Missouri's Urban Trout Program -- Kansas City area

[scooper54]

I lived and worked in Kansas City during the '90s until my employment necessitated a move east.  After 20+ years there,  my wife and I retired and moved back to KC.  For me, as someone who really enjoys trout fishing, one of most pleasant surprises in moving back to the KC area is the fact that we have two lakes that are within a 20 minute drive from our house that are stocked with rainbows by the Missouri Department of Conservation as part of its "Urban Trout Program."   Although the fish are "dumb stockers," they've been fun to catch.  It's a "put and take" fishery, as any trout not kept will eventually succumb once the temperatures elevate in the lakes due to summer heating.   We release most to be caught by other anglers, but have kept some for the table.  The program is so successful, that the state of Kansas has purchased trout from Missouri hatcheries and stocked lakes on the Kansas side of the KC metro and other locations in the state.  Attached are a couple of photos of fish we kept.   Most of the rainbows ranged from 12-14,” although the biggest one I caught was from the Kansas side and it came in at 16".    Many "urban anglers" use commercial bait (primarily Powerboat) under a small bobber.   A small minority are fly fisherman.   I use an ultralight spinning outfit and artificial lures (spinners, jigs etc.).  I've been somewhat surprised that the most effective lures have been spoons.  

[fishinwrench]

So do you notice a location pattern when trout are dumped into those tanks? 

Do they tend to gravitate towards rocks, wood, weeds, or just swim around suspended and haphazardly?   

Will they rise to a dry fly? 

I bet the turtles are anxious for the water to warm up. 😅

[BilletHead]

               UGH the Jayhawkers are now crossing the border and raiding us for trout.  Maybe we are trading for prairie chickens.  We could give them some otters.  😃

[scooper54]

21 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

So do you notice a location pattern when trout are dumped into those tanks? 

Do they tend to gravitate towards rocks, wood, weeds, or just swim around suspended and haphazardly?   

Will they rise to a dry fly? 

I bet the turtles are anxious for the water to warm up. 😅

This is the first year I‘ve fished these urban lakes, so I’m still “learning the ropes.”  So far, I don’t see a consistent distribution pattern of stocked trout in these bodies of water. For instance, in the two lakes on the Missouri side, the best fishing has been along the dams.  In the Kansas lake, there appears to be more trout in the upper, more shallow end of the lake.  But, to be honest, I haven’t tried the dam area of this lake, which has a surface area of about 135 acres and is substantially larger than the two Missouri lakes.  I would assume as the water warms up, any remaining trout would tend to congregate in the deeper, cooler water close to dam.  

As for your question about dry flies, I have to qualify my answer by saying am not a fly fisherman, but do try to read about the topic when I can.  I think the answer is “yes,” based on surface activity I have noticed in all three lakes I have fished.  Given how cold these lakes are, I don’t think bass or bluegill are coming to the surface slurping bugs. That being said, it’s also pretty cool to have much insect activity, although I recently read that midges will hatch as long as water temperatures remain above 34 degrees (F).  Taking that into consideration, the surface activity I've seen is probably trout rising for hatching midges.  

[scooper54]

21 hours ago, BilletHead said:

               UGH the Jayhawkers are now crossing the border and raiding us for trout.  Maybe we are trading for prairie chickens.  We could give them some otters.  😃

LOL, being a native Missourian, and Mizzou grad, I agree!  And yes, as far as I’m concerned they can have ALL those fish-murdering giant aquatic weasels!

[Ryan Miloshewski]

4 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

So do you notice a location pattern when trout are dumped into those tanks? 

Do they tend to gravitate towards rocks, wood, weeds, or just swim around suspended and haphazardly?   

Will they rise to a dry fly? 

I bet the turtles are anxious for the water to warm up. 😅

I've worn them out in the STL area parks on a wooly bugger, hopper, and other small streamers. They're still trout. I'm sure an African Sand Beetle would work wonders

[T.J. Clarke]

I lived over 20 years on the wrong side of the tracks in St. Louis. (It's a long story) Just my 2 cents, bring your full-size Glock with the extended magazine if you decide to Trout fish.  

[fshndoug]

I have a Glock . I am on my way.

[tjm]

I think trout will be trout, always seeking food and oxygen. I fished a lot of mill ponds and kettle ponds for trout back east, mostly fall winter and spring also, as they often became too warm by summer.  There in ponds (up to ~400A is pond there) that have good inflow and out flow the trout tend to stay in the current or current edges, the inflow often has better oxidation so some fish congregate there and the out flow or dam area is like the tail of a pool,  the current concentrates the food both vertically and horizontally, so trout hang out there. In the ponds that feed from marsh or from the bottom the trout concentrated over the silt beds that produced constant midge hatches  with some again around the out flow.

[scooper54]

Earlier this week, I kept one trout for dinner that I caught in one of the stocked lakes on the Kansas side.   It was large enough to fillet.  Much to my surprise, the flesh of this "stocker" trout did not have the usual pasty white color of recently stocked hatchery fish, but rather was a bright reddish orange, much like that of a salmon (see attached photo).  I assumed this is likely due to the fact that this fish had been in the lake for a period long enough to have eaten prey living in the lake (e.g. crayfish, insects, small fish) and the flesh absorb carotin pigments from the prey it consume.  Or, is it possible that hatcheries provide trout food that turns their flesh salmon-colored?