JEFFERSON CITY - As winter winds down, anglers throughout the Show-Me State are beginning to show some signs of trout fever. Symptoms include tying flies, putting new fishing line on reels, checking waders for holes and practicing casting.
Most anglers who get trout fever get rid of it by doing one thing - visiting one of Missouri's four trout parks to participate in the catch-and-keep trout season.
Thursday marks the opening of catch-and-keep trout fishing at Montauk State Park near Licking, Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon, Roaring River State Park near Cassville, and Maramec Spring Park near St. James. The catch-and-keep season at the trout parks runs through Oct. 31.
The Missouri Department of Conservation operates trout hatcheries at all four parks. To help predict angler turnout on opening day, hatchery staff rely on permit records going back more than 80 years. Montauk, Bennett Spring and Roaring River hatchery staff expect crowds of about 2,000 anglers at each location and Maramec Spring staff are planning for a crowd of about 1,000. Based on these predictions, hatchery staff will stock three trout per expected angler on opening day for a total of more than 21,000 fish averaging around a foot in length. The hatcheries will also stock a mix of "lunkers" ranging from 3-10 pounds.
"We have plenty of fish for this year's trout season," MDC Fisheries Division Chief Brian Canaday said.
Last fall, the pond at Veterans Lake also was stocked with about 800 rainbow trout from the Montauk hatchery for a youth fishing tournament. The catch-and-release period at this pond expired Feb. 1 (trout permits are required for anglers).
Trout anglers will need a daily trout tag to fish in Missouri's trout parks. Daily trout tags can only be purchased at each of the four trout parks. Missouri residents ages 16-64 and nonresidents 16 and older need a fishing permit in addition to the daily tag.
Buy Missouri fishing permits from numerous vendors around the state, at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, or through MDC's free mobile apps, MO Hunting and MO Fishing, available for download through Google Play for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices.
Trout hatcheries are just one way conservation pays in Missouri. MDC stocks more than 800,000 trout annually at the state's four trout parks and approximately 1.5 million annually statewide. Trout anglers' spend more than $100 million each year in the Show-Me-State, which generates more than $180 million in business activity, supports more than 2,300 jobs and creates more than $70 million in wages. About 30 percent of Missouri trout anglers come from other states, so a substantial portion of trout fishing expenditures is "new money" for the state's economy.
For more information on trout fishing in Missouri, visit bit.ly/1QJI6Nk.
REMINDER TO TROUT ANGLERS: To prevent the spread of the invasive alga called didymo or "rock snot," the use of shoes, boots or waders with porous soles of felt, matted or woven fibrous material is prohibited at all trout parks, trout streams, Lake Taneycomo and buffer areas. Get more information at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/fishing/protect-missouri-fishing/dont-spread-didymo.
MDC officials remind hunters and anglers that annual hunting and fishing permits expired at the end of February, including 2017 permits for small game, fishing, trout fishing, and combination hunting and fishing.
Annual permits purchased on or after Dec. 1, 2017, are good until the end of February 2019.
Commercial and lifetime permits can be purchased only through the MDC Permit Services Unit by calling 573-522-0107 for an application.