Trout opener article in the St Louis Post

[Johnsfolly]

I had only really began regularly fishing the parks about 8 years ago. Was a good place to get my kids on some trout in a creek. Especially after taking them pond trout fishing in the urban lakes. Haven't done an opener yet. Not likely to now either. I would get excited for the PA opener when I lived there. Pretty much a similar deal to the trout park openers. Didn't like that very much. So most years I would have been fishing for trout pretty regularly in the Current or Little Piney or other trout stream well before the parks opened and often was the only one on the river. Also would have likely been out more than a few times meat fishing the urban lakes after Feb 1st. So the allure of being packed along the bank with a bunch of strangers didn't have much appeal.

[tjm]

Tuesday after the opening is usually very good fishing, in RR.

I learned from Fisheries people in RI that they only close the season because so many people will buy permits to fish on opening day and most won't fish again til the next opening day; all about the tradition and the social thing. Bio told me that they had tried year round trout a few years and the permit sales dropped drastically, so they went back to 4 weeks of closed season and a publicized opener. Said opening day sales paid for almost all the trout program there.

I don't know if MDC operates on the same principle, but it is probable that a bunch of opening day only people do buy annual permits. Past weekends RRSP has been packed with as many people as a summer day. Several told me they drove 4-5-6 hours each way to be there.

[Seth]

I need to start working on rounding up some victims for this years Maramec opener. 

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

1 hour ago, Seth said:

I need to start working on rounding up some victims for this years Maramec opener. 

Make sure they know to stop keeping at 3 fish.  Lol.

[Johnsfolly]

1 minute ago, Daryk Campbell Sr said:

Make sure they know to stop keeping at 3 fish.  Lol.

Always thought that it was trout park etiquette to keep four on a stringer and cull the smaller ones when you caught something larger .

[Seth]

2 minutes ago, Johnsfolly said:

Always thought that it was trout park etiquette to keep four on a stringer and cull the smaller ones when you caught something larger .

Only if the smaller fish are already pretty much dead from having a stringer clip ran through their gills. Fresh fish always taste better anyways.

[Johnsfolly]

33 minutes ago, Seth said:

Only if the smaller fish are already pretty much dead from having a stringer clip ran through their gills. Fresh fish always taste better anyways.

I agree with that, which is why it's better to catch four, get them cleaned and on ice before you start fishing again !

[snagged in outlet 3]

You could save money by buying the trout feed and just eat that.  Add water, work into patty and cook.  Tastes the same as the trout.

[tjm]

2 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

You could save money by buying the trout feed and just eat that.  Add water, work into patty and cook.  Tastes the same as the trout.

You've done this?

[JestersHK]

Heck going to the parks just go to the the City Lakes!  

https://fox2now.com/2019/02/05/large-rainbow-trout-caught-in-forest-park-lake/