MISSOURI  TROUT  NEWS

The next Kids' Fishing Day at Maramec Spring Park and Roaring River State Park will be held on Saturday, May 17, 2008. 

For the rules and information about the event at Roaring River, go to the following:

 http://www.missouritrout.com/KidsDayRoaringRiver051708RulesandInformation.pdf

For a schedule of the classes at Roaring River, go to:

http://www.missouritrout.com/KidsDayRoaringRiver051708ClassSchedule.pdf

NEW EXHIBITS AND UPDATES ARE COMPLETE IN
BENNETT SPRING STATE PARK'S NATURE CENTER

JEFFERSON CITY, MO., APRIL 21, 2008 -- On your next trip to Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon, take a break from fishing and check out the recent improvements to the park's nature center.  New exhibits and updates are finished and awaiting your arrival, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced today.

The most dramatic changes occurred in the center's exhibit area. Some exhibits received minor alterations while some exhibits were completely revised. The main theme is still "Missouri's Ozark Springs," and most of the original models, graphics and dioramas are still in place.

One major revision is the "Springs of Missouri Ozarks" display that now includes a 12-foot-long interactive map that highlights the different sizes of springs in the Ozarks. A push button system activates the color-coded lights and audio, which coordinate with the different sizes of springs. The interpretation of the quality and quantity of spring water and its influence on Ozark life includes photographs of the eight largest springs in Missouri. Another exhibit that focuses just on Bennett Spring features new photos of divers in the spring along with artifacts that came from the spring.

Many of the changes also made the nature center more accessible to people with disabilities. Modifications to some exhibits included text size and the viewing height of objects. For example, artifacts and tools of the different inhabitants of the park were taken off the wall and displayed in cases easily accessed and viewed by all visitors. Extra sets of operator-assist doors were added to each side of the lobby entrance to create energy saving airlocks. An accessible bathroom was added.

Another improvement was the modernization of some areas of the nature center, which was constructed in 1969. In some areas, lighting was upgraded to energy-efficient compact fluorescent fixtures. Also, multi-media sound and video systems replaced outdated equipment in the program room. Other differences reflect the advances in exhibit fabrication during the last two decades.

These are just a few of many changes and enhancements made to the numerous exhibits. To see all of the changes, visit the nature center between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.  These improvements were funded by the parks, soil and water sales tax.

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- Missouri Department of Conservation writer Jim Low

   3/14/08

Missouri Department of Conservation

Roaring River Hatchery- Cassville Missouri

News Release for March 1 Opening Day of Trout Season

For Further Information Contact Jerry Dean 417-847-2430

Roaring River Opening Day 2008 Information

The last time opening day was on a Saturday was in 2003 when 2,276 tags were sold. Previous Saturday openers were in 1997 with 3,171 tags sold; 1986 with 3,178 tags sold; and 1980 with 2,053 tags sold.  We plan to stock 9,000 trout for an estimated 3,000 anglers for the 2008 opener.  In addition, at least 50 additional lunkers will be added to the river.

Each year we award the 1st tag of the season to individuals who are significant in some part of Roaring River’s trout program.  This year we plan to honor former Assistant Park Superintendent Mr. Bill Ash from Cassville.  Bill’s first job was when he was 16 working for Roaring River concession as a life guard at the pool and as a cashier at the park store. After he graduated from high school in Cassville he got a job with the Department of Natural Resources as a temporary summer laborer at Roaring River.  Bill graduated from Missouri Southern University with an Associates Degree in law enforcement and from Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation and Leisure Activities. In 1980 he got his first full time job with State Parks as Ranger at Montauk. He later transferred to Quiver River State Park then in 1983 transferred for the Assistant Park Superintendent job at Roaring River.  He stayed in that job until his retirement in 2006.  If you know Bill you know he loves Roaring River.  He says one of the magical things about Roaring River is getting to know people who tell stories about the generations of their families who have come to Roaring River and created many wonderful memories. Bill has always been very proud to be in a job where he could be a part of providing the setting for such memories.

The first and second youth tags of the 2008 season will go to winners of an art contest open to 5th, 6th, and 7th graders from local schools. The challenge of the contest will be to design a transfer suitable for our Kids’ Fishing Day tee shirts. Each Kid’s Fishing Day we give away 300 tee shirts with iron on transfers that kids color themselves.  Volunteers iron the transfers onto the tee shirts for the kids.  In addition to the first tags the winners will have the honor of having their design used on Kids’ Days.

