Looking to head to southern Missouri for 3 or 4 days to fish for smallmouth and I have a couple questions.

I've been researching rivers and streams on the department and conservation website, there seems to be plenty of opportunities, Big Piney, James, Current plus a few others. Not looking to land a 5 pounder, numbers would be better.

First question is, do the smallmouth bite in December? I'll be throwing light spinning gear, light line and downsizing lures.

Can anyone recommend one river or stream that has more access points for wade fishing? One where I could hit 5 or 6 in a day.

Any advice is appreciated. This would also be a scouting trip for next spring, a father and sons trip.

Thanks, Eric

You’d be much better off to boat fish.

I have had better luck, on piney other then current. Never fished the James, however never had did winter time fishing of them.. tackle wise lot of luck with plastic worms, salamanders, crawdads. Anything with squirmy, wiggle in the name always did me good.

I agree with Clay, get a kayak

Smallmouth fishing ozark streams this time of year can be pretty slow. I grew up in southern MO and have fished all of the streams mentioned. Big sugar creek down in McDonald county was phenomenal smallie fishing years ago, the stretch from Powell to cyclone was loaded. Everyone went to the elk river to party float and left big sugar mostly alone. A kayak or canoe would make it a better trip for sure flipping smaller brown/green flake twister grubs or a #1 mepps aglia with gold blade. Good luck.

How has the otter affected the smallie population, got friends around Houston Missouri who claim the otters have destroyed the fisheries in the area

James is very clear now, and will be till spring. Low too. About 200 cfs at Galena. I don't fish it in the later fall/winter. It's a summer time thing with me, bass and catfish.
Green pumpkin crawdad imitations is my go to color for plastic baits.
If I was going to fish for smallmouth this time of year, I'd get some shiners and lip hook them then throw them into on the upper end of the deepest hole I could find. Like I said, the water is very clear.

Thanks Clay. The bad thing is it will only be me so no one to pick me up or drop a car downstream.

Maybe this will be more of a scouting trip and just being outdoors.

Thanks for the info. What time of year would be the best for fishing smallmouths?

I hope they don't impact the James. James has a really good small mouth bass population.
I've been seeing quite a few otters on James these last few years. They'd be tough trapping unless a guy had a jet boat. The waters mighty skinny right now.

The Big Piney, Gasconade, and all the Ozark streams have boat liveries where you can rent a boat pretty cheap, or arrange for drop off/PU Get a copy of the fishing regs and read it carefully. Most if not all the streams have "Trophy" zones with varying rules. You almost have to be a lawyer to fish these days. Mo has an annual non resident permit as well as trip tags for only certain days. Good luck, and have fun. The Canyons on the Big Piney from Blooming Rose Camp, down to Big M resort is especially impressive.

Small flatbottom on Gasconade is extremely good time

We waded once and caught a ton of smallies where the current and sinking creek meet, better off the sinking side. We used lived worms let the current float them down... probably best fishing small mouth wise I've done. At that time the river was up and rough wading long stretches was chest high and not real good spot to fish from the bank. That is just a little ways up from eminence MO, dent County line.

Otters have decimated the fish population in the creek that runs behind my house in taney county. Hardly any fish now and piles of otter scat on every gravel bar.