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

[jdmidwest]

But herons were almost extinct a few years ago then they made a comeback, so you really have to take the increase in numbers of predators in the mix.

How much gigging actually occurs in the upper portion of the Meramec anyway? The water is pretty skinny to run a jet boat.

As far as stocking goes, our limited number of hatcheries limit production of trout to about the same amount as they raised back in the 80's. There have been improvements with O2 systems and better facilities, but they really can't keep up with the numbers of fishermen. It would be interesting to see the actual numbers raised over the last 30 years verses the number of fishing licenses sold.

I think Shepard of the Hills is the only one that raises browns. The others located in the trout parks raise rainbows.

[cwc87]

I' know for a fact that that section of the Meramec gets heavy gigging pressure. And yes MDC is right it is very hard to tell a trout and a sucker apart when gigging. Especially if the water color is off or jet washed. About half way between the spring and Scott's ford the pink cabin is a private put in that gets a lot of locals that gigs.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Okay, that confirms what I knew already about gigging pressure. But I thinks its a combination of all 3 factors: 1) heavy bait-fishing/catch-and-keep pressure, 2) gigging whether it is accidental or intentional, and 3) constant cycle of drought/flood conditions making it an inconsistent fishery. I suspect that #3 is THE biggie. Hot, hot summers w/ high water temps and low, low flows = BAD TIMEs for any meramec trout, mixed with the occasional blow-out when it rains an inch or more? those 10-inchers get flushed or the habitat just isn't there for them to adapt. Probably a very tough river to manage. HOWEVER, I think MDC has basically resigned themselves from this stretch and it shows. If factors #1 and #2 could be brought in control, it would at least be better for those short periods of time when momma nature is more MODERATE. c'mon.

[Gavin]

There really isnt much good trout habitat down there..The 3 miles from the park to Suicide Hill is pretty good but thats about all you got..Gets too hot below Dry Fork in the summer, too cold in the winter...add Flood, drought, slow brown trout production at the hatchery...Its always been a fickle fishery...

[Ted Calcaterra]

I agree that the Meramec doesn't have the quality habitat as other blue ribbon streams but the management of the river for trout could be better. For example, why stock 10" brown in April if most on this board agrees that drought and high temps takes a toll on the fish. Why not stock those same browns in September and give them a head start with cooler temps and more stable flows. You'd have solid 7 month start. Wouldn't a 12-14" brown survive stress better than a 10" stocker. Why not increase stockings like other managed waters. Its too good a resource to dump stockers once a year.

I can assure you the habitat is better in the Meramec than it is in Susan Park and that concrete pool probably has more trout. I'm just saying we are mis managing this resource and I like to trout fish.

[Justin Spencer]

I agree that the Meramec doesn't have the quality habitat as other blue ribbon streams but the management of the river for trout could be better. For example, why stock 10" brown in April if most on this board agrees that drought and high temps takes a toll on the fish. Why not stock those same browns in September and give them a head start with cooler temps and more stable flows. You'd have solid 7 month start. Wouldn't a 12-14" brown survive stress better than a 10" stocker. Why not increase stockings like other managed waters. Its too good a resource to dump stockers once a year.

I can assure you the habitat is better in the Meramec than it is in Susan Park and that concrete pool probably has more trout. I'm just saying we are mis managing this resource and I like to trout fish.

Do you know for a fact when they stock browns? I would assume they stock in the late fall or winter like they do on the NFoW. This year it was mid-Jan. September water is still warm, and fish probably are still too small, maybe they do stock browns in April, but usually they try to get them out as soon as they are big enough and conditions are good.

[Gavin]

Think there needs to be some changes. It floods alot down there and it really puts the hurt on fresh stockers when it does. Plus the Meramec has a fine gravel bottom that shifts alot...not great for large aquatic inverts..Mostly a minnow & midge fishery, some burrowing mayflies. A spring & fall stocking might work. Two batches of fish would hedge against flooding.

[Justin Spencer]

Think there needs to be some changes there. Its floods alot down there and it really puts the hurt on fresh stockers when it does. Plus the Meramec has a fine gravel bottom that shifts alot...not great for large aquatic inverts..Mostly a minnow & midge fishery, some burrowing mayflies. A spring & fall stocking might work. Two batches of fish would hedge against flooding.

The lack of good steady food could be part of the problem, even here where we have an abundance of all types of prey the fresh stockers can take a long time to thrive. I think quite a few waste away and then become easy prey or die of stupidity. Once they get the hang of things then the fun (and growth) begins and from then on they are almost always fat in this river, but we too have big swings in the brown trout fishery.

[Ted Calcaterra]

I'd like to see what the biologists think but I certainly don't think the biomass or food is the issue. Thats not scientifically based but rather just my opinion. I started this thread because the Meramec had a history of sustained performance and its not the case anymore. It will never be on the same playing field as the Current or NFOW but certainly we should have a qaulity fishery for what the Meramec is. Stocking is a solution but how, when, where, etc. is all debateable. Is this the only stream in Missouri where its managed for trout yet no rainbows are stocked??? Its brown trout only and 1x per year. The rainbow fishery is dependent on natural reproduction, which does occur, and park escapees. Both not enough to make it worthwhile. My two cents anyway.

[MattTucker]

After having a couple of phone conversation and drinks with Ted regarding the river, I tend to agree that the river (from a trout fishing standpoint) is in need of help. The answer is somewhat in the middle of habitat improvement (the bottom structure of the river means that it changes with every flood, with very little large rock structure, and continuously eroding mud banks), regulation change (increased length limit, C&R, some combination of the two), and management change (change stocking methods, locations, and times). Having just floated the river, I can see the potential there.

