Cypress Bayou

Cypress Bayou is way out in the sticks. It gives access to the meadows in the transitional zone and is a favorite for fishermen using shiners for bait. Generally good pennywort beds under which the shiners can be run are near Cypress Bayou. It helps in finding Cypress Bayou if you are a relative of Daniel Boone or at least are a pretty good wilderness scout. About six miles north of Fort McCoy NE 212 Road leaves CR 315 and goes east. Follow NE 212 Road for a little over two miles until it makes a sharp turn to the right. You make a sharp turn to the left onto a dirt road and follow the ruts for about a quarter of a mile. Cypress Bayou ramp is a single concrete ramp that puts you at the beginning of a canal that is about a quarter of a mile long and is often choked with water lettuce. A dredged dike runs parallel to the canal on the south side and has a dirt road on it. Often maps will call this location Payne's Landing. It is my understanding that Payne's Landing is the old steamboat landing at the river end of the road and Cypress Bayou is the area around the ramp. You have to park in the cleared area around the ramp where ever you can find a place. There is no security. The only thing good about Cypress Bayou is its easy access to the central transitional zone.