Phil Lilley

Knowing where public access to Missouri's rivers are is important when planning a floating or fishing trip. And knowing the distances between these accesses is also important. Here are a list of Missouri Department of Conservation's public accesses. Please use the river map provided to see how to get to these accesses. Area Name Acres of Public Land Frontage Miles Allenton Access 7.88 0.50 Blue Spring Creek Access Campbell Bridge Access 10.0 Catawissa Access Chouteau Claim Access 15.11 0.50 Flamm City Access 20.44 0.50 Highway 8 Access Redhorse Access 47.33 0.25 Riverview Access 15.15 0.10 Sand Ford Access 32.65 0.25 Sappington Bridge Access 10.0 Scotts Ford Access 17.81 0.30 Scotia Bridge Access Short Bend Access 74.63 Times Beach Access 0.96 0.25 Valley Park Access 5.00

The Meramec river system may be the most important river recreational area in Missouri due both to the high quality of these five major streams and their proximity to the largest metropolitan area in the state. The Meramec itself is as pretty as any stream in the Missouri Ozarks, furnishes a wide variety of fishing, and is the second longest undammed river within the Ozark region. The river has its beginnings in the area around Salem, Missouri, flowing north off the gently rolling divide that separates it from the headwaters of the Current River. In its upper reaches, the Meramec is a losing stream and is often dry, its flow sinking into the deep gravel beds along the channel. In fact, a tributary, Hutchins Creek, typically flows more water than the Meramec above it, and it is at the confluence of the two streams that the river first becomes fishable and intermittently even floatable. But the generally acknowledged “head of navigation” on the Meramec is the MDC Short Bend access near where Hwy. 19 crosses the river. From Short Bend, the Meramec flows for more than 195 miles in a generally northeastern direction to finally enter the Mississippi just south of St. Louis. Along the way it picks up water from many small, clear streams, numerous springs including Maramec Spring, the sixth largest spring in the Ozarks, and three major tributaries, the Big, the Bourbeuse, and the Huzzah (or four if you count the Huzzah and Courtois creeks as separate streams—they merge just a mile above where the Huzzah enters the Meramec). Many caves are found along the river, including Onondaga Cave and Meramec Caverns, which are justly world famous. The middle reaches of the Meramec, and its two tributaries Huzzah and Courtois, are some of the most popular float streams in the Ozarks, and numerous canoe livery businesses and campgrounds dot their banks. In addition, thanks to the consistent volume of water the river receives from Maramec Spring and the Huzzah and Courtois, it is big enough for heavy jetboat use. If you're looking for solitude on the Meramec, you won't find it very easily in the warm weather months. But the beauty of the river and its good fishing can offset the sometimes crowded conditions. The Meramec harbors nearly every game fish species found in the Ozarks. The smallmouth bass is the most sought after species, along with rainbow and brown trout in the area below Maramec Spring, but largemouth are also very common, non-native spotted bass are abundant in the lower half of the river, and goggle-eye (the northern rock bass, to be exact) are targeted by many of the local anglers. Crappie can be found in quiet water areas over much of the Meramec, and the sunfish family is further represented by bluegill, longear, and green sunfish. Walleye and sauger are found in the lower half of the river, white bass migrate up it from the Mississippi, channel and flathead catfish furnish excellent fishing over much of its course, freshwater drum are common, longnose gar are found in each large pool, and common carp furnish some fun fishing. The Meramec is also very popular with giggers, with abundant redhorse, hogsuckers, buffalo, and carpsuckers. In fact, because of the diversity of habitat in the Meramec from the cool, clear headwater stretches to the big, slow, murky lower reaches that connect with the Mississippi, the list of fish species found in the river numbers over a hundred. That diversity is reflected in the characteristics of the different stream stretches. As each major tributary or spring enters the river, the character of the flow changes. Each section between tributaries is a different stream, but each has its own charm and beauty. Whatever you are looking for in a float stream, you can find it somewhere on the Meramec. Meramec River at State Park Access River Levels Meramec River at Steelville Meramec River at Cook Station Meramec River at Sullivan, MO Meramec River at Valley Park, MO Mermaec River at Eureka, MO Fishing Regulations Special Management Rules for Meramec River Main steam and its tributaries, except as noted below: ◾ Black bass—Daily and possession limit is 12 fish and may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species . ◾ Spotted bass—No minimum length limit In Crawford and Phelps counties. ◾ The use of porous-soled waders is prohibited . ◾ Only flies and artificial lures may be used, and soft plastic baits and natural and scented baits are prohibited when fishing for any species. From Scotts Ford to the railroad crossing at Bird’s Nest. ◾ Smallmouth bass—15" minimum length limit . Daily and possession limit of 12 black bass, which may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species, may include only 1 smallmouth bass. From Highway 19 bridge in Dent County to Pacific Palisades Conservation Area. ◾ Goggle-eye—8" minimum length limit Red Ribbon Trout Area: From Highway 8 bridge to Scott’s Ford and in Dry Fork Creek from the elevated cable crossing to its confluence with the Meramec River—8 .2 miles. Two (2) trout daily limit and must be at least 15 inches in length to keep, using only artificial lures and flies only. Bass, black (largemouth), smallmouth and spotted bass (kentuckies)- 12-inches length limit, 6 daily, 12 possession. Statewide season on bass in rivers and streams is open from the 4th Saturday of May till the last day in February annually. White bass, striper, hybrid bass- 15 total daily (only 4- 18 inches or longer can be kept in a daily limit), 30 possession. Rock bass (goggleye) - no length limit, 15 daily, 30 possession. Crappie, white or black - no length limit, 30 daily, 60 possession. Bluegill - no limit Catfish - no length limit, 10 daily (only 5 can be flatheads in a daily limit), 20 possession. Walleye - 18 inch minimum length, 4 daily, 8 possession. From Cedar Grove to Arkansas state line - daily limit on hogsuckers is 5. Fishing Licenses - Residents - those fishing of the ages of 16 and older and 65 are required to have on their person a valid Missouri fishing license. Those 65 and older do not need a fishing license. Proof of residency - Valid Missouri Drivers License. Non-residents - those fishing of the ages of 16 and older are required to have on their person a valid Missouri fishing license. A Missouri TROUT STAMP is required for ANYONE who fishes the trophy or Blue Ribbon area on the Current River, regardless if the angler is keeping or releasing their catch. (New March 1, 2005) Costs - Resident - $12 annual Non-resident - $42 Daily - $7 Trout Stamp - $7 Buy Missouri Fishing Licenses Online! Report Violations - Poachers In cooperation with the Missouri Department of Conservation, Operation Game Theft works to stop the illegal taking of fish and wildlife that includes trophy animals and rare and endangered species. Missouri Wildlife Code