I have been meaning to share this data with everyone, as I have traded several emails with Jen Girondo, the MDC Fisheries Biologist in charge of managing the Red Ribbon Trout Area of the Meramec River with the last month or so, and she has been every helpful in helping me to better understand this underutilized and trout fishery.

Brown Trout Survey Results for RRTA of Meramec River

Per Jen Girondo, MDC Fisheries Biologist

• Year 2011 = 11% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 11 (Total species population estimated)
• Year 2009 = 5% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 129 (Total species population estimated)
• Year 2004 = 9% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 205 (Total species population estimated)
• Year 2001 = 15% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 361 (Total species population estimated)
• Year 1997 = 4% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 476 (Total species population estimated)
• Year 1996 = 12% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 348 (Total species population estimated)
• Year 1992 = 11% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 533 (Total species population estimated)

Rainbow Trout Survey Results for RRTA of Meramec River

Per Jen Girondo, MDC Fisheries Biologist

• Year 2011 = 5% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 150 (Total species population estimated)
• Year 2009 = 5% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 75 (Total species population estimated)
• Year 2004 = 14% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 195 (Total species population estimated)
• Year 2001 = 5% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 68 (Total species population estimated)
• Year 1997 = 2% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 229 (Total species population estimated)
• Year 1996 = 2% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 139 (Total species population estimated)
• Year 1992 = 6% of Fish ≥ 15" / Fish Per Mile is 80 (Total species population estimated)

• Jen states that to sum it up, right now we’re at a low point in the fishery with a decent number of rainbows but very few brown trout. We hope to be able to bolster brown trout numbers through regular stocking in the next couple years, but we need the weather to cooperate for us to improve survival of the stocked fish.
• Jen goes on in an email to say that there are several factors that contribute to brown trout stocking survival, such as moderate water level fluctuations & relatively long stocker length; the last 5+ years have seen less than ideal conditions for these 2 things, and the result can be seen in the drastic population estimate decline.
• Jen also provided some questions and answers about the fishery she provided for a Missouri Game & Fish article recently.
  • Can you discuss the stocking conducted each spring. It is my understanding only Browns are stocked. How many? How was that number achieved? What is the average size of the stocked fish?
    • Only brown trout are stocked in the Red Ribbon section of the Meramec. They are stocked once a year in the spring at several locations throughout the Red Ribbon section. Around 5800 brown trout are stocked annually, and lengths have averaged around 9 inches. Several factors determine exactly how many and how long the stocked fish are each year, including hatchery production capabilities and the previous year’s weather and flow conditions. The total number of fish stocked is derived from estimates of the maximum amount of fish this area maintains through time, the amount of harvest, and the amount of fish that survives from year to year.
  • I’ve had many anglers tell me they catch more rainbows than browns, Are these fish all escapees or is there evidence of spawning in the smaller tributaries
    • Generally, rainbows are easier to catch than browns, so the anglers’ observations do not surprise me. Rainbows are not actively stocked in the Red Ribbon section, and we have seen limited evidence of natural rainbow & brown trout reproduction in the Red Ribbon section. Most of the rainbows in this section are believed to be from the Maramec trout park. Some years we see almost equal numbers of browns and rainbows in our surveys, while others years are dominated by brown trout with very few rainbows. Trout are very mobile fish, and when we have high flow events we tend to see a lot of movement in both species (into & out of the park, up tributaries, up- & down-stream in the Meramec itself).
  • Where does the trout management area begin? and end?
    • The special regulations of the Red Ribbon area (artificial lures & flies only – no soft plastics; creel limit of 2 trout with a minimum 15” length) begin at the Hwy 8 bridge upstream of Maramec Spring and continue to Scott’s Ford.
  • What is the primary forage of the trout?
    • Depends on the size of fish and how long they have been out of the hatchery… generally invertebrates (crayfish, mayflies, etc.), although larger individuals are more piscivorous, feeding on small fish.
  • What is the typical structure of the upper Meramec?
    • I’m assuming you’re asking about physical, in-stream structure. The upper Meramec has some large boulder fields & bluff pools; lots of downed timber; some vegetation patches; few backwaters; pools may be deep or shallow, some with lots of gravel, others with 10’+ depths; riffles may be wide & ankle deep to fast & almost unwadeable; substrate varies from sand/gravel to bedrock/boulder fields. Stream flow varies throughout the year, and therefore, water clarity does as well, typically the water is relatively clear, but after rain events it can be very cloudy.
  • How does the water level affect the trout?
    • There are several ways water level could affect trout. High water levels allow trout to move into and out of areas; depending where you are that could either increase or decrease the number of trout available to you, or change the dominate species in an area. Low “base” flows tend to concentrate trout in areas with good instream habitat. Changes in water levels are sometimes associated with changes in water temperature, which is a big factor in trout survival. Low water levels in the summer can lead to increased water temperatures and fewer trout.
  • What is the water temperature in the river at the spring and at the end, ( I know this might not be available ) How much water feed into the river from the spring?
    • Maramec Spring has an average temperature around 57 degrees F year-round. The lower end of the Red Ribbon section at Scott’s Ford varies throughout the year – as low as 40 degrees F in the winter to sometimes at or above 75 degrees in the hottest part of the summer. The spring discharges around 100 million gallons of water a day, and the discharge increases with heavy rainfall.

As you can see, the river isn't holding near the fish populations of years past.

--Matt Tucker