A few weeks ago, I wrote about a presentation that state Department of Conservation fisheries biologist Kevin Meneau offered on fishing hot spots in the St. Louis region as part of the agency’s celebration for the 50th anniversary of its urban fishing program.
The reaction from readers has been consistent: “When are you going to tell us what he said?”
Most frequently, when people want to talk about fishing opportunities, they are asking about largemouth bass. They can grow pretty big, attack a bait like an apex predator and are just as fun to catch and release as they are to catch and keep.
“The area really has a lot of good bass fishing,” Meneau said. “It used to be easy to pick the top lake, but then all the others started catching up. Lake 33 is the largest at the Busch Conservation Area, and Spanish Lake in north (St. Louis) County has a lot more big bass than you might expect.”
While they are not the largest bodies of water, he said, they are definitely in the top five of the state’s smaller lakes.
“Simpson Park is an abandoned quarry lake in Valley Park, and it has both largemouth and spotted bass,” Meneau said. “The lake at Bee Tree Park in south (St. Louis) County is only nine acres and looks like a muddy old catfish pond, but it’s still home of the biggest bass I’ve ever held.”
Meneau claims he’s not much of a pole-and-line angler, but in doing research sampling with his fishing boat that pulses low-voltage DC current into the water, he has held and measured lots of fish in his 30 years with the department.
“It affects the fishes’ muscles and makes them swim to the surface in front of the boat, where we net them and measure them and then release them back into the lake,” he said. “We get a good idea of what’s in there.”
Access at the four fishing spots mentioned for bass is varied.
“Spanish Lake is 100 percent accessible for bank anglers with a concrete ramp for boats with electric trolling motors. Lake 33 is about 95 percent accessible from the shore with a large dam and long levees. You can rent boats from the concessionaire there,” Meneau said. “Bee Tree is probably about 90 percent accessible, but Simpson is most difficult from the shore, probably only 45 percent accessible.”
For those looking for species other than bass, he recommends a couple of the same places, and a few others in the St. Louis region.
“Spanish Lake has some really good bluegill and a red-ear sunfish population with fish in the 9- to 11-inch range. Fire Lake at the Weldon Spring Conservation Area has good bluegill and some red-ears,” he said.
Crappie fishermen like Simpson Park Lake and Lakes 33 and 35 at Busch.
“Everyone loves crappie, but they do a little too well in smaller ponds,” Meneau said. “They quickly overpopulate, are slow to grow to 7 or 8 inches and are potato chip-thin. Creve Coeur Lake had been the No. 1 crappie lake, but the silver carp ruined that.”
The department removed about 119 tons of the invasive species this past winter, which he estimated to be about 80 percent of that population, so the department is hoping that crappie fishing rebounds in that big public lake.
The news is much better for those who want to catch channel catfish. Since they do not reproduce well in small lakes, the department regularly stocks catfish from April through September at many area lakes. The fish stocking hotline (636-300-9651) is updated after each stocking is completed.
Because of its number and variety of lakes and ponds, Meneau said Busch offers anglers a lot of options.
“We have a bunch of lakes and that allows us to manage for a lot of different things,” he said. “We have a lake with muskies and have started managing for flathead and blue catfish.”
For more information and specifics about each location, Meneau recommends the Fish St. Louis brochure, which is available for free at conservation department offices like Powder Valley Nature Center or by calling the regional office at 636-441-4554. The annual fishing prospects report is available online at mdc.mo.gov.
John J. Winkelman is community engagement manager at Mercy Hospital Jefferson. If you have news for the Leader’s Outdoor News page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com and you can follow John on Twitter at @johnjwink99.