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Home › Waters › Missouri › Big Piney River
River · Ozarks · Missouri

Big Piney River Fishing Guides

Remote, slow-moving Ozark smallmouth stream with long pools and gravel bars, floated by canoe and kayak from Slabtown to the Gasconade confluence, with goggle-eye and largemouth bass in the deeper holes.

A boulder standing mid-channel in a shallow gravel river

Map of the Big Piney River

32 numbered points: 10 access points, 2 campsites, 9 bridges, 3 parks and conservation areas, 7 springs, 1 USGS gauge. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 7, 2026.

Printable version →
  • Access / boat ramp (10)
  • Campsite (2)
  • Bridge crossing (9)
  • Park / conservation area (3)
  • Spring (7)
  • 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 32 points on this map
#PointTypeLat, LonNotes
1Highway 63 bridge at Houston
US 63		Bridge crossing37.19498, -92.03901Upper crossing at Houston; small water above here.
2Big Piney Access (Houston)
Public		Access / boat ramp37.19509, -92.03919Landing at the Highway 63 bridge.
3Baptist Camp Access
MDC		Access / boat ramp37.25796, -92.01758Public access north of Houston; a common upper put-in.
4Dripping SpringSpring37.26876, -92.02701Spring below Baptist Camp.
5Highway Z bridge
MO Z		Bridge crossing37.31734, -92.00433Crossing above the Piney River Narrows.
6Piney River Narrows Natural Area
Missouri Department of Conservation		Park / conservation area37.32193, -92.00985Narrow rock ridge between two bends of the river; conservation area on both banks.
7Highway 17 bridge
MO 17		Bridge crossing37.32660, -92.00313Crossing at Dogs Bluff.
8Dogs Bluff Access
MDC		Access / boat ramp37.32726, -92.00213Public access at the Highway 17 bridge; start of the popular Dogs Bluff–Boiling Spring float.
9Horseshoe Bend Natural Area
Missouri Department of Conservation		Park / conservation area37.36030, -91.97814Natural area on the big bend below Dogs Bluff.
10Mineral Springs boat ramp
Public		Access / boat ramp37.36315, -91.96972Ramp at Mineral Springs.
11Boiling SpringSpring37.45945, -91.98925The Big Piney's Boiling Spring, a large spring on river left at the Boiling Springs access.
12Boiling Springs Access
Public · floater parking		Access / boat ramp37.46166, -91.98775Access and parking at the spring; resort camping nearby.
13Burnett SpringSpring37.48318, -91.96901Spring below Boiling Springs.
14Highway 32 bridge (Mason Bridge)
MO 32		Bridge crossing37.49913, -91.98840Crossing between Licking and Roby.
15Mason Bridge Access
Public		Access / boat ramp37.50581, -91.98319Landing at the Highway 32 bridge.
16Falling SpringsSpring37.52542, -92.00227Spring on the reach above Slabtown.
17Hazelton SpringSpring37.52477, -92.02381Spring across from Falling Springs.
18Slabtown Landing
Mark Twain National Forest		Access / boat ramp37.56097, -92.03249Forest Service landing and camping area at Slabtown.
19Slabtown Camping Area
Mark Twain National Forest		Campsite37.56208, -92.03231Primitive camping beside the landing.
20Slabtown Road bridge
County road		Bridge crossing37.56655, -92.02639Crossing at Slabtown with a landing beside it.
21Peter A. Eck Conservation Area
Missouri Department of Conservation		Park / conservation area37.58440, -92.02428MDC area below Slabtown.
22Six Crossing Access
Mark Twain National Forest		Access / boat ramp37.64262, -92.04367Forest Service access above Ross Bridge.
23Ross Bridge
County road		Bridge crossing37.66375, -92.05203Crossing at Ross Access.
24USGS 06930000 Big Piney River near Big PineyUSGS gauge37.66564, -92.04992The gauge behind the live flow on this page, at Ross Bridge.
25Ross Access
MDC · canoe launch		Access / boat ramp37.66943, -92.04899Public access below Ross Bridge; the usual take-out for the Slabtown float.
26Stone Mill Spring
Fort Leonard Wood · trout area		Spring37.74005, -92.04126Spring branch stocked with trout by MDC; on the Fort Leonard Wood side of the river.
27Eastgate Access
Fort Leonard Wood · FLW 10 bridge		Access / boat ramp37.76020, -92.05813Access at the fort's east gate road crossing.
28Shanghai SpringSpring37.83040, -92.08885Spring above Devils Elbow.
29Devils Elbow Campground
Private · camping		Campsite37.84606, -92.05968Campground at Devils Elbow on the old Route 66.
30Devils Elbow Bridge (Historic Route 66)
US Historic 66 · Teardrop Road		Bridge crossing37.84821, -92.06227The 1923 steel truss bridge at Devils Elbow.
31Highway Z bridge at Devils Elbow
MO Z		Bridge crossing37.85012, -92.07122Crossing just below the old bridge.
32Interstate 44 bridge
I-44		Bridge crossing37.85343, -92.07631The interstate crossing; the Big Piney meets the Gasconade a few miles below.

