This little creek is almost famous. It has been featured on ESPN at least once and has
also been written up in various fishing magazines. And each time it is publicized, a
small group of devoted local fly fishers cringe. The fear, of course, is that droves of
fishermen will start crowding the banks and splashing through redds (trout spawning beds)
with reckless abandon. Thus far that has not been the case. The reason? The fishing is
simply too challenging for most fly fisherman who find themselves in the area. To have
real success here, you should plan to spend at least a couple of full days seriously
working the creek. Those just passing through and stopping for a couple of hours will
typically struggle, and many would rather drive another 45 minutes or so to get to
Roaring River State Park,
Lake Taneycomo, Capps Creek, or
Hickory Creek. Those fishermen will certainly have a great time at those other
destinations, but they are missing out on a very neat experience at Crane.
Crane Creek is perhaps the last trout water in the world to have the pure McCloud
River strain of redband rainbow trout, originally found in California's McCloud
River. When we started this website (many moons ago), there were three populations, but
that is apparently no longer the case. The trout were initially stocked a century ago
by railroad workers who seeded the stream with fingerlings where the tracks crossed
the creek in the town of Crane. And since the creek is populated only with naturally
reproduced trout, you'll catch fish of all sizes from 2 inches all the way up to
full-grown adults, including some very large fish (i.e. 20+ inches long) hiding in
some very sheltered spots.
This creek has a good population of the "holy trinity" of caddis, mayflies and
stoneflies, but they are fairly tiny, so fish small. An exception to this rule
is that hare's ear nymphs up to size 10 have been productive at times on this
creek as well. During the summer, black ants have also been known to work
exceptionally well. Ant patterns are typically most successful when cast under
and around bank-side trees, but Crane Creek is small enough to cast almost anywhere
and be in the ant zone.
Crane Creek rainbows are stunning any time of the year, but they are absolutely
breathtaking during spawning season. Please be careful not to wade through redds
(the spawning beds) during spawning season. They look like dinner-plate sized
light spots in shallow gravelly tailouts and flats.
There are a couple of access points you might want to check out. The upstream
section is found by taking US 60 West from Springfield for 16 or 17 miles. Turn
left on Hwy 13 and travel South for about another 8 miles. When you see the left
side turnoff for Hwy "A", turn right instead on a small county road. Follow that
road to the left and you'll come to a parking area for the Wire Road Conservation
Area, through which flows Crane Creek. If you continue on, you'll cross the creek.
Keep right, you'll cross the creek a second time just downstream from a couple of
springs. The part of the stream that was historically the most popular with
fishermen is the stretch between the Crane city park and the springs -- a bit more
than 2 miles of water -- BUT, that water has gotten smaller over the years, and the
best fishing will be found there when the creek swells in spring and fall.
By driving into the town of Crane, you'll find that the creek flows right through the
town park, and there are some highly educated trout right there. Good fishing continues
downstream for some time, and many enjoy fishing near the dairy farm area. In the past,
the farm owners have been very accomodating to trout fishermen, and the MDC has
purchased additional land and easements downstream from town. If, however, you find
yourself interested in fishing across propery lines, be sure to get permission.
Call (417) 895-6880 for more information
You can also download a map of the Wire Road Conservation Area from the Department of
Conservation website. The direct-to-map link is available on our
Maps Page. Click here for a recent
Crane Creek fishing report. After you visit, we hope
you'll come back to tell us how you did
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