There are many outfitters on the Current River offering services that vary from canoe and kayak rental, fishing guides, camping supplies to lodging. Here is our list: Two Rivers Canoeing Adventures Akers Ferry Canoe Rental Cave Spring Park and Current River Cavern Circle B Campground Dogwood Cottages Harvey's Alley Spring Canoe Rental KC's on the Current Riverside Motel, Cabins & Beulah's Country Home Shady Lane Cabins & Motel The Landing Troutt & Sons, Inc. Windy's Canoe Rental Big Spring Lodge and Cabins Golden Hills Trail Rides and Resort Van Buren Chamber of Commerce Camelot RV and Campground Jadwin Canoe Rental Running River Canoe Rental

Written by Al Agnew- Three forks form the headwaters of Black River. The West Fork, largest of the three, and the Middle Fork, second largest, both begin along the dividing ridge that separates the Black River watershed from the Meramec-Huzzah-Big River drainage, and both drain a large expanse of rugged, maze-like hollows, heavily wooded and formed in dolomitic limestone with abundant chert gravel. As a result, the two forks flow through vast gravel deposits and are almost always extremely clear, perhaps the clearest streams in the Ozarks. The West Fork is large enough to be floatable from about the town of Centerville, though it has been floated farther upstream in high water levels. The Middle Fork is less floatable but is often floated from the Highway 21-72 bridge. The third of the Black's headwaters, the East Fork, drains the western margin of the St. Francois Mountains, including the western side of Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point in Missouri. It also drains the Bell Mountain Wilderness Area and Proffit Mountain. Proffit Mountain is the site of the Ameren UE Taum Sauk pumped storage hydroelectric project, notorious for having a reservoir atop the mountain which failed and sent a massive flash flood down the East Fork through Johnson Shut-ins State Park, one of the most popular parks in Missouri, a few years ago. The reservoir has since been repaired and the plant is back in operation. A part of the plant, a lower reservoir formed by a concrete dam in a small shut-in on the East Fork below Johnson Shut-ins, furnishes fishing for bass and panfish. The East Fork, a small stream that is not considered floatable, is largely recovered from the very destructive flood. The three forks all come together within a few miles in the Lesterville area, and the river from there to Clearwater Reservoir, a relatively small Corps of Engineers project, is one of the more popular canoeing streams in Missouri, with a number of big campgrounds and canoe rentals in the Lesterville area and below. Like the forks, the river is exceptionally clear, flowing around and through vast gravel bars and along high, wooded hillsides with occasional sheer cliffs. Fishing is good for smallmouth bass and goggle-eye, and sucker “grabbing” (snagging) is very popular. Clearwater Dam was built for flood control, and while the lake itself at normal pool only inundates 5-6 miles of the river channel, its high water pool is vastly larger, and when full the lake backs water all the way to the Highway K area, ten miles farther upstream. The lake also altered the river downstream. Black River was once dominated by smallmouth bass almost all the way through its Ozark course to Poplar Bluff, but the water coming off the upper levels of the lake, warm in the summer and much murkier than the river once was, made the lower stretches more favorable for spotted bass. Smallmouth are still present, but make up a minor portion of the river's bass populations. The lower river is much slower, and flows through a wide, flat valley between relatively low hills. Sheer bluffs are infrequent and the river is more incised within its alluvial banks, so gravel bars are fewer and smaller than the huge bars above the lake. Homes and cabins line the river in some areas, and it is far from remote at any point, being paralleled by highways and railroad tracks over much of its course. It is popular with jetboaters but the only canoe liveries are just below the dam. Much of the lower river is within Mark Twain National Forest, and while most