What I'm Hearing On The Park

[Johnsfolly]

10 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

In my world, a trout caught in a farm pond does not equal one caught in a spring creek. 

Of all the travelling YOU DO to catch little minnows from some obscure little creek.... I'm surprised that you are so easily satisfied. 😉

I love to catch any fish. In Feb driving a few miles to catch active fish was a lot easier than making a bunch of 280-300 mile round trips to catch trout. Still did a few long trips to chase browns every year. Also I would take my daughter on those local trips when she was too small to wade the faster water that I would fish for brown trout.

[Johnsfolly]

7 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

I USED TO BE.   They are busy converting it into a giant hatchery for the urbanites now, so I guess they win.....and I lose.   🤷‍♂️ 

Every year the same tired arguments. Don't worry they will always dump more dumb stockers for you to catch in the park and the Niangua than they ever will in the urban program.

[BilletHead]

4 hours ago, tjm said:

If you did well, why do you think there is a problem? When I was there last spring, the work on the hatchery didn't seem to be having much effect on anything else. Of course at that time it didn't seem that much work was being done either. 

Scuds make trout meat turn pink/red/orange, but hatcheries and farms usually feed synthetic carotenoids, often canthaxanthin or astaxanthin. I'm not sure that such color would significantly change the taste of the fish. It certainly makes the meat more attractive and possibly has some health benefit for  humans if they eat enough trout.  So, this prompts a question, what is in the spring run that trout eat after stocking?  Is it an insect factory? loads of scuds ? do they continue to feed them pellets? 

      Yes some good natural trout food in that stream, yes some scuds about like your closest trout Park roaring River.  No trout pellet feeding once turned loose until the runs in the trout stock retaining areas feed which is not happening at this time. Then all heck turns loose as the uneaten pellets flush into the spring creek. The hatchery fish go crazy even though some of those fish have survived the onslaught of fisherman for weeks. IMO the only fish that truly began to go feral are the ones that drop into the Niangua or get stocked there. 

[Foghorn]

Is that the old "hatchery truck hatch"? 

[Gavin]

I remember living by an urban trout lake in college (long time gone). I ate allot of them since the GI bill just paid the rent.

[BilletHead]

2 hours ago, Foghorn said:

Is that the old "hatchery truck hatch"? 

Yes same thing. As soon as they hear or even see that truck the fish go crazy. Heck walking the raceways at Taneycomo, Bennett, roaring River and Montauk plus the raceway at Westover those pellet eaters began to froth the water when you pass. 

[fishinwrench]

15 hours ago, tjm said:

19 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

If you did well, why do you think there is a problem?

My complaints about the management of BS has nothing to do with my ability to catch fish there.  I just can't avoid comparing the quality of their work from back when they had nothing but a few alcoholics with a 1/2ton pickup and a couple wheel barrows.......to NOW with millions tied up in fancy gear, and a whole crew of highly trained biologists.   

[tjm]

The park shouldn't have any biologists. Should be mostly admin and maintenance with a ranger thrown in. They shouldn't have anything to do with the hatchery management. 

The hatchery  is MDC's and can be thought of as an inholding of the park, kinda like BillBob's house in the middle of national forest. Any improvements that BillBob makes to his house or land or his access easement have nothing to do with the Forest Service other than cooperation as neighbors. 

I guess that I see that distinction as important because MDC belongs to the people and DNR belongs to the Governor and the politicians. And in many  other states  the politically controlled DNRs are the overseers of fish and game;  where all hunting, fishing and trapping regulations depend of the day's flavor of politics and may change with each election, but are often enough controlled by antis. Mo.'s MDC is almost unique in it's (somewhat) political independence and it's source of fiance not being through the politicians. 

From my view the Parks suck, and that is because they are apparently run by PETA types that would prefer no fishing there; just as they have no hunting or trapping on any DNR owned lands. Their biggest interest in the parks seems to be in monetizing them. The fact that the hatcheries still exist within the parks is a marvel to me. 

But perhaps my view of DNR is biased by the employees that I have talked to.  

[gwh]

There is a deer hunt  Nov 7-9 at Bennett to reduce the number of deer in the park. In camp ground #5 there is very little vegetation below 5'.