Eleven Point River
The Eleven Point River, a federally protected Wild and Scenic River administered by the US Forest Service, is another of our world class floating streams that also offer world class trout fishing. The river had once boasted a wonderful fish population, but it was heavily over-fished by professional fishermen and settlers in the first part of the twentieth century. It took decades for the fish populations to recover. The trout population, bolstered by heavy stockings and limited bank access, has rebuilt the river's reputation as a top quality fishery.
This river, much like the Current River, boasts approximately 20 miles of productive trout waters, starting at the mouth of Greer Spring Branch and continuing down to highway 160 near Riverton. Also like the Current River, it includes different types of trout management areas.
Greer Spring Branch owned by the US Forest Service, making the spring itself accessible via the Greer Spring Trail. The Spring is the second largest spring in the state and is the tenth largest fresh water spring in the world. The stream is has a steep gradient and a great flow, and fly fishermen stare at it with longing. Sorry. No fishing allowed.
The river itself flows through the Mark Twain National Forest and the Irish Wilderness, which is quite rugged and isolated -- so isolated, you may find it a challenge just to locate the trailheads without a good map and a bit of compass work. The surrounding forests are rugged with a ton of wildlife, including mountain lions and black bears. Missouri even looked at the Irish Wilderness as a possible location for elk reintroduction. The diversity of wildlife is not restricted to land animals, however. In addition to trout, the Eleven Point River also boasts a startling variety of fish, with Smallmouth Bass and Rock Bass (or Goggle Eye) being most prized upstream from Greer Spring Branch. As the river warms up again South of Riverton, you'll find crappie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rock bass, warmouth, chain pickerel, walleye, and even sauger down south closer to the Arkansas state line.
White Ribbon Area
No bait restrictions. Daily limit is 4 trout with a 15 inch length restriction on brown trout.
The White Ribbon section of the Eleven Point River includes all water downstream from the Turner Mill Access. This portion of the river is stocked heavily with rainbow trout. Easy access points are available at Turner Mill, McDowell Access, Whitten Access, Springs Access, and Riverton Access at US-160, but there are also some unmarked dirt roads that can get you within walking distance. The White's Creek Trail will take you through the Irish Wilderness down to the Bliss Spring area on the north bank. This is more of a back-packing trip than a day hike, however, and be sure you have a good map and know how to use a compass -- the trail is not well marked in areas.
Drift fishing with natural bait under a bobber is a good technique in this section, since you may need to cover quite a bit of water to find where the fish have collected. Spinner and crankbait fishing is also popular. Most fly-fishermen focus their efforts on the Blue Ribbon area upstream, but there are some awesome riffles that routinely give up fish on the fly down in the White Ribbon waters as well. Again, you'll have to float to reach some of the best waters. If you're accessing the river by car, however, you can avoid the crowds of canoes in the summer time by fishing the lower stretches in the morning and moving to the upper section in the afternoon.
Blue Ribbon Area
Only flies and artificial lures are permitted, soft plastics specifically excluded. Daily limit is 1 trout at least 18 inches long
The Blue Ribbon section of the Eleven Point River stretches from the mouth of Greer Spring Branch to Turner Mill. When the Eleven Point River passes the mouth of Greer Spring, the size of the river doubles, and the water temperature drops dramatically, instantly transforming it into a cold water fishery. Even though wild trout streams in Missouri tend to have smaller fish, this river is quite large with plenty of protected areas, and there is a good population of mayflies, caddis and aquatic beetles for the fish to feed on. Therefore, the opportunity to catch a trophy-sized stream-bred trout is legitimate. And unlike times in the past, there are a lot of fish to be found.
There are a few dirt roads that can get you within a short walk of the river, but you'll have to do some exploring. The only two easy access points are Greer Access (highway 19) and Turner Mill Access. As is the case with the Current River, it's best to float this river to reach many of the best fishing spots. Fly fishermen have traditionally had good luck with the old standbys like pheasant tails, hares ears, adams, elk hair caddis, etc., but small san juan worms in various colors, brassies, black stones, and little yellow stonefly patterns are also productive. In the winter and spring, small glo-bugs and glu-bugs can also get a trout's attention. And crayfish flies are also quite popular, as are mini-crankbaits and in-line spinners.