of the bottom land is private, there are a couple of popular National Forest Recreation Areas. The river leaves the Ozark hills at Poplar Bluff, and below there it is a very slow, winding, murky to muddy lowland stream, flowing on into Arkansas just off the edge of the Ozark uplift, where it picks up the waters of Current River, Eleven Point River, and Spring River before reaching the White River near Newport. MDC Site - Castor River Conservation Area River Levels River Levels at Zalma, Missouri Fishing Regulations Bass, black (largemouth), smallmouth and spotted bass (kentuckies)- 12-inches length limit, 6 daily, 12 possession. Statewide season on bass in rivers and streams is open from the 4th Saturday of May till the last day in February annually. White bass, striper, hybrid bass- 15 total daily (only 4- 18 inches or longer can be kept in a daily limit), 30 possession. Rock bass (goggleye) - no length limit, 15 daily, 30 possession. Crappie, white or black - no length limit, 30 daily, 60 possession. Bluegill - no limit Catfish - no length limit, 10 daily (only 5 can be flatheads in a daily limit), 20 possession. Walleye - 18 inch minimum length, 4 daily, 8 possession. From Feb 20 through Apr 14 walleye and sauger can be taken and possessed only between one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset in the unimpounded portions of all streams except the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Fishing Licenses - Residents - those fishing of the ages of 16 and older and 65 are required to have on their person a valid Missouri fishing license. Those 65 and older do not need a fishing license. Proof of residency - Valid Missouri Drivers License. Non-residents - those fishing of the ages of 16 and older are required to have on their person a valid Missouri fishing license. Costs - Resident - $12 annual Non-resident - $42 Daily - $7 Trout Stamp - $7 Buy Missouri Fishing Licenses Online! Report Violations - Poachers In cooperation with the Missouri Department of Conservation, Operation Game Theft works to stop the illegal taking of fish and wildlife that includes trophy animals and rare and endangered species. Missouri Wildlife Code

Montauk State Park is home to one of four trout parks in the state of Missouri. Since its acquisition in 1926, the 1,393 acre park has been one of the most popular vacation spots in Missouri. The fast-flowing, spring-fed headwaters of the Current River make Montauk an ideal home for rainbow trout and the scenic valley creates a pleasing atmosphere for fishing enthusiasts and vacationers. Montauk Hatchery began operation in 1932 with the current production facilities being built in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. The hatchery produces and stocks between 300,000 to 400,000 trout a year. On average the park is stocked with 200,000 trout each year. Montauk Hatchery also provides trout for Maramec Spring Hatchery; five White Ribbon Trout areas; and the St. Louis Urban Winter Trout Fishing areas. Hours The Hatchery is open to visitors from dawn to dusk seven days week. Tours Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 PM— Memorial Day through Labor Day. Call the Hatchery office to schedule other times Directions Montauk State Park is located 22 miles southwest of Salem Missouri or 12 miles southeast of Licking Missouri on Highway 119. From Salem: Highway 32 west approximately 11 miles to Highway 119. Highway 119 south approximately 11 miles to Montauk State Park. From Licking: Highway 137 south approximately 3 miles to Highway VV. Highway VV east approximately 9 miles to Highway 119. Highway 119 south 1 mile to Montauk State Park. Get current stream information provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Department of Natural Resources.

It has been said that Montauk is the most natural trout stream among the four Missouri state trout parks. These maps show the different zones from fly fishing, catch and release to bait fishing and keeping trout. Click on each map header to download a pdf format of each full map. Montauk State Park Map with Holes Marked. Click map for pdf file download. Map supplied by Darrell Bentley at Reed's Fly Shop at Montauk.

