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Happy Birthday To You & Happy Opening Day Of Trout Season

March 01, 2006

Today is Christopher's birthday! You need to travel over to WhatinTarnation and wish him a very happy b-day. Don't forget to tell him that Pressed sent you! Just pick any post you want and leave a comment, he will appreciate it. Oh, and in case anyone was wondering it is his happy 28th birthday. That is getting dangerously close to 30. Christopher, if I can find time I must come to Rolla and we can go to a slice of pie to celebrate. Mmmm, I'm craving some toll house pie.

For all of you who are in Missouri and know the other significance of March 1st, Happy opening day of trout season. WHOO! I love to trout fish. In fact, last summer I went trout fishing almost once or twice for every week of the summer. Kendall has gotten into it too and so we both go regularly, which is fun. Here is some more info, in case you were wondering what this trout fishing buisness is all about:

Trout fishing has been part of Missouri's outdoor heritage for most of our state's history. Early settlers must have been surprised that there were no trout in the cold, clear waters of the Ozarks, because they made efforts to introduce them. Shortly after the Civil War, the Missouri Fish Commission received rainbow trout eggs from California shipped over the relatively new transcontinental rail lines.

Since 1880, Missouri anglers have enjoyed the excitement of trout leaping from cold, rushing streams. In the early years, however, fishing demand kept trout populations low. By the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps was helping to construct hatcheries to add more trout to streams. This began the modern era of trout management.

Missouri's trout program gradually expanded and diversified, and now provides a wide range of fishing opportunities. Around some of our largest springs (Bennett, Montauk, Roaring River and Maramec) are "trout parks" where anglers enjoy daily stockings of rainbow trout in easily-accessible areas.

Outside the trout parks are areas which are less intensively stocked and fished. Also, there are streams that support brown trout, or even wild, self-sustaining populations of rainbow trout. The cold waters of Lake Taneycomo are famous for producing trophy trout. City-dwelling anglers can enjoy winter trout fishing in a number of lakes and ponds in urban areas.

Providing trout fishing is not simple. The supply of trout from Missouri's hatcheries is limited. Natural reproduction of trout is even more limited. Less than 1 percent of our permanent streams are cold enough to sustain trout year-round. Even so, trout are popular with anglers and support up to 15 percent of all Missouri fishing.

To guide our management efforts, the Missouri Conservation Commission approved "A Plan For Missouri Trout Fishing" in October 2003. The plan declares that the goal of trout management in the state is to "provide anglers with diverse, quality trout fishing opportunities consistent with overall sound management of our state's aquatic life."

The plan, which contains ideas and direction from many of Missouri's trout anglers, as well as Department staff and employees from other agencies, creates clear goals and priorities for Missouri trout management. It also outlines the tasks necessary to achieve these goals.

Important components of the new trout management plan include renovating Missouri's trout hatcheries and increasing hatchery production by 20 percent.

Parts of the trout hatchery system that the Civilian Conservation Corps built in the 1930s are still in use. Comprehensive renovations have not been done at any Department trout hatchery since 1978.

Renovating hatcheries is necessary to produce not only more trout, but to improve the quality of trout. Fisheries Unit Chief Kevin Richards said the new goal is to produce rainbow trout that average 12.5 inches for all waters the Department stocks.

Trout Fishing Regulations
Trout Parks at Bennett Spring, Montauk, Maramec and Roaring River will be managed much as they've been in the past. However, last year they passed two changes to statewide regulations to improve angling in the parks. First, the daily limit for trout has been reduced from five to four. The possession limit will be reduced from 10 to eight. Although these changes may reduce the harvest for some anglers, they will help spread the harvest among more anglers and create more successful fishing trips.

Second, the minimum length limit for brown trout caught from mosts streams, including the trout parks, will be 15 inches. In some waters, the minimum length limit for all trout will be 18 inches. Brown trout have the potential to grow large, but in the past, many browns in trout parks were harvested before they achieved their growth potential.

Comments

Posted by: Mike Robertson
May 2, 2006 12:16 AM

Hello there, it sounds like you look forward to the opening day of fishing as much as I do. I'm a die hard fishermen who fishes on the world famous Bow River in Calgary Alberta Canada. We are accustomed to catching 20-27 inch Brown Trout on this river system. So if you ever decide to come out to Canada i'll take you out on a guided trip down the Bow River. Ps Good luck on your next outing on the river and God Bless. Mike.R

Posted by: Pressed
May 2, 2006 11:09 AM

Well, unfortunately I don't go to Canada that often, but if I do I will be sure to look you up.