Locating a Missouri Trout Stream

In order to be successful in finding a good trout stream, you need to have a basic understanding of the behaviors of your target fish, which means trout in this case. First, trout can only survive in streams and lakes with cold, clean water. The maximum temperature a trout can handle lies somewhere between 72 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. This fact alone makes the vast majority of the streams and lakes in Missouri inhospitable for trout. Heavily spring-fed streams, on the other hand, provide excellent trout habitat. Luckily, the Ozarks is blessed with a wealth of springs, so Missouri does have a rather extensive number of streams that are capable of supporting trout. In Missouri, springs put out water between 55 and 60 degrees, which is in the ideal temperature range for trout. This cold spring water only influences the stream it flows in for a certain length of stream however, so most trout streams in Missouri only have about 10 or 15 miles of productive trout water.

There are hundreds of streams in Missouri that on the surface look and feel both clear and cold enough to be a trout stream. That is misleading. In reality, only something like 30 or 40 Missouri streams stay cold enough even in the heat of the summer to support trout. Of these, only twenty have public access. Every good trout stream in Missouri that has public access will be listed in the Missouri fishing regulations book as a White Ribbon stream, Red Ribbon Stream, Blue Ribbon stream, or Trout Park. Missouri does not classify streams in the regulation book unless it has at least one public access.

White Ribbon streams are stocked every couple of weeks through the year, mostly with rainbow trout. They provide some excellent fishing for 10-12 inch rainbows, but due to heavy harvest, trophy sized trout are rare. You can keep four trout, with no length limit on rainbows, and a 15" minimum on browns. There are usually no bait restrictions. Red Ribbon areas are stocked once or twice a year with brown trout. They are often considered some of the best trophy trout waters in Missouri. All hold good populations of fish 15" and up, with some really nice fish over 20". In Red Ribbon areas, you can keep 2 trout, with a 15" minimum. Some areas allow bait fishing, while others do not. Blue Ribbon areas all support a population of wild rainbow trout, and a few are stocked with rainbows or browns. These provide excellent fishing for smaller fish, and also hold good numbers of trophy sized fish. The daily limit is one, and the minimum length limit is 18". Bait is not allowed in any Blue Ribbon areas. The four Trout Parks are stocked daily with rainbow trout from March 1- October 31, and are open to catch and release fishing Friday through Monday from mid-November through mid- February. They provide the single best opportunity for beginning trout anglers. The freshly stocked trout are naive, and can often be easily caught. Most areas allow 4 rainbows of any size to be kept, with a 15" minimum on browns. Some areas are catch and release. Methods allowed vary by park. Most parks have several different fishing zones for fly, bait, and spin fisherman. One of the greatest advantages of the Trout Parks is that the whole stream is accessible to the public, with no areas of private land.