Midweek Start Favors Smaller Trout-park Turnout

Missouri’s four trout parks are expecting fewer than 8,000 anglers. The record of 14,947 was set in 1992, when March 1 fell on Sunday.

JEFFERSON CITY-State officials say they expect a light turnout for opening day at Missouri’s four trout parks. Even at that, however, the event is expected to draw more than 7,000 die-hard anglers.

Each March 1, thousands of anglers descend on Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon, Montauk State Park near Licking, Roaring River State Park near Cassville and Maramec Spring Park near St. James. The date marks the start of catch-and-keep fishing for hatchery-reared trout.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources operates Bennett Spring, Montauk and Roaring River state parks, while Maramec Spring Park is owned and operated by the private James Foundation of St. James. Hatcheries at all four parks are run by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Missourians have been flocking to the three state-owned trout parks on March 1 since 1939, and to Maramec Park since it opened in 1958. Records of opening-day attendance give trout-park hatchery managers a solid basis for estimating how many anglers will turn up each year. The number varies according to weather conditions and on which day of the week March 1 falls on.

The record opening-day turnout came in 1992, when the opener fell on Sunday. That year, 14,947 anglers bought trout fishing tags on opening day.

Cold weather and weekday openers cut into attendance. With normal seasonal weather and a Wednesday opener, Bennett Spring Hatchery Manager Mike Mitchell anticipates approximately 2,000 anglers. Roaring River Hatchery Manager Jerry Dean expects about 2,300 anglers, while Montauk Hatchery Manager Tom Whelan says he expects 1,600 to 2000. Maramec Hatchery Manager Paul Spurgeon says he expects 1,400 anglers.

A festive atmosphere prevails at all four parks on opening day. Anglers, families and friends share the camaraderie of an event that marks the beginning of the end of winter’s grip on the Show-Me State.

Over the years, the parks and surrounding communities have developed special events in conjunction with the season opener. One of the most popular is the stocking of “lunkers,” fish in the 2- to 6-pound range. This is much larger than the average trout-park stocker, which weighs about one pound. The Conservation Department produces a number of these bigger “brood” fish for its spawning program. Each year hatcheries take dozens of the oversized fish that are no longer needed for spawning and release them on opening day to spawn added fishing excitement.

To make the most of lunkers, the Conservation Department has an I Released a Lunker Program. Anglers who catch and release big trout can get recognition patches to commemorate their achievement and the fact that they let the fish go for another angler to catch. To recognize anglers who catch and release lunkers at all four trout parks, the Conservation Department has a Grand Slam Patch around which the other four patches can be sewn.

To qualify, you must catch an 18-inch or larger trout at one of the four trout parks between March 1 and Oct. 31 and immediately release the fish in good condition. One witness is required to verify the catch and release. Applications are available at hatchery offices at the parks.

The St. James Chamber of Commerce will continue its long-standing tradition of serving coffee and doughnuts to help anglers resist the chill normally associated with opening morning. The Chamber also sponsors a variety of fishing contests.

Montauk State Park will witness a sort of torch-passing when Dan Hatch fires a starter’s pistol to mark the start of the catch-and-keep season. Hatch has been a school teacher in nearby Licking for more than 30 years and has worked to involve area youths in trout park programs and environmental issues. He is an avid angler who fishes often at Montauk.

He also is the son of the late Aileen Hatch, who fished opening day at Montauk for 63 consecutive years and was called on to sound the ceremonial siren in 2000. On opening day of 1995, CBS Sunday Morning came to Montauk to interview Mrs. Hatch along the stream bank. She later appeared as a guest on The David Letterman Show.

Roaring River State Park will honor Charlie and Ramonna Stock of Boonville for outstanding contributions to fishing programs at the park. Charlie owns a fly-tying business that supplies fishing flies sold at the three state-owned trout parks. Since 2000, he has donated complete fly rod and reel outfits with boxes of flies to be given away during Kids Fishing Days. He and Ramonna teach children’s fishing and fly-tying classes at Roaring River. In recognition of their contributions, the pair will receive the No. 1 and No. 2 trout tags for the year.

The Cassville Chamber of Commerce serves coffee on the stream bank at Roaring River each opening morning. It also sponsors contests for the largest trout caught in men’s, women’s’ and youth divisions.

At Bennett Spring State Park, local celebrity Russell Pickup of Steelville will have the honor of sounding the opening siren. Pickup has been fishing at the park for decades, and his family has owned businesses there.

George Kromrey, coldwater hatcheries supervisor for the Conservation Department, said the agency will stock three fish per angler expected at each of the trout parks. He said this is the normal rate for opening day. The rest of the season the stocking rate is 2.25 fish per anticipated angler daily.

Kromrey said the Conservation Department will do its best to maintain normal stocking levels there and in the state’s other trout waters throughout the year. However, he said he can not rule out the possibility that stocking rates might have to be reduced at some point.

“We have had unusually dry weather in much of Missouri again during the past year,” said Kromrey. “The drought is severe enough that the flow from natural springs that feed our hatcheries has decreased to half or even less than half of the normal flow. Flows this low affect production because trout must be crowded into fewer raceways.”

Similar conditions forced the Conservation Department to reduce trout production by 10 percent from 2002 to 2004. Kromrey said heavy precipitation in January 2005, along with expert management by hatchery personnel, allowed the state’s trout hatcheries to return to normal production. However, maintaining production depends on the return of normal rain and snowfall.

Trout regulations have not changed this year, but it is wise to review area regulations published in the 2006 Summary of Fishing Regulations, available wherever fishing permits are sold. It also is wise to check specific area regulations outlined in pamphlets that are available at each trout park.

- Jim Low -

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