Are fish spawning ?

[Jim Spriggs]

I haven't been to the river in a few weeks. Are the fish still in preapawn or have they started spawning?  I'm considering hitting the area above the Hwy 28 bridge this weekend. But, if the spawn is in full swing then I may postpone.  

I live in St. Louis and usually fish the Meramec, and the fish there appear to be spawning. 

Thanks for the information. 

[Al Agnew]

Yes, some are spawning in all the streams now, though not all of them.  It's a tough time to fish unless you want to find the spawners and harass them, but on a good day you should still be able to find fish that aren't spawning and are willing to bite.  

[Jim Spriggs]

Thanks, Al.  I appreciate the response.  Now if I can find those active fish...

[Jim Spriggs]

Anyone have advice for finding fish that are either still in preapawn mode or those females who are finished spawning and looking for a big meal?  

[Smalliebigs]

On Thursday, April 21, 2016 at 2:27 PM, Jim Spriggs said:

Anyone have advice for finding fish that are either still in preapawn mode or those females who are finished spawning and looking for a big meal?  

Honestly  Jim as usual Al hit the nail on the head on this.

My preference for this two month window because as Al said some are staging and some are dancing and some are protecting. Obviously fish will be spawning  in April and May but, with soo many fish in different  stages of the spawn it can be unusual and perplexing but, conversely it has been my experience that you will run into groups of fish that are waiting  until the full moon in May. Usually  these groups of pre spawn fish will be staging and feeding aggressive in a tight area very close to where they will have their beds. 

I have big issues with pulling males off of a bed that they may be guarding  fry on so I ONLY target the hyper aggressive  fish with funky Topwater baits and sometimes  a crazy crank bait.

The Topwater  baits that work for me this time of year are baits that you can almost work side to side with very little movement  back towards you.....the longer you can keep the bait out in their little zone the more it will piss them off it seems. This sort of action can be imparted by boat position in the current as well. My brother from my other mother MOsmallies turned me onto a bait by Evergreen that will walk in place and is perfect for this technique. There are several others as well....pm me and I'll  send you links as to where to purchase.

A lot of times I will throw spinnerbaits to locate the mob and then pick them off with the stay in place baits. 

Most years I just take a brake and try to kiss my wife's  butt this time of year until  the spawn is over....this is very hard for me to do but, I try to wait until the spawn is over.

I am a Topwater  junkie and just can't wait for the warmer water and big explosions