Stl County Park Lakes been any good recently?

[Haris122]

I stopped by Butler Lake for an hour and a half yesterday late in the day. Friend of mine had caught a 3 pound Channel Cat on worms, and I needed to get some fresh air, so I figured I check things out there. He kept getting bites on worms by something, but it always seemed to know how to avoid the hook. I tossed out some shrimp, which to my surprise nothing seemed interested in. As an aside I threw one of those little crappie minnow crankbaits in shad color, on my light action rod and after a little while of casting, hooked a 14" White Crappie. After a bit of a lull I also got a smaller, maybe 8" White crappie as well. That was it. It was actually quite a pleasant afternoon, even the fish seemed to notice it cause they were pretty active as well. One sad thing about Butler though, is it's just really dirty. A lot of people fishing there just seem to feel no need to pick up a single beer can or whatever else they bring with them. Out of all the local spots I frequent I would have to say it's probably the most dirty place I go to on average. 

What are your picks for the dirtiest fishing spots in the St. Louis area?

[JUNGLE JIM 1]

 I have been fishing Unger Park and the river across the road since the 80's and have had good success fishing for crappie. Over the years I've caught quite a few 9-14 inch crappie. Last April I had a banner day and caught three crappie over 2lbs. in one day, the only time I've ever caught a 2 from there. I was releasing 12-13 inch crappie that day. I caught crappie consistently through June and released quite a few 12-14 inch crappie. Hopefully this spring they will be even bigger. I even hooked a spoonbill in the bill in the lake there. I'll see if I can't find some pictures on the computer, have quite a few on my phone but don't know how to download them to my computer. PS A week in  November/2015 I caught four walleye total in three trips that were 20-22 inches long from the Meramec beside the lake.  All but the first one was released and hopefully still in the river.

[JUNGLE JIM 1]

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[JUNGLE JIM 1]

I caught these last June. 

[Haris122]

Jungle Jim if you don't mind me asking, what do you use to get the Crappie to bite from there? I thought I fished Unger lake as much as anybody else, and I've hardly caught anything out of it. It kind of blows my mind that someone consistently catches fish out of there, much less consistently nice ones at that. About the only thing I haven't tried there, were minnows so I don't know if they do it, but as far as lures, I can't say I've had much luck there. I've had one nice maybe 12" White Crappie out of there. That was my first fish. Then I've had a Grass Carp, and a Channel Cat, and some tiny baby bass and such, but not much else. I have seen spoonbills on the shore there before one winter. As far as the actual river, I haven't done great there, but definitely had some decent fish out of it. Especially 14-15" fat White or Hybrid Bass.

[Old plug]

On June 29, 2015 at 1:24 PM, WHARFRAT said:

I haven't heard any decent reports coming out of Simpson in quite a while. I only live a few miles from there, so I talk to a few people that's been out there, but they haven't had anything good to say.

 

I did talk to someone, that fished a couple of subdivision lakes off of Baxter Rd, that said he was catching quite a few bass and some decent catfish. But I don't know the rules about fishing there. He said, as long as MO conservation stocks it, then it's open to anyone. But one of the lakes he was talking about, I drove by, there were signs posted that the lake was only for property owners of the subdivision, plus, I really didn't see any access other that walking thru someones yard to get to the lake.

 

I don't think I would want to hassle with this, if I knew I would be in the wrong. There's other places to go wet a line.

I got to ask what your fishing for in st Louis area. The crappie fishng was about beyond belief out here beginning way back in November. Might still be I have not tried this past week.  I just wonder if the longer length of day we have experienced has adjusted ther time clock and put a damper on it. 

[JUNGLE JIM 1]

I don't nail them every trip but last year the bite was consistent from mid March into August. I like crappie stingers from southern pro and my custom jigs that I tie myself. Most of the time I use a small weighted float because a lot of times they are way off the bank and I need to make long casts to reach them. Usually they are scattered and I pick up a couple at several different spots but occasionally will get into a bunch of good ones in one area fishing timber. It's better when the river is up and filling the lake.

[JUNGLE JIM 1]

Walleye was caught from the river with one of my hand ties. I usually tip my crappie jigs with a nibble or berkley power wiggler that I split down the middle like the first picture. All fish shown were caught in different months from March through November.

[Haris122]

Wow, those are some beautiful fish. Well, now I got some hope to go there again from time to time and try fishing it some more. Actually went the day you mentioned it, and fished a few different things from the shore at that little peninsula towards the direction I caught that 1 sole crappie, but had no luck, but as long as they're in there, which you proved, I can rest assured that when I do go from time to time, it's not a completely hopeless venture. You hook into any of those chubby white bass or hybrid white bass on the river there too?

[JUNGLE JIM 1]

They will start biting usually in mid March depending how the winter goes. Need wind out of the southwest 5-10 mph, fishing along the eastern shore to about half way down the the north side of the lake. The west side is shallow and about all I catch on that side is small bass.Actually the whole lake is pretty shallow which is why I like the lake after it comes up a couple feet when the river rises. I'm retired so maybe we can meet there one day and I'll give you a few of my jigs to try. I think the new 1/16 underspins that I'm working on will work from April on when the water warms up.