1st timer to Crane Creek

[LuvToFish]

I’m thinking about heading down to Crane Creek for a day fishing trip this weekend. I live up by KC and fish Bennett Spring mostly (which I enjoy a lot). Wanting to try my hand at these McCloud strain wild spawning rainbow trout. I’ve read a few posts and understand they are way more educated and spookier than your hatchery trout variety. I’m looking forward to the challenge!  I seen a recommendation to park at the ball fields and walk the tracts down to the creek. Is this a good spot to fish this week? I’ve also seen upper and middle wire access points which I’ll check out when there. If you were going fishing this weekend, where would you fish this stream? Are the snakes, tics, chiggers unusually bad there now?  Thanks for any tips you care to share.  

dan 

[Ryan Miloshewski]

I have been there a few times and it is fun. Never in the summer though. It's kind of an old wive's tale, but also true, that there are a TON of snakes on it in the summer. Cottonmouths, water snakes, copperheads, timber rattlesnakes. A few universities actually track cottonmouths around the stream because it's so dense with them. Lots of guys avoid it in the summer due to this and the stress it'd put on fish.

But, if you decide to go, the areas you talked of are good. With the temperatures so high you should really limit fishing to sunrise to 8:30 am and 7pm to dark. Those fish get stressed and die really easily right now. During those times you will have caddis, mayfly, and potentially stonefly hatches so fishing should be good.

[Johnsfolly]

21 minutes ago, Ryan Miloshewski said:

Lots of guys avoid it in the summer due to this and the stress it'd put on fish.

But, if you decide to go, the areas you talked of are good. With the temperatures so high you should really limit fishing to sunrise to 8:30 am and 7pm to dark. Those fish get stressed and die really easily right now. During those times you will have caddis, mayfly, and potentially stonefly hatches so fishing should be good.

When I lived in Missouri, I would begin focusing on trout fishing outside of the trout parks beginning in Oct and would fish for them through April in the blue ribbon areas like Crane. A lot was due to the stress of the fish due to the hotter water. Crane is so small especially up by the Wire Access points that I would be concerned about the stress this time of year.

[LuvToFish]

1 hour ago, Ryan Miloshewski said:

I have been there a few times and it is fun. Never in the summer though. It's kind of an old wive's tale, but also true, that there are a TON of snakes on it in the summer. Cottonmouths, water snakes, copperheads, timber rattlesnakes. A few universities actually track cottonmouths around the stream because it's so dense with them. Lots of guys avoid it in the summer due to this and the stress it'd put on fish.

But, if you decide to go, the areas you talked of are good. With the temperatures so high you should really limit fishing to sunrise to 8:30 am and 7pm to dark. Those fish get stressed and die really easily right now. During those times you will have caddis, mayfly, and potentially stonefly hatches so fishing should be good.

I grew up not to awfully far away in extreme SE Kansas. We have many hundreds of strip pits and public grounds that I've fished, hunted and explored for years on end there. In all those years fishing down there not a single cottonmouth was ever seen or identified. Officially the state has yet to recognize they exist anywhere in KS. Curious what would make them thrive on Crane Creek but avoid areas not that far to the northwest? Copperhead and Rattlers are common most places these days but cottonmouths? I've never seen one live in KS or MO. Not saying they don't exist just haven't witnessed one personally. I hadn't considered the heat factor on this stream having mostly fished the state park spring waters here (though I've trout fished the Appalachian mountains of VA for native brookies). It's easy to forget how wild streams are / can be different and water temp becoming more of a factor. I'm likely go down to explore the stream some if not to fish a little, there are other options close by at RR if we decide to fish elsewhere. 

[Dutch]

I have never sees a rattlesnake in Stone County.  There are plenty of cottonmouths.  Up around the Wire Road access there is public land and some below Crane.  The rest is pretty much private..  There are several bridges where you can gain access (Swinging Bridge Road, Langley Ford,  Doc Eaton Road).

[Ryan Miloshewski]

19 minutes ago, LuvToFish said:

I grew up not to awfully far away in extreme SE Kansas. We have many hundreds of strip pits and public grounds that I've fished, hunted and explored for years on end there. In all those years fishing down there not a single cottonmouth was ever seen or identified. Officially the state has yet to recognize they exist anywhere in KS. Curious what would make them thrive on Crane Creek but avoid areas not that far to the northwest? Copperhead and Rattlers are common most places these days but cottonmouths? I've never seen one live in KS or MO. Not saying they don't exist just haven't witnessed one personally. I hadn't considered the heat factor on this stream having mostly fished the state park spring waters here (though I've trout fished the Appalachian mountains of VA for native brookies). It's easy to forget how wild streams are / can be different and water temp becoming more of a factor. I'm likely go down to explore the stream some if not to fish a little, there are other options close by at RR if we decide to fish elsewhere. 

There have been two documented in the Spring River area in SE Kansas. They are there, though rare. But they are fairly common in SW Missouri from what I've been told. Now, most people see a snake in water and automatically assume cottonmouth, but I'm quite certain MO State, Mizzou and others would not be tracking them in SW MO if they weren't there hah! Like everything, they don't know what a boundary line is.

That being said, I tend to believe it is more of a deterring tactic by locals and those who fish it regularly more than an actual threat. 

Crane is fun but the heat is definitely stressful this time of year. Early and late you can probably get away with it and as I said, hit some good hatches and catch a bunch on dries.

[LuvToFish]

Well I'll be darn, per google two cottonmouth were finally confirmed in the Spring River of SEK. That rivers starts over by Carthage and cuts through KS down to Oklahoma and Grand Lake. I've fished Spring River for years and even noodled cats down below the dam in Baxter Springs. Not sure I would have had any part of that had they been confirmed back then. LOL

[LuvToFish]

50 minutes ago, Dutch said:

I have never sees a rattlesnake in Stone County.  There are plenty of cottonmouths.  Up around the Wire Road access there is public land and some below Crane.  The rest is pretty much private..  There are several bridges where you can gain access (Swinging Bridge Road, Langley Ford,  Doc Eaton Road).

Thanks for the info Dutch! I was looking at google map and I see Swinging Bridge Rd and a Grisham Ford rd, no Langley rd. I found Doc Eaton over a ways to the East, are there trout here?

[BilletHead]

1 hour ago, LuvToFish said:

I grew up not to awfully far away in extreme SE Kansas. We have many hundreds of strip pits and public grounds that I've fished, hunted and explored for years on end there. In all those years fishing down there not a single cottonmouth was ever seen or identified. Officially the state has yet to recognize they exist anywhere in KS. Curious what would make them thrive on Crane Creek but avoid areas not that far to the northwest? Copperhead and Rattlers are common most places these days but cottonmouths? I've never seen one live in KS or MO. Not saying they don't exist just haven't witnessed one personally. I hadn't considered the heat factor on this stream having mostly fished the state park spring waters here (though I've trout fished the Appalachian mountains of VA for native brookies). It's easy to forget how wild streams are / can be different and water temp becoming more of a factor. I'm likely go down to explore the stream some if not to fish a little, there are other options close by at RR if we decide to fish elsewhere. 

                            Even in Missouri cottonmouth not documented in areas. Not sure if they are behind or at the point they don't care anymore. My Reptiles and amphibians in Missouri may have a updated version. Probably out to see if they do. I can take you to some in Vernon and St Clair counties where they are not listed.  I have shared my pictures on here of them. I am not sure if they are listed or not but upper flat creek is loaded too. 

[Dutch]

1 hour ago, BilletHead said:

                            Even in Missouri cottonmouth not documented in areas. Not sure if they are behind or at the point they don't care anymore. My Reptiles and amphibians in Missouri may have a updated version. Probably out to see if they do. I can take you to some in Vernon and St Clair counties where they are not listed.  I have shared my pictures on here of them. I am not sure if they are listed or not but upper flat creek is loaded too. 

We normally have them in the bull pen in the slew in Bland Spring.