April was a pretty good month for outdoor activity. Despite getting a lot of rain in Missouri, I was able to fish the Current with a few buddies on the 5th and had my first turkey hunting experience on the 26th. After the morning hunt, we hit the Meramec for a high-water attempt at smallies and trout. Not a bad day if I do say so myself.
Our day on the Current was interesting. The morning brought warm temperatures and sun. Caddis were popping and we stuck 20 or so fish early on on caddis dries despite the high water (1.6 on the USGS guage just below Montauk). I fished with Stu, Billy, and Eddie, a friend who I met on my trip to Alaska. This was Eddie's first time on the Current and I wanted it to be a good experience so he would not shy away from an invite down the road. Eddie was all over the morning hatch. He probably netted upwards of a dozen fish in the first two hours all on dries. Needless to say, I think he'll be coming back.
As the afternoon approached, a storm front moved through and the temperature dropped probabyly 20 degrees. The caddis turned off and the fish started eating streamers. Olive was the color of choice and the group continued to have success into the evening. Unfortunately, there were no big fish to speak of but our numbers were good. It was also fun getting a taste of dry flies followed by heavy streamer fishing.
My day turkey hunting and Meramec fishing was slow. This was my first turkey hunting experience and, despite the fact that we did not take a bird, I really enjoyed it. I hunted with my buddy Henry on some property he owns about 45 minutes outside St. Louis. We saw 8 birds and had some gobbles in pretty close range but cound not get a male bird to come out of the woods. We had a hen approach our decoy and cluck a few times but no toms.
With no love from the turkeys, we headed to the upper Meramec for smallies. The river was almost blown out and our attempts to catch bass were unsuccessful. From there, we decided to move downstream below the park to go for trout, a species I am much more familiar with when fishing high water. I ended up sticking a handful of rainbows. Henry moved one large fish and Johnston, who met up with us on the river, stuck a decent rainbow to close out the day.
Hunting and fishing was a blast. I look forward to going for turkeys again this weekend.
About Me
- Missouri Trout Stalker
- Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
- I am an attorney in my early thirties with a serious fly fishing problem. I work at a large corporate law firm where things move pretty fast. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of corporate America, I try as often as possible to get away and enjoy a quiet stream. My blog attempts to detail the adventures I have both on and off the water in "My World on the Fly."
