Tailwater Alternative
- This topic has 4 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated Jun 15, 2011 at 3:29 pm by
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I decided to eschew a trip to the usual Ozark trout waters for something off the beaten path. Some of you have probably heard of Crane Creek in the southwest Missouri town of Crane. This spring creek is home to some wild, naturally reproducing McCloud River Redband trout. Those with local knowledge told me the trout were transplanted by railroad workers at the behest of the Federal government in the late 1800s, though the Missouri Department of Conservation information just states they were stocked. Regardless of why or by who they were introduced, the trout have thrived for years.
The guy above is representative of 99% of the fish I have caught in this creek. They’re pretty and spazzy and will hit pretty much anything with a bit of flash. You can nymph through riffles and catch these guys all day.
Crane Creek is accessible through the Wire Road Conservation Area, and is managed as a Blue Ribbon trout fishery.
I have made several previous trips to this area and have not seen one other angler, just some horseback riders. As I was working my way upstream from the upper parking lot it was nice to know I had about three miles of this all to myself.
The scenery is fantastic, and definitely not the standard trout fishing experience the Ozarks are known for.
The water was fairly high and fast but not off-color like I expected. I fished a flashy prince nymph and pink San Juan worm producing the usual small fare until I worked up to a pool where I had spotted larger trout on previous trips.
I got out of the water downstream and worked through the brush to get a stealthy approach and cast, and as I lost sight of the bright pink worm the line went tight. There wasn’t much pull at first, and I figured I had an 8 or 10 inch fish, which would have been my best for the creek, but as I lifted the fish into sight I realized it was closer to the 20 inch range. Almost immediately the fish bolted and I was able to play it for a bit, but a sudden surge broke the tippet below the prince nymph and it was gone. I took a dejected self-portrait to remember the moment.
At least I was able to give the fish a pink lip ring to remember me by.
Nice stuff Kurt I’m not sure why the upper classmen are being so unfriendly, but I enjoyed the look.
MS
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