Blue Springs Creek Fishing Guides
Four miles of cold, clear Crawford County spring water running to the Meramec, with wild rainbows, tight overhead cover, and a conservation area that holds the fishable end of it.
Map of the Blue Springs Creek
6 numbered points: 1 access point, 1 outfitter, 1 bridge, 1 park or conservation area, 1 regulation section limit, 1 spring. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 15, 2026.
- Access / boat ramp (1)
- Outfitter / canoe rental (1)
- Bridge crossing (1)
- Park / conservation area (1)
- Regulation section limit (1)
- Spring (1)
Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
Open the printable mapAll 6 points on this map
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Springs Source of Blue Springs Creek | Spring | 38.13244, -91.22080 | The creek rises here and runs cold and clear the whole four miles to the Meramec. |
| 2 | Blue Springs Road Bridge Blue Springs Road | Bridge crossing | 38.11826, -91.18558 | The road crossing at the conservation area, the usual walk-in point. |
| 3 | Blue Springs Creek Conservation Area Missouri Department of Conservation | Park / conservation area | 38.11743, -91.18623 | MDC area holding most of the public frontage on the lower creek. |
| 4 | Blue Springs Ranch Private resort and canoe livery | Outfitter / canoe rental | 38.11656, -91.16388 | Lodging and float rentals near the mouth; the river trips run on the Meramec. |
| 5 | Blue Springs Public Canoe Launch Public canoe launch | Access / boat ramp | 38.11706, -91.15810 | Launch close to the Meramec confluence; it serves the Meramec float as much as the creek. |
| 6 | Blue Ribbon area - lower limit at the Meramec River MDC Blue Ribbon trout area boundary | Regulation section limit | 38.12103, -91.16059 | The MDC Blue Ribbon reach runs 4 miles from Blue Springs downstream to this confluence. Check the current MDC regulations before fishing. |
Guides on the Blue Springs Creek
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About the Blue Springs Creek
Blue Springs Creek runs four miles from Blue Springs to the Meramec River in Crawford County, a couple of miles south of Bourbon and close enough to I-44 that it is an easy stop off the interstate. Four springs feed it, together putting out somewhere between four and seven million gallons a day, and they keep the creek cold and clear the whole way down. The catch is where those springs sit. All four are on private land adjoining the conservation area, and so is the top of the Blue Ribbon section, which means the reach named in the regulation is not the reach you can walk.
What is public is the lower part, on Blue Springs Creek Conservation Area, 907 acres that MDC bought from the Army Corps of Engineers in 1983 and added to in 1992. Parking is along Highway N and Blue Springs Creek Road. MDC asks anglers plainly to respect the posted boundaries on the upper creek, and it is worth taking that seriously here because the property line and the regulation line are not the same line.
The trout are wild, descended from fish raised at a nearby coldwater hatchery that closed decades ago and left its stock behind in the creek. MDC’s recent sampling has been encouraging: catch rates across all sizes have come up with a run of wet springs, and the department expects relatively more six, nine and twelve inch fish than the creek has historically held. Young-of-year fish under six inches are the most abundant class by a distance. Fish over fifteen inches stay rare, which is worth knowing before you carry a tape for an eighteen-inch limit. The water is clear, the vegetation hangs low over it, and the fishing rewards light line, short accurate casts, and a slow approach to the deep holes below the riffles.
All six Blue Ribbon areas carry the same rules: flies and artificial lures only, no soft plastic, natural or scented baits for any species, an eighteen-inch minimum length, a daily limit of one trout, and no porous-soled waders. Gigging, bowfishing and atlatls are prohibited. Read the MDC page for this water before you fish it, because the boundaries are specific and posted, and a trout caught outside the marked section does not count toward the slam.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Blue Springs Creek.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
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Access
Blue Springs Creek Conservation Area (MDC), 907 acres - from Bourbon, Route N south about 2.5 miles to Blue Springs Road. Parking along Highway N and Blue Springs Creek Road.
The fishable water is the lower reach above the Meramec confluence, on the conservation area. Blue Springs itself and the four feeder springs are on adjacent private land, so the upper part of the regulated section is not publicly accessible - respect the posted boundaries.
Area hours are 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., with fishing permitted around the clock where allowed. No camping and no target shooting. Pets leashed.
Walk-wade only. No gauge on this creek.
Seasons
Spring: the strongest fishing, and the season that has driven the recent rebound in numbers. Wet springs put more young fish in the creek.
Summer: the springs keep it cold, but the water is low and glassy and the overhead cover makes casting the limiting factor.
Fall: excellent and lightly fished, with stable spring flow and cooler air.
Winter: open. Wild rainbows spawn from December into mid-March, so watch where you put your feet on the shallow gravel.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Blue Springs Creek?
Anglers target Rainbow Trout on the Blue Springs Creek in Missouri.
Where can you access the Blue Springs Creek?
Blue Springs Creek Conservation Area (MDC), 907 acres - from Bourbon, Route N south about 2.5 miles to Blue Springs Road. Parking along Highway N and Blue Springs Creek Road. The fishable water is the lower reach above the Meramec confluence, on the conservation area. Blue Springs itself and the four feeder springs are on adjacent private land, so the upper part of the regulated section is not publicly accessible - respect the posted boundaries. Area hours are 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., with fishing permitted around the clock where allowed. No camping and no target shooting. Pets leashed. Walk-wade on...
When is the best time to fish the Blue Springs Creek?
Spring: the strongest fishing, and the season that has driven the recent rebound in numbers. Wet springs put more young fish in the creek. Summer: the springs keep it cold, but the water is low and glassy and the overhead cover makes casting the limiting factor. Fall: excellent and lightly fished, with stable spring flow and cooler air. Winter: open. Wild rainbows spawn from December into mid-March, so watch where you put your feet on the shallow gravel.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Blue Springs Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Missouri agency site: https://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/regulations/special-waterbody-regulations/blue-springs-creek