Meramec River Home Tributary Descriptions THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTIONS ARE EXCERPTS FROM 'THE MERAMEC RIVER: THEN AND NOW'.

Privately owned and managed by the James Foundation (but open to the public), and located near highway 8 and the Meramec (a few miles south of St. James Missouri), the site of a former ironworks has been naturalized and transformed into an enlivened
symbiotic blend of nature, trout fishing, and history. As a symbol of - and in honor of - the past, some of the original ironworks is still intact for visitors to observe, plus the Maramec Museum of the Ironworks history. There is also a Nature Center which details plants and animals of Maramec Spring and its surrounding area. A trout rearing facility has been established near the mouth of the Spring, and the lower three-quarters of the Spring’s journey to meet the Meramec has been beautifully embellished, developed, and reborn into a lovely trout fishing area (stocked daily). The park is rich in living examples of local wildlife, many of which have grown accustomed to human presence and are easily observed and admired. To me, this park is a very special place, which I recommend highly to area visitors, but to avoid crowds I usually go on weekdays.
I have personally brought home numerous full limit stringers of tasty and feisty fighting 12 -18 inch rainbow trout (and an occasional brown trout) from this park, and have witnessed the taking of some much larger fish. The ten mile stretch of the Meramec below its confluence with the spring also produces large numbers of good sized trout, and has been deemed a ‘trophy trout area’ by the Missouri Department of Conservation. A daily trout tag is required to fish in the park, and a MDC trout fishing permit to fish the trophy trout area, with specialized and individualized rules and regulations applicable to each area.
Even though the rainbow and brown trout (and some hybrid species) introduced and maintained in these areas did not occur naturally, they thrive there, and have become a source of great angling fun and palate pleasure to many of the large numbers of visitors to frequent the area.

The cold, crystal clear waters of the Courtois - Huzzah creeks offer some of the finest floating-fishing-swimming and natural environments I have had the pleasure to experience. The creek channels are significantly smaller and shallower than the Meramec, and as water levels recede in mid to late summer even canoes may occasionally drag bottom. But, there is still safe navigable passage, the water quality is unsurpassed, and during times of excessive rains and high water the creeks recede to safe floating levels much faster than the Meramec and can provide an enjoyable, comparable option at times that the Meramec is unfloatable. For those who prefer a challenging, more exciting float, the creeks during slightly or moderately high water can most surely provide them with their needed adrenaline fix.
As tributaries of the Meramec, the history of the creeks parallel that of the Meramec in many respects, and they may all be considered as part of the same overall water course. An Iron works operated on the Huzzah near Scotia around the mid-1800’s, grist mills operated at various locations, and railroad ties were hacked from the surrounding wilderness and (during high water) floated down to the Meramec and the nearest railroad connection. For those who would like to witness a bit of Huzzah antiquity firsthand, there is The Dillard Mill State Historic Site (near Davisville). The gristmill has been restored to operational order, and guided tours are available free of charge - call 573-244-3120 for more information.
The headwaters of the Huzzah Creek are the East Fork and West Fork Creeks of Dent county, and the Crooked Creek of Iron county. The East and West Forks converge near the Dent-Crawford county line, about another mile into Crawford County the Crooked Creek joins the flow, and the Huzzah is born. Through twists and turns the Huzzah takes a generally northern (approx.40 mile) course to its confluence with the Meramec (note: some maps include the East Fork Creek as part of the Huzzah which may add approx. 10 miles to the previously mentioned length). About 1/4 mile before the low water bridge at Scotia, the Huzzah accepts the cold crystal clear waters of the Courtois Creek (on the right). The Courtois Creek begins in Iron county (to the east) and runs a generally parallel (approx. 30 mile) course to its confluence with the Huzzah. After the merge, their combined flow takes a northwestern course for 11/2 miles before emptying into the Meramec. The short run of the course of both of these Creeks may at first imply an unlikelihood of high-order recreation potential, but in reality these streams offer some of the finest fishing, floating, and swimming fun that exists anywhere, and they should not be overlooked.

The Bourbeuse River skirts the northern edge of the Meramec Basin, and is somewhat sluggish and more meandering than the Meramec’s other tributaries. The softer rock (predominantly sandstone) which underlies much of the river’s channel accounts for the high proportion of silt it carries and some of its murkiness. Due to its sluggish, murky nature the Bourbeuse is not visited by the large numbers of floaters that frequent the Upper Meramec and its Courtois-Huzzah Tributaries, but it does provide high utility as a public fishery. Populations of Black Bass, Catfish, Panfish and Suckers have traditionally been high within the Bourbeuse, and even though populations in some areas have decreased, the likelihood of finding some great angling or of filling your stringer is still quite good. The Bourbeuse River runs an approx. 130 mile northeastern course from its sources (near Little Prairie Lake) to its confluence with the Meramec near Union, and has some noteworthy tributaries (for fishing) such as Brush Creek and Little Bourbeuse Creek.

The Big River begins its approx. 140 mile generally northern journey to join the Meramec from a point near the county line between Washington and Iron Counties, with Council Bluff Creek (most likely) its source headwater. Bordering the eastern edge of the Ozark Plateau, the Big River meanders through ancient hills of granite, and its name exaggerates its true size. According to legend the first European explorers to the area described the Big River Basin as ‘grande’ (meaning ‘big’ in Spanish), later the English translation was assigned to name the river itself.
Like the Bourbeuse, the Big River is not frequented by the large numbers of floaters that visit the Upper Meramec and Courtois-Huzzah Creeks, but the fishing is great. I have personally caught large numbers of catfish and smallmouth bass on the lower section of the Big River and recommend anglers to give it a try.