OUTDOOR CORNER: FISH SAMPLING TOUR REVEALS SWEET FISHING HOLES

I'm a fisheries biologist and I recently transferred to the Southeast Region. Acquainting myself with all of the new resources has kept me on a steep learning curve the past few months. Most of my responsibilities lie with the public waters in the north part of our region, mainly Ste. Genevieve, St. Francois, Iron, Madison, Bollinger, and Perry counties.

My job has me very busy this spring, sampling sportfish populations in several lakes and streams. Along the way I have found some real honey-holes. I thought I'd share a few of these spots with you.

Spring sampling began with a trip to St. Joe State Park, near Farmington. St. Joe Park contains four lakes: Apollo (22 acres), Jo Lee (12 acres), Monsanto (28 acres), and Pim (8 acres). Jo Lee Lake is the best of the bunch, with Monsanto close behind. Jo Lee has good numbers and sizes of bass and bluegill. Bank fishing is difficult, so bring a boat.

Monsanto also has decent bass and bluegill populations. Channel catfish over 24 inches are a regular occurrence in Monsanto.

A later date brought us to Council Bluff Lake. If you've never been to Council Bluff Lake, the scenery alone is worth the 1.5-hour drive from Cape. Tucked in the hills of Iron County, off of Highway 32, the 490-acre lake is chock full of good fish habitat. Our sample revealed a bass population in great shape. Steadily improving over the last three years, the bass population contains good numbers of fish over 15 inches as well as a few over 18 inches.

In addition to bass, redear sunfish over 9 inches abound. Redear of this size and quantity can make for a memorable and rewarding trip. Council Bluff Lake is my idea of a good place to spend a day fishing. If the bite is on, well, enough said, but if the fishing is slow, I can't think of a better place to get some R&R.

If you're looking for trophy largemouth and willing to battle vegetation, I've got the spot for you -- Bismarck Lake, located 2 miles south of Bismarck off Highway N. As the two members of my crew can testify, there are some lunker bass to be caught. We sampled several largemouth over 20 inches, with the biggest of the night measuring almost 24 inches.

In addition to bass, every year I receive reports of excellent crappie fishing. My suggestion is to fish this lake in the spring or fall, avoiding summer (unless you're a real diehard) when vegetation is at a peak.

The month of May shifted our attention to streams. After sampling Big River at Leadwood Access, I can't wait to go back with my rod and reel. The downstream stretch that we sampled contained good numbers and sizes of smallmouth bass. We sampled several smallmouth over 15 inches and a few over 18 inches. Habitat was ideal with lots of rootwads, boulders, bluffs and deep pools. This section is best suited for wade fishing. Leadwood Access is located off Highway 8 near Leadwood, in St. Francois County.

During the next few months I will be investigating some of the Mississippi River tributaries north of Cape Girardeau. I've heard there are some nice smallmouth, largemouth and walleye spots up there. I hope to confirm those reports. Look for another HANDFUL OF HONEY-HOLES this winter.

Scott Miller is a fisheries management biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.