Here we are back on the North Fork of the White, also known as NFOW. This time we dropped into the Blue Ribbon trout area upstream from our last video. This freestone stream is really becoming my favorite trout stream in Missouri which has natural reproducing rainbow trout and the brown trout here are stocked by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

My son and I arrived mid-morning and scouted a couple of camping spots. Yes, I said camping. The cold snap hadn't really happened yet even though the Christmas holiday was right around the corner, but the forecast for cold weather was definitely coming.

We decided on Blair Public Access which includes two primitive (free) camp spots. My son Keegan really enjoys hiking and camping not so much fishing, so I'm one lucky Dad that can leave behind the camp setup and get right to fishing. My son did a great job of getting things set up and prepared for our overnight adventure.

Blair Public Access
https://maps.app.goo.gl/77Aa8n8kuoJQo...

Fishing was a challenge, I've heard and even read numerous articles that say fishing this stream has really changed over the last few years. Floods and a dam breach at Dawt Mill allowed strippers to make their way upstream from the Lake. So I'm sure all that might certainly cut down your chances of catching fish, but that didn't detour me one bit.

This place is remote and really a special place to test your hunting skills on this wide-open wilderness river. Trust me this place will challenge anyone.

Tip: Don’t bypass the skinny water you walk through, I seen countless fish moving in these areas.

As I stated in my last video (blog post) I don't spend a lot of time on this river, but I recommend you come prepared with a selection of dry flies such as caddis imitations, stone flies and mayflies. For nymph fishing I would go with black stone or golden stone fly nymph. For a Dropper setup I would run with large black or golden stone dry fly (sz10 to sz12) and black or golden stone nymph chasing behind (sz16) or some variation of that like a bead-head Prince nymph.

I didn't throw any streamers on this day kinda wish I would have, but that's just another reason to go back. I've heard black, brown, and olive woolly buggers work well.

I had an amazing challenging day on the water and I enjoyed my time with my son camping and eating his burned bacon and eggs in the morning. Each adventure brings experience and once again this beautiful river created memories that will never be forgotten. - Paul

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Attention: When visiting, please remember your responsibilities as an ethical angler. We work hard to provide details on public access points and share with our subscribers. Please obey and respect all posted signs. In addition, please help us keep these areas open to the public by picking up trash to help keep our water clean and safe for you and others.

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