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Home › Waters › Missouri › Meramec River
River · Ozarks · Missouri

Meramec River Fishing Guides

Clear Ozark river with stocked rainbow and brown trout in the Maramec Spring reach near St. James and strong smallmouth bass floating from Steelville downstream to Meramec State Park.

Pale gravel and rounded stone in the shallows of a clear float stream

Map of the Meramec River

38 numbered points: 10 access points, 7 campsites, 2 outfitters, 7 bridges, 7 parks and conservation areas, 2 regulation section limits, 2 springs, 1 USGS gauge. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 7, 2026.

Printable version →
  • Access / boat ramp (10)
  • Campsite (7)
  • Outfitter / canoe rental (2)
  • Bridge crossing (7)
  • Park / conservation area (7)
  • Regulation section limit (2)
  • Spring (2)
  • USGS gauge (1)
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Points are curated from OpenStreetMap and state agency sources; confirm access and hours before you go.

Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.

Open the printable map
All 38 points on this map
#PointTypeLat, LonNotes
1Highway 19 bridge (upper)
MO 19		Bridge crossing37.74998, -91.42334Crossing on the small upper river south of Steelville; floatable only in high water.
2Highway M bridge
MO M		Bridge crossing37.82896, -91.43751Crossing above Steelville.
3Gibbs State Wildlife Area
Missouri Department of Conservation		Park / conservation area37.88032, -91.42459Conservation land on the upper river near Steelville.
4Woodson K. Woods Memorial Conservation Area
Missouri Department of Conservation		Park / conservation area37.95289, -91.51699MDC area at Highway 8; wade access to the trout water below Maramec Spring.
5Highway 8 bridge
MO 8		Bridge crossing37.95036, -91.51140Crossing between St. James and Steelville, just below Maramec Spring.
6Red Ribbon Trout Area — upper limit
Highway 8 access		Regulation section limit37.95110, -91.50858MDC's Red Ribbon Trout Area runs from the Highway 8 access down to Scotts Ford Access. Check the MDC regulations for methods and limits.
7Woodson Woods Access
MDC · Highway 8		Access / boat ramp37.95110, -91.50858Put-in for the Red Ribbon float; trout numbers are highest in the first three miles below the spring.
8Maramec Spring Park
James Foundation · trout park		Park / conservation area37.95447, -91.52938Private trout park on the spring branch (daily tag); campgrounds, store and museum.
9Maramec Spring Park Campground
James Foundation · east and west campgrounds		Campsite37.95815, -91.52815Camping inside the park.
10Scotts Ford Access
MDC		Access / boat ramp37.97802, -91.45658Take-out for the Red Ribbon float and the lower limit of the trout area.
11Red Ribbon Trout Area — lower limit
Scotts Ford Access		Regulation section limit37.97802, -91.45658Trout management ends here; smallmouth water from Scotts Ford down.
12Adventure Outdoors Campground
Private · camping and floats		Campsite37.97782, -91.45830Campground and landing at Scotts Ford.
13Canoe Shack (Indian Springs)
Canoe and raft rental		Outfitter / canoe rental37.97842, -91.43107Outfitter at Indian Springs Resort.
14Indian Springs Campground
Private · camping		Campsite37.97818, -91.43097Riverside camping with its own access.
15Riverview Access
MDC		Access / boat ramp37.99235, -91.42539Public access above Steelville.
16Lucky Clover Lakeside River Resort
Private · camping		Campsite37.99223, -91.38405Campground west of the Highway 19 bridge.
17Highway 19 bridge at Steelville
MO 19		Bridge crossing37.98902, -91.37621The Steelville crossing; town is just south.
18The Rafting Co.
Private · rafts, canoes and camping		Campsite37.98579, -91.37606Outfitter and campground at the Steelville bridge.
19USGS 07013000 Meramec River near SteelvilleUSGS gauge37.99847, -91.36094The gauge behind the live flow on this page.
20Bird's Nest Access
Public · Birds Nest Beach Park		Access / boat ramp37.99668, -91.36064Landing at the Birds Nest railroad bridge.
21Garrison's River Resort Landing
Private · camping and floats		Access / boat ramp38.01492, -91.32098Resort landing below Steelville.
22Saranac SpringSpring38.04468, -91.29151Spring on the reach above Onondaga.
23Cathedral SpringSpring38.05378, -91.23371Spring inside Onondaga Cave State Park.
24Onondaga Cave State Park
Missouri State Parks		Park / conservation area38.06048, -91.23268Cave tours, campground and a boat ramp on the river.
25Onondaga Cave State Park Campground
Missouri State Parks		Campsite38.05840, -91.23716Campground in the state park.
26Onondaga Cave boat ramp
Missouri State Parks · ramp		Access / boat ramp38.05774, -91.22529Concrete ramp at the park.
27Ozark Outdoors Riverfront Resort
Canoe, raft and kayak rental · camping		Outfitter / canoe rental38.05833, -91.22276Large outfitter at Onondaga with its own landings and camp store.
28Campbell Bridge (Highway N)
MO N		Bridge crossing38.08132, -91.14983Crossing at Campbell Bridge Access.
29Campbell Bridge Access
MDC · concrete ramp		Access / boat ramp38.08187, -91.15001Public ramp and canoe launch at the Highway N bridge.
30Onondaga Cave State Park — Vilander Bluff Unit
Missouri State Parks		Park / conservation area38.09828, -91.13992The big bluff below Campbell Bridge.
31Blue Springs Ranch Landing
Private · camping and floats		Access / boat ramp38.11207, -91.15675Resort landing with a public canoe launch beside it.
32Sappington Bridge
County road		Bridge crossing38.15847, -91.10892Crossing at Sappington Bridge Access.
33Sappington Bridge Access
MDC · concrete ramp		Access / boat ramp38.15807, -91.10880Public ramp and canoe launch.
34Meramec State Park boat ramp
Missouri State Parks · ramp		Access / boat ramp38.20313, -91.09844Ramp and camp store (RiverStop) inside the park.
35Meramec State Park
Missouri State Parks		Park / conservation area38.20723, -91.09628Lodging, campground sections 1–3, cave tours and river access at Sullivan.
36Highway 185 bridge
MO 185		Bridge crossing38.20773, -91.09393The park crossing at Sullivan.
37Meramec State Park Campground
Missouri State Parks · sections 1–3		Campsite38.22519, -91.08164Campground along the river below the bridge.
38Meramec Conservation Area
Missouri Department of Conservation		Park / conservation area38.22974, -91.06087MDC area on the east bank below the state park.

