Trout at Lake 28 today

[bkbying89]

It happens everywhere. The last time I was down at Meremac Springs a girl was fishing with dough bait. I told her that was against the rules and offered her a San Juan Worm and some egg flies to use on her spinning rod. I moved on and she departed.

Bill

 

[tjm]

The authorities know that happens and expect it. They restock RRSP every couple of weeks throughout the C&R season, I've been told by a few people. Some picture mortality, some stupid about release and some theft, but the numbers decrease at a rate that surprised me. 

I believe that's the reason we only get 4 days out of each week to practice C&R.  For sure I've witnessed hundreds of lethal releases over the years and dead in the water is just as dead as dead in crisco.

[bkbying89]

I see dead fish in the streams but figure they get washed out or eaten by critters at night. I am sure a few get taken home for dinner. I try hard to play them quickly and try to release them without handling. Beyond that, not fishing is the only way I can think of to increase the survival rate. 

 

Bill

[Trout Man]

I'm gonna say it.  The urban trout program is a joke and MDC should end it. Terrible waste of resources.

[Terrierman]

I for one don't care if some 12 year old Vietnamese kid eats a few trout that MDC raised.  So far as I'm concerned that's a better use of the fish than feeding raccoons.

[jdmidwest]

In reality, the trout program is a joke at all areas except below the tailwaters.  Most areas the trout replaced native smallmouth bass habitat.  At least in the tailwaters that were made too cold for the smallmouth to flourish by man, there is a reason for them.  It is a put and take fishery from its beginnings.  They are not native to MO.  They may have been around many moons ago when the state was cooler by Ice Age.  It causes more issues, has the most screwed up regulations, and causes more people to act like idiots in a crowded sporting situation.  Not the best sporting situation in the sense.

But it is fun.  Offers a year round fishery.  And is funded by those that buy the stamp and tags.  I fish the local ponds when they stock them, usually a way to grab a few hours fishing in when nothing else is going on.  And other states around us do it too, but not as efficiently as MO does.  I have fished winter trout in IL, KY, and TN.  It is always better here or in the streams that Arkansas continues to stock all winter.

[fishinwrench]

The part that blows my mind is that the lakes they throw trout in have bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish.....but nobody gets excited about fishing there until they dump TROUT in it.    

Well, trout in stillwater don't fight that hard, and we all know that they taste like rotted clams, so why not instead of pissing money away hauling trout to those lakes don't they just do a better job managing the bass/crappie/bluegill/catfish that can help sustain themselves ?   Those fish bite in the winter too !

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

44 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

The part that blows my mind is that the lakes they throw trout in have bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish.....but nobody gets excited about fishing there until they dump TROUT in it.    

Well, trout in stillwater don't fight that hard, and we all know that they taste like rotted clams, so why not instead of pissing money away hauling trout to those lakes don't they just do a better job managing the bass/crappie/bluegill/catfish that can help sustain themselves ?   Those fish bite in the winter too !

You pretty much answered your own question.  They don't dump as many of the other fish, as actively as the trout.  The fish that are still in the ponds a few weeks after stocking are usually out of reach of most fisherman.  

[top_dollar]

11 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

The part that blows my mind is that the lakes they throw trout in have bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish.....but nobody gets excited about fishing there until they dump TROUT in it.    

Well, trout in stillwater don't fight that hard, and we all know that they taste like rotted clams, so why not instead of pissing money away hauling trout to those lakes don't they just do a better job managing the bass/crappie/bluegill/catfish that can help sustain themselves ?   Those fish bite in the winter too !

I fish those lakes for bass and crappie.  You're correct though that most do not.

[snagged in outlet 3]

11 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

but nobody gets excited about fishing there until they dump TROUT in it.   

If you've ever been to Busch in the summer you might change your mind.  The place gets absolutely pounded in the "regular" season.  When they stock catfish the banks are (were) lined with people.  I haven't been over there in the summer in years because of all the peeps.  I agree hauling trout around is a waste of money.  Just dump the things in the stream near the hatchery and be done with it. 

Some of the lakes at Busch are actually very nice, clean, rocky lakes.  I think they would be better served to take convert a couple ponds to hatchery operations to grow cats and bass to release there.  But hey....That's just me.