Fishing the Twins

On Monday, July 2^nd, Vickie and I sat out on an adventure; we would leave Branson and the comfort of Taneycomo in search of new water. I had read two different pieces this past year exclaiming the beauty and quality of fishing surrounding the area just north of Tecumseh, Missouri. Here there are two water systems or ‘twins’ that flow from north to south and meet at Dawt Mill where they become one river and flow into Norfolk Lake; the two systems are the North Fork of the White River and Bryant’s Creek. Now I would have to describe the waterways as fraternal twins and certainly not identical twins due to their subtle, yet noticeable differences.

I could tell that Missouri 160 appeared to be a windey one from the configuration on the map…but little did I know how mountainous until we were on it. The first 20 or so miles was a right hand curve followed by a left hand curve and often with a gradient involved; to say the least it would have made a car sick person….well, very sick!

We entered Mark Twain National Forest just east of Branson and seemed to be within its boundaries for many miles. It gave me time to think about old Samuel Clements and some of the funny stuff he has said and written…another column! When we left the national forest I knew we were close and checked my map and made a left on county road PP, in a couple miles we crossed the north fork of the White and I knew we were now between the ‘twins’; Bryant’s Creek to my left and the North Fork of the White to my right. A few miles later PP merged into H and quickly I turned east onto CR 354 and parked at the Blair Bridge Access.

Vickie and I made our way down to the river’s edge…me with my fly fishing gear and Vickie armed with a lawn chair and her latest novel. I readied my 3 weight rod with type 1 sinking line, tied on a black wooly and pushed off, to the south, towards new water and new sights!

The water was flowing quickly and it was cool, very cool…my guess would have it in the mid to upper 50’s. The water was gin clear, so clear that you could easily see to the bottom of pools and it so reminded me of the many fishing shows I have watched from the island of New Zealand…and the real exciting thing for me was knowing that within this water lurked big brown trout; along with rainbows and smallmouth. My plan was to head downstream and fish the streamer back across stream, working it around boulders and other holding places, trying to elicit a strike from a predatory fish.

Here is where I would love to tell you that I hooked into a large brown…but it didn’t happen. First, I knew the timing for a big brown was not good and while I did have several rainbow strikes I didn’t manage to set the hook into any of them. I fished down river about half to ¾ of a mile and the last pool I fished was straight out of a magazine as the water slowed and eddied by several large boulders. I had tied on a brown crayfish pattern of mine and was swinging it down, across and in front of these boulders when I saw a flash and felt a pop; there on the other end was a beautiful 13 inch smallie and he gave me one awesome fight before he posed for a few photos.

I made the walk back upstream, loaded up the Suburban and made my way back out to H and turned north…and in less than a mile I took a left on CR 328 where we crossed a few mountainous Ozark miles and wound up at Warren Bridge Access ran by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Once again I fished down the creek and I might note it looked more like a river than did the north fork. The water was some warmer, probably low to mid 60’s and not quite as clear…but the west edge was a limestone bluff that set the mood for some great fly fishing. I traded in my 3 weight for my 6 weight type 3 sinking line and tied on an orange crayfish pattern. I was making long cast across the stream and allowing the crayfish to sink and tinkle along the bottom. Once again I took a short jaunt and landed 3 more nice smallies before once again making the trek back up river to find my gal.

It was a little after noon and we turned the car north on a few roads and made our way to Mansfield, Missouri; so you are asking…what is in Mansfield? Laura Ingalls Wilder made her home along with her husband Almanzo there for the last half a century of her life…oh, and wrote all 9 of her “Little House on the Prairie” series there at Rocky Ridge Farm. It was a great treat for both of us to spend a couple hours reading, reminiscing and experiencing the entire museum. I have to say it isn’t every day you see Pa Ingalls fiddle that was played “On the Banks of Plum Creek”!

Our day had a fitting end…we were both quite hungry and somehow my old truck managed to turn left at Ozark, Missouri…home to Lambert’s Café (home to the thrown roll). If you have not had the chance to eat at Lamberts…DON’T PASS IT UP! The food and the experience are worth whatever it costs…however, I must say the prices aren’t too bad and the serving sizes are crazy!

If you are looking for a piece of God’s country and don’t want to travel abroad to find it…set your sights on a little valley in south central Missouri and fish the ‘twins’! There is no question that you will find the beauty of the Ozarks as we all Enjoy the Great Outdoors.