Wading the Big Piney

[ElkHairCaddis]

Are there any stretches of the Big Piney that my friend and I can wade while fishing for bass? He went to school in Rolla a few decades ago and seems to remember an access point from which he could wade, but it has been a while.

[JimDog]

We used to always stay at Rich's Last Resort on the Big Piney (now called Peck's Last Resort) which is next to the MDC Ross Access.  You can access the river there, and there are some decent wading spots. Weekends can get crowded, but during the week it is not too bad.

[Gavin]

Float it, then pick your spot to park and wade. 6x to Peck's is the Zoo stretch, so avoid that on the weekend.

[ElkHairCaddis]

 

On 6/16/2025 at 1:04 PM, Gavin said:

Float it, then pick your spot to park and wade. 6x to Peck's is the Zoo stretch, so avoid that on the weekend.

Any recommendations on put in and take out?

[Gavin]

Dogs Bluff, Mason Bridge. slabtown, Ross, East Gate, and Jerome on the Gasconade are developed MDC access. Most of it is Mark Twain Forest, so any FS road that hit as the river is fair game if you want to cut some distance. . Scetchy, but fair game. OnX hunt will show you. I’ve never floated the fort stretch between Ross and East gate. The Army will let you, but the logistics are crazy.

[WestCentralFisher]

Slabtown to Ross is a very nice two day float. There is an intermediate private/canoe rental access to make it one day, I think. Or there used to be, anyway. Down below that intermediate access to Ross Bridge it starts to get crowded. I can only assume most canoe rentals put in there.

I have successfully wade fished at Slabtown, but I wouldn't necessarily plan an entire trip around it. It is not the easiest wading and you're dependent on there not being a bunch of people there swimming/wading. It is right near Paddy Creek Wilderness, so during the fall that area can be a nice combined hiking and fishing spot. That said, if you can't float, access hopping until you find some water to yourself can work fine. It is a beautiful area and you'll see lots of pretty country, in any case.

With the exception of the area around Ross Bridge, much of the river is on par with places like the Eleven Point and upper Jack's Fork in terms of wildness and natural beauty. Even the area around Ross is very scenic with lots of bluffs, but you start to encounter much more frog water and the crowds take the overall experience down a notch. The fishing is still OK, but not as good.