Anglers saw no change in their success, thanks to an infusion of
fish from other Conservation Department hatcheries.
LEBANON, Mo.- To the casual observer, it looks like a typical October at
Bennett Spring State Park.
On any day, a heavy sprinkling of anglers can be found along the stream
that dissects the popular trout park, trying to squeeze in a few final
fishing trips before the regular fishing season closes Oct. 31.
The number of rainbow trout slicing through the stream’s clear waters is
about the same as it is throughout the summer. The water level is about
normal for this time of year.
However, this normalcy follows an anything-but-normal late summer for the
staff at Bennett Spring Hatchery and the state park, which straddles the
Laclede-Dallas county line and is managed by the Missouri Department of
Natural Resources.
An August flood at the park killed thousands of rainbow trout in the
hatchery’s rearing pools and forced the staff to look elsewhere for fish.
Sixteen-thousand rainbows from Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery in Taney
County are supplementing Bennett’s end-of-the-season trout supply.
In the months ahead, the Bennett Spring Hatchery and the other
state-operated trout-rearing facilities will return the favor by shipping
a similar number of trout to Shepherd of the Hills. Most of the fish are
destined for stocking at Lake Taneycomo.
This trout-trading is an example of the cooperation involved in Missouri’s
trout management. Just as important to Bennett Spring Hatchery Manager
Mike Mitchell, it has allowed fishing as usual at Bennett.
“Fishing at Bennett Spring should not be impacted at all for the remainder
of this year or next year,” Mitchell said. “The mortality suffered during
this event was not devastating, but merely a bump in the road.”
A different tale was being told by stories that began circulating over the
Internet and through trout fishing circles following the August 20th
downpour. They spoke of a drastic trout die-off and bemoaned the impact
this would have on the park for years to come. As is the case with many
run-away rumors, these stories contained kernels of truth: Bennett Spring
had been hit with significant flash-flooding that caused a trout die-off
larger than had occurred at any Department of Conservation trout hatchery
in a number of years.
This mortality resulted from a rainbow trout’s somewhat sensitive
physiological make-up and the confined water component that’s part of a
hatchery’s trout-rearing system.
“Trout are a coldwater species, which means they require cool water
temperatures which con tain higher oxygen in the water,” Mitchell said.
“In flood events, the oxygen levels in the water are decreased by high
silt loads and warm water.”
These lower oxygen levels compound the stress for a trout, which increases
its production of ammonia. Reduced oxygen and increased ammonia can prove
fatal for trout.
Mitchell said everything about the rain-drenched park was
counter-productive to trout survival.
“This particular event was not just a flood, but a flood which rose very
quickly, was very turbid and had water temperatures that were above normal
levels for more than an hour,” he said. “All these factors came together
to produce a very inhospitable environment for trout.”
However, the trout fatalities didn’t match the level of tragedy that was
being circulated on the Internet. Mitchell estimates that less than 10
percent of the hatchery’s trout died as a result of the flooding. At this
time of year, Bennett Spring Hatchery holds between 600,000 and 700,000
trout of various sizes. Even though thousands of fish died, the loss only
put a small dent in Bennett’s overall rainbow population.
Nevertheless, due to Bennett Spring’s heavy angler traffic, it was a
situation that called for immediate help. Conservation Department hatchery
workers moved thousands of near-stocker sized trout (nearly 12 inches)
from Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery near Branson to Bennett Spring to meet
daily stocking needs through October. This winter, the Bennett Spring
Hatchery will repay the favor by providing trout for stocking at Lake
Taneycomo.
Fisheries Field Operations Chief Chris Vitello says these efforts are
“behind the scenes” and should not be evident to anglers.
“There will be some movement of fish between hatcheries over the next few
months,” he said. “Staff may also adjust feeding rates slightly to
encourage accelerated growth in limited cases and to meet the need for
stocker-sized fish across the system. Overall, the impacts from the loss
of fish at Bennett will be absorbed by our hatchery system with minimal
impact.”
Vitello said this is one of several examples of how Missouri Department of
Conservation hatcheries act in a concerted effort with each other, with
other states and with federal operations.
“Moving fish between hatcheries and sharing stocking assignments to
minimize transportation costs are good examples of how our coldwater
system works as a unit,” he said. He said hatcheries also routinely hold
brood stock, gather eggs and raise fingerlings at one hatchery and then
move fingerlings to other hatcheries for rearing. State hatcheries also
work with Neosho National Fish Hatchery to stock additional rainbow trout
in Lake Taneycomo.
“This flexibility allows us to respond to incidents such as the recent
loss of fish at Bennett in a timely and efficient manner. Recently
completed and ongoing renovations and upgrades at our coldwater hatcheries
will improve this flexibility over the next few years.”
Anglers are reminded that, while the regular portion of the fishing season
at the state’s four trout parks is drawing to a close, fishing at these
facilities isn’t finished for the year. The winter season at the trout
parks opens Nov. 9 and runs through Feb. 11. This season is for
catch-and-release fishing only - no trout may be kept.
At Bennett Spring State Park, Montauk State Park and Roaring River State
Park, the season is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays,
Sundays and Mondays. The season is open every day of the week at Maramec
Spring Park. Flies are the only type of lures permitted during the winter
season. You can still use spin-casting or bait-casting equipment, but you
must use some type of fly as a lure.
Besides Bennett Spring State Park, Missouri’s other three trout parks are
Roaring River State Park near Cassville, Montauk State Park near Salem and
Maramec Spring Park near St. James.
Trout parks are not the only places where trout anglers can go in fall or
winter. Lak e Taneycomo offers excellent trout fishing opportunities, as
do a number of streams in southern Missouri that have designated trout
management areas. More information about trout fishing opportunities in
the state is available at your nearest Missouri Department of Conservation
office or at
www.missouriconservation.org/7248.
-Francis Skalicky-
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