Habitat

[Greasy B]

I wonder how fishing pressure affects the way that smallies position themselves in streams.

I think it does. I see fish more willing to expose themselves in feeding areas on streams less traveled.

The habitat on my favorite creek varies non existent to middling. Wintering holes are often 2 miles apart. I find fish in all but the worst graveled in holes. As long as there is 2 foot of water and a log or downed tree its worth a cast. One area I call the cow pasture the habitat is horrible, the banks have been stomped down, there is very little depth and only the occasional log but I often catch my best fish there, strange.

[ozark trout fisher]

The rivers I do most of my smallie fishing on these days is the streams just south (and even north) of the Missouri River that are not blessed with widespread habitat. But that, in a lot of ways, simplifies matters. You can skip 75% of the water unless you are interested in largemouth/spots. You get out of the canoe and fish the heck out of the other 25% and you'll usually do well. Occasionally you'll get a really nice smallie in the frog water though, which does complicate matters somewhat. I like fishing the rivers where they found pretty much everywhere, but it is fun to have to find fish as opposed to fishing (and catching fish out of) everything.

On the marginal streams I fish, there are a few things I look for. Assuming they are not dead-low (scarcely a problem this year) the riffles are usually full of small (5-12 inch mostly) bass. These are fun areas to fish especially with a light fly rod. But the better habitat is just below the drop offs in those areas where the water is 2-4 feet deep. That is where you have the chance to get a large fish, which are surprisingly common on some of these streams that you wouldn't think would be capable of producing them. Once the water slows down again its usually largemouth or nothing. Also, I try not to overlook the quick flats that are often just upstream from the riffles. Usually there isn't a lot of cover or turbulence in these areas to protect the fish, but there is often a lot of food and the bass will risk it sometimes especially at low light.

[Papermouth King]

Great topic. I fish some of the more popular streams and rivers, popular by means of floaters. Most of the water that I prefer to fish is your basic rock with current on one side with some depth and mud/sand with some brush on the other side.

I catch more numbers from the current/rock side but most of my bigger fish ( I consider anything 15" and over my bigger fish ) come from the shallow muddy side. Most of the time the fish are loners and are holding on a isolated piece of cover. 9 times out of 10 they will be sitting right in the shade.

So to answer your question I guess it depends on the time of day. Mornings/overcast I prefer to fish the tail end of runs with rocks. Midday/evenings shallow wood/grass.

[405z06]

a couple of years ago a friend and I floated the Big River from Morse Mill to Cedar Hill. You could call your shot on a smallie when the habitat was right, but for most of the float you might as well have saved your energy and not even throw a line. But if there was any natural rock or boulders on the bank, you could pick a few fish up on each said spot. Thankfully we had a trolling motor, otherwise it would have been a long, long day of mud banks.

[Al Agnew]

I think it does. I see fish more willing to expose themselves in feeding areas on streams less traveled.

The habitat on my favorite creek varies non existent to middling. Wintering holes are often 2 miles apart. I find fish in all but the worst graveled in holes. As long as there is 2 foot of water and a log or downed tree its worth a cast. One area I call the cow pasture the habitat is horrible, the banks have been stomped down, there is very little depth and only the occasional log but I often catch my best fish there, strange.

I wonder if the fish in the heavily pressured streams hang in different types of holding water, or whether the ones in the obvious holding spots are simply more wary and more sophisticated. I think that we would be surprised (and maybe a little discouraged) at how many fish see our lures and totally reject them. But maybe the fish whose holding spots are less obvious see fewer lures and are a little more likely to bite.

On the other hand, maybe as you say the fish are less likely to expose themselves and thus less likely to be out roaming...maybe they park themselves in a really good spot that has everything, and wait for food to come to them.

