It Is Almost Time For The Very Best Trout Fishing Of The Entire Season.

[Phil Lilley]

Growing up, my state (Kansas) didn't stock anything I hunted to fished for and I consider my upbringing in a rural area. That was 40ish years ago - and things have changed a bit. But I don't think the opportunities rural kids have as far as access to creeks, ponds and fields not touched by any state agency. That was my thinking when I asked the question.

For city kids to have an opportunity to fish in the city, I think it's beneficial.

[laker67]

To get right to the point, I question if money has much to do with your actual reasoning here. This is a drop in the bucket, in terms of funding. Nearly irrelevent when you consider the money being spent to stock up Taney/Trout Parks, etc. I think the real reason people object to it is because they don't view it as "real trout fishing" and "what benefit do I get out of it?" Guess what, by nature, the MDC is going to mostly cater to rural folks. So there's nothing to complain about. Things like stocking a few urban ponds with 10" trout is a way of saying, "hey, we do something for you guys too, so you should actually care about our existence." LIke it or not, it's a state agency, and most of the population in our state is in urban areas. It's a must that they do something to cater to people living in cities. No way around that.

I doubt seriously that mdc will do much to cater to rural folk with private property. But that is not the issue. I have not criticized the people who use the program, I have criticized the program. I am against it and always have been, short and simple. With that I am bowing out of this argument. Thanks for the input.

[Jeff Tief]

I posed the question last year of how long the season lasts when we had weather cold enough to freeze some of the smaller,shallower lakes that are stocked.If the lakes are frozen over by the end of the year,then 6 weeks isn't much of a return or a bang for the buck.Not familiar with many of the lakes that are stocked as it is closer for me to visit Maramac Springs than drive to an urban lake.At least the parks and Taney afford a little longer season for the most part.Then again if the folks in the urban areas fish close to home it makes it a little less crowded for all.

[Quillback]

My 2 cents on the kids fishing aspect of it is why not raise and stock massive numbers of hand sized bluegill? Kids just want fast action and easy to catch fish. Stock a few big catfish just to add some lunker potential. I don't have anything against the urban trout stocking programs, it's done here in Arkansas also, but IMO if you want to get a young child interested in fishing, I would not recommend starting them off fishing for trout.

[ruthead]

I started my trout fishing at Bennett, then RR, then Taney, then White river, and now have plans to trout fish Colorado next summer. each place different. I don't look down my nose at anyone who fishes any of these type settings. I know some that do. The sooner we all realize it can definitely get worse the better off we are. The city population is rising and a majority and they have the ability to determine what might happen to the programs that affect us country people. If young kids in the city are exposed to fishing favorably its got to be a win win situation. It will probably never be agreed upon on how the dollars should be spent but the fact they are spent on a program that may insure my grandkids can trout fish in Missouti seems good to me. I have long said its not much different than the gun control issue. The "Auntie" in the city doesn't care about us hunters having firearms to hunt with when her son, nephew and the father of her children were killed with a gun. That segment of the population has the numbers to outvote us country folk if they so choose.

Sure i would love to see more trout in more natural settings. Its not the same standing on a sidewalk fishing for trout as it is out in a natural setting. But, as someone already said it is a state agency and the urban stocking program caters to a large portion of the state population.

[stlfisher]

Same here. It's fun, weirdly so. It's not necessarily trout fishing in the strictest sense, but it's definitely being outside when you could be inside. So I'm not going to turn my nose up at it anytime soon. And yeah, stocked trout are fine to eat. Not great, but fine, and there's no guilt.

i agree OTF. I think it is a great program. It is relatively close to home and I have meet a great group of guys that I have fished with over the years that I wouldn't have met without the program. It is not the same as fishing for wild trout or even fishing the current, Meramec etc, but I do look forward to it. I spend a lot of time and money driving all over the place to fish for trout and smallmouth etc. My time is not unlimited and with a 17th month old and another baby on the way the Sunday afternoon trip in the winter time is ideal for me. It is as much about enjoying the company of people I have meet as much as catching fish. I can't think of a better way to introduce my little guy to trout fishing when he gets a bit older.

I also take several winter trips to Montauk or the Meramac, which are some of my favorites of the year. I like it all as the experience is fun for me in both settings.

I am also pretty sure I read that the trout for the urban stocking program are not yet being supplied by state hatcheries (that is the long term goal, but it is not happening yet is my understanding) they are purchased from private companies.

Lastly, I still think there is too much emphasis on catch and keep trout. The trout program does have an expense, so it does seem a bit silly to have 4 fish limits on a stocked fish that cost money and time to raise. I would be ok if they stopped the Urban fishing program as long as those funds were used to purchase other trout areas and decrease the limits at trout parks and on Brown Trout, but it would need to be a give and take deal for me to be on board.

[Smalliebigs]

I grew up fishing January Walbash Lake, I work about 15 minutes away. Think I'll stop by in a couple of weeks visit the home waters of my youth. Don't be fooled my media hype north county isn't so bad.

ha ha.......we lived right across the street from January Walbash and moved in 1983 after I had been mugged twice by groups of monkeys from Berkley. I wouldn't let fishing tackle go without a fight and paid the price. We got the hell out of there, I can only imagine what it's like now. My friend owns a nice house in the historic district of Ferguson....huge old Civil War era home on the historic record and has to sleep in a lazy boy in front of his front door with a loaded gun in his lap....he has guns in every room.....he has been threatened twice buying pizza at Faraci's. There is no hype needed from the media.....North County sucks and the bomb is about to go off up there.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Now Smallie.

A real North County boy can take on several would-be attackers with a 4 weight alone.

Pete

[Haris122]

I've fished at January Wabash or whatever it's called, a few times, and I'm not going to put it beyond all realm of possibility, but the 3-4 times I've been up there no one gave me any grief. Granted this wasn't in 1983, nor these past couple months since that shooting happened. But I fished for trout there a few times while in-between classes at UMSL. I wasn't familiar with what kind of neighborhood Ferguson was first time I went so, I was a bit apprehensive, but it turned out about the same as any other local park. By the way, anyone notice if they started stocking trout at local parks yet?

[mhall02]

Yesterday the stocking began...... call 636-300-9651 for locations and numbers.