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.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin Floats Lesterville | Outfitter / canoe rental | 37.45015, -90.82960 | Float service at the top of the run; tagged as a camp in OSM but it is a float outfit. |
| 2 | Twin Rivers Landing campground Lesterville | Campsite | 37.44256, -90.82878 | Campground at the landing where the East and West forks come together. |
| 3 | Twin Rivers Landing Lesterville · ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.43863, -90.82782 | Launch at the head of the main-stem Black, just below the forks. |
| 4 | County Road 342 bridge Lesterville | Bridge crossing | 37.43676, -90.82248 | The Peola Road crossing that reaches the Lesterville accesses. |
| 5 | Riversedge Campground Lesterville | Campsite | 37.42886, -90.82646 | Riverside campground on the Lesterville stretch. |
| 6 | Lesterville Access MDC · walk-in | Access / boat ramp | 37.41724, -90.82565 | Department of Conservation access; walk-in only, no ramp. |
| 7 | Cave Spring Reynolds County | Spring | 37.35965, -90.80518 | Spring on the bank between Lesterville and Clearwater Lake. |
| 8 | USGS 07061500 — Black River near Annapolis USGS gauging station | USGS gauge | 37.33814, -90.78875 | The upstream gauge for the free-flowing river above Clearwater Lake. Coordinates are the station's own. |
| 9 | Highway K Public Use Area USACE · upper Clearwater Lake | Park / conservation area | 37.32588, -90.76679 | Corps use area where the river enters the head of Clearwater Lake. |
| 10 | Jeff's Canoe Rental Highway K | Outfitter / canoe rental | 37.32593, -90.76020 | Canoe and kayak rental at the Highway K use area. |
| 11 | Highway K Campground USACE · Clearwater Lake | Campsite | 37.32504, -90.76128 | Corps campground beside the Highway K ramp. |
| 12 | Highway K boat ramp USACE · Clearwater Lake | Access / boat ramp | 37.32467, -90.76510 | Ramp at the Highway K use area. |
| 13 | Bluff View Public Use Area USACE · Clearwater Lake | Park / conservation area | 37.18199, -90.79068 | Corps park on the lake's west shore. |
| 14 | Bluff View boat ramp USACE · Clearwater Lake | Access / boat ramp | 37.17790, -90.78673 | Unnamed in OSM; the ramp serving the Bluff View area. |
| 15 | Piedmont Park Public Use Area USACE · Clearwater Lake | Park / conservation area | 37.14255, -90.77041 | Corps park above the dam on the Piedmont side. |
| 16 | Piedmont Park boat ramp USACE · Clearwater Lake | Access / boat ramp | 37.14079, -90.77283 | Unnamed in OSM; the ramp at Piedmont Park. |
| 17 | Clearwater Dam USACE · NID MO30203 | Dam / hazard | 37.13698, -90.76912 | The dam that divides the lake from the river below. Fishing is barred inside the wing walls and the water below the spillway carries its own restrictions; read the current Missouri rules. |
| 18 | River Road Public Use Area USACE · below Clearwater Dam | Park / conservation area | 37.13366, -90.76819 | Corps area on the tailwater, the first public ground below the dam. |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Boat ramp below Clearwater Dam Tailwater ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.12806, -90.75565 | Unnamed in OSM; the ramp on the cold tailwater reach below the dam. |
| 20 | Union Pacific railroad bridge UP De Soto Subdivision | Bridge crossing | 37.03479, -90.65575 | Rail crossing on the reach between the dam and Markham Spring. |
| 21 | Markham Spring Recreation Area USFS · Mark Twain National Forest | Park / conservation area | 36.98172, -90.60428 | Forest Service recreation area built around the spring branch. |
| 22 | Markham Springs Campground USFS · Mark Twain National Forest | Campsite | 36.98055, -90.60360 | Forest Service campground at the spring. |
| 23 | Markham Spring Mark Twain National Forest | Spring | 36.97887, -90.60364 | The spring itself, feeding the river through a short branch. |
| 24 | Markham Springs Dam NID MO30207 | Dam / hazard | 36.97868, -90.60248 | Small dam on the spring branch at the recreation area. |
| 25 | Markham Spring access USFS · ramp | Access / boat ramp | 36.97639, -90.59966 | Launch at the downstream end of the Markham Spring area. |
| 26 | Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area MDC · small boats and canoes | Access / boat ramp | 36.96331, -90.55438 | Conservation area access near Williamsville; the launch suits canoes and small boats. |
| 27 | County Road 417 bridge Williamsville | Bridge crossing | 36.95678, -90.54984 | The county crossing on the road into the Hammer area. |
| 28 | Hilliard Access MDC | Access / boat ramp | 36.82135, -90.42292 | Conservation Department access on the lower river above Poplar Bluff. |
| 29 | Sportsman's Park Access MDC · Poplar Bluff | Access / boat ramp | 36.76428, -90.37803 | Town access at Sportsman's Park, the Conservation Department launch in Poplar Bluff. |
| 30 | Line Park City of Poplar Bluff | Park / conservation area | 36.75856, -90.38520 | City park on the bank in Poplar Bluff. |
| 31 | Hillcrest Park City of Poplar Bluff | Park / conservation area | 36.76101, -90.38983 | Riverside city park upstream of the Business 60 crossing. |
| 32 | US 60 Business bridge, Poplar Bluff East Pine Street | Bridge crossing | 36.75652, -90.39035 | The main town crossing. |
| 33 | Poplar Bluff boat ramp Poplar Bluff | Access / boat ramp | 36.75173, -90.39286 | Unnamed in OSM; the ramp by the Route WW crossing at the south end of town. |
| 34 | Route WW bridge (Ditch Road) Poplar Bluff | Bridge crossing | 36.75173, -90.39650 | Crossing at the downstream edge of Poplar Bluff. |
| 35 | County Road 658 bridge Butler County | Bridge crossing | 36.64695, -90.30051 | Crossing on the lower river below Poplar Bluff. |
| 36 | County Road 214 bridge Butler County · near the state line | Bridge crossing | 36.58544, -90.33623 | One of the last Missouri crossings before the river runs into Arkansas. |
Gauge: USGS 07061500 — Black River near Annapolis, MO. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Shadow Bass, Smallmouth Bass
Regulations: mdc.mo.gov/fishing/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
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.
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.