Spring Fed · Limestone · Missouri

Current River / Montauk (Missouri spring system)

Fast whitewater rapids flowing over rocks in a wooded stretch of the Current River at Montauk State Park, Missouri.
Marginal · Rainbow Trout
Trico Spinner · 20-24
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River steady at a fishable height. Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.47 mLast reading 7h ago
  • Water temp19.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
TS
Trico Spinner20-24
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.47 m
Last reading 7h ago
Water temp19.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather29°C
WindNW 7 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent8.1 mm
Rain · ahead0.8 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
19°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 19.1°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Gammarus Scud (Olive)
Gammarus Scud (Olive)
12-16 · Gammarus Scud
Dead-drift, sub-surface
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • OVERVIEW PAGE — Missouri trout fishing is park/permit/zone-specific
  • A daily trout tag is required inside Montauk State Park; a Missouri Trout Permit is required to possess trout elsewhere
  • Verify exact park dates, zones and tag/permit rules against current MDC rules.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 19°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Fast whitewater rapids flowing over rocks in a wooded stretch of the Current River at Montauk State Park, Missouri.
    Rapids in the River at Montauk State Park, Missouri
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
  • Fish consumption: Impaired
What this classification means

Fish consumption: Consumption advisory (Mercury) — fish for sport, not the table.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Current R.' (MO_2662.00), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Mercury. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · MO_2662.00

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 33 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature67 × 28%18.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity66 × 12%7.9
Conditions total= 74
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 March → 31 December
Related guides
Chalkstream Playbookchalk stream tacticsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts