Running the Meramec with an outboard?

[1099gl]

Hi guys I'm fairly new to these forums and I am wanting to take my first trip on to the meramec with my 14' flat bottom Jon in search of bass. I am an avid bass fisherman and I feel safe on lakes. This would be the first time I fish a river in my boat. I just wanted to know if it's safe to run a outboard on the meramec and how far I could go up stream with it? I don't have a depth finder unfortunately. I don't know the average depth of the river either. I just wanted to know where I should put in to have the best success and how far I could run up river because I figure the better bass fishing is up stream? 

[Brian Jones]

You're not going to go very far anywhere on the Meramec this time of year without a jet. 

IMO, your best bet would be Hwy 30/River Rat at St. Clair.  The river is mostly channelized there due to several years of gravel dredging and there is about a mile stretch (give or take) with decent habitat and fishing that a person could fish with the set up you have mentioned.  I'm sure there are some places closer to STL where you'd be fine with that set up as well.  But I am completely unfamiliar with the river below Allenton.

[1099gl]

1 hour ago, Brian Jones said:

You're not going to go very far anywhere on the Meramec this time of year without a jet. 

IMO, your best bet would be Hwy 30/River Rat at St. Clair.  The river is mostly channelized there due to several years of gravel dredging and there is about a mile stretch (give or take) with decent habitat and fishing that a person could fish with the set up you have mentioned.  I'm sure there are some places closer to STL where you'd be fine with that set up as well.  But I am completely unfamiliar with the river below Allenton.

I live in STL so the closest put in is probably Valley Park. Not sure if anyone knows about that. Would I be able to fish the Big River close to where it enters the Meramec? Not too sure of the depth of the Meramec until you get up to Washington state park.

[Brian Jones]

11 minutes ago, 1099gl said:

I live in STL so the closest put in is probably Valley Park. Not sure if anyone knows about that. Would I be able to fish the Big River close to where it enters the Meramec? Not too sure of the depth of the Meramec until you get up to Washington state park.

You "might" be able to fish the Big at Rockford Beach; at least for a little ways.  Almost certain that it takes a jet boat to get in the Big from the Meramec as well.  Also forgive me for the correction, but the Big runs through Washington SP; not the Meramec. 

[Haris122]

Might not be able to give you much information but from the spots I've kayaked on it, and the ones I've fished from a buddy's boat, I'd say your best bet is the first few miles upstream and downstream of Flamm. Unfortunately a lot of sections of even the Lower Meramec seem to have just enough shallow spots/riffles, that it's tough to go any long stretch uninterrupted.

I think there's a shallow section a few hundred yards downstream from the Highway 21 (Tesson Ferry) bridge. To enter and exit the Meramec from George Winter, it can be pretty shallow. There's a shallow section somewhere between the railroad bridge, and a little upstream of the 141 bridge. I think there's a shallow section somewhere around the bend by Unger, but not 100% on that one. At Route 66 there's a shallow section just downstream of the ramp/upstream of the 44 bridge. Sherman beach there looked to be a shallow section just downstream of the railroad bridge.

I don't know how shallow you can go, and of course depending on water level some of those might not be much of an obstacle, but a lot of them looked like straight up riffles of only a foot or so most of the times I've went there (granted most of that was in the summer when the water is often on the lower side to begin with). So Flamm has a few miles both ways I think. George Winter a few miles downstream and maybe a mile or 2 upstream, depending on water levels at Mini Ha Ha park, and the bridges nearby. Just downstream of the railroad bridge in Valley Park you might have a mile or a few to work with before you hit the bend by Greentree/Unger. And upstream of the Hwy44 bridge at Route 66 you might have a few miles to work with.

[moguy1973]

You can probably put in at Rt 66 St. Park and run up to the Big, but you won't be able to go up the Big very far as it gets pretty shallow right at the Two Rivers bridge.  You can probably put in at Kirkwood and run up a mile or so before there is a shallow spot where Grand Glaize Creek comes in.  If you put in at Valley Park there is a shallow area right at the 141 bridge where Fish Pot comes in also that you probably won't be able to get through.  This time of year though as said above the river gets pretty shallow in a lot of parts.

[Smalliebigs]

You can only run a prop on the Meramec safely when the river level is above 5ft at the Valley  Park, right now it's  at -2...so another 7 feet of water, otherwise you will ether blow your prop or rip your motor off your transom or worse.

I run a 19 ft Sea Ark with a 115 there but only when it's a close to flood stage...I see morons all the time doing it when it's low but, they almost always will have damage of some type....you can run down at GW and if you know what yer doing you can catch bass there but after the poop flow from Fenton residents above it for months I just don't  like the ppm's of fecal matter

Get a jet or paddle or wade

[Hog Wally]

Sand ford ?  It has a 400 yard stretch.  River rat ?  3 miles of dead deep water.  River round? Don't bother.  The 66 park? A really nice long beautiful 1 mile or so chunk rock bank, that I have never caught a single fish on     It's just a bummer deal.  I will say there is some Ol boys around here with outboards jacked up high and they run through 1 foot riffles.  All riffles are like 4" or less at this point except for today through Saturday  it just flash flooded here but it'll be gone fast. 

[Terrierman]

Oh baloney.  You can fish nearly any Ozark stream with an outboard if you're careful and willing to do a little wading through the riffles pulling the boat behind you.

[Mitch f]

3 minutes ago, Terrierman said:

Oh baloney.  You can fish nearly any Ozark stream with an outboard if you're careful and willing to do a little wading through the riffles pulling the boat behind you.

 Don't agree....It's a huge risk, and you'd be going so slow that I wouldn't recommend it. Dodging big rocks and getting out to drag is pretty dangerous on a big river. You break a prop or a lower unit and you wish you've never done it. He's not talking about a bunch of gravel but huge boulders.