I do know that Meramec River fish have changed throughout the years since jetboats became popular. Back in the old days you were likely to catch fish from the middle Meramec just about anywhere in the river, including some spots that were very marginal habitat. There used to be a long stretch of slow, shallow water with zero cover anywhere near any current, but it had one spot where sometime in the distant past some landowner had dumped a load of rocks, maybe to stabilize a piece of bank that the river eventually ate around and left as an isolated little pile of rocks a few yards off the bank about the size of a small car. The rocks in the pile weren't big enough in themselves to furnish any cover, and the pile of rocks was only a foot higher than the rest of the bottom there, which was all about two feet deep, but it created just enough turbulence in high water to scour out a little pocket below that was maybe 3.5 feet deep and about the same size as the pile of rocks itself. I caught several big smallies in that little pocket throughout the years.

Now, it seems that the fish in the middle Meramec tend to group in specific spots, and fishing the water between those spots is almost a waste of time.

By the way...while letting cows wallow in the stream is never a good thing for the stream, especially the water quality, the truth is that cow flops often attract minnows...which attract bass. A place where cows are there all the time probably holds a LOT of minnows, and maybe other smallmouth food, so I'm not surprised that the fish are there. It's kinda like a micro/macro thing. The cows hurt the overall water quality and cause a lot of excess plant and algae growth, which isn't good for the stream, but the fish that can survive it are perfectly willing to use the actual spot where the cows are to exploit the minnows that also use that spot.

[Al Agnew]

a couple of years ago a friend and I floated the Big River from Morse Mill to Cedar Hill. You could call your shot on a smallie when the habitat was right, but for most of the float you might as well have saved your energy and not even throw a line. But if there was any natural rock or boulders on the bank, you could pick a few fish up on each said spot. Thankfully we had a trolling motor, otherwise it would have been a long, long day of mud banks.

That stretch is another that has totally changed over the years. Before the invasion of spotted bass, I fished that stretch and caught good numbers of smallmouth anywhere there was decent current, didn't matter whether it was logs or rocks or old car bodies for cover. After the spotted bass mostly took over, they became the only fish in all but the most "perfect" smallmouth habitat, the rocky areas with good current, which aren't very common in the river below Morse Mill.

[Mitch f]

Now, it seems that the fish in the middle Meramec tend to group in specific spots, and fishing the water between those spots is almost a waste of time.

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Ain't that the truth! I just buzz to the high percentage spots and they will surely be there! (Before gigging season that is)

[Al Agnew]

Great topic Al. Gravel choked streams without chunk rock and very many logs are easy to fish becuase they are always hiding in what little cover is offered. Numbers of fish may be fewer cause it is so easy for catch and keep fisherman to do so. But the occasional giant smallie is very possible. I perfer the streams with lots of numbers of smallies vs the before mentioned. Action is what i like is doesnt matter if its a 10 incher on a topwater or a 20 incher on a chomper its just memories are all about the spot and how it all comes together how you caught it. Every stream has its primary holding areas for smallies that change with fishing pressure and floods. The holes that hold wintering fish are usually the ones that never change after flooding and when smallies make that journey back to that hole this time of year i pay attention to the holes up and below those haunts.

As far as favorite habitat I love water weeds along the banks (not so much on the weeds that grow up from the bottom in the channels) . Shaded logs that are range from 1ft to 6 ft deep with or without current. I love the flow of the water when u dont have to paddle to get thru the hole. ( I dont care if my canoe whirleebirds it thru the hole as long as I'm catching fish and covering water) Also, my favorite streams are small enough that u can cover both sides of it from the middle.

I am going on a two dayer next week and with try to give report.

Good point about those wintering pools not changing much from year to year. I suppose the fish that migrate would instinctively choose wintering spots that don't change, or else they'd all be traveling long distances to find nowhere to winter.

By the way, I sent you a private message...let me know if you get it.

[Mitch f]

i pay attention to the holes up and below those haunts.

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You're a smart man

[Guest]

The dreaded frog water has water willow down here.

I've caught many a big largemouth buzzbaiting that grass this time of year.

Its usually stained and teaming with leeches.

Because I get a few every year wading that nasty stuff.

It reminds me of home more than the clear stuff.