We are blessed here in Missouri because we have rainbow trout — a species more commonly found in the Rocky Mountains — in some of our Missouri Ozark streams.
While some of those streams are periodically resupplied with hatchery-raised rainbows on an annual basis, there are a few streams, such as Mill Creek in Phelps County and Crane Creek in Stone County, that have what is commonly referred to as “wild trout” — meaning self-sustaining rainbow trout.
Having “wild trout” is pretty cool, but the truth is that even our “wild trout” are not really native to Missouri.
The history of this 150-year effort to have self-sustaining wild rainbow trout in Missouri is frankly astounding and while it was not completely successful, it is laudable and should be respected.
