Legislative Column for the Week of Feb. 17, 2014
  Trout Fishing in Missouri
 

March 1 marks the start of the catch-and-keep trout fishing season in Missouri. For more than 70 years, thousands of anglers converge on one or more of our state’s four trout fishing parks for opening day.


Bennett Spring near Lebanon, Roaring River near Cassville, Montauk near Licking and Maramec State Park near St. James all offer camping, hiking trails, historic locations and buildings as well as the best trout fishing anywhere.

This year, opening day will fall on a Saturday, and if the weather is favorable, a record number of anglers will be on the bank waiting for the signal to start the season.

From opening day on March 1 until October 31, the parks will collectively stock around 900,000 trout from the hatcheries, averaging about 12 inches long, with a few lunkers thrown in weighing up to 10 pounds.

The parks offer lots of activities throughout the season if you can’t make it to opening day. Free or reduced prices on tags for youth, contests and prizes, as well as plenty of park volunteers to help young anglers along the way, are some of the things offered by the parks.

For more information, contact your local Missouri Department of Conservation office, or visit mdc.mo.gov.

Always feel free to contact me throughout the year with any comments, questions, or issues by calling my office at (573) 751-5713 or by visiting my website at www.senate.mo.gov/brown.

Thank you for reading this and for your participation in state government.