smallmouth fishing trip

[jbhunter]

Me and a buddy will be going to missouri sometime this summer to smallmouth fish. We would like to go to a river not too far from illinois. Any rivers around the black, current, huzzah, or meramac rivers would be great. These are the only ones a I really familier with. But we cannot decide where to go. If anyone is familier with fishing this area I would appreciate any advice. And also I was wanting to try floating on belly boats or fishing tubes, would this be a good idea or would canoes be better?

[Guest]

T

[Danimal]

Use a canoe--you can cover much more water. Dan-o

[hank franklin]

Like Saluki says, all those rivers will be packed on the weekends, so if you can get out mid-week it's always better. If a weekend is all you got, I would suggest a less popular stream, like the Big River or the Bourbeuse.

As far as choice of boat, I don't think you can beat a canoe, especially for two people.

My cousin and I have this conversation often: If you had a friend visit from another state and could only float one stream, what would it be? Unfortunately, there's never a clear answer because it depends on so many variables: Time of year, river conditions, crowds, how important good fishing is compared to good floating, good scenery, etc. In my experience, the Meramec is the best all-purpose river: good consistent flow, nice scenery, usually decent fishing. Folks who live farther south would probably say that of the Current.

One other thing: If you're going on a weekend, you can beat the crowds by putting in early (sunrise if you can do it). I've often floated stretches of the Meramec that was quiet as could be at 6 a.m., only to be overrun with floaters by 1 p.m. or so.

[Gavin]

A canoe is the way to go, and if you dont have your own your choices are limited. The Meramec, Huzzah, and Cortois, see a ton of weekend float traffic, and the Meramec adds a lot of jet boat traffic to the mix. Its hardly worth the bother on the weekend. Might check out a float on the Big down by Washington State Park or out of Cherokee Landing, another option would be a float out of Devil's Back on the Bourbuese. Cheers.