Missouri Trout Opener Outlook 2016

Trout Fishing Outlook 2016 Bill Cooper for www.outsideagainadventures.blogspot.com February 22, 2016 The Missouri trout fishing opener is Tuesday, March 1 in Missouri’s four trout parks. Heavy flooding recently created problems in all of the trout parks, but trout hatchery manager Wes Swee, at Maramec Spring park is optimistic. “Flooding was a problem in all of the trout parks and at the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery in Branson,” Swee said at a Trout Fraternity luncheon held at the St. James Sports Club. “Maramec Spring Park lost the dam just below the spring outlet during the recent flooding,” stated Mike Conaway, superintendent of the park. “Conservation Department personnel will begin rebuilding the dam very soon.” “With a few adjustments, trout fishing will continue as normal,” Swee continued. “Normally we stock 2.25 trout per estimated fisherman for any given day. With the losses of fish at the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery, we will reduce the stocking equation for the 2016 trout season in the parks to 2.00 fish per estimated fisherman per day.” Clint Hale , hatchery manager at Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery explained to a media gathering in January that they wanted to take the brunt of the reduction in 2016 and he fully expects available trout numbers to be back to normal for the 2017 season. “On the positive side, we will have good sized fish to stock at Maramec Spring Park this year,” Swee said. “The average fish will run 13-to-14 inches. That is a nice trout.” Crowds are always heavy on opening day of trout season. Swee expects in the neighborhood of 1,500 fishermen for the Tuesday opener March 1. Conaway reported that crews have worked hard to get Maramec Spring Park ready for the opener. The park is now open and visitors may purchase annual parking permits. He encourages people to come out early to purchase permits in order to avoid long lines on opening day. Fishing licenses are available and trout tags may be purchased the day before the opener as well to avoid long lines. Members of the St. James Chamber of Commerce will be on hand to help park cars. Hot coffee and donuts will be available at the Chamber tent. Prizes will be given in several categories in a trout fishing contest. “The weekend following an opening day during the week is usually busier than opening day itself,” Conaway said. “We normally have extra help on those weekends to help keep the traffic flowing smoothly.” Opening day of trout season is a ritual for thousands of anglers. Many fishermen come simply to hook up with old friends whom they only see on opening day or opening weekend. Then there is the good prospect of catching a lunker trout. “We will stock a good number of lunkers throughout the spring branch, so that everyone has a chance of hooking one of the bog ones,” Swee said. The big question among many fishermen is the quandary about what bait or lure to use on opening day. Peggy Hussey, of St. James, swears by what she calls the “Ugly Lure.” Ugly it is. It consists of a simple hair-pin spinner with a hook adorned with ragged looking marabou feathers. It resembles fish intestines. She and her husband tie the lures themselves. Some say Peggy named the lure after her husband, Don. Important items to consider before opening day includes re-spooling your reels with new line, said Roy King, an avid trout fisherman from St.James. ”A lot of people forget bout their lines,” King said. “You just can’t do that, especially if you want to land bigger trout. It’s also a good idea to spool reels with a little heavier line than normal for opening day, because there will be more lunkers than usual stocked. Most people normally use 2 or 4 pound line.” King also ties the most popular trout jig around. You can find them at DJ’s Package Store in St. James. “All of the trout parks saw some damage in the recent floods,” Swee concluded. “But parks crew have cleaned things up and the hatchery managers and crews at the parks have worked hard to to get things in shape for opening day of the 2016 trout season. Come out and enjoy the fun. Follow Bill Cooper and Outside Again Adventures on” www.aoutdoorstv.com, www.Facebook.com/Outsidealways, http://www.waynesvilledailyguide.com/, http://www.leaderjournal.com/, http://www.therolladailynews.com/, http://www.lakenewsonline.com/ .