Red Ribbon Trout Area

[stlfisher]

Should be interesting to see how this plays out for the brown trout. I would think fall stocking and slight larger size would be a good thing.

http://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/mdc-stocks-larger-brown-trout-meramec-river

[Geoff]

Well its a one time stocking of larger fish, then regular stocking of smaller fish. This spring/early summer I had heard first hand accounts that it was fishing well for brown trout. I just need to get down there now.

[fishinwrench]

I thought brookies were supposed to be the answer to the copapod thing? Whatever.

They remind me of my 5y/o explaining why she couldn't eat her dinner but is going to certainly perish if she doesn't get to have a brownie.

[Geoff]

I thought it was brookies as well. Atleast thats what i remember then saying a couple years ago when they did that.

[mic]

That's cool... wonder how it will affect the fishing in that area.

[stlfisher]

Well its a one time stocking of larger fish, then regular stocking of smaller fish. This spring/early summer I had heard first hand accounts that it was fishing well for brown trout. I just need to get down there now.

That part was a bit confusing. In the article it made it sound like future browns will be held until they are 10-12 inches then stocked as opposed to the 8 inch variety, but then it mentions a one time stocking of fish of up to 15 inches this year.

I do remember the brook trout thing....guess that didn't work out, but would they have stocked them instead of the brown's if it did....that would have been sweet, but I can't imagine brook trout doing well in the Meramec at all.

I took the additional size of the stocked brown trout as a by product of the parasite issue with the real goal to improve the rearing of rainbow trout. The different stocking times for brown trout seemed geared to helping the red ribbon area and the increased size probably won't hurt.

Should be interesting...it is tough/marginal place for trout, but close to home. Would be nice to see it fish better.

[ozark trout fisher]

I'm glad to see they're clearly not giving up on the Meramec. It's not a great trout stream, and I doubt anything any manager can do would change that.....but given it's location it has pretty significant value.

I actually like the Red Ribbon part of the Meramec, if for a fairly backwards reason. It's just good enough where when I fish it I always expect I'll catch a trout or two (and it usually happens, one way or another), but just challenging enough where that expectation can easily be wrong. Whereas on the Current, or most of the other trout streams I fish, there's not the same level of drama because whatever else happens, you can almost bet that eventually something will come to the net. Catching a couple of fish on the Red Ribbon waters of the Meramec can feel like a real accomplishment, under the right circumstances.

If brown trout survival doesn't improve, maybe eventually the time will come to give up on the whole enterprise and just manage it for the rainbows. For whatever reason they seem to do okay, whereas the browns are not.

[stlfisher]

I think I remember a post from phil in which a mdc biologist mentioned that while browns prefer slighty warmer water they are much more sensitive to changes in water temperature and composition. Basically rainbows are better at surviving less than ideal conditions even though browns prefer a bit warmer water. The meremac is not really good for either...a bit to warm for rsinbows and a bit to turbid during flood for browns.

[mic]

Very true and accurate assessment.

That part was a bit confusing. In the article it made it sound like future browns will be held until they are 10-12 inches then stocked as opposed to the 8 inch variety, but then it mentions a one time stocking of fish of up to 15 inches this year.

I do remember the brook trout thing....guess that didn't work out, but would they have stocked them instead of the brown's if it did....that would have been sweet, but I can't imagine brook trout doing well in the Meramec at all.

I took the additional size of the stocked brown trout as a by product of the parasite issue with the real goal to improve the rearing of rainbow trout. The different stocking times for brown trout seemed geared to helping the red ribbon area and the increased size probably won't hurt.

Should be interesting...it is tough/marginal place for trout, but close to home. Would be nice to see it fish bette

[ozark trout fisher]

Maybe the only reason the rainbows seem to be doing better is that there are more of them making their way into the river from Maramec Spring than there are browns being put in the river. Hard to tell, I guess.

Dry Fork Creek is really the biggest problem with the trout fishery there. It really is dramatic the difference in the quality of angling just above and below its mouth. Sure, you can catch fish down at Cardiac/Suicide HIll well below Dry Fork but it's way more hit and miss, and more miss than hit.