Float tube panfishing St Louis

New to the forum but I've been an avid crappie hunter for years. Im coming out to the St Louis area (from idaho) in mid June and I'm looking for a good spot to do some good pan fishing. I was out for buisness last year and checked out the busch conservation area and was dissapointed that float tubes were prohibited. I'm hoping there a few local lakes or ponds you guys could point me to where I could take the float tube. I'm not looking for trophies just a place with decent pan fishing where I can take the tube. Any help would be highly appreciated.

Welcome to the site and I am sure some of the STL bunch will get you pointed in the right direction.

Welcome to the site. Maybe Creve Couer Lake?

Welcome to the Missouri and the site! Can't help with getting you in the water but I'm sure that someone from that area with give you some good ideas when the get back in the groove from the long weekend.

if the rivers aren't rolling high when you get here, you might consider a float down the big or quiver river... Some crappies to be caught in both. Lots of nice bluegills and bass too. Park your ride where ever you want to stop fishing and find a buddy to drag you upstream to launch. Pretty good time.
As for lakes there is a larger public lake in Fenton, can't remember the name. Maybe someone else does. Also, You Might call lone elk park and ask if you can use a float tube. When I was a kid they had 2 Jon boats you could reserve, for free I think. The fishing is (or was at the time anyways) catch and release only, and reservation only but there are some toad channel cats and bluegills in there. Bass and crappie too.

http://mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/file...shstlbroch.pdf

See if you can get through to the MDC fisheries biologist for the region and he can probably tell you where your best fit is. That's a little North for me I fish East and South of Southeast Missouri.

If you're adventurous and want to make a drive and plan a weekend trip I would definitely do a float trip on the Black river out of Lesterville. You typically catch crappie on the streams close to where they meet the reservoirs.But the upper portions have all the other typical stream fish.

Welcome to the site. Hopefully some more from the East side will chime in with more suggestions.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by south point

if the rivers aren't rolling high when you get here, you might consider a float down the big or quiver river... Some crappies to be caught in both. Lots of nice bluegills and bass too. Park your ride where ever you want to stop fishing and find a buddy to drag you upstream to launch. Pretty good time.
As for lakes there is a larger public lake in Fenton, can't remember the name. Maybe someone else does. Also, You Might call lone elk park and ask if you can use a float tube. When I was a kid they had 2 Jon boats you could reserve, for free I think. The fishing is (or was at the time anyways) catch and release only, and reservation only but there are some toad channel cats and bluegills in there. Bass and crappie too.

---

I saw in the paper the other day the lake at Lone Elk had a leak and was going dry.

Check out the Mo Dept of Conservation site and get the app or website for "find more fish". There is boat ramp locations and a lot of other info there. Find MO Fish | Missouri Department of Conservation Look for St Louis and Franklin county areas. Bourbouse and Meremac Rivers are great for panfish.

I grew up in Montana fishing out of float tubes. So I know your passion for them. I have been in St. Louis now for about 8 years. The best place I found to fish out of my tube is near New Athens Illinois. Peabody King strip pits. I have not tried any of the rivers with my tube so maybe you could try it and see how you like it.

There are some places I fish from the bank like Horseshoe Lake but you can't put your tube in. Horseshoe Lake has some good crappie and gills in it. You should be able to catch some blue gills in the summer on this lake. I usually do better for the crappie in the spring, fall and winter though. If you go to Horseshoe stay near the lake though. Stay north of I-55 on either hwy 111 or 203

There are some nice conservation lakes on that site too. Just need to decide how far you want to drive.

always wondered what you tube floaters do when a large cottonmouth starts swimming your way. certainly they are not intimidated by you thrashing a rod at them :dono

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ibmack

always wondered what you tube floaters do when a large cottonmouth starts swimming your way. certainly they are not intimidated by you thrashing a rod at them :dono

---

While in my tube, I've never seen a snake. I've seen LOTS of snakes walking the bank.