The Clearest Streams In Missouri

[RSBreth]

If we are limiting it to "kind of floatable" then I'll throw Bull Creek in there - super clear water, at as clear as Swan, after a few rains it stays clearer, longer.

[drew03cmc]

Big Sugar Creek is the clearest stream I have seen. Buzz is right on that one.

[ozark trout fisher]

Fishing is tough on ultraclear streams. But how pretty the usually are makes up for it.

[mhall02]

Back when I worked for the University of MO, we surveyed 48 streams throughout the State and one of the parameters was turbidity levels (i.e. how clear it was). Now we obviously didn't do all the streams in the State, but we did the Black River near Lesterville, and you guessed it, it had the lowest turbity level of any of the streams surveyed. I think it ranked one of the highest for the number of different fish species.

[drew03cmc]

Some of you guys will argue about anything. I prefer the challenge and look of clear streams, and MO has some of the clearest you'll find anywhere. I'd rate them in about the same order as Al, except that I'd add the lower Current River and upper NFOW in there somewhere.

Underwater photography is a pretty good judge of water clearity, and the best place I've found for that is the forks of the Black River. Here's a couple of shots from around Sutton's Bluff.

Have you fished anywhere other than in the eastern part of the state? If not, I don't really want to hear it. You say things and expect people to take your opinion as gospel, based upon your 250-300 days on the water. It takes more than that to attract followers on here.

[Greasy B]

For what it's worth, West Fork Black.

Quantifying accurate stream clarity would surely be a complicated and ardious task. What I find intriguing is the way a streams clarity can vary as it's influenced by inflows, algae blooms and other events. I guess lack of clarity is a reflection the quantity/type of suspended solids and algae. An interesting example of an event is the clear rise, several times each season I'll be on a stream that has recently experienced a sizable rain, instead of the stream muddying up it will rise and get clearer. I can postulate that the rain absorbed into the uplands, flowed down through the strata pushing ground water that contains less suspended solids and algae through the stream bed.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Who really cares which is the clearest?? They are all beautiful and anyone should feel great about getting out on them and having an enjoyable day.

[hank franklin]

Black River, for sure. When I buy gin I'm make sure it's "Black River clear."

[Feathers and Fins]

Though my experiance is limited to a few creeks on the east, west and central part of the state ( havent seen them all ) I must say the Elk in summer is very clear, Little sugar is also very clear. Fishing is fishing you adapt to do your best in any condition. I do not care if you fish 1 day or 365 days. Clarity is beautiful but the angler must adapt to catch fish no matter what the clarity is.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I've never been on the Black, but I've always heard about its clarity. I think however it's hard to judge most streams because we see them in different envronmental periods. The ones we fish often aren't hard to rate over a period of time, but to rate across the state, or worse challenge someones opinion isn't feasible.

I would have to throw in The Niangua below Bennett. You can distinguish what's on the bottom in 10' of water on it.

Then there's Beaver and the Eleven Point.

Of course civilization is changing them so fast that it's hard to keep up. We know, and if we don't wer're going to find out that not all the problems with water quality were the result of poor sewage treatment.

I think Table Rock was at one time one of the clearest lakes anywhere, but saddly it has been loved to questionable.