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Current River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Current River: Ozark spring water with managed trout water below Montauk State Park and smallmouth bass downstream.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
750 cfs
Air / High
78 / 78 F
Wind
SE 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07067000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Current River feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. The river is running 750 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1021 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:40 AM-11:40 AM and 10:08 PM-12:08 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Brown troutExcellent

Close to Vermont's 53-66°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Tomorrow: Similar at 81 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Missouri requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $14.00 for residents. What a Missouri licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing smallmouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with MDC before you keep anything. The season dates for Missouri, read off the agency, are on the Missouri seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Current River at Van Buren.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07067000.

748767785750 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 105 years of October 23

At 750 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 07067000 (Current River at Van Buren) is at the 26th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 105 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 893 cfs; the highest was 9,020 cfs and the lowest 492 cfs.

p10 638median 893p90 1,436

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 07067000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp78 F
High / Low78 / 46 F
WindSE 5-6 mph
Pressure1021.3 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:19 / 18:16
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~62 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Current River this week

The best day on Current River this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:40 AM-11:40 AM and 10:08 PM-12:08 AM
Minor period
4:02 AM-5:02 AM
Sun
07:19 to 18:16
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 6 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Current River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Close to Vermont's 53-66°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

When to come: the Current River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Current River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 3 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 79 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 75 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Missouri requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Missouri fishing license. Blue Ribbon area (Montauk State Park lower boundary to Cedar Grove, 9 miles): 1 trout a day, 18-inch minimum, flies and artificial lures only; soft plastics and natural or scented baits are banned for all species, as are gigging and bowfishing. White Ribbon area (Cedar Grove Bridge to Akers Ferry, 7.7 miles): 4 trout a day, browns at least 15 inches, any lure. Whole river: walleye and sauger 18-inch minimum; shadow bass 7-inch minimum. Porous-soled waders are banned in Dent, Texas and Shannon counties.

Access

National Park Service accesses in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, including Akers Ferry, Pulltite, Round Spring, Two Rivers and Powder Mill; Forest Service access at Watercress in Van Buren; Montauk State Park at the head of the trout water.

About this water

The Current River in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, from Montauk State Park through Dent, Shannon and Carter counties to Van Buren and on to the Arkansas line.

Fishing Current River: the full guide

A river inside a national park

The National Park Service calls Ozark National Scenic Riverways the first national park area to protect a river system, built around the Current and Jacks Fork rivers. NPS says Big Spring, on the lower Current, produces more than 250 million gallons of water a day.

Trout reaches below Montauk

MDC manages the 19 miles from Montauk State Park to Akers Ferry in Dent and Shannon counties as trout water. The 9 miles from the park's lower boundary to Cedar Grove form a Blue Ribbon Trout Area stocked with brown trout, where MDC's latest estimate is about 300 brown trout per mile between Tan Vat and Baptist accesses. The next 7.7 miles, Cedar Grove Bridge to Akers Ferry, form a White Ribbon area stocked with 10- to 12-inch rainbows about once a month all year.

Smallmouth and goggle-eye downstream

From Akers Ferry to Van Buren (70 miles through Shannon and Carter counties), MDC reports good smallmouth bass fishing; most fish in its 2023 sample were 8 to 12 inches. Below Van Buren to the Arkansas line (51 miles), MDC adds walleye, best in Ripley County around Doniphan from November to February. Chain pickerel are common between Akers and Two Rivers, and since 2017 shadow bass (goggle-eye) must be at least 7 inches on the entire river.

Access and the Van Buren gauge

MDC lists National Park Service camping and access sites at Pulltite, Round Spring, Two Rivers and Powder Mill, and the Forest Service access at Watercress in Van Buren. Flow on this page is USGS gauge 07067000, Current River at Van Buren.

Common questions

Where is the trout water?

In the 19 miles from Montauk State Park to Akers Ferry: Blue Ribbon brown trout water down to Cedar Grove, then White Ribbon rainbow water stocked about monthly to Akers Ferry.

Where is the smallmouth water?

From Akers Ferry down: MDC rates the 70 miles to Van Buren as great smallmouth water and the reach below Van Buren as big water for smallmouth and walleye.

What is special about the riverway?

The National Park Service calls Ozark National Scenic Riverways the first national park area created to protect a river system.

Is fishing good at Current River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Eleven Point River26 miSpring River44 miNorfork Lake82 miWhite River89 miReelfoot Lake98 miKinkaid Lake104 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 07067000 — Current River at Van Buren
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 36.9900, -91.0200 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.