Should Money Be Spent On A Put-and-take Trout Lake?

[fiveweight]

fishinwrench, I think that seems like a pretty far suggestion but I have a hard time disagreeing with your logic.

[fishinwrench]

fishinwrench, I think that seems like a pretty far suggestion but I have a hard time disagreeing with your logic.

Well thank you. And yeah I do tend to bust my leash when attempting to make a point sometimes.

A kid could catch bluegill or bass instead of trout and still get hooked on fishing...they wouldn't know the difference. If it becomes a passion for them, they can travel a couple hours to a trout stream.

Exactly. Besides putting trout in places where they really don't belong might implant a false perception to young would-be anglers....

Next thing you know they might be "trout fishing" in the Missouri river oxbows....and they won't understand why they can't catch one there. Looks like trout water to them, right ?

A huge part of a youngster learning to be a outdoorsman is understanding and recognizing different types of habitats and the critters that can exist (or be found) in each of them.

[Wayne SW/MO]

No one has told us what happens if they don't stock the urban lakes? Does this practice keep the hatcheries operational, would they would be closed early? Does it keep skilled personnel working?

There are a lot of comments about doing more for native species, but what waters can support more? Do we encourage keep and kill so that more fish can be stocked?

Lets not forget that the winter programs at the parks is the same program, let the fish graze in a pasture rather than feed them.

The monkey comparison isn't without merit, but Browns aren't native to the Niangua, or North America.

[fishinwrench]

No one has told us what happens if they don't stock the urban lakes? Does this practice keep the hatcheries operational, would they would be closed early? Does it keep skilled personnel working?

There are a lot of comments about doing more for native species, but what waters can support more? Do we encourage keep and kill so that more fish can be stocked?

Lets not forget that the winter programs at the parks is the same program, let the fish graze in a pasture rather than feed them.

The monkey comparison isn't without merit, but Browns aren't native to the Niangua, or North America.

True.

[eric1978]

No one has told us what happens if they don't stock the urban lakes? Does this practice keep the hatcheries operational, would they would be closed early? Does it keep skilled personnel working?

There are a lot of comments about doing more for native species, but what waters can support more? Do we encourage keep and kill so that more fish can be stocked?

Lets not forget that the winter programs at the parks is the same program, let the fish graze in a pasture rather than feed them.

The monkey comparison isn't without merit, but Browns aren't native to the Niangua, or North America.

Yes, true. But they can survive in the Niangua, but not at Busch.

Good points, Wayne. I think we do encourage keep and kill with the creel limits most fisheries have. In self-sustainable fisheries like Taney, we could reduce the cost of the stocking program if we reduced the number of fish being kept. MDC might as well be running a grocery store where you can have all the fish you want for $7 a year.

Are the stocking programs intended to provide fishing opportunities for sportsmen, or to feed people?

[Wayne SW/MO]

But they can survive in the Niangua, but not at Busch.

That's true, but they compete with the smallies in the Niangua and the bottom line is they are kept from the Niangua also. The only saving grace in the Niangua is that many don't fish it except at the put in and only the week or so following a stocking. Not all the stocking is done at the 64 access, but most don't know where the other sites are.

[fishinwrench]

You mean there really ARE browns in the Niangua ?

[eric1978]

That's true, but they compete with the smallies in the Niangua and the bottom line is they are kept from the Niangua also. The only saving grace in the Niangua is that many don't fish it except at the put in and only the week or so following a stocking. Not all the stocking is done at the 64 access, but most don't know where the other sites are.

Yeah, I'm just not really convinced they have that much negative impact on smallies. The trout won't leave the general vicinity of the springs, so it's not like they can take over the entire river. You don't have to convince me to think about the smallmouth over any other fish, though. They're still my favorite.

[Greg]

I mis spoke in statement on another topic. Taneycomo is not a put-and-take lake. It's a put-and-grow-and-take lake. The change is due to the restricted area and its regulations.

Thanks for the clarification and your statement echoes my thoughts on the subject. I think at times our beloved Taneycomo does get unfairly lumped in with stocked areas that are strictly put and take. Taney is a whole different animal IMHO.

I've never fished the put and take urban stocking areas so I don't really have an opinion. Does anyone have any idea how much MDC spends on those areas?

Greg

[ozark trout fisher]

I acknowledge there is a school of thought that native, natural fisheries should receive preferential treatment. I don't share that opinion

Why exactly do you think that native fisheries should not be given preferential treatment? Look, I'm basically a trout guy, and they're what I spend about 90% of my time fishing for. Still, I firmly believe that when push comes to shove, we need to put the native species first. I know my opinion on this will be widely disagreed with, but I believe that for whatever reason, these particular native species were put here, and it needs to be our first priority to protect them. Lake Taneycomo, and the White River are exceptions to this rule, because they can't support any kind of warmwater life in any kind of self sustaining fashion, because of the (in my opinion detrimental) changes man made to the river system.

Since man desecrated that river system by building a whole bunch of dams, we may as well provide some sort of a fishery I guess. If that means habitat improvement on a purely artificial fishery, whatever. I would rather see it spent enforcing regs on smallmouth streams.