These are a series of 16 river maps of the Current River. These are your maps... if you have any suggestions or would like to contribute with additional river information, email them to me and I'll add them to the maps (lilley @ lilleyslanding.com). You will receive credit for your help. Click each map for a PDF file. Headwaters to Tan Vat Tan Tav to Cedargrove Cedargrove to Akers Akers to Pulltite Pulltite to Round Spring Round Spring to Bee Bluff Bee Bluff to Pondermill Pondermill to Carr Creek Carr Creek to Chilton Creek Chilton Creek to Van Buren Van Buren to Big Spring Big Spring to Panther Spring Panther Spring to Bay Nothing Bay Nothing to Compton Campground Compton Campground to Doniphan Doniphan to Big Island

Bull Shoals has produced millions and millions of white bass over the years and is considered one of the top Midwest white bass fishery. It's nothing to go out about any time of year and catch a limit, either trolling or jerking spoons, throwing topwater baits or working a jig or swimming minnow. True, some years are better than others, but Bull is consistently outproducing most Ozark lakes. First- Bull Shoals. It's not too hard figuring out white bass on Bull Shoals. In Missouri, there are 2 major waterways white bass run up for spawning- Swan and Beaver Creeks. There are other areas whites run on the main lake and other creeks- Mincy being another creek but Swan and Beaver is where you'll find the largest numbers of fish. Conditions to watch- rainfall and water temperatures. Water temp and water flows trigger white bass more than anything, it seems. Sunlight and length of days of course is another but when the time comes, they're looking for that right feeling- 55 degree water. They like dingy water- it gives them more cover and a feeling of being hidden. From what? You and I probably. I've found the best times to find whites up in the creeks consistently is a day or two after a good rain. Creeks come up and get real dirty/trashy. Fish are moving- and feeding. See the night crawlers all over the sidewalks and roads after a rain? You can imagine a ton of worms washing into the ditches, down to the draws and into the creeks. The fish are having a field day. After the rainwater recedes and the creeks settle down a bit, it's time to move in and fish. You're still looking for "colored" water but not "chocolate milk". Did you know--sunlight warms colored water much faster than clear water. Why? Because the pigment in the water catches and absorbs heat, warming the water. Gosh- in both creeks, there's so many conditions to consider. Beaver usually comes on first, before Swan Creek. Whites will move in and out of the creek from the lake early, driving us mad. But early mornings, evenings and late at night are the best times to look. Later they start staying in the creek, staying schooled together, staging, waiting for the right conditions to move upstream to spawn. As Bull Shoals rises with spring rains, it's always a challenge to keep up with where the lake meets the creek. It makes a difference- this line divides moving water from still water. It also dictates where you can run a boat- and not to run a boat. When the lake gets real high, it dictates where you can- and cannot launch your boat. OK- once you've found the ideal conditions, it's time to catch fish. In the creeks, I'm a firm believer most fish like a little current- not a lot of current- a little. Use current to your advantage. Swing a jig, a spinner, a crank bait, a minnow through an eddy or over a drop-off to holding fish. I've seen boats anchor in key spots above holes or eddies as well as people wading where their baits flow down to whites. In still water, it's good to fish close to the bottom. Slow moving soft plastic baits- swimming minnows and grubs, jigs or spoons. I like jigs myself but that's just me. Colors- that's so hard to say. Depends on light, water color and the fish's mood. (I throw the mood thing in just so you won't take my guessing to serious.) Good colors I like- jigs: White, pink, chartreuse, gray, gray with a little red, black at night. Soft plastics: purple, smoke, motor oil, blue flake clear, chartreuse and glitter/clear. At night: Black or purple twin tailed grub worked s-l-o-w on the bottom is a killer when nothing else is working. When the water is clear, try a small Sluggo or 2.5 inch blue floating Rebel Minnow and jerk the heck out of it, pausing for the strike. If you're using a Sluggo, light line is a must. I use 4 lb line- but I use 4 lb with almost every application I've mentioned in this article. Worked the Sluggo in a place where you can see the bait. Most times you will not feel the strike- you have to see it to set the hook. The Rebel you will feel the strike. Helpful hints: Line size is important, as I have mentioned. A good smooth reel and sensitive lets you feel and slightest bump on slow days and nights. And I think the most important thing to keep in mind on slow days or nights- work the bait close to the bottom and s-l-o-w. I've seen more frustrated anglers, in and out of by boat, jeer at me because I'm catching and they're not... why? They aren't letting the bait go to the bottom or they're reeling to fast. If you're jig-head is dragging the bottom- put on a lighter jig-head and reel s-l-o-w. It'll work if they're there. Change colors/sizes often. Change retrieves often. Boat Launches on Bull Shoals- River Run at highway 76 and 160 outside of Forsyth- Corp. Shadow Rock Park off 160 near 76 junction- public. Beaver Creek Park off 160 on V south of Kissee Mills- Corp. Beaver Creek at highway 160, small camp ground- public. K-Dock at the end of K highway off 76 between Branson and Forsyth- Corp. Bait Shops- Tri-Lakes Bait- on 160 in Forsyth 417-546-3928 Beaver Creek Marina 417-546-5121