Fishing Conditions

Roaring River State Park · USGS 07050152

🐟

Prime

Flow is currently 51% below the historical average for this time of year.

As of Oct 1, 2026 10:25 PM CDT

👑 Tim's Advice

Tim's latest report — posted Sep 27, 2026 at 17 cfs.

17 cfs

Water is clear and CFS is at a low 17.4, but fish are doing well and fishing has been productive across multiple methods. Dry fly fishing has been consistently good for the past few months and continued strong this past week.

📢 Current special note: Dry dropper setups were working well for several anglers this week; marabou jigs noted as particularly effective right now.

🪝 Fly Rod

Dry flies

cracklebacks, Adams, caddis, beetles, ants

Nymphs

sow bugs, pheasant tails, hares ears, scuds, copper Johns

Streamers & buggers

black woolly bugger, olive woolly bugger, black/yellow marabou streamer, white marabou streamer, ginger marabou streamer, olive marabou streamer

Other patterns

orange glo balls, orange San Juan worm, pink San Juan worm, yellow San Juan worm

Leader / tippet

9ft 7X leader best especially for dry flies, 9ft 6X acceptable for streamers, crackle backs, woolly buggers, and nymphing, no heavier than 6X unless significant rain

🎣 Spin Rod

Lures

black spinner, skunk spinner, white spinner, frog green spinner, marabou jigs black/yellow, marabou jigs white, marabou jigs ginger, marabou jigs olive, rebel craws, rapala minnows, yellow 1-inch grubs, orange/yellow plastic worms, white plastic worms, orange plastic worms, bright chartreuse plastic worms, pink plastic worms, small crank baits

Bait

natural fish oil plastic eggs, shrimp plastic eggs, white PowerBait eggs, pink PowerBait eggs

Line weight

2lb line works best

See original report text

Little bit of rain this fine Sunday morning, sept. 27th of 2026. CFS is 17.4, this is low but the fish are doing fine, the water is clear at the moment. Water is clear, a 9’ 7X leader will work best especially when using dry flies, 9’ 6X is still ok when stripping streamers, crackle backs, and woolly buggers, and ok for nymphing, I wouldn’t go any heavier than 6X unless we get a bunch of rain this week. Been really good dry fly fishing for the past few months, this hasn’t changed much, and the dry fly fishing was good this past week, cracklebacks, and Adam’s, were two flies I think everyone had decent luck on this week, but caddis were good also, still getting good reports on beetles and ants, and fishing a dry dropper set up was working well for a few of the fisherman I talked to. Sow bugs, pheasant tails, hares ears, scuds, and copper John’s were all good this week. Orange glo balls, and orange, pink, and yellow San Juan worms were good all week. I usually start with a black bugger in the mornings and this will usually work well, sometimes olive works well also. Marabou streamers are a good choice early also, black/yellow, white, ginger, and olive are always good choices. Marabou jigs are great right now, black/yellow, white, ginger, white, and olive. Plastic eggs were really good this week,the natural fish oil, and the shrimp were working all week, white power bait eggs, and the pink power bait eggs were good also, yellow, 1” grubs were good all week also. Lots of nice fish were caught on small crank baits this week, sold a lot of rebel craws, and rapala minnows this weekend. Orange/yellow, white, orange, and the bright chartreuse plastic worms were good all week, pink as usual did very well also. First thing in the morning, spinners are a good choice for the spin fisherman, black, skunk, white, and the frog green were good this past week. Water is still very clear, 2lb line is working best.

Discharge

cfs

Fishable below 150 cfs

Gage Height

0.31

feet

Fishable below 1.8 ft

Trend

→ Steady

+0 cfs since last reading

Historical Average Today

cfs typical

0.52 ft typical gage

River Context

Days since last flood

101

Last time gage exceeded 2.5 ft

Days below 150 cfs

—

Consecutive fishable days

vs. Historical average

-51%

Compared to 37 cfs historical avg

Water clarity estimate

Good

Based on days since last flood

7-Day Historical Outlook

Historical average discharge for this time of year, based on 8 years of data. Not a forecast — shows what's typical, not what's predicted.

Today

Oct 2

0.52 ft

Fishable

Tomorrow

Oct 3

0.52 ft

Fishable

Sun

Oct 4

0.53 ft

Fishable

Mon

Oct 5

0.53 ft

Fishable

Tue

Oct 6

0.53 ft

Fishable

Wed

Oct 7

0.53 ft

Fishable

Thu

Oct 8

0.54 ft

Fishable

Fishing Technique & Tackle Guide

Based on weekly reports from Tim Homesley at Tim's Fly Shop (Hwy 112, Cassville). The currently active tier is highlighted. Current discharge is 18 cfs.

