January 18, 2020
If you enjoy chasing smallmouth bass and sunfish on small creeks, then carve out some time to try your luck fishing the Mineral Fork. This small, clear Ozark stream is located in Washington County, MO. The lower portion of the creek is located on state-owned land with one public access that I am aware of. The Mineral Fork flows into the Big River, so you can technically fish both of these streams on the same trip.
Access
You can access the Mineral Fork by parking at the Kingston Access on Dugout Road off of Highway 21 (link below). The gravel lot is large enough to accommodate 10-12 cars, with overflow parking on the shoulder of the road. This stream is popular in the summer with swimmers, so sometimes the lot can fill up. After taking the path through the woods down to the Mineral Fork and catching a glimpse of the clear running water, you will understand why. The shallow stream is perfect for wading, with several deeper holes that entice the swimming crowd. More importantly, these holes offer some great fishing opportunities.
Fishing
Fishing the Mineral Fork is also a popular past time. The clear, shallow stream and relatively high fishing pressure certainly create some challenges for anglers. I have fished it several times over the years and always managed to find at least a few small bass and plenty of bluegill and sunfish. There are also plenty of suckers if that is your thing. The Mineral Fork is part of the Missouri smallmouth bass Special Management Area, where only one fish may be harvested and it must be at least 15”. Of course I recommend releasing all the smallies and instead take home some the the spotted bass that are common in the area, especially as you get closer to the confluence with the Big River.
Fishing Techniques
Generally speaking, all of the same strategies that work in similar Ozark streams will work as well in the Mineral Fork. If spin fishing, I like to use small crankbaits that imitate minnows or crayfish. In addition, as always, I love to throw small hair jigs or small swim baits into the deep holes and under root wads along the bank. The same bait will catch multiple species from the same hole. Last summer I fly fished a few times, and found great success with foam hoppers, ants, and spiders. I did catch a few with small Griffiths gnats and bead head nymphs of one type or another. However, the best numbers of fish were on the surface bugs. I have no doubt that any finesse technique that you are comfortable with will be successful as long as the bait is small and the line light.
Other Considerations
The Mineral Fork can be difficult to wade if the water is up due to steep sides in some locations. Be prepared to get wet if you plan on wading all the way to Washington State Park. The water seems to be a bit lower wading upstream towards the Highway 47 bridge, so this may be a better bet in some seasons. I have caught plenty of fish going either direction. While I have never floated this personally, I see people doing it almost every time I go. They usually tell me that they put in on private property somewhere upstream. Occasionally they put it at the Highway 47 bridge, but they have to be dropped of there as no parking is available. Either way, I imagine that this could be a challenging float with some areas to portage.
A Word of Caution
I hesitate to even mention this but I guess its fair to bring it up. I often feel slightly uncomfortable fishing the Mineral Fork due to some of the other people I run into on the stream. Much of the stream borders private land, and I have had some strange interactions along the way. Perhaps the strangest was last September while fishing by myself late afternoon. Fishing was superb and I was approaching a great looking hole under some rapids with plenty of bank cover. Suddenly a very large older man came seemingly out of nowhere, totally naked. He appeared to be taking a bath in the river just a few yards from where I was fishing. We exchanged awkward waves and I decided it was time to head back. Another time this summer I arrived at the parking lot to interrupt a few shady characters who were looking into cars parked in the lot. Just be careful.
Final Words
Try not to let all of that bother you too much. The area is beautiful and the stream worthy of summer day on the water. Fishing the Mineral Fork can be tricky but there are some nice fish caught in there all the time. If you decide to go, send me some of your fish pics either to paul@mo-outdoors.com or DM on one of our social channels. Below are a few links to the area, and good luck out there in the MO-Outdoors!
https://huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/downloads/area/Mineral-Fork-SMA.pdf
https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/kingston-access
