Looking For Wading Streams

[Fishin4Fun]

Hello All,

It has been forever since I have posted on this forum, but it is time to get back into my first love, fishing. I grew up in the mountains of Idaho stream fishing for trout, but since moving to Missouri a lot of that was lost. But I have a renewed passion for finding the streams of Missouri that I can take my 2 boys too and show them what it was that their dad loved.

Two weeks ago I took my oldest son out on a father-son day and we headed out to find Swan Creek and try our luck at that. We found it, but there wasn't much water. We ended up fishing it down low and got a few smallies and large mouth. It was here that I was reminded of my days growing up fishing in Idaho on the small streams.

Well, now my boys want me to start taking them out exploring to find new waters where we can wade fish for smallies, large mouth and even trout. Being that the only places I have fished around here are the lakes for the most part, I really have no clue where to go, other than Swan Creek again.

I would like to learn where the best streams are to fish and wade in the southwest Missouri area. We live in Ozark, so anything that is within an hour or so of here would be great. Can anyone give me some ideas where to go to find some good wade fishing streams in this area? My boys are 13 and 11, so they are big enough to wade moderate waters. We love to fish and for the most part, everything we catch is catch-and-release. Once in a while we keep crappie, but that is about it.

I would also like to know what are the best baits for fishing these kind of waters. I know we used soft craw patterns on Swan Creek and that worked pretty well the day we went. Nothing of any size though. So any suggestions here would be greatly appreciated.

I appreciate your help with this and look forward to any suggestions given.

Tyy

[eric1978]

I don't personally have any experience on the streams in SWMO, so I won't be much help on that. I would suggest going to Google Earth, and go to some of the bigger streams in your area. From there, you can follow the river up or downstream and locate some of the tributaries flowing into it, and usually some possible accesses. You may have a hard time getting folks on here giving you specific names of small waters, since people are usually (and rightfully) protective of their favorite secret spots.

As far as baits, presentations, tips and tricks, go back and read some of the previous threads. There is so much information on this forum that your head will be swimming in no time. Everyone has their own ideas about what works best, so it's really up to you to get out and test different techniques to find what works best for you. Good luck and happy fishing!

[Wheatenheimer]

Hey Tyy!

Welcome back! With you living in Ozark, you have one of the best Smallmouth, Panfish streams in Missouri right at your fingertips.......the Finley! Both upstream and downstream of Ozark, will offer you and your boy's some fantastic wade fishing of the warmwater persuasion, but act fast, the calander is not in your favor.

When the warmwater species die down, it's time to think about Trout! Just 30 minutes down 65 and you'll have your boys wading below the dam at Taneycomo, but call ahead and make sure they are not cranking four units (417-336-5083.) It's getting to be that time of year that we have the opportunity to hook into some monster Brown's and Bow's below the dam.

If Taney is too crowded, there are a few wild trout streams that are less than an hour away, do to the threat of physical harm and dismemberment, I am not to mention their names on an open forum such as this. These are pristine places that require the upmost respect and discrete behavior. Preferably, single barbless hooks and catch and release only!!!!!

Drive to the east a bit farther and you can hit the North Fork of the White and a bit farther, yet, the Eleven Point. Both fantastic trout streams that are a bit more difficult to wade due to the volumn of water, but fantastic wild streams, nonetheless!

Utilize this great resource we have here at OzarkAnglers, thanks to Phil and all of the 9000+ contributers, we have tons of fantastic information right here, always available!

Aside from Idaho and the Western US, if you had to pick a place for great stream fishing, you made a wise choice! Good luck, hope this helps!

Kevin

[Fishin4Fun]

Thank you both for your insights. I will definitely be looking into these places and will be looking through this forum for ideas. I am always open to suggestions.

Tyy

Hey Tyy!

Welcome back! With you living in Ozark, you have one of the best Smallmouth, Panfish streams in Missouri right at your fingertips.......the Finley! Both upstream and downstream of Ozark, will offer you and your boy's some fantastic wade fishing of the warmwater persuasion, but act fast, the calander is not in your favor.

When the warmwater species die down, it's time to think about Trout! Just 30 minutes down 65 and you'll have your boys wading below the dam at Taneycomo, but call ahead and make sure they are not cranking four units (417-336-5083.) It's getting to be that time of year that we have the opportunity to hook into some monster Brown's and Bow's below the dam.

If Taney is too crowded, there are a few wild trout streams that are less than an hour away, do to the threat of physical harm and dismemberment, I am not to mention their names on an open forum such as this. These are pristine places that require the upmost respect and discrete behavior. Preferably, single barbless hooks and catch and release only!!!!!

Drive to the east a bit farther and you can hit the North Fork of the White and a bit farther, yet, the Eleven Point. Both fantastic trout streams that are a bit more difficult to wade due to the volumn of water, but fantastic wild streams, nonetheless!

Utilize this great resource we have here at OzarkAnglers, thanks to Phil and all of the 9000+ contributers, we have tons of fantastic information right here, always available!

Aside from Idaho and the Western US, if you had to pick a place for great stream fishing, you made a wise choice! Good luck, hope this helps!

Kevin

[Al Agnew]

Yeah, you won't be able to wring any favorite creeks out of most of us, but some other suggestions on finding your own...

There are several resources that are relatively inexpensive and will get you started on exploring creeks:

The De Lorme Atlas for Missouri (and Arkansas if you want to cross the state line in your explorations)--This is a great book for finding possibilities on the map, and shows all the possible roads leading to them. Any creek that looks like it flows for 20 miles or more is probably big enough to hold fish.

