I often catch pan size catfish but toss the small ones back in hopes of catching it a few years later when it gets larger.
Comments (0) Best Fishing Hole - 2009
Fairgrounds Park Lake
For all you urban anglers, the nine-acre Fairgrounds Park Lake in north St. Louis is a solid bet. Here's why: Carp, bluegill, crappie and largemouth bass reproduce naturally there. But that's not all. The Missouri Department of Conservation drops about 300 channel catfish into the water roughly every couple of weeks from late March to early October. They don't announce the stocking ahead of time, says fisheries-management biologist Kevin Meneau. But right after stocking, they update a St. Louis fish-stocking hotline: 636-300-9651. The limit is four catches per day, and bass must exceed eighteen inches. One fisherman we met at the lake swore he was thisclose to snaring a five-pound catfish the day before. (And we were thisclose to believing him.) For more info, call Meneau at 636-441-4554.
