Current River at Montauk Fishing Guides
The spring-fed headwaters of the Current River inside Montauk State Park, where Montauk Spring pushes forty million gallons a day of constant cold water over a stocked trout fishery.
Map of the Current River at Montauk
14 numbered points: 2 access points, 4 campsites, 1 bait & fly shop, 1 park or conservation area, 2 agency offices, 1 regulation section limit, 1 spring, 1 USGS gauge, 1 point of interest. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 6, 2026.
- Access / boat ramp (2)
- Campsite (4)
- Bait, tackle & fly shop (1)
- Park / conservation area (1)
- Agency / conservation office (2)
- Regulation section limit (1)
- Spring (1)
- USGS gauge (1)
- Point of interest (1)
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 mapAll 14 points on this map
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montauk Springs Head of the Current River | Spring | 37.46054, -91.68336 | The park springs surface here and run south to meet Pigeon Creek; everything below this point is the Current River. |
| 2 | Montauk Trout Hatchery MDC hatchery on the spring branch | Agency / conservation office | 37.45488, -91.68547 | Raceways below the spring. The catch-and-release fly water runs up to the raceways. |
| 3 | Montauk State Park Missouri State Parks | Park / conservation area | 37.45368, -91.68274 | Trout park: daily tag required, and the park's zones change the rules by reach. Marker is the park centre, not a gate. |
| 4 | Montauk Mill Historic 1896 gristmill | Point of interest | 37.45042, -91.68418 | The mill and its dam are the landmark the park's fishing zones are described from. |
| 5 | Flies-only zone - lower limit at the Mill Dam Upstream from here to Montauk Springs | Regulation section limit | 37.45042, -91.68418 | MDC describes the flies-only water as the Mill Dam upstream to Montauk Springs. Marker sits on the mill; the dam is at the mill, so treat it as approximate. Check the current rules before you fish. |
| 6 | Montauk Park Superintendent Office Missouri State Parks - park office | Agency / conservation office | 37.45258, -91.68191 | Park office; the place to ask about zone signs and water conditions. |
| 7 | Montauk State Park Store Park concession - tackle, bait, daily tags | Bait, tackle & fly shop | 37.45214, -91.68119 | The only tackle counter inside the park. |
| 8 | Loop 1 Campground Montauk State Park | Campsite | 37.45477, -91.67778 | |
| 9 | Loop 2 Campground Montauk State Park | Campsite | 37.45497, -91.67553 | |
| 10 | Loop 3 Campground Montauk State Park | Campsite | 37.45467, -91.67338 | The loop 3 ADA pier and the old low-water bridge below it are the winter catch-and-release landmark. |
| 11 | Loop 4 Campground Montauk State Park | Campsite | 37.45246, -91.67270 | |
| 12 | USGS 07064440 - Current River at Montauk State Park USGS streamgauge | USGS gauge | 37.44792, -91.67136 | Read this before you drive: the park fishes low and clear most of the year and blows out fast after rain. |
| 13 | Tan Vat First access below the park | Access / boat ramp | 37.45072, -91.66134 | Well known wading access on the wild trout water below Montauk. OSM carries it only as a locality node, so treat the pin as the spot, not the parking. |
| 14 | Baptist Camp Access Ramp on the upper Current | Access / boat ramp | 37.43513, -91.65725 | Next access downstream of Tan Vat. Below here the river belongs to the main Current River map. |
Guides on the Current River at Montauk
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About the Current River at Montauk
The Current River begins at Montauk State Park in the Missouri Ozarks, where Montauk Spring discharges roughly forty million gallons a day of fifty-eight degree water and turns a small creek into a river within a few hundred yards. The gauge inside the park sits at the top of that transformation, on water with a drainage area of under sixty square miles but a flow far larger than that area could otherwise produce. It is a spring creek in the truest sense, sustained by groundwater rather than runoff.
Montauk is one of Missouri’s four trout parks, and the fishery inside the park is built around daily stocking of rainbow trout with a smaller number of brown trout. It is a managed, accessible and frankly crowded fishery during the March through October catch and keep season, and it is deliberately so. Below the park boundary the river changes character quickly, becoming the wild, gravel-bottomed float stream that the Ozark National Scenic Riverways was created to protect.
The constant spring temperature is what makes this water work. It never freezes and it never warms past the range trout tolerate, so the fishing continues through the winter catch and release season when most Missouri water is unproductive. Fly anglers work scuds, midges and small streamers in the park, and the winter season is by far the quieter and more interesting fishing.
Access is straightforward. The park has parking, paths, a lodge and marked zones with different tackle restrictions. Anglers should read the zone signage carefully, because fly-only and bait-permitted water sit close together here. Anglers who want the wild version of this river rather than the park version can launch below the boundary and float toward Tan Vat and Baptist Camp, where the character changes entirely.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Current River at Montauk.
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Access
Montauk State Park: the main access, with parking and marked fishing zones.
Park hatchery reach: the uppermost water immediately below the spring.
Fly-only zone: signed water within the park with tackle restrictions.
Park boundary: the transition to the wild river downstream.
Tan Vat: the first public access on the river below the park.
Baptist Camp: access further down the upper Current for float trips.
Note: a daily trout tag is required in the park during the catch and keep season.
Seasons
Winter: catch and release only, cold clear spring flow, and few anglers.
Spring: the catch and keep season opens in March and the park fills up.
Summer: constant spring temperature keeps the fishing going through the heat.
Fall: the season ends in October and the river returns to quiet water.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Current River at Montauk?
As of Nov 2, 6:15 am, the USGS gauge Current River at Montauk State Park, MO reads 61 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Current River at Montauk?
Anglers target Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout on the Current River at Montauk in Missouri.
Where can you access the Current River at Montauk?
Montauk State Park: the main access, with parking and marked fishing zones. Park hatchery reach: the uppermost water immediately below the spring. Fly-only zone: signed water within the park with tackle restrictions. Park boundary: the transition to the wild river downstream. Tan Vat: the first public access on the river below the park. Baptist Camp: access further down the upper Current for float trips. Note: a daily trout tag is required in the park during the catch and keep season.
When is the best time to fish the Current River at Montauk?
Winter: catch and release only, cold clear spring flow, and few anglers. Spring: the catch and keep season opens in March and the park fills up. Summer: constant spring temperature keeps the fishing going through the heat. Fall: the season ends in October and the river returns to quiet water.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Current River at Montauk?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Missouri agency site: https://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/regulations