Anyone made a trip this year?

[SpoonDog]

"Raceway renovations include paved concrete bottoms, new raceway cleaning and drainage system, repair of leaking raceway walls, construction of a new outlet flume, and concrete paving of service roads. Raceway renovations and improvements will facilitate improved drainage for water management and fish waste management, improve fish health and production, and improved efficiency and safety for hatchery workers."

 

https://www.fws.gov/fieldnotes/regmap.cfm?arskey=30575

[SpoonDog]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

One beef I have with the urban program is that they don't just throw those dink 10-12 inchers in there, like they do at the parks and the White/Red ribbon areas.   

Noooo, they pick out all the GOODUNS!  😣. 15-20 inchers! 

 

A 12 inch fish dumped into the park and harvested an hour later is still gonna be 12 inches.  A 12 inch fish dumped into a pond in November and harvested in February is gonna be bigger. 

Folks keep coolers of 10 inchers and wonder why there's no 12 inchers and I just don't think it's that mysterious.  MDC stocks 2.5 fish (?) per tag sold, right? Regardless of the number harvested? If 1200 fish/day are stocked and 1200 fish/day are removed, net zero.  If 1200 fish go in and 1000 come out, 200 fish get to live and grow another day.  Do that every day of the summer, you may see positive changes in abundance and size.  It isn't rocket science.

I don't think whinging about urban anglers and hatchery management accomplishes much.   If you want more 12 inchers, keep fewer 10 inchers.  If you want more 15 inchers, keep fewer 12 inchers.  If there aren't enough lunkers, don't throw 'em in the truck bed, haul them to the scale, and hang them on the wall.  Stocking is only part of management, and trout part anglers already decide the quality of those fisheries.  If they want something different, do something different. 

[nomolites]

If you think urban fisherman adhere to the regs, you are confused. They most certainly do not in my area(St. Louis) “ There is a season??? Catch and release - I never knew that?  There is a limit??  I need a license??”

Of course you never actually hear those exchanges, because there in no enforcement.

Most folks on here respect, and protect, our fisheries.

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, SpoonDog said:

It isn't rocket science.

It sure isn't. 

Very few fish get kept from Bennett.  If 2.5 fish are stocked per tag sold...then the fish population would GROW daily.

It ain't growing, and it isn't because of otters, eagles, or snapping turtles.  

I bet you could walk the stream tomorrow evening and not find a single gut pile from the spring hole to the whistle bridge.    Catch & release is way more prevalent among the anglers at BSSP in Z1 & Z2 than catch & eat.

If they indeed stocked 2.5 per tag then Zone 1 & 2 would be literally overloaded with trout.  And zone 3 should be a literal dead zone. 

[fishinwrench]

2 hours ago, SpoonDog said:

"Raceway renovations include paved concrete bottoms, new raceway cleaning and drainage system, repair of leaking raceway walls, construction of a new outlet flume, and concrete paving of service roads. Raceway renovations and improvements will facilitate improved drainage for water management and fish waste management, improve fish health and production, and improved efficiency and safety for hatchery workers."

 

https://www.fws.gov/fieldnotes/regmap.cfm?arskey=30575

You forget to c&p this part....

"it will be able to accommodate a 60% increase in the number of small fingerlings ready for distribution at Bennett Springs Fish Hatchery or the Department's other cold water fish hatcheries."

 

Honestly, if anything.....there is a noticable 60% decrease since their production way back in 1987-89 when they had way LESS cool new $#!t to work with, and considerably less staff on the clock.

Seriously, what kinda drug do you swallow daily that allows you to so staunchly defend an organization that is undeniably failing more and more as time goes on ?

[Mitch f]

Urban trout stocking should be renamed “Feed the Bosnians”

[tjm]

Would you guys say that park use at Bennett is about the same as past years or grossly increased?

Just a  gut feeling, but I think  that RRSP is seeing three times the visitors that it did five years ago. Half of whom just walk dogs through the fishing areas.

[fishinwrench]

39 minutes ago, tjm said:

Would you guys say that park use at Bennett is about the same as past years or grossly increased?

Just a  gut feeling, but I think  that RRSP is seeing three times the visitors that it did five years ago. Half of whom just walk dogs through the fishing areas.

It hasn't grossly increased at BS during the weekends.   It used to get pretty crowded back then as well. And they haven't seen fit to add any new parking lots since 1974, so...🤔

I think that possibly it has increased somewhat during the week though.   Alot of us used to be WORKING during the weekdays and didn't get to go much then.....so I can't say for sure.  I didn't get to start PLAYING on weekdays until I hit the age of 42

 

They can't honestly claim that they are selling THAT MANY more tags now.  Because if they were, then they could hire someone to just sit there and sell tags.....So that you wouldn't have to stand there, tapping your foot, waiting for the dude to finish making someone an ice cream cone so that he could slowly wander over and sell you a tag.  🙄

[Johnsfolly]

7 hours ago, nomolites said:

Of course you never actually hear those exchanges, because there in no enforcement.

Most folks on here respect, and protect, our fisheries.

In Columbia I was checked more frequently during the urban trout than anywhere or any time elsewhere. 

[laker67]

5 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

 

I think that possibly it has increased somewhat during the week though.   Alot of us used to be WORKING during the weekdays and didn't get to go much then.....so I can't say for sure.  I didn't get to start PLAYING on weekdays until I hit the age of 42

 

 

I was able to start fishing week days in 2013. I think  every other trout fishing elderly person retired the same week. Crowds have definately increased . Parking lots are full especially at Taneycomo. Most times at Taney, Missouri license plates are in the minority.