Meneau designated the biggest problem facing the latter stretch of the river as the drought-like conditions that have plagued eastern Missouri in the past 10 to 12 years. No sizable springs feed directly into the Big River, so all water is either the direct or indirect result of stormwater run-off. That hasn’t harmed angling on the latter stretches, but it has changed the focus of anglers, who seek out ever-deeper holes, and perhaps has created some increased fishing pressure in specific areas.

To help make angling more accessible, the MDC and the MDNR teamed up in 2005 to build a new river access off Route 21 at Washington State Park. The new ramp now makes it easy to access the river for a one-day float down to Mammoth Access. Anglers can explore the inlet of Mineral Fork Creek along the way.

Like the majority of the upper floatable portion of Big River, this area and downstream has had the “15 and one” limit -- 15-inch length minimum with a one-fish creel limit -- since 1991. The MDC has kept an accurate data set on smallmouth ever since imposing the limit, and Meneau says sampling each year shows a slight increase from year to year of the bass population in the latter stretches. Largemouth bass numbers have increased and spotted bass dropped off slightly, but smallmouths have shown an impressive increase in numbers and size combined.

One change obvious to anyone frequenting the Big from Washington State Park downstream these days is the switch from float anglers to jet boats. Not so many years ago, according to Meneau, the river primarily saw anglers making leisurely floats on one- and two-day trips. Now the river is much more prone to boat anglers using jet props and “running and gunning” upstream and downstream targeting the best holes for smallmouth when conditions are ideal.

Despite this, the latter stretches can also cater to bank-anglers and canoeists. Prime areas from which to reach the river include MDC’s Kingston Access off Washington County Route 317, or Mammoth Access off Route H on Mammoth Road west of De Soto.

Meneau suggested putting in at Brown’s Ford Access between state routes WW and Y and making the long one-day float to Morse Mill, south of state Route EE on Morse Mill Road. It’s one of a couple of former mill dams still in place on the river. On downstream, floaters and boaters will encounter the Cedar Hill mill dam. The access off Cedar Hill Road south of state Route 30 doesn’t have a boat ramp, but does provide a safe portage past the mill dam and some decent fishing from the bank.

As for the popularity of smallmouth angling on the latter stretches of Big River, Meneau noted an obvious drop in fishing pressure in the mid-1990s, in the years immediately following the new length and creel limits. But, he added, the quality of the fish and temptation of tangling with a smallmouth and other bass on the stream seems to be drawing a growing number of fishermen back to the river.

As noted, Big River hasn’t lacked for colorful history -- or for concerns over what the upper region’s mining history and abuse of the stream would result in. But the constant vigilance of MDC biologists like Meneau and Reed and the attention of the EPA and other state and federal agencies seem to assure smallmouth anglers that the summer of 2008 will be great for getting on this lesser-known stream and looking for that big smallie.