Fishing Little Piney and Mill Creek

[Brian Wise]

Any suggestions for a newbie to these streams? I am going to be fishing them pretty soon and have never been, flies, holes, and directions would be awesome.

Thanks guys!

Brian

[mcp633]

Brian,

I would try to give Walt Fulps a call from missouritrouthunter.com. I think he's the resident expert on the Rolla area streams.

[Gavin]

A couple guys I know have been there recently. The wild trout stretch of the LP has been fishing pretty well, Mill has been hit or miss.. MDC recently obtained some more public access on Mill (Dr. B's section between the FS campground and the White Church) but I havent seen a map of the new CA... Fish an Olive Mohair Leach in the trout sections or a glo ball cuz there rainbows.....If you strike out on trout, bring your smallmouth flies and hit the LP downstream of the trout water. Cheers.

[BrianK]

A couple of great streams.

They were my go-to spots when lived in columbia....then i found the NFOW. sad really. I need to get back there. Haven't fished Mill in about 6 yrs.

I didn't use the flyrod as much then, so can't comment on small stuff, dries, etc. I'd agree with Gavin and throw craws, stones, eggs and get to the bottom (but thats just me) of any of the deeper pools,runs.

I usually fished upstream from the bridge at Mill Ck Forest svc use area.

Last i checked, there was some decent info on the MDC site for directions and maps, etc.

Stay low and be very sneaky when approaching fishy water.

Fish it on a weekday if possible to avoid pressure. small water. just a few other folks is a crowd.

Little Piney- I usually fish the first low water crossing below hwy 63 bridge and wade up from there (or down). Vida Slab i think it is. some nice water but sometimes long walks between.

Gavin- is Dr. B's entire stretch accessible now? I used to call him to get permission to fish but haven't talked to him in a few yrs.

Brian- call me or PM if you need details.

bk

[Gavin]

Brian, it should be but I havent seen a map the yet.

[Sharps4590]

The Little Piney can be good from the Hwy 63 Bridge south of Rolla all the way to the end of the trout water below Mill Dam access. I'm as likely to fish one area as the other. As has been stated go during the week if possible. Lane Springs, Vida Slab, Mill Dam and Mill Creek can get more crowded than I prefer on weekends. When they're taking surface flys a #16 EHC can be good as can an Irristible. I'd second the olive mohair leech and a white grub can be effective also.

Mill Creek is always tough for me because it is skinny water and usually gin clear. Stealth is the word on that pretty little creek.

Smallies can be good but are usually better below the bridge on County Road 7360 all the way to the mouth of the Little Piney on the Gasconade near Jerome. However, a lot of that land is private. The Grotto Bridge, SW of Newburgh, is a good place to start for smallies. I expect both creeks are up some due to the recent rains.

Vic

[armyflyfisher]

I've been going to the Mill Dam Hollow Access area (South of Newburg on Hwy T) almost weekly for the past few weeks. I usually start at the middle access point of the three on that road and go upstream from there. Between the middle access point and the upstream access point I usually get lucky with rainbows at any likely looking spot that might hold fish - stream side brush and downed trees in the water. I've been using the ubiquitous black and olive wooly buggers in size 10 and 12. Seems that I have the best luck when I get down to the fish, so bead heads work along with long upstream casts that allow the fly to sink by the time it gets to where you want it seem to be the ticket - for me.

Between the middle and the upstream access point there is a right hand 90 degree bend in the river. In that bend is a DEEP hole with a downed tree just past the apex of the bend. Really pretty spot with sheer rock walls on the outside of the bend. I've hooked into rock bass, small mouth and even large mouth bass in this hole along with a 'bow. 2 weeks ago I was twitching a sculpin pattern through (the heaviest fly I had), in an attempt to see what I could dredge up from the bottom of that hole. Something hit that pattern, HARD and ran. I was using a 7'6" 6wt rod with a dt 7wt line and a 5x tippet. I lifted the rod and that tippet snapped like it was gossamer. Didn't even slow that fish down. I've been back once and came up with only a a few rock bass from that place, but I didn't have any sculpins with me. Well, I'm armed wih flies now now and heading back, probably today or tommorrow.

I've enjoyed fishing that little river. I'll miss it when I leave Missouri this Wednesday for my new duty assignment at Ft Hood Texas. but I'm sure that there is lots of new water to explore there.

If you need more detailed directions, PM me and I can probably help you out.

David

[armyflyfisher]

Thanks Vic. Your kind words mean alot. I know that everyone in the military today appreciates the support that we feel everyday. It's a far cry from what the guys coming home from Viet Nam felt when they came home and were spit on etc.

I miss the Little Piney and wish that we could have met also. I actually have never fly fished with anyone (totally self-taught) and would like to have the opportunity to compare notes and see what I'm doing wrong!

Thanks to you and everyone on this board for welcoming me and making my time in Missouri and on this forum enjoyable.

David

[drew03cmc]

I actually have never fly fished with anyone (totally self-taught) and would like to have the opportunity to compare notes and see what I'm doing wrong!

David

Just because you leave MO, does not mean you must leave this forum...

I too am totally self taught. I wish I knew what I did wrong (except my inability to tie a nail knot worth a darn). Have caught more fish on the fly rod with a 3wt, and am getting a 2wt in three weeks to catch those trout, and bluegills!

[MoTroutHunter]

Hey Brian,

For my money, I'd probably skip Mill for now and spend twice as much time on Little Piney -- especially in the summer. The water levels on Mill are better than they have been the last few years, but the trout numbers are still WAAAAAY down. It will be a few years before the population rebounds, assuming we continue to get decent rains to recharge the spring pool.

Little Piney's been fishing pretty well. As the water gets warm and oxygen goes down, the fish are getting pushed downstream. In the blue ribbon section, you'll find good catch rates between Lane Spring and Vida Slab. As the water gets warmer, the Vida Slab area will continue to get better. The white ribbon section (Milldam) has also been fishing well, and it should continue to produce until the hottest part of the year. MDC stocks it every three weeks or so, and there's not a lot of fishing pressure compared to some of our other white ribbon areas.

You know how to read water as well as anyone, so I'd just hit it and do your thing. Right now most of the fish are in the pools, but you can still pull some out of the riffles. The basic rule of thumb is smaller sizes on nymphs and larger sizes on dries, but basically traditional patterns -- PT, Hare's Ear, Adams, BWO, EHC, etc. They're not terribly picky about the pattern, but can be touchy about the approach, cast & presentation. Bring a few brown drake patterns as well, just in case. In the white ribbon area, think attractors -- leaches, buggers, glo-bugs, Y2K's.

If you want some company, let me know when you're up. We've still never had the opportunity to fish together.

Walt Fulps

MissouriTroutHunter.com