Tucked along the edge of Meramec State Park and the Meramec River, deep in the woods, is a log house where Jay Thomas and his wife, Jan, reside.
When Jay retired he wanted to live away from the crowds, noise and traffic and move to a more quiet location with little traffic and lots of trees.
The loudest sound he hears now is a pileated woodpecker attacking a shortleaf pine looking for something to eat.
Jay is an avid angler and this location is next to the Meramec River, which happens to be one of his favorite rivers to fish.
Besides being a serious angler, Jay is a skilled kayaker. Jay uses a specially-designed Cuda 12 fishing kayak that is manufactured in Tennessee by the Jackson Company. Jay graduated from using a canoe to a kayak for fishing years ago.
When Jay and his fishing partner used the canoe, Jay concentrated on placing his bait at the base of a boulder or root wad looking for that elusive smallmouth bass.
