Rainbow out of Shoal

[purefish]

Caught a trout out of Shoal Sunday on a smallmouth bait.  We were fishing near Cherry Corner when my buddy said he saw one hit his bass jig, I threw in there and got him on the next cast.  Curious as to anyone's theories as to how he got there, that is a long swim from Hickory or Capps.

[bfishn]

There used to be a couple of small trout farms in the Shoal Creek watershed west of Neosho, but I haven't seen either of those guys since I got out of the business, so I can't say if they're still operating. Even if they're not there anymore, somebody's likely still using the facilities to produce a few fish, and when it floods, inevitably some fish wash out.

[Johnsfolly]

That's a great surprise fish. Great catch!

[Gavin]

There are quite a few places in that area with small wild trout populations. They stocked them all over the place in that area during the 1880-1890's. Plenty of out of business hatchery ops too.

[Johnsfolly]

I caught a surprise rainbow in a river not too far from Shoal creek back in May. I would love to find a couple of more spots down in the SW like Shoal creek that have resident wild trout.

[Gavin]

Chuck Tryon's trout books lists most of them but the info varies based upon the edition. Look for rail crossings and spring flow nearby. They stocked eggs at most rail crossings out of milk cans after the invention of the refrigerated rail car. Don't post location online when you find.

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, Gavin said:

Chuck Tryon's trout books lists most of them but the info varies based upon the edition. Look for rail crossings and spring flow nearby. They stocked eggs at most rail crossings out of milk cans after the invention of the refrigerated rail car. Don't post location online when you find.

I've always suspected that old yarn was high in mythical value.   Especially after learning how big of a PIA it was to stop and then restart a train's movement back in those days.

[Gavin]

Figure those trains stopped a bunch. Dropping stuff off like FedEx at any point of habitation. Hauled more stuff  than the Wells Fargo Wagon.

[MOPanfisher]

I doubt that the trains stopped much except at scheduled stops, like FW said, they were even more of a pain to stop and start back during the coal/wood/steam days.  Way back in my college days we went somewhere down in that country to seine a piece of river, professor said it was not unusual to catch a trout of two because of a small trout park that they would escape from.  I keep thinking it may have been the spring river though?  Only been about 30 years since then, and memory well not my strongest suit.

[ollie]

More than likely it came from Capps.  I remember when they "drained" the falls at Joplin a few years back and they found 2 large rainbows at the base where they could get plenty of oxygen and cool water.  Both of them were around 5 pounds each.  Although there are plenty of people who stock their own private trout on their property with a spring that runs on it.  Shoal has a LOT of small springs that flow into it.  Shoot, it could have came from Neosho out of Big Spring Park for all we know!  Or came out of Hickory and made it's way upstream.  Many possible ways that trout got there.