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Meramec River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

St. Louis’ home river: the Meramec runs smallmouth, catfish and spring-fed trout an hour from the Arch.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
558 cfs
Air / High
100 / 101 F
Wind
WSW 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07019000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Meramec River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The river is running 558 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind WSW around 4 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 101. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Similar at 103 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Meramec River near Eureka.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07019000.

1,9324,4847,036558 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp100 F
High / Low101 / 75 F
WindWSW 4-7 mph
Pressure1012.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:34 / 19:28
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Clear, 101/75 F, wind 7 mph, rain 1%

Slow. 101 F: be on the water at dawn and off by mid-morning, or fish after dark.

Species guide

The species that matter on Meramec River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

When to come: the Meramec River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Meramec River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 100 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 100 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 99 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Missouri requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Missouri license plus trout permit for trout areas. Smallmouth special management areas have specific length limits: check current MDC regulations.

Access

Meramec State Park, Onondaga Cave State Park, county accesses and outfitters throughout the corridor.

About this water

A 218-mile Ozark river to the Mississippi south of St. Louis, Franklin, Crawford and Jefferson counties, Missouri.

Fishing Meramec River: the full guide

A river close to the city

The Meramec River flows about 218 miles through eastern Missouri to the Mississippi south of St. Louis, a limestone Ozark river of bluffs, gravel bars and spring branches. It is the closest quality river fishing to a major metropolitan area in the state: smallmouth bass through the middle river, catfish and rough fish in the lower reaches, and trout in the spring-fed tributaries.

Smallmouth water

The middle river from Steelville down through Sullivan and Pacific holds smallmouth in classic Ozark habitat: bluff pools, gravel riffles and wood. Tubes, crankbaits and topwater work through the warm months, with floats the standard approach. Special management areas protect the better smallmouth water with size limits.

Trout and the tributaries

Missouri stocks trout in Meramec Spring Park on the Meramec Spring branch, a heavily fished put-and-take fishery. Other spring branches hold trout as well. The lower river below Eureka warms and holds catfish, drum and carp, with the confluence area producing large blue and flathead catfish.

Franklin County logistics

Access is extensive: Meramec State Park, Onondaga Cave State Park, county accesses and outfitters serving the float trade throughout. St. Louis is an hour east. The river rises fast with rain given its Ozark watershed: check gauges before floating, and be aware that summer weekends bring heavy recreational traffic.

Common questions

Where is the best smallmouth water?

The middle river from Steelville through Sullivan: bluff pools and gravel riffles under special management rules.

Is there trout fishing?

Yes: Meramec Spring Park offers heavily stocked put-and-take trout on the spring branch.

Does it rise quickly?

Yes: the Ozark watershed responds fast to rain. Check gauges before committing to a float.

Is fishing good at Meramec River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Gasconade River69 miCarlyle Lake74 miKinkaid Lake81 miMark Twain Lake93 miRend Lake94 miCedar Lake94 mi
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