Anglers will notice that many of the low water dams in Zone 1 have been improved.  During the off season MDC crews removed many of the log dams that have been in place for decades and replaced them with large rock dams.  The dams are designed to form a slight upstream v-shape.  This design will create a scour hole on the down stream side of the dam which will provide deeper habitat in the stream.  A low water dam has also been installed at the junction of the catch and release area and the artificial bait area.

 
There have been no changes in regulations this year.

OPENING DAY 2008

JEFFERSON CITY-Missouri’s version of March Madness happens on the first day of that month, when thousands of anglers make the annual pilgrimage to four trout parks. This year’s crowd promises to be bigger than most.

The event marks the start of catch-and-keep season at Bennett Spring State Park (SP) near Lebanon, Montauk SP near Licking, Roaring River SP near Cassville and Maramec Spring Park near St. James. Attendance is a tradition for Missourians and out-of-state anglers alike. They rise before dawn, sometimes in beastly weather, and line the banks of spring-fed streams. Catching rainbow and brown trout is the immediate objective, but equally important are shaking off cabin fever and enjoying the camaraderie of a seasonal ritual.

In the past, attendance at the trout opener has varied from approximately 8,000 to more than 14,000. The number of anglers soars in years when March 1 falls on a weekend. This year’s event is expected to draw at least 10,000. The actual number could be much more with fair weather.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources owns Bennett Spring, Montauk and Roaring River state parks. Maramec Spring Park is owned and operated by the James Foundation. The Missouri Department of Conservation operates hatcheries at all four parks and provides trout to stock their waters.

To ensure a good season start, the Conservation Department stocks three fish for each angler expected to visit each trout park on opening day. Each park also stocks 50 to a few hundred “lunker” fish weighing three pounds or more.

Missouri’s trout park tradition includes asking dignitaries or long-time supporters to sound the siren or fire the pistol that signals the start of fishing at each park. This year’s starters include:

• Ralph and Mary Mudd at Montauk SP. The Mudds stumbled into their first season opener in 1975 when returning from Branson to their home in Illinois and still return each year. Call (573) 548-2585 for more information.
• Roger Pickard, of Lees Summit, at Bennett Spring SP. Pickard has been fishing there since the early 1960s. For more information about fishing there, call (417) 532-4418.
• Former Assistant Park Superintendent Bill Ash, of Cassville, at Roaring River SP. For more information about fishing there call (417) 847-2430. The Cassville Chamber of Commerce will serve coffee on the banks of the stream before the starting signal and will sponsor a big-fish contest with women’s, men’s and youth divisions.

The St. James Chamber of Commerce will serve coffee and doughnuts to anglers and sponsor fishing contests at Maramec Spring Park. For more information about opening day there, call (573) 265-7801.

Fishing at trout parks requires a daily tag, which can be purchased at park concession stores. Anglers age 16 and older also need a valid Missouri fishing permit. Anglers age 65 and older are exempt from the fishing permit requirement.

2007 fishing permits expire Feb. 29. Lines to buy 2008 permits at trout parks are always long on opening morning. Savvy anglers buy their permits before arriving.

The daily limit is four trout. There is a 15-inch minimum length limit on brown trout. Rainbows of any length or size may be kept. Trout regulations have not changed this year, but it is wise to review area regulations in pamphlets available at each park.

New this year is the replacement of old log dams in Zone 1 of Roaring River SP with V-shaped low-water dams. These are designed so the current will create scour holes below the dams, enhancing trout habitat. Another low-water dam has been installed between the catch-and-release and artificial-bait areas.

The Conservation Department encourages anglers to participate in the improved “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 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 park hatchery offices.  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 park hatchery offices.

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.

 

- Missouri Department of Conservation writer Jim Low

   2/14/08

News Release 070

TROUT SEASON BEGINS MARCH 1 AT THREE STATE PARKS

JEFFERSON CITY, MO., FEB. 14, 2008 -- At 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, the long-awaited sound of the siren will resound, and trout season will officially begin at Roaring River State Park near Cassville, Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon and Montauk State Park near Salem. Officials in the three state parks are preparing their parks for the arrival of eager fishermen. Trout catch-and-keep fishing season runs each year through Oct. 31.

With opening day falling on a Saturday this year, Missouri Department of Natural Resources officials expect good crowds for trout opening. It is anticipated that approximately 8,400 trout tags will be sold at the three state parks. Trout tags can be purchased at the state park concession stores.

Although trout fishing will be the main activity at the three state parks on opening day, the parks also offer other opportunities, including hiking and learning about the parks through exhibits in the interpretive and nature centers. All three parks feature campgrounds, as well as dining and lodging facilities.

