Ozarks / Route 66
Blue Springs Creek carries a self-sustaining trout story near Bourbon
Blue Springs Creek Conservation Area protects spring-fed water that supports naturally reproducing rainbow trout before the creek reaches the Meramec.
Blue Springs Creek gives Crawford County a trout story with a local twist. MDC says the creek flows for four miles through the conservation area to the Meramec River and is fed by four springs that rise on nearby private property.
The old hatchery layer makes it stick. MDC’s fishing prospects page says rainbow trout were once raised at a coldwater hatchery next to Blue Spring, on what is now Camp Mihaska property. Over time, trout established a naturally reproducing population in the stream.
That makes the creek more than another Ozark waterway. It is spring-fed, tied to early hatchery history, and now managed as a public fishing resource south of Bourbon.
For anglers, the rules matter. Use MDC before fishing, especially for boundary details and tackle restrictions. A pretty creek can still have very specific trout rules.
Where to see it
- Blue Springs Creek Conservation Area
Use MDC for directions, area maps, fishing prospects, and current trout rules.
References
Where this fits: this note belongs to Crawford County. See every local note for the county on its page.