Hey Scott,

The Missouri Department of Conservation completely changed all designations for trout fishing in Missouri a couple of years ago. They didn't take away the "Wild Trout Management" areas they just re-named them to "Blue Ribbon Areas." So the current Blue Ribbon section of the North Fork of the White is managed exactly the same as it was as a Wild Trout Management area....with a different name from a state-wide change and extended down a couple of miles from Blair Bridge being the lowest point to the current Patrick Bridge being the lowest point in the Blue Ribbon section. The rainbows in the NFOW have not been touched since the mid 60's and that is not going to change anytime soon as we have the best numbers of rainbows in the river than we have seen in over a decade with another real nice hatch of young of the year this year. The way the MDC looks at it is that we have made it through what is probably the worst decade that trout can see and we made it through it and now smell like roses so they are proud that a Missouri river can do that and they will not mess with it in the future. As for the browns and reproduction and regulations, the current (and old) regulations in the Blue Ribbon section do cover all trout in the river, 1 fish over 18" with no bait, soft plastics, gigging and so on. So in that sense the regulations do work for both rainbows and browns but it really isn't looked at as a wild brown trout river, it is only looked at as a wild rainbow river and pretty much managed that way with the stocked brown trout moving up-river from their stocking location.

Right above "The Falls" there are little pools in between rocks and it is really something to see when the fry are in there. You could literally take a fish tank net and dip dozens of 1/2" rainbows--THAT is cool!

The fishery was hurt real bad with that drought, real bad. At one point I have seen surveys that showed rainbow trout in the teens per mile which is basically no fish. The river is just right and being a complete Wild Rainbow fishery it will have good times and bad times....we just happen to be in a seriously good time right now.

Looking back at the '06 survey (I can't find the 07) it says that there were browns under 8" that showed up on them.

Brian