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Good - FloatableA clear, popular southeast-Missouri Ozark float below the St. Francois Mountains. The Lesterville reach above Clearwater Lake is a summer-float hotspot of gravel bars and bluffs, fed by the East, Middle, and West Fork headwaters that converge nearby.
This river reads differently along its length, so each reach is gauged on its own. Check the one you are actually floating.
The popular summer-float reach above Clearwater Lake: Lesterville down toward Highway K west of Annapolis. Clear, spring-influenced Ozark float with gravel bars and bluffs; Class I with some faster water. Family float + smallmouth fishery.
“Black River is in good condition at 3.8 ft, holding steady with above-median flow for mid-September.”
Eddy on this reach · updated 21 hrs ago
Controlled by Clearwater Dam
“Lower Black is Flowing at 0.5 ft, steady and above normal for mid-September, but dam releases control the level here, not the weather.”
Eddy on this reach · updated 21 hrs ago
The Corps’ release schedule
Rising to about 353 cfs by Tue.
This reach runs at whatever Clearwater Dam releases, so it follows the dam rather than the rain. Schedules can change without notice — never wade or anchor below a dam without checking the horn and posted warnings. Source: USACE CWMS.
Pick a put-in and take-out and we'll estimate float time, mileage, and shuttle — then give you a link to share with your crew.
Ordered upstream → downstream. Pick a stop on the map or from the list to start a float plan from there.
Eddy · Water data from USGS
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