Last weekend I stayed at a property located on the Big River in St. Francois county. The Big River flows 145 miles through Iron, Washington, St. Francois, and Jefferson counties before it empties into the Meramec River. The variety of habitat on the Big River allows it to hold many different species of game fish…
Urban Catfishing In St. Louis Many people in the St. Louis area believe that good fishing is too far away from home, but this is not the case. There are several park ponds spread throughout St. Louis city and county that offer fishing for species such as bluegill, bass, and catfish. The Missouri Department of…
Let me start off by saying that I am a terrible fisherman. I never really caught the bug and as a result I don’t usually fish in my spare time. My daughters have enjoyed fishing when the family gets together for the annual family trip to Mahoney State Park here in Nebraska, so I tag…
Echo Bluff is a state park located on the Sinking Creek near Eminence in southeastern Missouri. The park gets its name from a picturesque bluff on the creek overlooking the cabins. Our family organized a family reunion there for three nights over the past weekend. Sinking Creek is a shallow, fast moving, crystal clear…
There is something about a float trip on a clear Ozark stream that grabs a hold of all your senses and latches onto your soul for the entire time you are on the river. While floating away the day I am in tune with the sound of rushing water and the singing of birds, the…
I have this giant tackle box full of more crankbaits, soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and more “must have” lures than I should admit to. I have enough rod/reel combos to handle all of the above as designed depending on lure weight, line size, and specific application. But even with all of that, more often than not,…
Every year, I look forward to the Fishing Prospects publication released by the Missouri Department of Conservation. I usually read through the description of every lake or river within a few hours of home, and dream of visiting all of them in the coming year. Of course I never get out fishing as much as…
My favorite place to fish is a Missouri Ozarks stream. A typical Ozark stream is a fast flowing, crystal clear, rocky bottomed stream surrounded by limestone bluffs and dense forest. My dad and I fish Ozark streams every chance we get. The main predatory fish species in these streams is the Smallmouth Bass. We both…
Bennett Springs is a Missouri State Park located near Lebanon Missouri. The highlight of this state park is a 1.2 mile spring branch of the Niangua River that is stocked with Rainbow Trout daily from March 1st to October 31st. It is also stocked with brown trout in the spring and the fall. During this…
