 On September 4, 1804, Lewis and Clark stood on a peninsula of land between two distinctly different rivers. On the east side ran the familiar Missouri with its crumbling banks and muddy water. On the west side ran a river of roughly the same size, but spewing sand, not mud. This was the "Qui coursse," as Clark spelled the French name, or "Niobrara" as the natives called it, and it was a major landmark for the travelers. The expedition set up camp, hunted, and fished while Clark explored this new river.
Today's adventurer can follow suit, camping and fishing in Niobrara State Park at the junction of these two rivers. One of the nicest parks on the Missouri, it offers trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding along the rivers and into the hills. The park also has three Missouri River boat accesses and several campgrounds.
For the traveler looking for a taste of river-bottom unchanged since Lewis and Clark's time, the Niobrara provides just that. In 1804, Clark described a beautiful plain with abundant wildlife and a river defined by sandbars, islands and eroding banks. This same landscape greets visitors today, from the churning current to the groves of cedar near the river's mouth. These trees' ancestors supplied new masts for the expedition.
The catfish, white bass, and northern pike common to the Corps' diet still thrive here, as do the sauger, walleye, and crappie.
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Where to Fish: Niobrara River in Niobrara State Park, Nebraska. Look for the abandoned railroad bridge that has been outfitted with fishing platforms or fish the sandbars at the river junction.
How to get there: From Yankton, South Dakota, take Route 81 south to Route 12. Go west on 12 through the town of Niobrara to Niobrara State Park.
What to fish for: Catfish, sauger, walleye, northern pike, carp, largemouth bass, small mouth bass, white bass, and crappie.
What to use: Bait fishing is common here with minnows and worms on jigs or with split shots underneath a bobber. Spinnerbait, Mepps, and Rapalas also produce in this water. If fishing with flies, try streamers for bass, poppers for crappie and bluegill, and bread flies for carp.
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Photo courtesy National Park Service.
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