Roubidoux Creek

[creek wader]

thanks for the info guys, if I get a chance I'll give it a shot and report back. ... Wader

[ozark trout fisher]

thanks for the info guys, if I get a chance I'll give it a shot and report back. ... Wader

Have fun. The Red Ribbon area can be a lot of fun for brown trout this time of year, although it can get pretty slow in the heat of summer. The White Ribbon Area is pretty dead though before the first stocking truck run. For about a week after it does arrive, expect a trout park atmosphere... Lots of stockie rainbows, and even more fisherman. Just don't expect a the creek to be too wild as it is right in the middle of Waynesville. But it has its own appeal.

[drew03cmc]

Are you are refering to trout as "holdover fish"? The longest holdover period for them is the ride in the hatchery truck. They announce the stocking days on the local radio station. Business's close, schools shut down, and people line the creek bank like a parade route. C&R is not allowed in Waynesville. But like you said, it is a great place to catch smallmouth and goggle eye this time of year.

Is that why there are 20" browns that come out of this creek every year? They must stock them that size in the Red Ribbon Area where there is a 2 fish daily limit. Hmm...

[laker67]

Is that why there are 20" browns that come out of this creek every year? They must stock them that size in the Red Ribbon Area where there is a 2 fish daily limit. Hmm...

In one of your posts several months ago, I thought you said that you did not fish in Missouri for trout. How do you know about all of these hotspots? I know for sure that you said that you had never fished Taney. Don't be holding out on us about some of these out of the way spots, DrewObuddyOpal.

[fishinwrench]

a 20 inch Brown from Roubidoux ? Common ? Anything is possible, but Drew, I think somebody's pullin' your leg.

I gotta play the Show-Me card on that one.

[ozark trout fisher]

a 20 inch Brown from Roubidoux ? Common ? Anything is possible, but Drew, I think somebody's pullin' your leg.

I gotta play the Show-Me card on that one.

Fishinwrench, I gotta disagree. The White Ribbon Area may only have a few trout bigger than 15", but the Red Ribbon Area has a lot more trophy trout than you may think. A lot of people don't catch them, because Roubidoux Creek Browns go almost dormant in late summer, and they are hard to catch all year long. (Any trout that has been right in the middle of Waynesville for a while is going to get smart) but there are most certainly some 20" trout there. I have heard too many reports of trophy fish caught there for that not to be the case. There may not be as many trophies as some of the other Red and Blue Ribbon Areas, but they are there.

[drew03cmc]

In one of your posts several months ago, I thought you said that you did not fish in Missouri for trout. How do you know about all of these hotspots? I know for sure that you said that you had never fished Taney. Don't be holding out on us about some of these out of the way spots, DrewObuddyOpal.

I haven't fished for trout in Missouri in a few years, nope. I would like to get down to Roaring River to play with my new 1wt, but I keep my ear to the ground regarding trout fishing in the Ozarks. I prefer wild, self sustaining fish (winter excluded due to winter lakes and the sort), but will chase stockers if I am down there. During the summer I will not drive down to chase trout, but will hit local warmwater creeks for native panfish.

The Ruby does indeed produce 20" fish each year, in fact, Mill Creek produces enough that size to make you wonder. If I had to pick one off the beaten path trophy spot in Missouri, it would probably be the Ruby's Red Ribbon Area.

[Troutfishn]

Interesting you chose ruby as an off beat path trophy spot.... I bet I can make a lot of people mad by saying this.... crane has many WILD rainbows over 20" and another small stream nearby (can't give secret spot just yet, NOT taney) has MANY browns and rainbows up to and including 12lb 8 oz. (caught 2 weeks ago). All I can say is EXPLORE streams up and down several miles and you may find a legendary spot that few have ever tossed a fly. Finding these holes where you may see on any given day a dozen fish over 5lbs swimming together is more exciting than opening day of rifle season. (Did I just say that?) But wild trout DO exist and they are not hard to find as long as your legs work.

[drew03cmc]

Interesting you chose ruby as an off beat path trophy spot.... I bet I can make a lot of people mad by saying this.... crane has many WILD rainbows over 20" and another small stream nearby (can't give secret spot just yet, NOT taney) has MANY browns and rainbows up to and including 12lb 8 oz. (caught 2 weeks ago). All I can say is EXPLORE streams up and down several miles and you may find a legendary spot that few have ever tossed a fly. Finding these holes where you may see on any given day a dozen fish over 5lbs swimming together is more exciting than opening day of rifle season. (Did I just say that?) But wild trout DO exist and they are not hard to find as long as your legs work.

I chose the Ruby as a spot that the state manages. Crane is completely wild and therefore a different animal altogether. I think we should get together and do some wild hunting!

[ozark trout fisher]

Interesting you chose ruby as an off beat path trophy spot.... I bet I can make a lot of people mad by saying this.... crane has many WILD rainbows over 20" and another small stream nearby (can't give secret spot just yet, NOT taney) has MANY browns and rainbows up to and including 12lb 8 oz. (caught 2 weeks ago). All I can say is EXPLORE streams up and down several miles and you may find a legendary spot that few have ever tossed a fly. Finding these holes where you may see on any given day a dozen fish over 5lbs swimming together is more exciting than opening day of rifle season. (Did I just say that?) But wild trout DO exist and they are not hard to find as long as your legs work.

Wild trout definitely do exist in Missouri... I have never fished any of the super secret creeks, but I have fished Little Piney River, (There has been some debate on this forum over whether all of the trout in the Little Piney's Blue Ribbon Area are actually wild, but it is safe to say that the majority probably are, with a few stockies from down at Milldam Hollow mixed in) Mill Creek, Spring Creek, and Blue Springs Creek. They are a lot of fun, and I have only caught a few short trout doing this (All two from Little Piney, and one from Spring Creek), but of these streams are beautiful, they all hold fish, and the larger waters, i.e. Little Piney, are great for smallmouth in some of the same areas that hold trout populations, and some of these streams have some seriously large fish, both trout and smallmouth bass. They are, in my humble opinion, the most fun and interesting trout streams the Ozarks have to offer, they sure beat the trout parks. I am kind of a misfit on those little streams though, because I prefer to fish Mepp's spinners, although I also enjoy fly fishing with a woolly bugger sometimes.

I have fished for trout in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, New York, North Carolina, and Arkansas, and probably a few other states, but the Missouri spring creeks I believe are the most challenging and the most fun trout streams I have ever encountered, even though I haven't really figured them out yet.