Anyone made a trip this year?

[laker67]

6 hours ago, tjm said:

Taneycomo is not a put and take fishery, it is a guide employment and outfitter support facility. When they start requiring daily tags on Taneycomo, provide full public access  and prohibit guides, you can begin to compare  it to the parks.

Size limits, slot limits could work on the river outside the daily tag area, designate a section of it as trophy only and any fish under 26# or 38"  or whathaveyou must be released, set aside another section where only fish less than 10" or longer than 21" can be kept, these areas would require annual permits no tags;   but fish in the tag area are meant for immediate consumption, it's the basis of the parks existence. No one wants to filet a lunker.

Like Johnfolly, this is too big a size for the parks to handle unless they go to the triploid fish. The diploid strain that missouri raises would max out 25 to 30 lb maybe and not be a very healthy fish to survice once released because of age and just being too fat and lazy from the hatchery enviroment. I would love to catch another fish that size, but I don't think you will ever see one at the trout parks. But I am still in favor of cnr or slot limits at the parks.

[laker67]

6 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

Alot of guys snort at the Trout parks, but they are a great place to hone your skills.   The hatchery raised trout in Bennett bite (or don't bite) the same way, and for the same reasons that the Wild trout in the NFOW do. 

Of course that doesn't mean that you can become a good dry fly fisherman by standing at the outlet drifting a glo-ball or thread jig under a bobber all day long. 

A fun exercise, if you're going to be there most of the day, is to try to catch 4 dryfly fish, 4 wetfly/nymph fish, and 4 streamer fish from Zone 1.  Have lunch, and then go do it in Zone 2.     It ain't always as easy as it might sound.    Matter of fact, if anyone wants to put up a Benjamin to see who can complete the course first..... I'm game 😊

I betchu that fsndougie will take that challenge in a heartbeat. And you are exactly right about honing skills at trout parks. Dry fly to scud, pick one you like and fine tune.

[Devan S.]

You guys want to see what a slot limit does at a trout park go on down to Beaver Tailwaters.

Protected 13-16" slot

5 fish limit

1 fish over 16"

100K fish stocked yearly

Maybe half(or less) of the pressure per mile of any of the trout parks.

Lots of baby fish, lots of 13-16" fish. Very little rainbows over 16" and nearly zero chance at a trophy sized rainbow. 

[laker67]

22 minutes ago, Devan S. said:

You guys want to see what a slot limit does at a trout park go on down to Beaver Tailwaters.

Protected 13-16" slot

5 fish limit

1 fish over 16"

100K fish stocked yearly

Maybe half(or less) of the pressure per mile of any of the trout parks.

Lots of baby fish, lots of 13-16" fish. Very little rainbows over 16" and nearly zero chance at a trophy sized rainbow. 

Has the limit been in place for only  a short time?

[snagged in outlet 3]

56 minutes ago, Johnsfolly said:

w. I don't believe that you have conditions within the trout parks like those in Taney that would allow really much growth for any but a few fish. It's

The trout parks are nearly devoid of a forage base.  No way you could “grow” trout in them after releasing.   Maybe a couple but not many.  

[Devan S.]

22 minutes ago, laker67 said:

Has the limit been in place for only  a short time?

Don't quote me exact...but I think since 2006.

[laker67]

3 minutes ago, Devan S. said:

Don't quote me exact...but I think since 2006.

It should be working by now. Got any ideas why not?

[Flyfisher for men]

8 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

Alot of guys snort at the Trout parks, but they are a great place to hone your skills.   The hatchery raised trout in Bennett bite (or don't bite) the same way, and for the same reasons that the Wild trout in the NFOW do....

A fun exercise, if you're going to be there most of the day, is to try to catch 4 dryfly fish, 4 wetfly/nymph fish, and 4 streamer fish from Zone 1.  Have lunch, and then go do it in Zone 2.     It ain't always as easy as it might sound.    Matter of fact, if anyone wants to put up a Benjamin to see who can complete the course first..... I'm game 😊

 

That's a good reason for the parks. Frankly, I like BSSP, even the crowds of people. I grew up fishing places where the locals congregate and so it's never been a problem having people around me. 

A better way to do it, wrench, would be to bet that $100 with one of those scoffers that thinks of trout parks as "fishing in a barrel." Their first mistake would be not realizing they've got to catch 24 fish. That's no easy feat in itself. 

  

[tjm]

39 minutes ago, laker67 said:

Got any ideas why not?

My guess is the same answer you would have in the trout parks- nothing for all those baby fish to eat and only baby trout for big fish to eat. For the trout parks to support a slot limit you would have to stop stocking on the daily basis and limit future stocking to equal the harvest numbers, they have limited space and as mentioned no food base. This is why I maintain that they are only good for put and take, of course some stay in the branch longer than 12 hours but they starve rather than grow. Any lunkers caught in the spring branches got fat in the rearing pools. They could support a slot limit and grow fish if they fed pellets a few times a day in the branch. Fish need to eat, and food doesn't grow well underground in the caves or deep under water.

I read that the Beaver out flow is virtually sterile because of depth, don't know that, but it sounds reasonable.

Turning stocked trout loose is a waste.

[snagged in outlet 3]

4 minutes ago, tjm said:

I read that the Beaver out flow is virtually sterile because of depth, don't know that, but it sounds reasonable.

I bet that is correct.  I read one of the old books on Bennett from the old days and I think I recall there was nothing in it when it was discovered.