19 Dec 13 - 4MR - Report

[Kevin S]

I spent most of my morning tying a fly or two and surfing Facebook stirring up controversial trouble on the whole Phil Robertson thing when I decided my time could be better spent chasing fish.  So I checked the tide chart (saw I missed the good water), made some lunch and jumped in the car with my fly rod to drive to 4MR.  After the construction traffic etc. I finally go there a little after 1pm.  I walked toward the treatment plant discharge and saw a spin caster and another fly fisherman fishing that area.  I watched them a moment then moved on down a little ways to fish until one of them moved on or went home then I'd give it a go.  The other fly fisherman moved to a separate piece of water across from the outflow on the other side of the big branch in the middle of 4MR so I moved to the discharge area.  I had my troubles at first, even casting my rod tip into the water but luckily it stayed on the line so I could retrieve it and put it back on.  But eventually I was getting decent casts and got into the flow of fishing.  I was throwing a clouser minnow I tied with no luck.  Then I switched to a wolly bugger, no luck.  The fly fisherman packed it up and about five minutes after he left the spin fisherman hooked into something big.  There were several times he and I looked at each other like he may have gotten snagged but then his line would run.  After a 12-15 minute fight he finally landed a fairly large catfish.  I'd assume it to be in the 15-20lb range.  He took some photos, let it go, and packed it up.  I caught a glimpse of what he was using which appeared to be a white grub on a jig head so I looked at my flies and tied on a white clouser minnow.  I thought I had gotten a bite or two but nothing actually took the fly.  I could see chub like fish in the shallows and I thought I'd target them.  So I tied on a Copper John and cast out just past the discharge riffles and let it sink.  On a real slow retrieve letting the fly just drift and dangle I got into a school of blue gill.  I landed 3 and none were larger than palm size but they were fun.  I wish I hooked into that catfish.  Fishing a 5wt I think it'd have been ridiculous fun, but I'll take what I got and go back again.

Kevin

[Rob Snowhite]

Any luck near this new structure? 

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 19, 2013, at 5:15 PM, Kevin S <yzf60...@gmail.com> wrote:

I spent most of my morning tying a fly or two and surfing Facebook stirring up controversial trouble on the whole Phil Robertson thing when I decided my time could be better spent chasing fish.  So I checked the tide chart (saw I missed the good water), made some lunch and jumped in the car with my fly rod to drive to 4MR.  After the construction traffic etc. I finally go there a little after 1pm.  I walked toward the treatment plant discharge and saw a spin caster and another fly fisherman fishing that area.  I watched them a moment then moved on down a little ways to fish until one of them moved on or went home then I'd give it a go.  The other fly fisherman moved to a separate piece of water across from the outflow on the other side of the big branch in the middle of 4MR so I moved to the discharge area.  I had my troubles at first, even casting my rod tip into the water but luckily it stayed on the line so I could retrieve it and put it back on.  But eventually I was getting decent casts and got into the flow of fishing.  I was throwing a clouser minnow I tied with no luck.  Then I switched to a wolly bugger, no luck.  The fly fisherman packed it up and about five minutes after he left the spin fisherman hooked into something big.  There were several times he and I looked at each other like he may have gotten snagged but then his line would run.  After a 12-15 minute fight he finally landed a fairly large catfish.  I'd assume it to be in the 15-20lb range.  He took some photos, let it go, and packed it up.  I caught a glimpse of what he was using which appeared to be a white grub on a jig head so I looked at my flies and tied on a white clouser minnow.  I thought I had gotten a bite or two but nothing actually took the fly.  I could see chub like fish in the shallows and I thought I'd target them.  So I tied on a Copper John and cast out just past the discharge riffles and let it sink.  On a real slow retrieve letting the fly just drift and dangle I got into a school of blue gill.  I landed 3 and none were larger than palm size but they were fun.  I wish I hooked into that catfish.  Fishing a 5wt I think it'd have been ridiculous fun, but I'll take what I got and go back again.

Kevin

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[Kevin S]

nope, can't say I fished it.  Gives me something to try tomorrow

[Vic Velasco]

I'd be surprised if the spinfisher wasn't using a gulp grub.  That stuff is like catfish crack.  If you walk down a few scores of feet from the discharge, you'll see some deeper pools (relatively speaking).  Most times I've gone there, I see a larger channel cat chilling.  I haven't put a fly in front of it that entices a bite and I have told myself I need to bring my ultralight spinning stuff so I can cast a gulp grub on jighead, but haven't remembered to do so yet.

Those 'chubs' don't give any interest to flies either from my experience.  I took a picture to try and identify what they were - still can't figure it out.  They are like skinny carp - like chubs, but they don't seem to be as 'rounded' as chubs.

Any of you smarter guys out there (Rob) know what those mystery fish are?

[Vic Velasco]

Here's the picture...

[pmk00001]

Those are gizzard shad.

[TurbineBlade]

Yep -- put in most areas for forage for bass (especially stripers) and catfish (at least in Missouri).  I used to cast net dozens of "dollar" sized ones for channel/blue catfish (flathead to a lesser extent, but live goldfish and chubs work well) for bait in MO prior to picking up a fly rod.  Once gizzard shad get palm-sized their worthless to me. 

 

There are always huge schools of them in places like 4MR off the main river this time of year. 

 

Gene

On Thursday, December 19, 2013 8:05:22 PM UTC-6, pmk00001 wrote:

Those are gizzard shad.

[zogby...@gmail.com]

I've had luck with catfish (~ 5-7 lbs) dead-drifting size 2-4 white or olive zonkers at dusk in the end of the riffle section where it dumps into the first pool right below Mt Vernon Ave. They definitely bent the 5 wt when they hit.