Pack, Hike, And Fish

[mic]

Can anyone suggest a spot or two where one can pack a backpack with gear, lunch, and water, hike to a creek, spring pond, or river, and do a little fishing away from the crowds. Don't care about fish size as much as the experience.

I found a hiking book for trails within 60 miles of St. Louis. He has a hike into the Lower Rock Creek that flows into the St. Francis, a couple of trails/creeks in Hawn State Park, and the Cedar Glade Trail to the Castor River Shut Ins in the Amidon Memorial Conservation Area. Does anyone know about these?

Thanks In Advance,

MIC

[ColdWaterFshr]

Ozark Trail has sections that go along the Current and Eleven Point. There's also some hiking along the North Fork.

[Gavin]

Pick up a copy of Ozark Hideaways by Louis White....some of his suggestions involve a bit of tresspassing though.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Shoal Creek!

[mic]

Pick up a copy of Ozark Hideaways by Louis White....some of his suggestions involve a bit of tresspassing though.

Got it on Amazon for $8.50...thanks. Read the "Amazon Overview", and it sounds like a good read. I can't wait for it to show up.

[mic]

Shoal Creek!

New guy slash military transplant here... Where is shoal creek, and/or what trail/park am I looking for?

[ColdWaterFshr]

I was joking. We had a discussion a few months back about Shoal Creek and a troublesome landowner there and his trespass claims against just about everyone.

[mic]

I was joking. We had a discussion a few months back about Shoal Creek and a troublesome landowner there and his trespass claims against just about everyone.

I remember that now... wasn't that when prominent forum member was wanted dead or alive for a while.

[jdmidwest]

Amidon is more of a walk than a hike as you can park close to the river and the shut ins area. It was hit by a tornado a few years ago and I don't know if the fallen timber has been cleaned up so it may still be rough going. Upper Castor passes thru there and is hardly more than ankle deep. But there is some nice scenery.

Hawn State Park has several trails, but I have only been on some of the short ones. Not much for creeks that are fishable either. Pickle Springs is near that and has a circle trail that takes a few hours with some neat formations.

[eric1978]

I hiked most of the Buffalo National River Trail once, and it crosses the river several times...easily wadeable water. That's the best and most beautiful hike you can take in the Ozark region, IMO. Check out Hemmed-In Hollow and Big Bluff (which is the tallest bluff between the Rockies and Appalachians, BTW), and do some fishing when you cross the river. It's a bit of a drive for us StL folks, and it's a pretty tough hike, but well worth it. The view from Big Bluff will be spectacular in the next couple weeks.

For something closer, Mudlick Trail in Sam A. Baker State Park runs along the St. Francois for a stretch, but I don't know how easy it is to access or wade the river there. It's a decent hike, though.