My first taste of great Ozark fishing

[Lloyd]

Hey all. I had a bit of a revelation this fall and I thought I'd write about it. I grew up in New England with lots of great largemouth bass fishing in ponds and lakes, so when I got to St. Louis in 1999 that's the kind of water body I looked for. Over the years I fished places like Jefferson Lake near my house, Spanish Lake, and Busch Conservation Area, and caught a few fish, but never enough to get excited about. I also did a few float trips on the Current and Meramec with grad school friends. These were not "take in the scenic beauty of nature" trips but rather "let's get as hammered as possible without falling out of the canoe and drowning" trips, so while I brought a fishing rod on some of them, I never caught more than a handful of small bass and sunfish. Eventually I stumbled across this forum and read stories about people catching good fish on rivers and creeks, but I had to wonder if these were really any better than the lakes I had already tried. That said, I just couldn't ignore the posts people like Al Agnew were writing. Stories of 50, 80, 100+ fish days. Was that even possible??? To me it seemed almost unimaginable, and yet maybe there was something to them.

I did more reading and in September, almost on a whim, decided to explore a creek that was rarely mentioned online, but that had a good reputation. As I approached the bank I knew that this was going to be a totally different experience. There were fish everywhere. On my first three casts with a Rebel Wee Craw I caught three fish: two 8" largemouths and a longear sunfish that nailed the craw as it spun wildly on the surface with the line fouled around the hooks. The rest of the day was almost as good. I lost count of the bass but it must have been at least 30, with several over 12" and one around 15." Since then I've explored different sections of the creek, each time going farther upstream or downstream, and each time with similarly great results. The kicker was catching my first walleye, which I had no idea were in this creek, and which I had dreamed about catching since I was in junior high. 

Now I'm kicking myself for not doing this trip 20 years ago. My eyes are open - there is some fantastic fishing not far from St. Louis. Before this, I always looked forward to trips to Martha's Vineyard to catch bonito and false albacore, and fantasized about catching inshore species like snook, tarpon, and redfish in Florida. Now all I want to do is explore relatively local waters: the Gasconade, Jacks Fork, and Buffalo to name a few. So thanks to all of you on this forum who got me more curious about fishing the Ozarks. That made all the difference. 

[Johnsfolly]

Congrats @Lloyd and welcome to the Ozarks fisheries. I also fished a lot of lakes an ponds in the Northeast as I grew up (and am again back out that way) and found that the Ozark creeks and rivers have so much more to offer than what I have done in the past and am able to do now. I have said to  a few folks that I fished in the past but became a fisherman in Missouri. Expand your travels and you will continue to be amazed at the fishing opportunities. Can't wait to see more successful (and even if they are not successful) trip reports.

[Flysmallie]

Well there went all your free time. 

[Lloyd]

4 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

Congrats @Lloyd and welcome to the Ozarks fisheries. I also fished a lot of lakes an ponds in the Northeast as I grew up (and am again back out that way) and found that the Ozark creeks and rivers have so much more to offer than what I have done in the past and am able to do now. I have said to  a few folks that I fished in the past but became a fisherman in Missouri. Expand your travels and you will continue to be amazed at the fishing opportunities. Can't wait to see more successful (and even if they are not successful) trip reports.

Thanks, John! That's exactly what I plan to do. Google maps/satellite is quickly becoming best friend.

[Lloyd]

3 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

Well there went all your free time. 

Heh that's fine with me. It's amazing how fast an entire day can go by when you're on the creek.

[Flysmallie]

1 hour ago, Lloyd said:

Heh that's fine with me. It's amazing how fast an entire day can go by when you're on the creek.

I didn't mean it like it was something bad. Took me a long time to find the creeks and rivers too. Have it enjoyed it all. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

3 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

I didn't mean it like it was something bad. Took me a long time to find the creeks and rivers too. Have it enjoyed it all. 

They’re the blue snake like lines on the map.  Call me if you need more help😁.  You’re welcome.  

[Gavin]

Looks like fun. I've never gotten tired of fishing in the Ozarks. So many river miles to explore. A trip to the salt is great too. Love fishing salt water.

[moguy1973]

Now I'm intrigued on what creek with a good reputation near St. Louis that has water that looks like that is located.

[Mitch f]

2 hours ago, moguy1973 said:

Now I'm intrigued on what creek with a good reputation near St. Louis that has water that looks like that is located.

Don’t go there!! 😂