Meramec, Bourbeuse and Big River Fishing.
Missouri Fishes and Aquatic Critters
Real Time Fishing Forecast Engine
MDC 2011 FISHING PROSPECTS
Bourbeuse River (St. Louis Region) Information: 573-468-3335 Anglers can expect fair to good success fishing for most species in 2011. Fishing for black bass species (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass) should remain good on most stretches, with fair chances to catch bass over 15". Catfish numbers and sizes should be fair to good in 2011 as well. Popular methods for catfish include trot, bank and limb lines. Giggers and other anglers pursuing sucker species should expect to see good numbers when the river is low and clear enough to identify fish properly. Fishing for crappie should be fair in the many deep, slow moving pools with woody cover.
Big River: Anglers stand a good chance of scoring a black bass "trifecta" in the Jefferson/Washington counties portion of Big River during 2011. Smallmouth bass fishing will be good in 2011 with over thirty percent of the population continuing to be over 12" and a promising 23% being larger than 15". Fish up to 19" were see during 2010 sampling. Largemouth bass fishing should be fair with 44% of the fish being over 12". However, largemouth numbers have declined somewhat. Spotted bass fishing should be very good, as they continue to be numerous. Although very few spotted bass are larger than 15"; numbers of 7- to 11-inch fish remain high below Highway 21 near Washington State Park. Anglers are encouraged to harvest all the spotted bass they catch, regardless of size, up to the daily limit of 12. Rock bass (goggle-eye) should again provide good spring fishing in 2011. Rock bass numbers have continued their recent improvement with over 50% being larger than 7" and 25% being larger than 8". Fish the numerous downed trees, brush piles and root wads with jigs and minnows to score on spring rock bass. Good numbers of channel catfish were again seen during 2010 surveys. The majority of fish were in the 15- to 24-inch range. Flathead catfish fishing should again be only fair, with few large fish present.
Courtois Creek (St. Louis Region) Information: 2011 should be a good year for smallmouth bass and rock bass fishing on the Courtois. Smallmouth bass are usually abundant, and made up the majority of all black bass sampled in 2009 (97%); largemouth are rare but can reach good sizes in deep pools or backwater habitat. Anglers should have good chances of catching smallmouth bass over 12" in length, and fair chances of catching a smallmouth longer than 15". Smallmouth over 18" have been rare in the last few years. Goggle-eye are also abundant, and the majority are between 6 and 7 inches in length. A fair number of goggle-eye should be at or near the 8" minimum length limit in Crawford County. Fishing for other sunfish, like longear sunfish and bluegill, should remain good as well. Cover, like submerged rootwads, downed trees, overhanging branches, vegetation stands, and boulders, seem to concentrate fish, and provides the best places to try and catch them.
Huzzah Creek (St. Louis Region) Sampling on Huzzah Creek indicated that 2011 should be a good year for bass fishing. Black bass should be abundant, with smallmouth bass making up the majority (86%) followed by largemouth bass (14%). Spotted bass are rare in the Huzzah. Smallmouth bass sizes are fair and should provide great catch and release opportunities, with 14% of fish sampled >12" in length, and 2% >15" in length. Largemouth bass will provide the greatest chance for catching a large fish, with almost 50% of fish sampled being >12" in length, and 14% also greater than 15" in length. Several largemouth >18" were sampled as well. Largemouth bass are most common in the downstream sections of stream, while bass in the upper sections were almost exclusively smallmouth. Goggle-eye sampling showed good numbers and sizes of fish, which should provide excellent fishing opportunities. Almost half of all goggle-eye sampled were >7", with 6% of fish sampled being over 8". As with most Ozark streams, most fish linger around structures such as rootwads, downed trees, and boulders, and can be caught with a variety of tackle.
