Urban Lakes

[David Unnerstall]

I have been doing the urban trout thing the last few years.  I fish January Wabash after it is stocked and I got to Koeneman Lake last week.  Koeneman is stocked in the fall.  It is catch and release until February First.  What do those fish eat all winter and does the hatchery taste go away?  It was a good day. I caught four in a short period of time.  I would rather be in the boat on Mark Twain Lake or walking in the Current River with the fly rods, though.

[rps]

The Purina Trout Chow taste lingers until the color on the sides is flaming and the flesh is bright orange. Other wise, cold smoke it.

[tjm]

5 hours ago, David Unnerstall said:

What do those fish eat all winter

Every piece of permanent  water is full of insects, crustaceans  and aquatic worms and even mud holes can support mosquito larvae. It's easy enough to change the trout color to red/orange while feeding pellets, they just add astaxanthin to the pellet recipe. 

I am surprised that they have C&R on those ponds though, the MDC site doesn't mention that and I've been under the impression that it was meant to be put and take. Just a means of selling trout permits. 

[Johnsfolly]

11 hours ago, tjm said:

Every piece of permanent  water is full of insects, crustaceans  and aquatic worms and even mud holes can support mosquito larvae. It's easy enough to change the trout color to red/orange while feeding pellets, they just add astaxanthin to the pellet recipe. 

I am surprised that they have C&R on those ponds though, the MDC site doesn't mention that and I've been under the impression that it was meant to be put and take. Just a means of selling trout permits. 

When we lived in Columbia most of the urban lakes were regulated as C&R from Nov to Feb 1 and catch/keep after Feb 1 on the MDC website. Some around KC and STL were designated as fully put and take fisheries from Nov to Feb. Those lakes would get stocked a few times over that time period.

[Johnsfolly]

Cosmo-Bethel Lake | Missouri Department of Conservation https://share.google/sQ8Qb4S3HfAsLDQax

Plover Lake | Missouri Department of Conservation https://share.google/MlVxTLuIOymfMR8cS

Both lakes are stocked with trout but Cosmo Bethel is C&R until Feb 1

[David Unnerstall]

14 hours ago, tjm said:

I am surprised that they have C&R on those ponds though, the MDC site doesn't mention that and I've been under the impression that it was meant to be put and take. Just a means of selling trout permits. 

It is C&R and I am surprised, too, but the lake is still full of fish on February 1.  I had planned on going there during C&R to practice the fly rod.

[tjm]

You can practice the fly rod on any  kind of fish in any water, trout ain't special, or fly rods ain't limited to trout. All my bass fishing has been fly rod since the '70s.