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Missouri stocks hatchery trout in four state parks. Fishing costs $5 per person per day, with a limit if four (4) keepers. You can catch and release all day, but when you string the fourth fish you're done. My favorite is Meramec State Park near Cuba, Missouri; about 90 miles SW of St. Louis, of I-44. Most days they release 300 to 600 trout each day in each park. Fish are 1 to 3 pounds.
jerry6stl,
That practice is becoming quite common in many States.
Here in San Antonio the TP&WD biologists are releasing a thousand rainbow trout into each of 2 "urban lakes" in this county weekly from NOV-MAR & channel catfish the rest of the year. - NO CHARGE to fish either lake, with a daily 5 fish limit.
(There are over 50 such "catch & release" programs in TX alone.)
ADDENDA: In early March this Spring, a local 14YO girl landed an ELEVEN POUND rainbow trout, that she hooked on a piece of shrimp, while fishing for catfish.
(Obviously, some trout are "Summering over".)
yours, tex
We live near montauk.
Good friend at church supervises their hatchery.
I don't fish though.
Burned out early from decades of bass fishing with dad.
;)
Bennett Springs A+ for almost fifty years!!!! Not only is the fishing great, the whole park experience is fantastic.
jerry6sdi,
I heard over Supper this evening that a schoolteacher from Alamo Heights caught 5 channel cats last Thursday night at Southside Lions Club Park lake that averaged over 6# EACH. = nice stringer, imo.
yours, tex
Yes 30 pounds of channel cat on a stringer makes for some good eating! Thirty years ago the wife and I live and worked in Arkansas for a year, lots of channel cat eaten then, good stuff!
Big hatchery at Branson. Fish are pretty soft/ squishy.
Years ago I fished a lot at Bennett Springs and could catch 30 to 40 trout a day by fishing just above the dam where being tall, I could walk out and with my back against the current so my bait would flow in front of me and by varying the weight of split shot, the depth would vary also. It was artificial bait only and when I would catch this many fish the game wardens would watch me with binoculars and I would wave at them. A few times they would have a guy try to walk up to me and take my pole away so they could reel in my bait to look to see what it was but every time it was tried they got their waders filled up and had to back out. I used a #15 single hook and the plastic worms they sold there that were about 2 inches long and I hooked them wacky worm style. Bear in mind though that this was in about 1969 or so. Great memories but my mother in law beat me completely while fishing along the bank she caught one that weighed almost 6 pounds and my best guess that the largest one I ever caught even though many may have been almost 2 pounds
Meramec Spring is a nice park with some neat history. I would have loved to have seen the old ironworks in its prime. Since its the closest to STL it can be shoulder-to-shoulder on weekends. Nothing like getting tangled up with strangers who haven’t taken the training wheels of their poles yet… I do enjoy some midweek camping and fishing there from time to time.
It’s been years since I’ve fished Montauk. Used to live nearby in Salem. I haven’t been back since I took up fly fishing but I’ve heard it is excellent for it.
Bennett blew me away as a kid. Simply beautiful and we caught lots of fish. Went back a couple years ago and only caught a single fish. The different zones with limitations on what you’re allowed to use put my the gear I brought through the paces. My reel was giving me all kinds of trouble and and I decided to finally retire it after that trip. Again, I think fly fishing opens a lot more opportunities than if you’re stuck with a spinning reel.
My brother loves Roaring River but I have never been. It’s on my list of places to hit.
I know it’s not Missouri but it’s close enough, the north fork of the White River is the best trout fishing I have ever experienced. What a great time! Wifey caught the biggest rainbow I have ever seen in person. I can’t wait to go back.