Meramec River (upper) (St. Louis Region) Smallmouth bass fishing in the Stream Black Bass Special Management Area between Scott's Ford and Bird's Nest promises to remain excellent in 2011. Smallmouth bass are the most abundant black bass species present, and anglers can expect to encounter several fish in the 8" to 12" range, and good numbers of fish in the 12" to 15" range. In addition, this area provides one of the best opportunities on the Meramec to catch several fish over 15", mostly due to its excellent habitat. The minimum length limit for smallmouth in this section of the Meramec is 15" with a daily limit of one. The area will also provide good opportunities for largemouth bass and rock bass (goggle-eye). One third of the largemouth bass exceeded the largemouth length limit of 12", and goggle-eye greater than the 8" length limit are found in fair numbers, with some even exceeding 9". On the
Meramec below the Special Management Area, goggle-eye anglers can expect to encounter a fair number of legal fish in 2011, although the majority will remain under the 8" length limit. Habitats with flow near large boulders, submerged trees, and vegetation tend to hold the biggest goggle-eye. In addition, we sampled good numbers of goggle-eye that were greater than 7" in length, indicating that the number of legal fish will increase in future years.
Meramec black bass anglers can expect to see similar numbers and sizes of fish as in years past. Sampling on the Meramec in both Crawford and Franklin counties in 2010 showed that black bass numbers and sizes are similar to or better than those from the last several years. Almost 20% of the smallmouth bass sampled exceeded the 12" length limit and a good number were greater than 15" in length. Almost 40% of largemouth bass sampled were over the 12" length limit and a fair number were greater than 15" in length. Several largemouth and smallmouth greater than 18" in length were also sampled, providing opportunities to catch large fish outside of the special management area.
Spotted bass numbers in Franklin County are similar to past years, with about 15% of fish being greater than 12". Redhorse Access, River Round Conservation Area, Choteau Claim Access, and Robertsville State Park all provide good access to the Meramec in the area where spotted bass are most prevalent. Opportunities to catch catfish are best in those areas in Franklin County as well, with several large channel catfish and flathead catfish greater than 20" being sampled in 2010. Redhorse sucker species and freshwater drum are also common in the Meramec in Crawford and Franklin counties. Anglers can expect to see good numbers and sizes of these species in 2011. Gigging from September 15 to January 31 is a popular way to catch these species, but they can also be taken by hook and line all year long.
Meramec River - Red Ribbon Area (Hwy 8 to Scott's Fd): Trout fishing in the Meramec River in 2011 should be similar to recent years. Brown and rainbow trout numbers are holding steady, although the total trout population remains lower than it has been historically. Brown trout make up the slight majority of fish sampled in the river, although rainbow trout are also present in fair numbers. Many anglers report encountering more rainbows than browns, which can be attributed to rainbows generally being easier to catch. Anglers can expect that most fish they catch will be in the 11" to 15" range, with a small number of fish over 15". A few brown trout will exceed 20" in length. The decrease in numbers of legal brown trout is attributed mostly to low stocked brown trout survival over the last several years. Years of extreme drought followed by extreme floods have reduced survival past what was expected. Future production numbers look hopeful that brown trout numbers will increase in coming years. Trout numbers are typically greatest in the 3 miles of stream below the Maramec Spring confluence. Anglers can also expect to encounter fair numbers of smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and rock bass in this area, around the numerous rootwads, downed trees, and bluff faces.
Big River: 70 degrees, normal, dingy; channel catfish fair on cut bait and blood bait; black bass slow on plastic worms; bluegill fair on natural baits; all other species slow. (Report made on 9/29/2011)
Bourbeuse (middle, lower, Franklin Co.): 67 degrees, normal, dingy; channel catfish fair on cut bait and blood bait; bluegill good on worms and crickets; black bass good on minnows and plastic worms; all other species fair on natural baits. (Report made on 9/29/2011)
Meramec (above Sullivan, Crawford Co.): 69 degrees, normal, dingy; black bass slow on spinners and plastic worms; channel catfish slow on minnows; all other species slow. (Report made on 9/29/2011)
Meramec (below Eureka): 70 degrees, normal, dingy; channel catfish fair on cut baits; black bass slow on plastic worms; carp fair on corn; bluegill fair on crickets, drum fair on worms; all other species slow. (Report made on 9/29/2011)
