Mill Creek Camping ?

[2sheds]

Planning a swing through the area in late July and am thinking about exploring Mill Creek. Hope to arrive late afternoon, fish until dark, then again early morning.

1) Any suggestions on where to fish ?

2) Are the roads solid enough for me to drive a sedan upstream as far as the Yelton Spring area ?

3) Does MODOC permit camping at Mill Creek ?

4) Is this safe or crazy ?

Many Thanks,

-twosheds in Texas

[ozark trout fisher]

Planning a swing through the area in late July and am thinking about exploring Mill Creek. Hope to arrive late afternoon, fish until dark, then again early morning.

1) Any suggestions on where to fish ?

2) Are the roads solid enough for me to drive a sedan upstream as far as the Yelton Spring area ?

3) Does MODOC permit camping at Mill Creek ?

4) Is this safe or crazy ?

Many Thanks,

-twosheds in Texas

If its public land, you can probably camp on it, but if its private, probably not, as Mill Creek is not considered navigable. You won't need any kind of a permit, if it is legal. Honestly, as far as driving up to Yelton spring, I wouldn't bother. The fishing isn't much good until the creek's junction with Wilkin Spring.

Really, if your gonna be traveling all the way from Texas, and want to experience good wild trout fishing, I would steer you in a different direction. The fishing has gone seriously down hill at Mill Creek, (during the droughts of a few years ago, it was all but dry) and there just aren't good fish numbers anymore. Especially in Late July, you're gonna be fighting an uphill battle. With that said, there still is a trout population, just not as good as it used to be.

I would fish Little Piney Creek, and camp at Lane Spring, which is just a few miles away from Mill, actually I believe Mill flows into Little Piney. If you go, wade downstream from Lane Spring Rec area, and hit every good looking pool and riffle. The trout population is much better in Little Piney, and the access is way easier too, as its considered navigable. This means you can wade through private land, as long as you stay below the high water mark. Some of the landowners don't see it this way though, so you still have to be careful.

Also, Little Piney Creek holds up WAY better to low water, which is almost a certainty in July. Because of this, water temperatures will be more tolerable.

Remember, no matter which creek you fish, the rule is to look for the faster water the "frog water" doesn't often hold fish. Also, especially that time of the year, early morning and late evening will really be the only good fishing.

Oh yeah, and if you want an idea of what the Little Piney looks like, the picture that I have up by my username is actually the from the Blue Ribbon section of Piney.

[UAK squirrelpie]

here's the low down.

Mill creek that time of year is going to be very small and the fish are going to be very small too, largely. There is a picnic area here (click) you can park at to fish. Note that the picnic area was CLOSED TO CAMPING years ago. Then there is a MDC (Missouri Department of Conservation) access here (click). Note that this a "new" access and that's why you can't see it on the satellite photo, again no camping is permitted here I think. Then farther up there is a MTNF (Mark Twain National Forest) CAMP SITE. It is here (click). Note that there is a low crossing over mill creek on the forest service road that can be either bone dry (the most likely case in july) or flooded and impassable (after a heavy rain). The roads leading to yelton spring are good, but yelton spring is an intermittent spring and will probably be bone dry in july, most of mill creek's flow in the summer is from wilkins spring (which feeds into dewitt pond). Here's a good article about mill creek (click).

[2sheds]

Ozark trout fisher & UAK squirrelpie,

Thank you so much for your insight. I did get to fish a bit of Little Piney last year. Caught a few downstream from the campsite at Lane Springs at dusk and dawn, but no action later in the day at Milldam Hollow. Haven't been to Mill Creek since college in the 70's, might check it out just for the nostalgia. Tight Lines.