Mulberry River: Highway 23 Bridge to Milton's Ford Access

     In my opinion, the Mulberry River is an underrated Ozark stream. I think it should be talked about as much as the Buffalo River. Since the Buffalo is arguably the most famous of all Ozark streams, I’m on the bandwagon for vaulting the Mulberry to that level of recognition. Both have unique characteristics that set them apart as gorgeous representations of what the Ozarks have to offer. But there’s something uniquely wonderful about the surrounding beauty of the Mulberry that deserves praise. For starters, the stream flows directly through Ozark National Forrest. The variety of trees and vegetation accents the rock formations perfectly. As for the rock itself, the Mulberry doesn’t boast the same massive sheer rock walls that the Buffalo does, but the rock has a beauty all its own. The majority of the rock that makes up the basin is limestone. Dust from the limestone causes the river water to be a bluish color similar to other nearby Boston Mountain streams such as Big Piney Creek and Upper White River. Aside from the scenic beauty of the surrounding area, the gradient of the stream is steep. This means that the water is going downhill at a swift pace. However, the swiftness of the stream does add complications.

    Complications appear in the form of rapids which can be very intense depending on how much flow the river has. As long as the stream’s cubic feet per second falls between 200-600, it is at least reasonably safe to float with some precautions. Much of what makes floating the Mulberry so much fun is the Class 2 rapids. Class 2’s can be quite challenging but also very exhilarating to navigate.

    All of these rapids lead to deep pools that are filled with bass. On the particular stretch of stream that I am addressing in this post, the majority of the bass I’ve caught have been either largemouth or spotted bass. Although smallmouth are certainly present, we catch significantly less of them than the other species. Fortunately for people who love largemouth, I can confirm that the Mulberry does have big ones. Evidence of these big largemouth can be seen below!

    So, if you’re looking for a new stream that is slightly challenging to paddle and super fun to fish, I highly recommend the Mulberry from Highway 23 Bridge near Turner Bend to Milton's Ford Access. This float is 8.5 miles, making it a solid day float.

    As with all Ozark streams it is always a good idea to wear life preservers and tie down any belongings to the craft. (Dad and I are one for two on those but we are very experienced/confident,
in our ability to not hurt ourselves.)

        I gotta give my dad props for making this video. He arranged the footage in a way that perfectly encapsulates the fun of having a big bass take the lure at the last possible moment. The thrill of witnessing such an amazing bite had me smiling for the rest of the day!!!

    Although this isn't a fishing video, I felt like it was a worthwhile video to post. Cottonmouth's can be found throughout the Ozarks but like this one, want to be left alone. I spotted this guy out of the corner of my eye going down a rapid. My immediate thought was, "I just gotta get a closer look". Hopefully this video will add to the increasing rhetoric that these critters want nothing to do with humans.

The last video I wanted to share contains footage of dad and I communicating then maneuvering through a rapid. It also contains evidence that sometimes dad is the one catching fish and not me! 

Please excuse the blurry footage!!! 

   

Dad and I had a great float in November on this stretch, the vast majority of the fish caught were largemouth including the 20 incher in the first picture.

Here is evidence that we did in fact catch smallmouth on the Mulberry!

Thanks for reading and get to fishing!