Best Spot to Catch a Big Smallie

[DainW]

Okay guys I'm not asking for any secret locations or anything like that, but I just wanted to get everyone's thoughts on the best river in the ozarks to catch an 18-20 inch smallie? For my purposes, it would be hard really fish the bigger rivers like the Meramec and the Current because I like to fly fish, which is harder to do out of a canoe. So out of the rivers that can be waded with relative ease in the area, what do you guys think is my best bet?

[Hog Wally]

I wish I could help you.  I did own a sweet place on the little meramec but now I live on the meramec.  I spent many years wading it but it's a lot of swimming to lol. 

[Gavin]

Would look to clear water trickles that flow into bigger rivers, when the bigger stream is up and muddy. Hardly ever wade fish for smallmouth anymore. Much more productive if you float. Find a good canoe partner, and trade ends often if you want to canoe and fly fish for them. One paddles, other fishes. Kinda hard to fly fish floating solo, but can be done. Not     As effective as when two fish as a team though.

[Al Agnew]

I kinda doubt that you'll get many good answers.  Wading size creeks that actually produce big fish are somewhat rare and jealously guarded, and anybody who touts their favorite wading size creek on the internet is likely to find it deteriorating in a few months.  I've seen two creeks go from likely to produce 18-19 inch smallmouth to seldom producing anything over 16 inches in a year, after being very good for a long time...and not so coincidentally, both times the deterioration came after some fool blabbed about them on a popular website.

So you may have to do your own exploring.  I'll give you one hint...there are a bunch of creeks within the Meramec river system that do hold some of those 18-19 inchers, though the chances of a 20 incher are slim.  Wait until early summer to really do your exploring, and wait until the weather has been stable for a while and the creeks are down to summer water levels.  Then do as much looking as fishing, to see if you see some good fish.  If the creek runs into a good river, like the Meramec, Bourbeuse, or Big, chances are it holds some good fish somewhere.

[fishinwrench]

Just pick a creek and spend the time necessary to learn it well (from headwater to mouth).  There are good 18+" Smallies in almost all of them, but you're gonna have to pay your dues.   No creek in the world is LOADED with them.  

[Old plug]

 That  is a real big statement Wrench, and it applies to all fishing I think. Lot of these fisher persons on here do not really understand what is meant by paying your dues. There just is no alternate to it. 

[DainW]

Yeah I'm aware of the slow growth rates and all of the other factors limiting smallmouth survival that make an 18-20 inch fish in the ozarks such a rare catch. I also get that my preferred method of fishing, wading and with a fly rod, puts me at a disadvantage. This is more of a lifetime goal than something I expect to happen this summer. I plan to pay my dues, but that's the fun part right?
 

Also, thank you to everyone that replied. I think there's some really good advice in there. Maybe the question I asked was wrong. Perhaps I should've asked, if I'm going to pick a particular river basin and explore the tributaries, is there a certain basin that's more capable of producing bigger fish like that? Al mentioned a few, I think those are pretty good places to start. 

[Crooked Creek Angler]

I'm guessing that about every decent smallmouth stream listed on this forum has 18 to 20 inchers in it.  I'd pick a few streams closest to me that I could fish regularly and spend a lot of time getting to know them.  I've caught 4 or 5 fish over 20 inches and one over 21, but it's taken me 25 years to do it!  In my opinion, there are a couple of situations that increase your odds of catching a really large smallmouth; 1) fish after a warm spring rain that raises and stains the creek throw a big spinner bait, 2) fish a lot at night, not many people do.  Good luck!

[Mitch f]

Big smallmouth are easier to catch when the river has risen a bit and the water is murkier, up your chances by being open to only go when the conditions are right. This would put the odds a little more in your favor.

im not a fly fisherman but I would think that concentrating on larger baits fished near logs or root wads would up your percentage too.

[Smalliebigs]

I would think it's  pretty tough to catch an actual  20 on a fly on an Ozark stream.....an 18 isn't  that big of a deal, you should be able to do that.

I would concentrate  on creeks that flow into the Gasconade and creeks that feed LOZ.....there are a few that feed both that I have fished and have caught plenty of 18's and 19's but no actual measured 20's.

Al is sooo correct  on this though.....creeks are way too precious and way too fragile to ever disclose a name.....if you do you're a moron.