Glover River provides scenic beauty, good fishing and challenging rapids when the water is high.

BROKEN BOW — The Glover River is one of the last rivers in the state that remains undammed over its full length.

Flowing through McCurtain County in far southeastern Oklahoma near the borders of Texas and Arkansas, the Glover offers about 33 miles of scenic beauty amid some challenging rapids.

The river begins in the southwest corner of the Ouachita Mountains between the Kiamichi River to the west and the Mountain Fork River to the east, flowing generally parallel to US Highway 259.

The east and west fork of the free-flowing Glover River joins the confluence of the Little River to the southeast.

The Glover is not as well-known as other rivers in the state. It has some beautiful stretches of bluffs along its banks, as well as its heavily wooded shoreline.

When the river is up and flowing high, there are several class rapids that appear. These will challenge your skills in a canoe or kayak, so watch the river levels and paddlers must take care on the descent down the river.

My interest in the Glover River started many years ago. While on my many trips to the Lower Mountain Fork River to fly fish, I passed over the Glover and would look up and down its water while speeding down highway toward Broken Bow.

I was always on a mission to get to the clear and cold waters of the Lower Mountain Fork River in search of the rainbow and brown trout.

As I drove across the bridge over the Glover, I would look up and down the river and wonder what was just past the bend that I couldn’t see.

What is it about what you can’t see that spurs the need for adventure and exploring? Is it the sound of the river going over the rock falls and shoals? The whistling evening call of the Chuck-will’s-widow?

Is it the rock bluffs and boulders along the river holding all kinds of creatures watching you as you go by? Their God-given natural camouflage keeps them from view of their predators and humans as we paddle by.

I planned a trip for late spring with my buddy George Edwards of Oklahoma City. After several changes of date, we settled on early June for our trip down the Glover.

I started assembling tackle and tying flies that I thought would be of interest to the local fish inhabitants. I was interested in getting the fish on the fly while Edwards was sticking with his ultralight spinning gear. Both would be fun to use and produce a fun fight to the hand.

We chose a seven-mile stretch of the Glover to explore. The water was dropping quickly and we were in for a bit of dragging the boats over rocks and shoals due because of the lower water level.

With the boats loaded and ready for an early morning start, my long-awaited adventure was about to happen. We put in at a public access point to the river at a low-water crossing above the State Highway 3 bridge.

The June morning was cool and a little overcast, perfect for our trip. As we embarked and paddled just a short way from shore, the fishing started with a bang.