Mill Creek
Fishing Reports This page was updated 9/5/09
This report was submitted by Scott _________ of St. Louis on 4/11/09
Date of Trip: 4/11/09 Times Fished: 1000am - 330pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water Clarity: Slightly clouded Successful Baits: #16 Olive Midge
First time here. Spent most of the time out of the water traveling the banks as to not spook the fish. Tight casting. A 8"6", 5 wt. is probably too much rod for this creek. There looks like there are plenty of good holes/cover, or at least you'd think so, but this place proved to be quite a challenge. One rainbow all day, a hard hit on a #16 olive/sparkle midge. I missed the first hit but got him two casts later in deep water under a downed tree. A hard fighter, took the fly and immediately went down for cover. I had to play with him to get him out of the fast deep water. He flew out the water at least twice while working him over to the shallow bank. Beautiful fish - dark green back, black spots and vibrant pink on the sides, probably around 12 inches. A nice fish by most standards but given some of the scrawny wild trout I've caught on other creeks, this was a nice fat rainbow. Only had one more trout hit the rest of the day and couldn't set the hook. I guess he decided enough is enough because he bolted from that hole as soon as I lost him. All in all a really nice stream. The fish are cagey. I'll definitely come back.
Thanks for the report Scott. On a healthy wild trout stream, your typical trout caught will be 2-3 years old. In Misouri, that translates to 6-10 inches in length. I've noticed recently that the average size of our wild trout is going up, and that's starting to concern me a bit. Unfortunately, it often means that tough times are coming, because it may be a symptom that the trout haven't had real spawning success for a few years. So, as the larger trout age out, are eaten by otters, etc., there may be fewer immature trout to step up and take their place. Here's hoping spring '09 provided a stronger crop of young 'uns.
This report was submitted by Geo Schoonmaker of Rolla on 4/11/09
Date of Trip: 4/3/09 Times Fished: Not Disclosed Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water Clarity: Slightly clouded Successful Baits: Rebel Crawdad
This was my first time fishing Mill Creek since the Bohigan Conservation Area opened in 2006. My experience with this creek before left much to be desired, but the new fishing access drew me back. I'm glad it did! I found the densest wild trout population I'd ever fished! I probably didnt fish more than a 500 yard stretch of stream. In that stretch, I landed 2 trout, one a 10", the other a 14", and lost 3. The total time I spent was only about an hour, and by the end of it, I decided that Mill Creek was competing with Spring Creek as my favorite wild trout management area. If you go there, look for the deeper pools and cast repeatedly. These ones don't bite the first time your lure hits the water. It takes persistence to get them to hit, and when they do, watch out! These fish are scrappy!
Glad you've given it another try Geo. Mill Creek's trout population kind of ebbs & flows with the volume of water in the creek. A few years back when things got so dry, the fishing really got tough, and the spawning success was really weak. But, like they usually do, the wild trout have made a comeback. All of the trout populations in the little wild creeks in the area are really healthy right now -- even Barren Fork.
This report was submitted by Chris ________ of St. Louis on 2/6/09
Date of Trip: Not Disclosed Times Fished: Not Disclosed Air Temperature: Not Disclosed Weather: Not Disclosed Water Level: Not Disclosed Water Clarity: Not Disclosed Successful Baits: Not Disclosed
I used to fish this stream in my early twenties and then left for 7 years. I went
back to this little paradise with a 3 weight remembering the fish I caught here in
my youth on a 5 weight, typiclly 7-13 inches was the norm with the rare 15-16 inch
rocket. To my surprise, on this day the fishing was epic. Dare I say three 15+
inch fish with an 18-inch finale. Now thats what im talkin about! Went back a few
weeks later and virtualy nothing was going on.
I wish I knew how to handle the private property issue. There's some sections of
that creek which are sacred, and that's what keeps that place alive, the gem that it
is. Look out for the monster smallies in this creek as well. This place has a few
spots that hold both species at 18+. I realy love this creek. There's not many holes and there's not many fish but every
fish is a quality wild trout -- something very rare.
I dont realy care what I catch when i fish there. It's just awesome to be on this
water. Remember no fish under 18 -- NO POACHING.
Thanks for the info Chris (although it's just a BIT vague!).
But I have to agree with you. There are a few magical spots on this creek, but a
fisherman has to commit himself to finding them. In the case of Mill Creek, that
means potentially wading many miles of creek in various weather conditions in various
seasons. Regarding the private property, the easy answer is don't bother. The
land owners are notoriously stingy with allowing access, and there's no way you
could argue that the creek is navigable (the benchmark for allowing public access).
This report was submitted by Tim Homesley of Cassville on 11/10/08
Date of Trip: 11/10/08 Times Fished: 9:00am - 1:30pm Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Very Low Water Clarity: Gin clear Successful Baits: #10 Sculpin fly tied with micro squirrel & 1/8" tungsten bead
Started at the picnic area and worked my way upstream, saw several trout, only landed
3 all were nice and healthy, caught them all in pools, didn't catch anything but
creek chubs in the riffles. Fished my fiberglass 6' 5wt, Lee Wulff conolon fly rod,
using 5X fluorocarbon, except when throwing a few dries, then I switched to 6X, caught
nothing but chubs up on top.
Thanks for the help Tim. Mill Creek hasn't been seeing many
fishermen recently, but the flow is beginning to come back, and the fish are still
there. Tim is the owner/operator of Tim's Fly Shop, in Cassville. Be sure to stop in
for a visit when you're down near Roaring River.
Tim's Fly Shop Route 4 Box 4088 Cassville, MO 65625
This report was submitted by Mike ___________ of Belleville, IL on 4/10/06
Date of Trip: 4/8/06 Times Fished: 10AM-12:30PM Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Below average Water Clarity: Gin clear Successful Baits: Beaded Olive Flashabugger
Arrived shortly after 9AM Sunday morning, and we were on the stream by 10AM. Only my second trip to the creek, but water levels seemed
a little lower than my previous trip. Fish were holding exceptionally tight to cover, and the only fish I landed was almost inside a root wad. The
fish was about nine inches long, and another fish I hooked and lost seemed just a tad smaller. My fishing partner caught one fish on a red and
white marabou jig. We fished upstream from the picnic area.
Thanks for continuing to help with reports, Mike! Mill Creek is definitely struggling, as are the other tiny wild trout streams
(Crane Creek, Barren Fork, etc.). The fish are still there, but they are bunched
up into very small areas of habitat. The upper reaches of several of the tiny creeks are darn near dry right now. If you can see the fish-holding spot without
getting too close, and if you can make the cast, there are still plenty of fish to be caught. Everyone needs to be praying for rain, though!
If you go to Mill Creek to do a bit of fishing, be sure to send us a
report about how you did. Click here if you would like more
information on Mill Creek.
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