Canoe and kayak paddlers rarely mention this little stream when talk turns to floating. Anglers don’t mention it during bait shop banter. Even the stream’s name is nondescript.
Flat Creek in southwest Missouri flows with little fanfare. Not a soul was seen until the tail end of a six-mile float trip on a hot Friday in mid-June. Could be that Flat Creek gets its name from long plates of bedrock on the stream bottom. It’s not really flat, but the stream is short.
Flat Creek rises in the hill country of Barry County, Mo., about 15 miles east of Cassville, Mo. The stream meanders east until it flows into Table Rock Lake, near Cape Fair, Mo.
The guidebook “A Paddler’s Guide to Missouri” says Flat Creek has only 26 floatable miles. An early start was in order to sample six of those miles. The forecast promised 95 degrees by afternoon. Russ Tonkinson of Rogers took his usual seat in the bow of the canoe while chief boat paddler and fish netter settled into the stern seat.
Flat Creek was uncharted territory, a new waterway for us. That was part of the excitement when we slid the canoe into the water at the Missouri 39 bridge. The take-out was 6.2-miles downstream at the Missouri Route EE bridge and access. Rain earlier in the week had Flat Creek at a perfect level for floating and fishing,
The first thing a paddler may notice is the beautiful clear water. Second is that Flat Creek is an obstacle course of fallen trees at every bend and shoal. It isn’t for beginner paddlers or those who don’t like walking their boats around snags.
Take the challenge and the next thing to notice is that the fishing is outstanding, at least on this steamy trip. Smallmouth bass were in a mood to bite. Tonkinson caught and released a fair number, including two 14-inch smallmouths and a dandy at 16 inches.
“This seems to be more of a size river than a numbers place,” Tonkinson said, sizing up the first half of the float during a gravel bar lunch stop.
Flat Creek was a different stream the next three miles. The gnarly factor increased tenfold with more timber to dodge. The water seemed shallower and the heat was searing. Getting out to walk the canoe offered ample opportunities to stretch stiff legs.
Nature treated us well for the effort. A juvenile bald eagle took flight from a shoreline tree. Later, a raccoon swam across the creek 30 yards in front of the canoe.
The clear water is great for fish watching. Pods of suckers patrolled the creek. Big schools of minnows were seen and, of course, the regal smallmouth bass.
Smallmouths are the most abundant game fish in Flat Creek, said Mike Petersen with the Missouri Department of Conservation. The stretch of river from Missouri 39 to Missouri Route EE is his favorite.
Petersen catches mostly smallmouths. A few largemouths start showing up where the creek nears Table Rock Lake.
“Some of the smallmouths are 14 to 16 inches. You don’t catch a lot that are larger than that,” he said. Anglers can expect to catch a few Ozark bass, called goggle-eye by most anglers.
Tonkinson went after his fish on the bottom. Petersen likes to fish on the surface with buzz baits, small top-water lures and Zoom Flukes. Dawn and dusk are the best top-water times.
Small jig and pigs are good. “Anything that looks like a crawdad,” Petersen said.
In March and April, fishermen might expect white bass to make a spawning run up Flat Creek from Table Rock Lake.
Petersen said it doesn’t happen.
“You might catch a few, but it’s really not worth messing with,” he advised.
Nary a soul was seen on Flat Creek, until we rounded a bend and hit the local swimming hole at the Route EE access. Moms and dads relaxed in lawn chairs in the shade of the bridge. Kids squealed in delight swimming in the clear, cool creek. One crewcut boy took a shine to our canoe.
“Is this your boat? How many fish did you catch?”
The lad grabbed one of our paddles and pretended he was on a river expedition. He played and played while we loaded up the canoe and gear. His mom had to wade out into the creek and fetch our paddle back.
Just another scene that adds to the charm of Flat Creek.
Float Flat Creek
About 26 miles of Flat Creek is floatable. The stream forms in Barry County, Mo., and flows into Table Rock Lake near Cape Fair, Mo. The current is easy, but the stream is loaded with fallen timber that makes it a challenge to float.
Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip
The clear water is great for fish watching. Pods of suckers patrolled the creek. Big schools of minnows were seen and, of course, the regal smallmouth bass.