News release MDC on the Trout Park Opener

[Steve Smith]

JEFFERSON CITY-Catch-and-keep season at Missouri's four trout parks begins March 1, and while good weather is not guaranteed, officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation say thousands of people will turn out for the event, regardless of conditions.

Missouri has three trout parks owned by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) - Bennett Spring State Park (SP) near Lebanon, Montauk SP near Salem and Roaring River SP near Cassville. The fourth trout park is Maramec Spring Park south of St. James. The James Foundation owns and operates this park. All four parks operate on Central Standard Time March 1 through 10 and on Daylight Savings Time after that.

The Conservation Department operates hatcheries at all four trout parks, and stocks approximately three fish per angler for opening day. How do hatchery managers know how many anglers to expect?

"We have attendance records going back more than 50 years," said Coldwater Hatcheries Supervisor George Kromrey. "With decades of figures to base our predictions on, we have a very good idea how many anglers to expect on a particular day of the week."

Kromrey said weather is the wild card when it comes to predicting opening-day turnout. However, even extremely cold, snowy or rainy weather does not seem to deter most anglers. "Opening day is a tradition for lots of people," he said. "It is a social event and a way of marking the changing of the seasons. Most people are going to come, regardless of the weather."

Projections for this year are for a turnout of 2,300 anglers at Bennett Spring, as many as 2,200 at Montauk, 2,000 at Roaring River and 1,500 at Maramec Spring.

This year's opening-day attendance could top 8,000 with favorable weather. The record of 14,947 was set in 1992, when the opener fell on Sunday.

The DNR expects to have Bennett Spring SP ready for visitors in time for the trout opener. Trees in the park sustained heavy damage from January's ice storms, but the Division of State Parks pulled out all the stops to get storm debris cleared. The park's headquarters and cabins did not sustain any damage.

Anglers at Montauk SP will find a few changes from last year. These include bank-stabilization work along the spring branch, making the fishable area larger and safer. Near the spring, anglers will find several new boulders, which will create spots for trout to hide in and help control bank erosion.

Regular visitors to Maramec Spring Park also will find some changes. The Conservation Department paid for placement of 90 boulders more than 3 feet in diameter in the stream to improve trout habitat. Also, some holes were dredged to deepen them.

On opening day each year, Conservation Department hatcheries at each trout park release up to 100 large brood trout that are no longer needed for hatchery operations. These range from 3 to 6 pounds each, compared to about 1 pound for the average trout-park fish.

To get the most angling fun from these "lunkers," the Conservation Department encourages anglers to catch and release them. The "I Released a Lunker" program provides a patch to sew on fishing vests for anglers who return fish 18 inches or longer to the water. Anglers who catch and release lunkers at each of the four trout parks get a Grand Slam Patch around which the other four patches can be sewn. To qualify, you must immediately release the fish in good condition and have a witness to verify the release. Applications are available at hatchery offices at the parks.

The Conservation Department also has a recognition program for first-time anglers. The First Fish Award Program recognizes this landmark in new anglers' careers with a certificate suitable for framing. The First Fish Award application is available online at www.mdc.mo.gov/62 or from Fisheries Information Specialist Randy Noyes, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, 573/522-4115, ext. 3593.

Missouri's trout parks remain popular tourist destinations throughout the eight-month catch-and-keep season. Last year the Conservation Department sold 413,800 daily trout fishing permits at the parks. Besides providing recreational opportunities for Missourians, the parks also boost the flow of tourist dollars into the Show-Me State. At Roaring River SP, which sells more than 100,000 daily trout tags per year, more than half the anglers come from out of state.

Anglers can reduce the amount of time they have to stand in line by purchasing fishing permits before arriving at trout parks.

For more information about Missouri state parks, call (800) 334-6946 or (800) 379-2419 (telecommunications device for the deaf), or visit www.mostateparks.com.

[Kayser]

These include bank-stabilization work along the spring branch, making the fishable area larger and safer.

What do they mean by larger and safer? Did they dam up a riffle with the boulders and make another hole? Or did they just add jetties to reduce current flow? Either way, I wouldn't like for the nature of the stream to change from the way it is.

Rob

[10pointer]

What do they mean by larger and safer? Did they dam up a riffle with the boulders and make another hole? Or did they just add jetties to reduce current flow? Either way, I wouldn't like for the nature of the stream to change from the way it is.

Rob

i totally agree and would like to know exactly what they mean by what they are stating as far as changes. They could really use a little dredging or something because i even miss the old days of the spring hole being somewhat deep and not a 1.5 feet deep along with everywhere else...could also do a little moss cutting while they are at it. I noticed they placed the boulders just above hudson but i dont really see much change in fish behavior and they surely havent helped make deeper cuts in the bottom.

Im not a big proponent of dredging but just in the past few years the bottom has really filled in and kind of ruined things as far as trout habitat goes.

[MrDucky]

2,000 people Grrr what have i gotten myself into . It sounds like a great time , Can you fit 2000 people in at Roaring River

[Robert]

That should take some pressure off Taney!!!

[Steve Smith]

Ducky; that's really not that mahy people if you wait until the morning froth clears. Usually by noon, they have their limit or they are froze out.

[Kayser]

They could really use a little dredging or something because i even miss the old days of the spring hole being somewhat deep and not a 1.5 feet deep along with everywhere else...could also do a little moss cutting while they are at it. I noticed they placed the boulders just above hudson

Dredging? The riffles and that 1.5 feet of water holds an amazing amount of fish if they aren't scared off. People avoid the riffles because they can't see the fish, even though they are still there. I completely avoid the holes because there are more fish and less people in the riffles, making it a good fishing experience.

Where would they cut the moss from? The fly-only area really doesnt have that much.

Where is Hudson at? Is it that really deep hole just down from the spring?

Rob