Guides on the Big Piney 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 Big Piney River

The Big Piney is a smallmouth river through and through. It runs north out of Texas County past Houston and through Fort Leonard Wood to join the Gasconade near Jerome, and it is one of the streams designated by the Missouri Department of Conservation for special smallmouth management. It is a Smallmouth Slam stream and a classic Ozark float: gravel bars, root wads, bluff pools, and enough gradient to keep the water moving.

The upper river from Dogs Bluff and Slabtown down through Boiling Spring is the best-known guided water. Boiling Spring itself adds a shot of cold water and creates a deep pool that holds fish year-round. Below the spring the floats continue past Ross Bridge and Mason Bridge to Sand Shoals and the Fort Leonard Wood boundary. The lower river inside the fort requires a post pass but rewards it with less pressure.

The gauge near Big Piney, in the middle of the river, is a good indicator for the whole float section. Around 200 to 500 cfs is ideal for a canoe or a light raft with a fly rod; under 150 the river is low and you will drag through riffles; above 900 the river is high and fast. Smallmouth fishing is best on falling water after a rise, and the Big Piney clears faster than the Gasconade.

Licking and Houston are the supply towns. There are canoe liveries and a few cabins near Slabtown and Boiling Spring, and primitive camping on the National Forest gravel bars, which makes the Big Piney a natural choice for an overnight float with a guide who cooks. It is also the river where the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance has done some of its longest-running habitat and angler survey work, so the fishery is better documented than most.

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Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
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 Big Piney River cfs

Now: 125 cfs, read 6:00 pm CDT, Sun Oct 18, 2026 (USGS 06930000, Big Piney River near Big Piney, MO).

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

Access

Dogs Bluff Access (Highway 17 near Houston): MDC access at the top of the popular floats.
Slabtown Access: Forest Service access and campground, 10 miles below Dogs Bluff.
Boiling Spring Access: Forest Service access near the spring, a common takeout for a one-day float.
Ross Bridge and Mason Bridge: MDC accesses on the middle river.
Sand Shoals Access: MDC access above Fort Leonard Wood; accesses inside the fort require a post permit.

Seasons

April and May: pre-spawn and spawn, the biggest smallmouth of the year on jigs and streamers, best flows.
June through August: topwater season, low clear water by late summer, early and late in the day.
September and October: cooling water and aggressive fish, low flows, wading and short floats.
Winter: smallmouth stack in the deep bluff pools; slow, deep presentations for the few who go.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Big Piney River?

As of Oct 18, 6:00 pm, the USGS gauge Big Piney River near Big Piney, MO reads 125 cfs, the 20th percentile for this date. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Big Piney River?

Anglers target Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass on the Big Piney River in Missouri.

Are there fishing guides on the Big Piney River?

GuidedFloats lists 1 guide and outfitters on the Big Piney River. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.

Where can you access the Big Piney River?

Dogs Bluff Access (Highway 17 near Houston): MDC access at the top of the popular floats. Slabtown Access: Forest Service access and campground, 10 miles below Dogs Bluff. Boiling Spring Access: Forest Service access near the spring, a common takeout for a one-day float. Ross Bridge and Mason Bridge: MDC accesses on the middle river. Sand Shoals Access: MDC access above Fort Leonard Wood; accesses inside the fort require a post permit.

When is the best time to fish the Big Piney River?

April and May: pre-spawn and spawn, the biggest smallmouth of the year on jigs and streamers, best flows. June through August: topwater season, low clear water by late summer, early and late in the day. September and October: cooling water and aggressive fish, low flows, wading and short floats. Winter: smallmouth stack in the deep bluff pools; slow, deep presentations for the few who go.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Big Piney River?

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