Stclair Smallie's

[thewhitesnoop]

You might not mind if lots of others anglers come fish your area, but there might be some other guys who fish that area that that might not think it's so great. That was a big part of the point I was trying to make....

[Smalliebigs]

I agree 

3 hours ago, thewhitesnoop said:

This reminds me of a thread I read a long time ago where Al Agnew was complaining because there were other fisherman all over his wading streams. Really?  Al has spent his life  not only promoting stream fishing, especially on little creeks, but telling everyone exactly how to catch fish and then he complains when there are people fishing his spots??  You can't have it both ways....It's great to gain notoriety for speaking about these things on public forums (you may even become known as a guru), but it comes at a cost. That eventual cost being sharing your favorite fishing spots with others. Which is what you might think is deserved....but others who fish those same waters and don't advertise really don't deserve the same result. I fish some of those same creeks, and I had to suffer the same as Al did when more people showed up, and I didn't receive any of the accolades that Al does either. All good though.

Personally, I'm happy How Wally catches fish, I'm even happier that his fishing spots are not where I fish because even though Mr. Jones says it's mostly LOZ rejects that inhabit the Meramec (and not fisherman), I think the guys that read these threads are actually looking to catch fish, so there's probably IS going to be an increase in guys attacking the Meramec around St. Clair with HD craws....but what do I care.

I realize this post may come off as crabby or grumpy, so if no one has time to read it, I totally understand.

 

Agreed.....there will be more people  fishing there.....seriously you can't post pics of so many big fish from a general area.....oh there will be more fisherman.

I also agree with Hog Wally....98% of them will have very little success on the Middle Meramec, it's not as easy as Hog makes it seemingly look.

I ain't ragging on anybody other than the poachers and the people who have complete disregard for the corridor. Fisherman don't bug me all that much....hahahahaha 

Yeah and I'm a fisherman and a LIAR!!!!!

[Al Agnew]

Yep, it's a balancing act.  How much should we tell about HOW to catch fish?  I am very comfortable with the detail, or lack of it, in my posts about WHERE I'm fishing.  Anybody who can figure out where that creek or small river is and what stretch I'm fishing knows it already.  But how much are we contributing to greater fishing pressure (and more effective fishing pressure) by talking about how we catch fish, the lures we use and the techniques we use with them?

If we decide not to tell anybody anything, or just tell the basics that anybody barely past the beginner stage already knows...well, we might as well shut this place down, because there won't be much to talk about.  Creek smallmouth fishing ain't rocket science.  The fish are there in front of you, they are often aggressive, and you can usually catch them on a variety of different lures.  Have my posts brought more people onto the creeks?  I'm not sure.  Have they made those who are already fishing the creeks better anglers, and thus able to catch a lot more fish?  Maybe.  Is "bragging" about how many and how big fish you caught in a fishing report likely to make more people realize that Ozark stream smallmouth fishing can be very good, and thus convince them to try it?  Possibly.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  A little of both, probably.  But I do agree that the streams need all the advocates they can get, especially the way things are now, with access points being closed to the public regularly, legislators looking to turn more and more of the streams private, not to mention the typical problems of pollution, gravel mining, and poor land use practices affecting the streams.

I don't write these things for notoriety.  Sure, it's nice that some people think I know a lot about the subject, but mainly I write to show my love for the rivers and the fishing, and because I just love talking about stream fishing.  

[thewhitesnoop]

Well stated Smalliebigs.

You can't just show up on any river and not know what you're doing and have success just cause you read about the spot on a message board.

But most of us know that other fisherman can throw a wrench in your fish catching just by being there, they don't even have to know what they are doing. I say make those guys use their  brain and spend some trial and error time on the water to find their fishing spots....don't just lay it out there for any millennial with an unlimited data plan to have, quick and easy....just as our society has become 

[Hog Wally]

31 minutes ago, thewhitesnoop said:

Well stated Smalliebigs.

You can't just show up on any river and not know what you're doing and have success just cause you read about the spot on a message board.

But most of us know that other fisherman can throw a wrench in your fish catching just by being there, they don't even have to know what they are doing. I say make those guys use their  brain and spend some trial and error time on the water to find their fishing spots....don't just lay it out there for any millennial with an unlimited data plan to have, quick and easy....just as our society has become 

Bingo!   Truer words have not been spoken here.   

[MOPanfisher]

I happen to have an amazing ability to take a very specific location, time of day, bait and other particulars where someone else is tearing them up and turn that into a wonderful day of sightseeing and no fish.  It's a natural skill, but also one that can be learned if you work at it.

[Hog Wally]

14 minutes ago, MOPanfisher said:

I happen to have an amazing ability to take a very specific location, time of day, bait and other particulars where someone else is tearing them up and turn that into a wonderful day of sightseeing and no fish.  It's a natural skill, but also one that can be learned if you work at it.

I'm actually liking where this thread is headed lol. 

[fishinwrench]

If I didn't have buddies to tell (brag) about my successful days, and minds to pick (shoulders to cry on) when I was having trouble getting fish to bite,  I'm not sure that I'd love fishing near as much.    

I like fishing alone, but I don't wanna live a fisherman's life alone.   Ya just gotta talk about it to somebody.  

Hearing that somebody tore 'em up on the Meremec doesn't make me haulazz to the Meremec, but it might make me want to get on MY river and try some of the same things I was told about.

[mzrealfish]

Couldn't resist.  Had to rotate the picture since canoe was already strapped on my trailer.

 

I'm mostly out of range here so it's taking a long time to attach my photo.  My buddy Kevin, my dog Rory and I got down too late to put on the Jack's Fork tonight.  We are staying at The Riverside Motel in Eminence tonight.  Great room and with a dog only $64.

[Mitch f]

6 hours ago, thewhitesnoop said:

This reminds me of a thread I read a long time ago where Al Agnew was complaining because there were other fisherman all over his wading streams. Really?  Al has spent his life  not only promoting stream fishing, especially on little creeks, but telling everyone exactly how to catch fish and then he complains when there are people fishing his spots??  You can't have it both ways....It's great to gain notoriety for speaking about these things on public forums (you may even become known as a guru), but it comes at a cost. That eventual cost being sharing your favorite fishing spots with others. Which is what you might think is deserved....but others who fish those same waters and don't advertise really don't deserve the same result. I fish some of those same creeks, and I had to suffer the same as Al did when more people showed up, and I didn't receive any of the accolades that Al does either. All good though.

Personally, I'm happy Hog Wally catches fish, I'm even happier that his fishing spots are not where I fish because even though Mr. Jones says it's mostly LOZ rejects that inhabit the Meramec (and not fisherman), I think the guys that read these threads are actually looking to catch fish, so there probably IS going to be an increase in guys attacking the Meramec around St. Clair with HD craws....but what do I care.

I realize this post may come off as crabby or grumpy, so if no one has time to read it, I totally understand.

 

There's a huge difference between giving people advice on techniques, equipment, etc....and giving out creek names and exact locations. Isn't advice and fishing discussion what this forum is all about?