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Fishing Meramec River: what the data says
Trout up top, smallmouth the rest of the way to St. Louis. The river tops out around 12 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Meramec River
Spring smallmouth bass on Meramec River hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer fish stay in 4 to 12 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 12 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Riffle & run (mile 19.1): a rock pile around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Meramec River
Spring largemouth bass on Meramec River hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 12 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Outside-bend hole (mile 0.8): a creek channel around 9 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Meramec River
In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 12 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 12 ft. Current seam (mile 13.0) is the standout, a current seam at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring rainbow trout. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 2 to 12 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Channel Catfish fishing at Meramec River
Spring channel catfish on Meramec River hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer fish stay in 4 to 12 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 12 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Outside-bend hole (mile 0.8): a creek channel around 9 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Meramec River
Spring flathead catfish on Meramec River hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 12 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 12 ft. Outside-bend hole (mile 0.8) is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 9 ft, rated prime for summer flathead catfish. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday |
Common Carp fishing at Meramec River
Spring common carp on Meramec River hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 2 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 12 ft. The spot to know is Outside-bend hole (mile 0.8), a creek channel in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for common carp in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday |
Meramec River also holds freshwater drum (3 to 12 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 12 ft in summer), brown trout (4 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Outside-bend hole (mile 0.8): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 2.7): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 5.0): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 9.9): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 16.1): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 21.4): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 24.5): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 27.2): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 32.5): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 35.2): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 39.8): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 43.2): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 48.2): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 50.1): creek channel, around 9 ft
Common questions
How deep is Meramec River?
Meramec River is about 12 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Meramec River?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, rainbow trout, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, common carp, longnose gar, brown trout on Meramec River.
Where is the best fishing spot on Meramec River?
Riffle & run (mile 19.1) is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Meramec River?
For smallmouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Big River · Council Bluff Lake · Creve Coeur Lake · Clearwater Lake · Gasconade River · Jacks Fork
See how Meramec River stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Missouri · best smallmouth bass lakes in Missouri · best channel catfish lakes in Missouri · best rainbow trout lakes in Missouri
Browse all Missouri fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.