Beaver Creek

This creek, long a favorite with fly fishermen, is nearly rhe size of the Niangua River, but has a less constant warer supply.

Beaver Creek, in southwest Missouri, provides a good opportunity to catch smallmouth bass and rock bass. Largemouth bass and spotted bass can also be caught, however they are not as abundant as smallmouth bass. This smaller stream is floatable by canoe during the wetter months of April through June, and wade fishing opportunities are available throughout the year. The spring 2001 sampling season indicated fair numbers of smallmouth bass >14" and good numbers of rock bass between 7 and 9". Beaver Creek has numerous boulders, riffles, backwater and rootwads which provide excellent habitat for black bass and rock bass.

Numerous boulders, riffles, backwater and rootwads.

Preferred artificial baits should include crawdad crankbaits, both in brown and chartreuse, plastic swimming minnow imitations and garlic/salt scented, soft plastic crawdad imitations. Soft plastic crawdad imitations should be fished on the stream bottom with a hopping or dragging motion. Live bait, such as crawdads, minnows and worms are always a good bet. When using live bait, care should be taken to not introduce minnows and crawdads from other stream systems. Introductions of minnows and crawdads from different stream systems may upset the ecological balance of another stream system. Channel catfish are common in the lower section of the creek and can be caught on a variety of natural and prepared baits. Walleye may also be found in the lower reach, especially during the mid- February to mid-March spawning season. Anglers may harvest six black bass daily, and the black bass minimum length limit is 12 inches.