Trout Fishing by the Numbers

Trout Fishing by the Numbers

Both by the numbers, and in reality, the Blue Ribbon section of the Current is an excellent place to catch big trout. Over ten percent of the browns here are over the eighteen inch mark, but the majority are in the eleven to fourteen inch range. Trout per mile numbers are quite good here, averaging in the neighborhood of 467 a mile (MDC Data). This makes it one of the best streams for numbers in the state, trailing only the North Fork of the White and Eleven Point River by most estimates. The majority are browns, but there are good numbers of rainbows in some upstream pools.

Some say the Meramec's Red Ribbon area is a declining fishery. Based on the numbers, this statement could be called into question.. It is true that the trout population did drop from 422 per mile in 2001 to 290 per mile in 2004. However, that only tells half the story. Rainbows, which have always been the predominant catch on the Meramec, increased from 68 per mile in 2001 to 140 per mile in 2004. Since Rainbows make up most of the catch, the drop from 354 brown trout per mile to 150 per mile will likely not effect most anglers catch rate. It's not known why rainbows have always been a more common catch, even though they have historically been greatly outnumbered by browns. Don't give up on the Meramec. Depending on how you look at it, it may be actually an improving trout stream.

Little Piney Creek is a small stream, and that shows up in its trout per mile number. The most productive water, which lies from the Highway 63 access downstream to Vida Slab, holds 157 trout per mile, as of a 2006 survey. That isn't really a high number, but it doesn't due the stream justice. Just to give you and idea, if the Little Piney was the same size as the Eleven Point, it would hold approximately 738 trout per mile. The highest densities of trout will probably found below Lane Spring, which greatly expands the size of the stream.

Eleven Point River

The Eleven Point holds the second highest population of any trout stream in the state, behind the North Fork of the White. Since heavy stocking has started (The  stocking is intended to bolster a struggling wild rainbow population), trout numbers have been between 1100 per mile and 1300 per mile. Based on the statistics, the Eleven Point may not be the best bet for a trophy, but it should be an excellent place to catch and release a high number of small to medium sized rainbows. The Eleven Point is a large river, and has trout populations similar to its Western counterparts.