🐟 Prime Conditions Under 80 cfs · under 1.0 ft

🪝 Fly Rod

Dry flies — blue wing olives, caddis, tricos (morning), beetles, ants, Adams, stimulators, cracklebacks
Leaders: 9’ 7X for dries, 9’ 6X for nymphs
Nymphs — pheasant tails, burlaps (caddis larva), scuds (gray), copper Johns, black & gray zebra midges, sow bugs
Streamers — black, olive, and brown woolly buggers; use 5X–4X tippet on bigger flies
Other patterns — San Juan worms (orange, pink, yellow), glo balls (apricot, orange), chamois worms, mop flies, cracklebacks
Sight fishing is excellent — spot fish and present to them directly
Small jigs (1/32–1/16 oz) under an indicator work all day; black/yellow, white, olive, tan, gray

🎣 Spin Rod

Line: 2 lb is critical at these flows — fish can see everything
PowerBait grubs — yellow, pink, white, orange; 1-inch size
Salmon eggs — white, orange, pink; drift under a small bobber
Rooster tail spinners — black, pink, white, brown; best early morning, most stop working by 8–9 AM
Marabou jigs — fish small ones under indicator all day; heavier ones slow and deep at midday
Zone 3: white PowerBait paste, small crankbaits, Rebel crawfish

Tim says at ~33–62 CFS: “Clear and running well — great dry fly fishing. Tricos in the morning, caddis around 10:30 AM, BWOs after 1 PM. 7X leaders for dries, 6X for nymphs. Spinners are good for a bit in the morning but most stop using them by 8–9 AM.”

🎣 Good Conditions 80–150 cfs · 1.0–1.8 ft

🪝 Fly Rod

Dry fly fishing is good but gets sketchy above 100 CFS — target slower water and seams
Nymphs excel — pheasant tails, copper Johns, burlaps, scuds, zebra midges, sow bugs
Streamers — black, olive, brown woolly buggers working very well; lots of people throwing streamers with good results
Leaders: 6X for nymphs and small buggers, 7X for dries, 5X–4X for bigger streamers
Glo balls, San Juan worms, mop flies, and thread jigs all working

🎣 Spin Rod

Line: 4 lb works; switch to 2 lb when river drops below ~75 CFS
PowerBait grubs — yellow, pink, orange; still highly effective
Salmon eggs — white, orange, pink; good all day
Spinners — rooster tails productive, especially mornings
Marabou jigs — black/yellow, white, olive, tan; small ones under indicator, heavier ones fished slow and deep
Small crankbaits, rebel crawfish also effective in Zone 3

Tim says at 77–105 CFS: “Good water flow. Dry fly fishing has been great, nymphing very good. When the water gets down to about 75 CFS or below, it’s usually time to switch back to 2-pound line. Clearing happens a lot quicker when the river gets below 100 CFS.”

⚠ High — Fishable with Adjustments 150–300 cfs · 1.8–2.5 ft

🪝 Fly Rod

Dry fly fishing is difficult — limit to slower sections; some caddis and BWO hatches still producing
Big, heavy nymphs — mop flies, mega worms, chamois worms; extra weight needed
Woolly buggers — black, olive, brown; fish them slow and deep
Leaders: bump up to 5X; even 4X on buggers in murky water
Fish the slower seams, behind rocks, and along banks where current breaks

🎣 Spin Rod

Line: 4 lb fine; 10 lb if using heavy sinkers
PowerBait is the top producer — yellow, pink, fluorescent yellow, orange; key is getting it to the bottom
Weight: 1/4 to 1/2 oz sliding egg sinker or worm sinker to hold bottom
Spoons — sink fast, lots of flash; very effective in high water, mimic wounded minnow
Spinners — add extra weight, fish very slowly
Zone 1 is better than Zones 2–3 when extra flow is entering from Dry Hollow Creek

Tim says at 111–152 CFS: “Murky but catching fish. Lots of quality fish caught this week — 7, 8, and a 10-pound trout. Good flies are mop flies, mega worms, chamois worms. Fish can be caught right now — healthy trout go to the bottom where flow is lighter and wait for high water to subside.”

🚫 Very High — Very Difficult Above 300 cfs · above 2.5 ft

🪝 Fly Rod

Dry fly fishing essentially impossible
If determined to fly fish, use a full sinking line with heavy streamers or mop flies
Target absolute slack water behind large boulders or in deep eddies
Conditions improve quickly once rain stops — Tim says nymphing becomes viable again soon after

🎣 Spin Rod

PowerBait is your best option — pink and yellow most visible in dirty water
Heavy sinker required — 1/2 oz or more; 10 lb line recommended
Spoons — heavy, fast-sinking; best option after PowerBait
Fish only the very slowest water available; most of river is too fast to hold fish effectively

Tim says at 682+ CFS: “Fly fishing was good all week [before the rise]. With the CFS above 100, the dry fly fishing is a bit sketchy. PowerBait will be the best thing to use, especially if the water gets up and murky. When the water is murky, pink or yellow PowerBaits seem to be best.” Tim recommends waiting for conditions to improve before making the trip.

How conditions are determined

Prime

Discharge ≤ 80 cfs and gage ≤ 1.0 ft — low, clear, full technique options

Good

Discharge ≤ 150 cfs and gage ≤ 1.8 ft — excellent fishing, most techniques work

High — Fishable

Discharge ≤ 300 cfs and gage ≤ 2.5 ft — murky, requires heavier gear and PowerBait

Unfishable

Discharge > 300 cfs or gage > 2.5 ft — Tim recommends waiting it out

Rising Fast

Gage height increased more than 0.05 ft since the last reading — conditions deteriorating

Live data: USGS Water Data · Tackle advice: Tim Homesley, Tim's Fly Shop (Hwy 112, Cassville) · Historical averages: local database 2018–present