to see what fisheries thinks may be going on there.

It can't be usage pressure, all of the other streams get hit hard too. Flooding and drought has hit the others too and they don't seem to be suffering.

What about stream temps. Low flows from the spring warming up the river maybe. Or maybe it is the otters.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Good post, Ted. It really needs to be brought back. Its been underperforming for way too long . . and we've all sort've just accepted it. It really deserves to fish better than it has these last few years. I think that MDC making it a red-ribbon area gave them some leeway to just say, okay this is a dump stock river now, don't blame us if the fishing sucks 2 weeks after the truck leaves. It certainly isn't anything closely resembling a "trophy area" anymore.

And 11 browns per mile? Doesn't surprise me. I haven't caught one out of there in years.

[Al Agnew]

Yeah, it used to be a pretty good trophy brown trout stretch. The escapee rainbows seem to not be off much from former levels, but the browns are practically non-existent. Gigging might have a lot to do with it, and pounding the stockers as soon as they are put into the river probably has a lot to do with it as well.

Tough to say exactly what could be done about it. But in my opinion, if you're going to go to the trouble to raise brown trout to 10 inches or so and then stock them, why not protect ALL the stream sections where you stock them from gigging? Why not protect the browns by raising the minimum length to a size that makes any fish you can keep a trophy?

[jdmidwest]

I would rather the giggers take the brown instead of targeting smallies. Smallies taste better..

[Justin Spencer]

Yeah, it used to be a pretty good trophy brown trout stretch. The escapee rainbows seem to not be off much from former levels, but the browns are practically non-existent. Gigging might have a lot to do with it, and pounding the stockers as soon as they are put into the river probably has a lot to do with it as well.Tough to say exactly what could be done about it. But in my opinion, if you're going to go to the trouble to raise brown trout to 10 inches or so and then stock them, why not protect ALL the stream sections where you stock them from gigging? Why not protect the browns by raising the minimum length to a size that makes any fish you can keep a trophy?

It seems like the last few years brown trout production in the hatcheries has been spotty, this may have something to do with it. Seems to me like the ones stocked on our river have not thrived with the low water of the last two summers as well. I agree to an extent with blue ribbon sections banning gigging for self sustaining trout populations, or at least understand it, but to ban a section to protect a stocked (fake) population would be taking the favoring of one user group to a new level.

The people that live around these rivers already are upset with some sections being closed, more closures are not the answer, and I doubt we would see much of a change in brown trout numbers from banning gigging.

I would be behind an increased statewide length limit on browns this could help both with size and numbers.

[Mitch f]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but they stock about 6000, 8" browns every year right? I hardly ever see people fishing at Cardiac or Suicide in the last few years. Where do all these fish go? Giggers usually won't take the small ones right? Can't understand where they are all going, unless the otters and gigging small browns is much worse than I imagined.

[jdmidwest]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but they stock about 6000, 8" browns every year right? I hardly ever see people fishing at Cardiac or Suicide in the last few years. Where do all these fish go? Giggers usually won't take the small ones right? Can't understand where they are all going, unless the otters and gigging small browns is much worse than I imagined.

Herons and otters. Larger trout eat them too. Fishing mortality.

[Al Agnew]

Otters might make a dent. Herons have been around forever, so I doubt that they are having more of an impact than they ever did. Giggers...who knows? They won't purposely gig the little ones, but the reason MDC closed the Blue Ribbon stretches to gigging is purportedly because it's difficult to tell the difference between a trout and a sucker in the water at night. Not sure I agree with that, but it could be true. In which case, maybe a lot of browns that are big enough to look like a sucker worth gigging get stuck. More importantly, it could be possible that the few that make it to trophy size are gigged.

It could very well be, though, that the biggest problem is the hot summers we've been having. We know the big browns in the Current head upstream, many into the park, during warm, low water. I'm sure the Meramec gets pretty warm, too, especially since it has a decent sized warm water stream mingling with the spring water, and although the Dry Fork is usually dry or nearly so when the water is low and warm, it does put in more warm water if it gets a little rise in the summer. It could be something as simple as that, in which case there isn't anything we can do about it.