As the morning light starts to trickle in, you wake up to different sounds: birds quietly chirping, the gentle rustling of the trees, and the blaring of a tornado siren off in the distance…

You remember you’re at Montauk State Park, and it’s time to go trout fishing.

The Fishing

This is what we came here for, so let’s dive in. 

Let me start by saying Montauk State Park is HUGE. The fishing boundaries include 3 miles of stream and about a 3-acre lake. Montauk Spring flows into the Current River and the section of water that falls within Montauk State Park’s borders is primarily home to Rainbow and Brown Trout. Montauk has three fishing zone designations: flies-only catch-and-release, fly fishing only, and any bait fishing. 

Currently, you’re allowed to keep up to four trout total per day and there is no size limit on rainbow trout, but brown trout must be at least 15 inches in length. For up-to-date information on all of Montauk’s fishing areas, hours, and regulations click here: Montauk State Park Fishing.

I stuck to a spinning rod setup with a small indicator and practically lived in my waders this weekend as we trekked up and down the river. You don’t need waders to fish here, but they did make this particular river much more accessible. A lot of the “any bait” stretch of river is surrounded by thick brush and trees with the occasional shallow stretch or gravel bar. 

Now, I’m not the tallest person out there, but the waders also made fishing more accessible for our nephews, too! An area where an adult might be able to fish in shorts with water up to their knees might be a spot that is waist-deep for the young anglers out there. 

Although we primarily used flies, we fished exclusively in the “any bait” fishing areas. Spoiler: we’re already planning our next trip back here and plan to explore more of the fly only sections of the river next time.

The temperature averaged around 85° for a high and 62° for the low, with no cloud cover all weekend. This late in the season, and given the heat, the trout were definitely more active on the bottom. I kept reaching for flies that sank quickly and were primarily white or light tan in color. I rotated through mop flies, Woolly Bugger streamers, and scud nymphs. Using a small indicator, I kept the flies close to the bottom, hoping for instinctive, territorial strikes, with the depth set at roughly 2-4 feet depending on the specific stretch of river I was fishing.

And if you need a sign to take one more cast:

On the last day, I participated in the Take a Fly, Leave a Fly program that is featured at the Montauk Spring Trail and left behind a glo bug in exchange for the tan mop fly pictured above. Naturally, I had to test it out a few times before packing up the campsite and managed to land my new PR rainbow trout that weighed in at just shy of 2 pounds. 

Campground/Campsite 

Let’s rip the Band-Aid off: bathrooms and phone service. 

Our phones were in SOS mode all weekend unless we stopped at the camp store. This didn’t have a negative impact on our experience, but that’s something you should be prepared for whenever you make a trip here. 

The bathroom situation here is not the best. There are four loops and one primary bathroom facility to rule them all. Loop 4 did have a temporary trailer bathroom facility set up, which helped. The bathrooms themselves were fine and “camping clean” with the occasional bug (remember, you are in the woods). In the evening rush hour, you might find yourself waiting in line for the shower. 

Now, let’s get into all of the great features of this campground! 

The lodge, cabins and campsites all follow along the river as opposed to being in a separate part of the park. Our campsite had a direct path to a deeper pool of the river and this made it very easy to start our day of fishing. 

One thing to keep in mind: you only reserve your campsite and this does not include the river access. Fortunately, every angler that walked by our campsite was polite and respectful. If this is something that you don’t want to risk, then I recommend booking a campsite on the interior of the loop, a cabin, or a room at the lodge. 

Our campsite itself was spacious, had plenty of tree cover that provided shade for most of the day, and was right along the river. 

Dog-Friendly: Dutch’s Takeaways 

Although dogs are not allowed in the fishing waters or the park buildings, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy Montauk with your pups! 

You’re allowed up to two dogs at your campsite and they must stay on a 10-foot leash. Montauk also has two cabins (9 and 10) that are a part of the Missouri State Park Cabins for Canines program.

We went on two shorter, dog-friendly hiking trails: the Montauk Lake Trail and the Montauk Spring Trail. 

Montauk Lake Trail is a flat, 1-mile, paved loop that takes you past the rearing pools, the catch-and-release fly fishing area, and Montauk Lake. The trail was well maintained beyond the pavement and the temperature of the pavement had cooled down enough for Dutch to explore from either side! This was a great opportunity to admire wildlife like blue herons, wood ducks, and white-tailed deer. 

The Montauk Spring Trail is an unpaved 0.5-mile, out-and-back trail that takes you to, you guessed it, the Montauk Spring! The spring is crystal clear and we were mesmerized watching a few rainbow trout circling around in their private oasis. If you keep going you’ll end up on a gravel bar of the shallow beginnings of the Current River. 

The short length of this trail made for a great “sniffing hike” for Dutch and we enjoyed it at his leisure. As always, keep an eye out for anything potentially hazardous to you and your pup like poison ivy or wildlife. 

Although we didn’t have the time to explore it ourselves, Pine Ridge Trail is the third dog-friendly trail option in the area. It is a 3.2-mile, out-and-back trail listed with a difficult rating of ‘Hard’ with steep climbs throughout the trail, so make sure to bring extra water and take breaks as needed! 

Camp Store 

The camp store sold the camping basics, like ice, firewood, first aid, and, of course, s’mores supplies. They also had a variety of flies, artificial baits, and fishing gear – including daily wader and fly rod/reel rentals.

They have a full restaurant (ask to try their special Montauk Sauce!) with an overflow counter where you can order food, coffee, adult beverages, or ice cream! We stopped here for our daily trout tags, extra flies, and a quick snack. All while enjoying some sweet, sweet WiFi. 

We used the WiFi opportunity to check in with friends and family, and got our GPS setup for the drive home! 

Something I loved about Montauk is that you’re able to buy your daily trout tag for the next day one hour prior to the end of regulation the night before. In addition to our campsite location, this was a huge perk that allowed for a seamless start to our early mornings. 

Note: trout tags are purchased with cash or check only. There is an ATM in the camp store though.

The Passport Map 

Missouri State Parks recently released something awesome: the Passport Map! The Passport Map includes 93 unique stickers, representing each state park and historic site in Missouri! Not only is this incredibly creative and FREE, I love that we were able to mark each park and site we have already visited without having to revisit to get the specific sticker. Pick one up the next time you visit a Missouri State Park or Historic Site!

Pack It Up

Overall, Montauk State Park was an incredible outdoor, weekend getaway. My only regret: I wish we would have added on at least one more day! The sheer size of the park makes me want to go back to explore even more of the fishing zones and the corners still left unsniffed by Dutch, but the convenience and excellent fishing kept us to the areas near our campsite. For my next visit, I’d add at least one more night and spend a full day exploring the fly-only sections.

It was surprisingly common to wade through a stretch of river that I had all to myself, where I could really take a moment to appreciate the sounds of the rustling sycamores, the babbling stream, and the occasional trout splashing the top of the water. Those moments didn’t last indefinitely, but I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have experienced them nonetheless. 

MoGo Snapshot

🚗 Drive from Jefferson City: 2 hours
💧 Water access: Anglers only, no swimming 
🐾 Dog-friendly: Yes
🚻 Restrooms: Yes
🛜 Cell Service: No, but WiFi at the camp store
📝 Activities: Fishing, hiking, interpretive nature programs
🎟️ Campsite Cost: $29 per night
🎣 Fishing Cost: $5 daily trout tag
⭐ Mo’s Rating: 9.5/10

To the one that got away,

Yes, I am still bitter. Yes, every time I tell the story you get bigger. 

I’ll see you again next time. 

Xoxo, Mo