The Conservation Atlas of Missouri, put out by MDC--a bit more accurate on public roads, and shows MDC accesses, some of which are one wadeable creeks.

"200 Missouri Smallmouth Adventures", by Chuck Tryon. For some reason Chuck left out some of the SW MO streams, but his book covers all the James River tributaries and everything to the east. He gives every possible access on every possible smallmouth stream. But some of his "accesses" are problematical, and some may be posted. Use his book with some caution.

The MDC float book will give you some accesses on upper portions of floatable streams, which may also be wadeable.

Now...armed with these resources, take a day and go exploring, checking out every bridge and other possible access on every creek you can drive to during that day. If the water looks big enough to hold fish, it might be a potential hotspot. But keep in mind that public access on some of these streams is iffy at best. To be on the safe side, I only use accesses that have available places to park that look like they have been used, and that aren't posted against trespass. You can look for nearby residences and ask permission, but chances are that they can only give you permission to use whatever portion of the creek they own, which may be only a short section. I just start wading, keeping a low profile, staying within the stream banks, and for heaven's sake don't litter or do anything else that can possibly tick off a landowner!

Wheatenheimer's right...the time for warm water species creek fishing is winding down fast. By mid-October most small creeks will not be very good fishing. But you can still explore and gather possibilities for next year!

[Fishin4Fun]

Hey Al,

Thank you so much for the great reply. This has some great information that I will definitely use. As far as wringing any favorite creeks out of most, I didn't think I had a chance. I can understand people wanting to keep their secret spots secret.

After today, fishing on the Finley, I can understand why. One of the areas I was in, looked like somebody's trash drop off. I don't understand why people can't take their trash and dump it where it belongs. In a trash can! It's sad, but it seems to happen more and more. Anyhow, I hope to learn the areas to go and maybe even find some of my own secret places.

Thanks again for your suggestions. I look forward to getting out and exploring what the Ozarks have to offer.

Tyy

Yeah, you won't be able to wring any favorite creeks out of most of us, but some other suggestions on finding your own...

There are several resources that are relatively inexpensive and will get you started on exploring creeks:

The De Lorme Atlas for Missouri (and Arkansas if you want to cross the state line in your explorations)--This is a great book for finding possibilities on the map, and shows all the possible roads leading to them. Any creek that looks like it flows for 20 miles or more is probably big enough to hold fish.

The Conservation Atlas of Missouri, put out by MDC--a bit more accurate on public roads, and shows MDC accesses, some of which are one wadeable creeks.

"200 Missouri Smallmouth Adventures", by Chuck Tryon. For some reason Chuck left out some of the SW MO streams, but his book covers all the James River tributaries and everything to the east. He gives every possible access on every possible smallmouth stream. But some of his "accesses" are problematical, and some may be posted. Use his book with some caution.

The MDC float book will give you some accesses on upper portions of floatable streams, which may also be wadeable.

Now...armed with these resources, take a day and go exploring, checking out every bridge and other possible access on every creek you can drive to during that day. If the water looks big enough to hold fish, it might be a potential hotspot. But keep in mind that public access on some of these streams is iffy at best. To be on the safe side, I only use accesses that have available places to park that look like they have been used, and that aren't posted against trespass. You can look for nearby residences and ask permission, but chances are that they can only give you permission to use whatever portion of the creek they own, which may be only a short section. I just start wading, keeping a low profile, staying within the stream banks, and for heaven's sake don't litter or do anything else that can possibly tick off a landowner!

Wheatenheimer's right...the time for warm water species creek fishing is winding down fast. By mid-October most small creeks will not be very good fishing. But you can still explore and gather possibilities for next year!

[Wayne SW/MO]

I don't know how old your sons are, so I'm not sure what they can handle. You would have been better off to stay on 160 and hit Beaver rather than Swan. There are some accesses on Flat that might work for you, check out the MDC web site.

[Fishin4Fun]

Hey Wayne,

Thanks for the reply. My sons are 13 and 11. I had my 13 yr old with me the day I went to Swan Creek. We had thought about going to hit the Beaver, but we ran into an MDC officer and he told us that there wasn't much in the way of smallies/brownies in that area and that Swan Creek would probably be our best bet. He wasn't very encouraging when it came to finding streams for smallie/brownie fishing. So we hit Swan Creek and had an enjoyable afternoon. If you have any other suggestions, I am always open.

I appreciate your insights.

Tyy

I don't know how old your sons are, so I'm not sure what they can handle. You would have been better off to stay on 160 and hit Beaver rather than Swan. There are some accesses on Flat that might work for you, check out the MDC web site.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I don't believe there is a lot of difference between swan and Beaver when it comes to Smallies, except that there is more room on Beaver. All streams in our area depend on the water level when it comes to wading. You can park under the bridge at Beaver, where the park is, and go up or down stream. There are always some Smalies in the hole under the bridge, but they don't last long after the live bait fishermen hit them.

Flat Creek to the west and Bryant to the east offer some wading, but it will depend on their levels as to how much is available. Don't overlook the upper Niangua, hit the MDC accesses. The bass are mixed.

[Buzz]

Hey Fishin4Fun,

There are also a number of very good brownie streams over here in the S.W. corner of the state, which are not much more than an hour away. I know that you are looking for wadeable water ( we have those too ), but with the temps of the streams dropping as they are you might also want to look into good floatable water. We float our streams year around and do very good with both numbers and quality of fish, you just have to get away from the easily accessed areas.

Buzz