Smallmouth At Meramec Springs

[SpoonDog]

I caught all of my fish above the red ribbon area and I don't believe you can keep anything during the winter months there. The regulations say you can't possess any fish in that area so I assume it goes for everything, not just trout. If I wanted/could have kept fish last weekend, I may of had two keeps all day long. It was pretty well a 10" dink fest. The one gentleman ran in to me later on and showed me a picture of one nice one that he had caught and put back but that was it. He only caught a couple while I was fishing the same area as him and I was having much better luck on numbers of fish.

I wish everybody was on board with putting big fish back, regardless of the species. Keep some dinks for the fryer and let the bigguns go!

I understand you were fishing above the red ribbon section, but think of what effect all those smallmouth plus all those trout have on the limited prey base. The smallmouth are moving in and out of the spring branch just as the trout do- and when they're in the red ribbon area, they're vulnerable to harvest.

I know other folks have harped on this, but these aren't resident fish. They're coming from miles away to overwinter in the spring water, and when they're harvested they go in the Fry-Daddy- not back to their warm-season haunts. Any harvest which occurs is affecting smallmouth populations miles upriver and miles down.

I'm not a strict C&R guy, but I've been surprised by the stringers of smallmouth leaving these spring branches and wintering pools- and I'm sure you'll agree 15, 18, 20+ inch fish no longer qualify as "dinks." They're the ones in the population producing the most eggs and fry. They're the ones adapted to survive in our Ozark streams and grow large. We need more of them, not less.

My experience is there's a lot of anglers who will happily keep the dinks- and the bigguns, too. Posting information like this rings the dinnerbell, inviting anyone- regardless of their conservation ethic- to come exploit the fishery. I'm sure it's well intentioned, but you don't know who's reading this forum- you don't know they're going to C&R, you don't know if they're going to keep every legal fish they catch and tell their buddies to come and do the same. It isn't a huge secret, but it certainly doesn't need advertisement. I understand the desire to make sure folks have a successful day fishing- and in the short term I suppose it's noble. But in the long term- you're doing neither the fishery nor its dedicated anglers any favors. We're still digging ourselves from out from the short-sighted viewpoint that today's great fishing is more important than tomorrow's.

[GloryDaze]

Let me ask this- getting on this forum and posting detailed trip reports is frowned upon for several reasons. However there is a constant open communication about lures that can be used in very specific conditions that will constantly produce?

What I can't understand is that if I'm a lurker seeking to steal important information I would think exposing these lures, the best conditions to use them, how and when use them, etc..... Would be just as valuable to me, if not more than a specific spot or section of river. Simply because I now have detailed knowledge of several lures and how to fish them over a broad spectrum of rivers and can conceiveably have a field day with streams all over the Ozarks.

However with a report, I may never have the ability to float that stream. More importantly not be able to identify a certain honey hole on a river based off a trip report. Therefore, limiting my opportunity to clean out a specific hole on a specific stream.

Just a thought.....

[fishinwrench]

Let me ask this- getting on this forum and posting detailed trip reports is frowned upon for several reasons. However there is a constant open communication about lures that can be used in very specific conditions that will constantly produce?

What I can't understand is that if I'm a lurker seeking to steal important information I would think exposing these lures, the best conditions to use them, how and when use them, etc..... Would be just as valuable to me, if not more than a specific spot or section of river. Simply because I now have detailed knowledge of several lures and how to fish them over a broad spectrum of rivers and can conceiveably have a field day with streams all over the Ozarks.

However with a report, I may never have the ability to float that stream. More importantly not be able to identify a certain honey hole on a river based off a trip report. Therefore, limiting my opportunity to clean out a specific hole on a specific stream.

Just a thought.....

That's actually a very good point. When I was learning the finer points of locating and catching fish there wasn't the internet to learn from so info came in small bits easy to digest and plenty of time between tidbits to test and refine the things I picked up on.. IMO now I would think it to be a bit overwhelming to be a beginner studying the options.

There has to be a ton of tail chasing going on these days, and I almost feel sorry for some of you younger fellas because before you have given yourself enough time to learn the finer points of flippin'/pitchin' you are out playing with drop-shotting and jacking around with Shakey heads and s#!t.

[Seth]

Let me ask this- getting on this forum and posting detailed trip reports is frowned upon for several reasons. However there is a constant open communication about lures that can be used in very specific conditions that will constantly produce?

What I can't understand is that if I'm a lurker seeking to steal important information I would think exposing these lures, the best conditions to use them, how and when use them, etc..... Would be just as valuable to me, if not more than a specific spot or section of river. Simply because I now have detailed knowledge of several lures and how to fish them over a broad spectrum of rivers and can conceiveably have a field day with streams all over the Ozarks.

However with a report, I may never have the ability to float that stream. More importantly not be able to identify a certain honey hole on a river based off a trip report. Therefore, limiting my opportunity to clean out a specific hole on a specific stream.

Just a thought.....

Like I stated earlier, I've told people where to go fish multiple times only to see them go and not catch squat. They think I am full of it when I promise I'm not! That's not my style! I agree with you about a pattern being worse than a spot. I had a pattern last year that produced like crazy everywhere I went on the Gasconade. Holes didn't matter and I would catch plenty of fish from area's other boats just fished through. The holes weren't anything specal but the technique was key! I've already talked to a couple people that were down recently that didn't have near the success I did even though they fished the same area's as me. You can put somebody on fish but that don't mean they are gonna catch them!

That's actually a very good point. When I was learning the finer points of locating and catching fish there wasn't the internet to learn from so info came in small bits easy to digest and plenty of time between tidbits to test and refine the things I picked up on.. IMO now I would think it to be a bit overwhelming to be a beginner studying the options.

There has to be a ton of tail chasing going on these days, and I almost feel sorry for some of you younger fellas because before you have given yourself enough time to learn the finer points of flippin'/pitchin' you are out playing with drop-shotting and jacking around with Shakey heads and s#!t.

Hey now, I'm only 27 with just a few years of river bassin under my belt but you can bet I will always have a jig, trig craw/creature or tube ready to roll on my front deck! I messed around with shakey heads a bit and while I did catch fish, I went back to my t-rigs, jigs and tubes. This year I plan on trying the bottom buggin' technique with some beaver baits to see if those smallies like it. My favorite way to catch them is probably considered one of those tail chasin techniques though.

[SpoonDog]

When the bulk of a fish population is stacked up in a limited number of wintering holes and spring branches, I think location does matter. And if it didn't, why bother posting the specific location in the first place?

[Seth]

When the bulk of a fish population is stacked up in a limited number of wintering holes and spring branches, I think location does matter. And if it didn't, why bother posting the specific location in the first place?

What's the distance requirement before being able to say "I fished a certain area and caught fish"? Last I checked, Meramec Springs is a 1/2 mile long of fisheable water before it touches the Meramec River. If it had been 3/4 of a mile long, would that have made it OK? If I had said I caught fish in the Meramec River, then I would of just been lying since I never actually fished the actual river. It's not like I said I stood by this rock and threw at this tree. The fish I caught were all throughout the length of the park.

I've already talked a couple people that have been down since I was and they didn't catch much at all. Again, just because you fish where there are fish doesn't mean you are going to catch them.