Fort Leonard Wood Area
Trout Fishing Opportunities This page was updated 5/19/08
Coming to the Fort or to the Waynesville / St. Robert area for awhile? You're not alone. Fort
Leonard Wood seems to be constantly bringing people in for a variety of trainings. With a good
number of out-of-town contractors also in town for various structural projects, it can often be
difficult to find accommodations, even though the area is overgrown with hotels and motels.
If you're lucky enough to get into a hotel with pay-per-view movies and a functional swimming
pool, you might be all right. Otherwise, you're going to bored to tears when you're not working.
So, be sure to bring a fishing pole. There are plenty of destinations nearby. There's a brief
description of each destination below, but be sure to click the links for more details.
One obvious destination is the Roubidoux Creek, which
flows right through downtown Waynesville, just west of post on I-44. Roubidoux Spring is about a
quarter mile upstream of the downtown bridge, and that is where the trout fishing begins. It
then continues downstream for more than 3 miles all the way to the Gasconade River. The fishing
can range from fair to outstanding, but in the warmer months, you won't find active fish too
terribly far downstream. As you move away from the spring, the water warms, the oxygen decreases,
and the fishing gets tough. Rainbow trout are stocked in the upper section every few weeks,
and brown are stocked further downstream once or twice per year.
On post, you'll find the Stone Mill Spring Branch
near the East entrance to the fort. It only stretches about a quarter mile before dumping into
the Big Piney River. While the creek is not overly impressive, it is pretty, and the surrounding
grounds are manicured with areas for grilling and picnicking. The Department of Conservation
stocks the branch 10 times per year or so, and the Forest Service manages the land usage. As a
fishery, it's strictly put-and-take fishing, with the exception of a winter catch & release
season. You'll want to contact the Sportsman's Center on post for details on permits and whatnot,
and if you don't already have a pass to enter the fort, you'll need to go through the main gate.
If you're already out in the Stone Mill Spring Branch area, and if you fancy yourself a fly-
fisherman, then you should give Spring Creek,
Mill Creek and
Little Piney Creek a try. Stone Mill Branch is very close to Highway J. If you take J south,
you'll find a couple of county roads on your left which will take you to Spring Creek. If you
take J north, it will cross the lower portion of Spring Creek. From J north, take Highway M East
all the way to Highway 63 -- 63 North will cross Little Piney Creek about 10 miles south of
Rolla. Just beyond the bridge on the left you'll find the entrance to Lane Spring Recreation
Area. It costs a couple of bucks to park, but it's worth it. If you were to instead stay on J
North, you could turn right on Highway P. From P East, you'll find Highway AA on your right as
well as a couple of county roads that will lead you to Mill Creek. All three of these creeks are
Blue Ribbon Trout Areas, due to their wild trout
populations, and all three have decent trout populations. Little Piney Creek also has a White Ribbon area further downstream that's stocked 10-12
times per year.
You're about an hour from Montauk State Park (and the
Current River, East of Licking, but you'll have to
work a little harder to find your way there from the back entrance to the fort: take AW South to
Highway 17, 17 South to Highway 32, 32 East to Licking, 137 South to VV, and VV East to the
Park.
You're about 45 minutes away from Bennett Spring State Park,
the Niangua River, Maramec Spring Park, and the Meramec River.
To get to Bennett Spring and the Niangua, take I-44 West to Lebanon and follow the signs. To get
to Maramec Spring and the Meramec River, take I-44 East to St. James and follow the signs. Both
trout parks offer similar fishing opportunities, but Maramec Spring has been channelized, taking
away from of its original natural beauty. Not that Bennett Spring hasn't been "improved" --
there are numerous disabled fishing piers and a great big dam built to force water through the
hatchery pools. In spite of this, much of Bennett simply looks and feels more like a wild river.
Both parks have great trout streams downstream from their park boundaries (Niangua & Meramec
Rivers), and both hold a strong rainbow and brown trout population with a good chance at
catching a trophy.
If that doesn't keep you busy, you're beyond help!!
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