The Eleven Point River is east of West Plains, with the trout waters bordered by Hwy 19 upstream and Hwy 160 downstream.
This river, much like the Current River, boasts approximately 20 miles of productive trout waters, starting at the mouth of Greer Spring Branch and continuing down to highway 160 near Riverton. Also like the Current River, it includes different types of trout management areas.
Greer Spring Branch owned by the US Forest Service, making the spring itself accessible via the Greer Spring Trail. The Spring is the second largest spring in the state and is the tenth largest fresh water spring in the world. The stream is has a steep gradient and a great flow, and fly fishermen stare at it with longing. Sorry. No fishing allowed.
The river itself flows through the Mark Twain National Forest and the Irish Wilderness, which is quite rugged and isolated -- so isolated, you may find it a challenge just to locate the trailheads without a good map and a bit of compass work. The surrounding forests are rugged with a ton of wildlife, including mountain lions and black bears. Missouri even looked at the Irish Wilderness as a possible location for elk reintroduction. The diversity of wildlife is not restricted to land animals, however. In addition to trout, the Eleven Point River also boasts a startling variety of fish, with Smallmouth Bass and Rock Bass (or Goggle Eye) being most prized upstream from Greer Spring Branch. As the river warms up again South of Riverton, you'll find crappie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rock bass, warmouth, chain pickerel, walleye, and even sauger down south closer to the Arkansas state line.
White Ribbon Area
No bait restrictions. Daily limit is 4 trout with a 15 inch length restriction on brown trout.
The White Ribbon section of the Eleven Point River includes all water downstream from the Turner Mill Access. This portion of the river is stocked heavily with rainbow trout. Easy access points are available at Turner Mill, McDowell Access, Whitten Access, Springs Access, and Riverton Access at US-160, but there are also some unmarked dirt roads that can get you within walking distance. The White's Creek Trail will take you through the Irish Wilderness down to the Bliss Spring area on the north bank. This is more of a back-packing trip than a day hike, however, and be sure you have a good map and know how to use a compass -- the trail is not well marked in areas.
Drift fishing with natural bait under a bobber is a good technique in this section, since you may need to cover quite a bit of water to find where the fish have collected. Spinner and crankbait fishing is also popular. Most fly-fishermen focus their efforts on the Blue Ribbon area upstream, but there are some awesome riffles that routinely give up fish on the fly down in the White Ribbon waters as well. Again, you'll have to float to reach some of the best waters. If you're accessing the river by car, however, you can avoid the crowds of canoes in the summer time by fishing the lower stretches in the morning and moving to the upper section in the afternoon.
Blue Ribbon Area
Only flies and artificial lures are permitted, soft plastics specifically excluded. Daily limit is 1 trout at least 18 inches long
The Blue Ribbon section of the Eleven Point River stretches from the mouth of Greer Spring Branch to Turner Mill. When the Eleven Point River passes the mouth of Greer Spring, the size of the river doubles, and the water temperature drops dramatically, instantly transforming it into a cold water fishery. Even though wild trout streams in Missouri tend to have smaller fish, this river is quite large with plenty of protected areas, and there is a good population of mayflies, caddis and aquatic beetles for the fish to feed on. Therefore, the opportunity to catch a trophy-sized stream-bred trout is legitimate. And unlike times in the past, there are a lot of fish to be found.
There are a few dirt roads that can get you within a short walk of the river, but you'll have to do some exploring. The only two easy access points are Greer Access (highway 19) and Turner Mill Access. As is the case with the Current River, it's best to float this river to reach many of the best fishing spots. Fly fishermen have traditionally had good luck with the old standbys like pheasant tails, hares ears, adams, elk hair caddis, etc., but small san juan worms in various colors, brassies, black stones, and little yellow stonefly patterns are also productive. In the winter and spring, small glo-bugs and glu-bugs can also get a trout's attention. And crayfish flies are also quite popular, as are mini-crankbaits and in-line spinners.
The Eleven Point River is east of West Plains, with the trout waters bordered by Hwy 19 upstream and Hwy 160 downstream.
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