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 | Spring Creek Blue Ribbon Trout Area — upper limit At Relfe Spring | Regulation section limit | 37.71256, -91.97589 | MDC Blue Ribbon reach runs from Relfe Spring downstream to the junction with the Big Piney River, about 6.2 miles; only the lower stretch below the private-land boundary is publicly accessible. Boundary only — check MDC for the rules. |
| 2 | Relfe Spring Head of Spring Creek | Spring | 37.71256, -91.97589 | The source spring and the top of the Blue Ribbon reach. |
| 3 | County Road 6410 bridge Phelps County | Bridge crossing | 37.72071, -91.98715 | The only mapped road crossing on the creek, just below Relfe Spring. |
| 4 | Cross Roads Access USFS · Mark Twain National Forest | Access / boat ramp | 37.76667, -92.01763 | Forest Service boating site near the mouth; the practical access to the public lower reach. |
| 5 | Spring Creek Blue Ribbon Trout Area — lower limit At the Big Piney River junction | Regulation section limit | 37.76847, -92.01859 | The downstream end of the Blue Ribbon reach is the confluence with the Big Piney. Boundary only — check MDC for the rules. |
Gauge: no real-time USGS gauge on this water. Check conditions locally.
Species: Rainbow Trout
Regulations: mdc.mo.gov/fishing/regulations/special-waterbody-regulations/spring-creek
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Spring Creek Recreation Site, Mark Twain National Forest - primitive, with no developed facilities and no trash service. Take the Highway J exit off I-44 near the Pulaski and Phelps county line, head south on Highway J and turn just before the Spring Creek bridge onto the Forest Service road.
Forest Road 1803 is closed to vehicles - the last stretch is on foot.
Also reachable from Fort Leonard Wood via East Gate Road, and from near Edgar Springs by Highway M to Highway J.
The upper half of the creek, including Relfe Spring, is private. Public fishing runs from the private land boundary about 3 miles below Relfe Spring down 3.2 miles to the Big Piney. Watch for posted property.
Walk-wade only
Winter and spring: MDC says plainly that January through early summer is the productive window here, and the fish that drop down after the winter spawn are what makes it so.
Summer: low and hard. Find the small spring seeps where the water stays cold and fish those; leave the shallow warm water alone.
Fall: quiet and pleasant but thinner than spring, with the population at its low point before the