Blue Ribbon Waters

[Silver Creek]

To me "blue ribbon" means "quality" or "significant" trout waters.

This could mean high number of trout per mile. It could mean difficult trout waters. It could mean hallowed waters with historical significance in fly fishing. It could mean pay to fish waters like Depuys Spring Creek. The meaning is derived from the context in which it is used.

[Zonk]

Blue Ribbon Waters: waters where tourists go to fish shoulder to shoulder in parts of the country where it isn't usually necessary for nice-sized fish and is counterproductive for numbers.

I'd agree with and am also guilty of your statement above. When I hop on a plane to tourist fish I'm always fishing the "Blue Ribbon Waters". When fishing local (ie driving less than 4hrs) I rarely fish the "Blue Ribbon Waters" and instead opt for the less well known but equally productive streams.

[DUB]

Yes I hear the term Blue Ribbon used aswell. Like a poster said in a previous post, here in Colorado a river gets Gold Medal designation. It has a very strict criteria:

The official criteria for Gold Medal Water is 12 trout per acre over 14" or 60 lbs. of trout per surface acre.

When a stream or river meets that criteria it pretty much gets the Gold Medal label whether anyone likes it or not.

[mnklagoon]

Blue Ribbon Waters= a place with bluegills

[jeffnles1]

Blue Ribbon Waters= a place with bluegills

That one gets my vote!

[branhap]

Wyoming G&F gives the designation to rivers and streams that are still natural, with the headwaters being untouched, or diverted for irrigation/other purposes. For instance, the N. Platte River is Blue Ribbon, in Southern Wyoming until just below Encampment Creek I believe, but the Grey Reef and Miracle Mile are not Blue Ribbon, though, many fly shops contend that it is in their advertisements.

The Snake River, for all its glory is a tailwater, and also not a Blue Ribbon River by the state's definition.

It's really interesting to look into what each state considers to be a blue ribbon fishery.

[JohnScott]

...It's really interesting to look into what each state considers to be a blue ribbon fishery.

By your description of the Wyoming definitions, the Greys River would qualify ?? If it doesn't, they need to change the definitions !!

I've heard the phrase "Blue Ribbon Waters" and the Colorado "Gold" thing on occasion but never paid much attention to it. In the post I originally refered to, the reference was to rivers in SE Idaho and SW Montana, and all the time I lived down that way, no one locally made any mention of blue ribbon this or that.

It's not an expression that I've ever had occasion to understand or use, and the responses here have been interesting.

Thanks all, for some enlightment.

John