Guides on the Meramec River

Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.

About the Meramec River

The Meramec is the closest big Ozark river to St. Louis, and the upper river from Maramec Spring Park down past Steelville is the part that matters for guided float trips. Maramec Spring adds roughly 100 million gallons a day of cold water just above the confluence with the Meramec proper, and the river below it holds stocked rainbows and a solid population of wild-spawning browns for about ten miles before warming into smallmouth water.

Maramec Spring Park to Scotts Ford is the trout float, and Scotts Ford to Woodson K. Woods or Birds Nest continues through transitional water where a single day can produce browns, smallmouth, and goggle-eye. Below Steelville the Meramec is a warm-water river with long gravel pools, smallmouth bass, and the occasional big walleye, running past Onondaga Cave State Park and Meramec State Park before slowing toward the Missouri River.

The Steelville gauge sits at the bottom of the trout reach. Around 300 to 600 cfs is ideal for floating; under 250 the river is low but wades beautifully; above 1,200 it is high and stained and most guides wait a day or two. The Meramec responds quickly to rain and drops quickly too, which makes it forgiving for anglers who can move a trip by a day.

Steelville and Cuba have lodging and supplies, and the James Foundation park at Maramec Spring has camping, a hatchery, and a daily trout tag system that is separate from the state parks. Steelville calls itself the floating capital of Missouri, and the liveries there run shuttles for the Meramec, the Huzzah, and the Courtois, so booking a guide and a shuttle on the same day is easy in season.

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Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Flow alert

Tell me when the Meramec River cfs

Now: 174 cfs, read 6:15 pm CDT, Sun Oct 18, 2026 (USGS 07013000, Meramec River near Steelville, MO).

We never use this address for anything else and never share it. See the privacy policy.

Access

Maramec Spring Park (James Foundation): park access at the top of the trout water, day-use fee.
Scotts Ford Access: MDC gravel bar access, 4 miles below the park, common trout takeout.
Woodson K. Woods Conservation Area: MDC access below Scotts Ford.
Birds Nest Access and Riverview near Steelville: ramps for the transition water and smallmouth floats.
Sappington Bridge, Onondaga Cave State Park, and Meramec State Park serve the middle river.

Seasons

March through May: best brown trout months, good flows, fewer floaters.
June through August: stocked rainbows near the park, smallmouth below Steelville, heavy canoe traffic on weekends.
September through November: low clear water, sight fishing for browns, fall colors through the bluffs.
Winter: catch-and-release trout fishing in the park on set days, quiet river below it.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Meramec River?

As of Oct 18, 6:15 pm, the USGS gauge Meramec River near Steelville, MO reads 174 cfs, the 47th percentile for this date. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Meramec River?

Anglers target Brown Trout, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass on the Meramec River in Missouri.

Are there fishing guides on the Meramec River?

GuidedFloats lists 2 guides and outfitters on the Meramec River. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.

Where can you access the Meramec River?

Maramec Spring Park (James Foundation): park access at the top of the trout water, day-use fee. Scotts Ford Access: MDC gravel bar access, 4 miles below the park, common trout takeout. Woodson K. Woods Conservation Area: MDC access below Scotts Ford. Birds Nest Access and Riverview near Steelville: ramps for the transition water and smallmouth floats. Sappington Bridge, Onondaga Cave State Park, and Meramec State Park serve the middle river.

When is the best time to fish the Meramec River?

March through May: best brown trout months, good flows, fewer floaters. June through August: stocked rainbows near the park, smallmouth below Steelville, heavy canoe traffic on weekends. September through November: low clear water, sight fishing for browns, fall colors through the bluffs. Winter: catch-and-release trout fishing in the park on set days, quiet river below it.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Meramec River?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Missouri agency site: https://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/regulations