During our last get-together at the Crafty Chameleon, Ryan Young invited me (Ken Welter) to join him on a float trip, bass fishing on the Meramec River. We set a date about a month ago, but I got sick the night before. We rescheduled, and the weather canceled us out. Finally, on Thursday, October 2nd. Ryan was available, I felt fine, and the weather cooperated.

Ryan has an excellent setup for this kind of trip, a newer boat he’s thoughtfully modified to fit his needs and all the gear you could want. I met him at his shop, and we headed to the river. We launched from Bird’s Nest and started our float.

Ryan rigged me up with a popper, and on my first cast, I hooked into a nice smallmouth bass. I looked at Ryan and said, “This could be a great day… but a fish on the first cast? You know what that can bring.” Sure enough, for the next two to three hours, I didn’t catch another bass, just a couple of scrawny rock bass. Did I actually jinx myself?

Eventually, Ryan found a nice rocky section with deeper water, and that’s where we finally got into some fish. I caught another three or four smallies, and that was enough to make it a successful day in my book.

We ended the float at Garrison’s River Resort and headed back. On the way home, we stopped at Muddy Banks Brewery in Sullivan for a well-deserved sandwich.

 Ryan is planning to start guiding trips in the spring, but in the meantime, he’s eager to get more FATC guys out on the river. If you want to spend a great day on the Meramec before next season, now’s your chance!

My Thanks to Ryan for a great day.