Daily User Fee?

[denjac]

Guess I am behind the times. My son Jason was at capps yesterday and said the have a $5. user fee now. Have mixed emotions about that.

[Feathers and Fins]

User fee or Donation box... last time i was there they had a donation box .... If they go to user fee im done there that is stocked by MDC and to charge twice just rubs me the wrong way.

[Buzz]

Basically it's a parking fee. In order to park within the park you have to pay $5.00 a carload or a yearly fee of $50.00. It has nothing to do with the trout, just the park itself. If you don't want to pay you can park across the road and enter at the new bridge. And yes it is a collection box located at the entry gate.

[Chief Grey Bear]

User fee or Donation box... last time i was there they had a donation box .... If they go to user fee im done there that is stocked by MDC and to charge twice just rubs me the wrong way.

Charged twice???

[Feathers and Fins]

Our licenses pay for the stocking correct? so now charged to park.. to me its a double tap... Maybe growing up in Socal and seeing this happen before makes me gunshy as once it starts it steam rolls... Look up what it cost to fish Diamond Valley Resivoir in Cali Cheif. Tapped for all kinds of stuff which to me is just wrong. I just do not want to see this area of the country becoming like that.

[Buzz]

No worries F and F the best fishing is below the park anyway. No charge either.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Our licenses pay for the stocking correct? so now charged to park.. to me its a double tap... Maybe growing up in Socal and seeing this happen before makes me gunshy as once it starts it steam rolls... Look up what it cost to fish Diamond Valley Resivoir in Cali Cheif. Tapped for all kinds of stuff which to me is just wrong. I just do not want to see this area of the country becoming like that.

Your license allows you to fish anywhere within the borders of the state. Your trout tag allows you to possess them. If you don't intend on keeping any you don't have to have a tag. So the fishing is costing you nothing.

In reality this is not any different than any of the other state or private trout parks. Only here you don't have to pay to fish, just park. The MDC does not get the parking fee. This is a private park that has always been privately funded. And I am pretty sure that if those using the park would have picked up after themselves, it would still be free parking. Between the maintenance and the insurance, I'd bet is was pretty pricey to keep open. Then you add the cost of the park ranger and the his housing and it keeps going up.

And you don't have to pay if you don't want. The MDC maintains two parking lots just across the road that have all the free parking you will need.

[Gavin]

The Jolly Mill folks get the $5 fee, not MDC...MDC just provides the trout for folks to catch. Consider yourselves lucky to have a trout stream to fish. The James Foundation charges to park at Meramec Springs too. Havent been down in awhile but there is a $3-5 day fee and an annual pass is available for more money...plus the cost of a day tag in catch & keep season.

[ollie]

We are lucky and I caught the #$*% out of them on Monday!! Biggest was a 16". Good times in the rain.

[Tommy Neil]

I paid the $50 for a year and consider it a cheap. It takes money to keep the park up. Not having any luck lately but its only 10 miles from the house and a very nice place to go.