Black River Fishing Guides and Conditions, Missouri

About the Black River

The Black River in Missouri is really two rivers. Above Clearwater Lake it is a clear, fast Ozark stream draining the St. Francois Mountains, with the East, Middle, and West Forks joining near Lesterville to form a smallmouth river that runs past Johnsons Shut-Ins and down to the lake near Annapolis. Below Clearwater Dam it is a cold tailwater for a few miles, then a slower lowland river through Poplar Bluff toward Arkansas.

The upper river is the float-trip water. Lesterville to the K Highway bridge, and on toward Centerville and Annapolis, is classic smallmouth fishing with clear pools, boulder gardens, and long gravel runs. Goggle-eye and largemouth mix in, and the river is a popular summer tubing and canoeing destination out of Lesterville, so weekend traffic is heavy in July and August. The forks above Lesterville are small, intimate wade water that is at its best in spring.

The USGS gauge near Annapolis sits above the lake and reads the whole upper basin. Around 200 to 500 cfs is a comfortable floating flow for the Lesterville reach; below 150 it is low and clear and wades well; above 1,000 the river rises fast in its narrow valley and should be left alone. The Black clears quickly because of its rocky bed.

Lesterville has outfitters, campgrounds, and cabins. Johnsons Shut-Ins State Park and Elephant Rocks are the well-known stops nearby, and the Taum Sauk area draws hikers to the same valley, so lodging fills on fall weekends. Guides on the Black are mostly wade and canoe guides rather than drift boat operators, which suits a river this size, and a half-day trip on the forks in April is one of the best introductions to Ozark smallmouth fishing anywhere in the state.

Access

West Fork and Middle Fork accesses near Centerville and Lesterville: wade and short-float water in spring.
Lesterville area: outfitter accesses and the Highway 21 bridge, the usual launch for one-day floats.
Highway K bridge and Sutton Bluff area: middle river accesses.
Annapolis and the Clearwater Lake arm: takeouts at the bottom of the free-flowing river.
Below Clearwater Dam: Corps of Engineers accesses on the tailwater, and Poplar Bluff ramps on the lower river.

Seasons

March through May: best flows on the forks and the upper river, spawning smallmouth, few people.
June through August: warm, clear, and busy with tubers on weekends; fish early or float midweek.
September and October: low clear water and hungry smallmouth before winter, fall color in the shut-ins.
Winter: tailwater below Clearwater Dam holds fish through the cold months; upper river is quiet.