At Montauk State Park, a dedication ceremony of a newly planted tree sapling will be held at 10:30 a.m. This new sapling will replace the great white oak tree adjacent to the Current River, which was removed this winter due to declining health. Representatives from the Department of Natural Resources and Missouri Department of Conservation will join park visitors for this historic event. 

At Roaring River State Park, fishing tags will be available at the CCC Lodge, which will open at 9 a.m. on Feb. 29 and will be open all night. The Emory Melton Inn and Conference Center will open at noon on Friday and will offer a breakfast buffet beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday. The Cassville Chamber of Commerce will hand out free coffee near the CCC Lodge beginning at 5:30 a.m. Bill Ash, a retired Roaring River State Park assistant superintendent, will receive the first trout tag. The first three kids tags at the park will go to the winners of an art contest open to several area schools. 

Visitors for opening day can also expect to see improvements at all three of the state parks. At Bennett Spring State Park, the renovated Campground #1 will be fully open for use. As the season progresses, work will continue on the campground, including sowing grass seed, planting bushes and trees and paving the new roadways. All 48 campsites in Campground #1 feature concrete parking and table pads, tables made of recycled materials and 50-amp electrical service.   

At Montauk State Park, repairs were completed on some rental cabins and motel rooms.  A stream habitat project that involved the installation of root wads into the stream was completed to enhance fishing opportunities. Gravel and sand were removed from select locations in the Current River to improve depth of fishing holes. 

Visitors to Roaring River State Park may not notice some of the park improvements because they were done at Camp Smokey, the park's organized group camp. Smoke detectors and emergency lighting were installed, and roofing was replaced on some of the buildings. What visitors may notice is the new carpet in the great room and in the upstairs lodging rooms in the Emory Melton Inn and Conference Center, the new roof and porch beams on the nature center and new porch beams on the CCC Lodge. The Department of Conservation and the park also partnered to replace six old wooden baffles in zone #1 of the stream with new stone ones. 

Trout season in Missouri is a cooperative effort of the Department of Natural Resources, which manages state parks, and the Department of Conservation, which operates the hatcheries and stocks the streams with trout.

For more information on state parks and historic sites, contact the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 1-800-334-6946 (voice) or 1-800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf), or visit the Web site at www.mostateparks.com. 

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of upcoming meetings and events in the state park system, visit the online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/parkssearch.do.   

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Missouri Department of Agriculture Reminds Anglers about Missouri’s Private Trout Fishing Areas

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) – Many Missouri anglers will head to state parks for the opening day of trout season this Saturday. The Missouri Department of Agriculture reminds anglers they can also visit one of the state’s privately-owned trout fishing areas.

“Our state is a great place for fishing and Missouri trout parks are part of our great tradition of hunting, fishing and conservation,” Gov. Matt Blunt said. “I am very much looking forward to joining Missourians for trout fishing at Bennett Springs on opening day. Bennett Springs is one of our state’s great public parks and we also have many private areas for trout fishing in our state.”

Missouri is home to the following private trout fishing areas:

• Crystal Springs Trout Farm, Cassville, (417) 847-2174
• Rainbow Run Trout Park, Highlandville, (417) 443-3400, www.rainbowrun.net
• Rainbow Trout Ranch, Rockbridge, (417) 679-3619, www.rockbridgemo.com
• Spring Valley Trout Ranch, Thornfield, (417) 265-3699
• Westover Farms, Steelville, (573) 743-6284, www.westoverfarms.com
• Troutdale Farm, Gravois Mills, (573) 372-1900, www.troutdalefarm.com
• Wind Rush Farms, Cook Station, (573) 743-6555, www.windrushfarms.com
• Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, Lampe, (417) 779-5983, www.dogwoodcanyon.org

“The private trout fishing getaways are different from state fishing parks in several aspects,” said Bart Hawcroft, aquaculture business specialist with the Missouri Department of Agriculture. “No state license is required to fish at these areas. In addition, since anglers pay for their catch by the pound, a limit is not placed on the number of fish caught.”

Most private fishing areas will clean and ice catch for a small fee. Some locations also offer amenities such as restaurants, lodging, hiking trails and the use of fishing gear, bait and tackle. Reservations may be required at some fishing areas.

To learn more about Missouri’s private fishing areas, visit www.mda.mo.gov or contact Bart Hawcroft at (573) 526-6666 or via e-mail at Bart.Hawcroft@mda.mo.gov.  (See also http://www.moaa.pond.org/feefishing/fishinginMO.pdf.) 

02/27/08

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NOTE: for information about Kids' Fishing Days, see the Kids' Fishing Days page and the Calendar of Events Page. 

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