Most scenic float stream in Missouri

[Keiththom]

This may not fit in this forum but I didn't know where else to put it.

Question:  In you own opinion, what would you consider to be the most scenic river / stretch of river in this state? Hopefully with a nice population of smallmouth.

I've heard some name the black river and I've never been on it? Just wondering what others thought.   I've floated and fished quite a few of our streams, but haven't done them all.

[Gavin]

Current/Jacks/Eleven Pt/Gasconade/Buffalo take your pick.

[Deadstream]

Any of them around St. Patty day

[Mitch f]

Jacks Fork is beautiful 

[Al Agnew]

I guess it depends upon your definition of beauty, but no, I don't think Black River is anywhere near the most scenic stream in the state.  Super clear water, check.  Huge clean gravel bars everywhere, check.  Lots of wooded land surrounding it and not a whole lot of cropland, check.  But it has too many people on it, too many idiots of ATVs tearing up the gravel bars, and it doesn't have hardly any bluffs.  Long stretches of it don't even go up against steep hills.  It's a good river,  and if you know what you're doing you can catch some nice smallmouth on it.  But not the most scenic.  

Current River is beautiful, more so in some sections than others.  Has everything including some big bluffs.  Can't really beat it.  Jacks Fork is the same.  Eleven Point is closer to wilderness than most, but also has a lack of big bluffs.  Meramec in the stretch from Steelville to Meramec State Park is gorgeous, some of the best bluffs anywhere, but a little civilized in places.  Big Piney is pretty darned nice.  Gasconade is beautiful in some sections.  St. Francis is unique and different.  

But name any Ozark stream and there are some stretches that are simply gorgeous, maybe in different ways.  I can't name one that's head and shoulders above the rest, except the Buffalo in Arkansas.  The upper section from Ponca down, and the lower end from Buffalo Point to the White, is simply a cut above every other Ozark stream.  Fishing, though, is mediocre most of the time.

[fishinwrench]

27 minutes ago, Al Agnew said:

I guess it depends upon your definition of beauty,

Definitely!

I couldn't care less about towering bluffs and crystal clear water.  Give me old cars lining the bank, giant rootwads, and, lots of boulders the size of an igloo cooler.  👍 

Some of my best days have been with the sound of a tractor in the background.

[Mitch f]

13 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

Definitely!

I couldn't care less about towering bluffs and crystal clear water.  Give me old cars lining the bank, giant rootwads, and, lots of boulders the size of an igloo cooler.  👍 

Some of my best days have been with the sound of a tractor in the background.

Then you should fish the Big 😂

[fishinwrench]

6 minutes ago, Mitch f said:

Then you should fish the Big 😂

That's out of my 5 county area. 😏

[tjm]

yeppers, them old cars have character. Stories they'd tell if they could talk.

Probably all the prettiest places have amusement parks nowadays.

[Keiththom]

12 minutes ago, Mitch f said:

Then you should fish the Big 😂

That's funny! Actually, the upper Big is very nice.