Many trout fishing opportunities in Missouri

The mill at Jolly Mill Park in Newton County. The park is a good place for a family picnic with covered tables dotted throughout the park along Capps Creek. (Photos by Ken White/Special to the Daily Mail)

When Charles Miller moved to the Ozarks from Colorado, he thought his trout fishing days were behind him. It came as a big surprise when he found that there were some good trout fishing throughout Missouri.

After being in the state a few weeks, he picked up a Missouri Department of Conservation brochure on trout fishing in Missouri and discovered not only were there four trout parks that he had already heard of. Also, there were numerous streams in the state with both rainbow and brown trout. He said "That put a smile on my face."

There are a lot of opportunities for trout anglers in the state. Besides the four trout parks there are some 120 miles of cold-spring fed streams managed and stocked by the MDC. Of course Lake Taneycomo offers year round fishing for big brown and rainbow trout. Also, there is winter fishing for trout in areas around Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia, Sedalia, Kirksville, St. Joseph, Jefferson City and Mexico.

MDC hatcheries stocks nearly 2 million trout annually.They are produced each year for stocking designated trout fishing waters.

Missouri has two species of trout. Rainbows the most popular, are found in all trout fishing waters and are stocked in the trout parks, trout management areas as well as in winter trout areas. The rainbows reproduce naturally in at least 14 counties.

Brown trout are stocked in red ribbon areas as well as other trout areas. In the state browns can grow to large sizes .

MDC offers information regarding each area stocked for trout on a graded system.

There are 9 white ribbon areas where some have a lot of pressure and others that don't. White ribbon areas include Capps Creek, part of Current River, Eleven Point River, the newest addition Hickory Creek, Little Piney Creek, Niangua River, parts of Roubidoux Creek, Stone Mill Spring and part of Lake Taneycomo. At Taneycomo, from some 760 feet below Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek special regulations apply. In most other streams there is no length limit on rainbow trout.

Anglers need to check the regulations for the streams they plan on fishing because they are not the same for every stream.

Recently, while visiting Capps Creek in Newton County I met Thomas Martin, who is the caretaker of the Jolly Mill Park. Martin is an avid trout angler who has caught both rainbows and Browns up to five pounds. He said, " In the summer months the fishing slows down. The trout are there, just harder to catch. My favorite time to fish for trout is in the spring and fall. The MDC stocks the stream four times a year. When the delivery truck with the fish arrives and the fish hits the stream there is always anglers ready to catch some." Anglers have a lot of parking spots near the stream.

The Jolly Mill Park is a good spot for a family to visit. Picnic tables dot the area along the stream. A small users fee is charged at the private-not for profit park.

Red ribbon trout areas include the Meramec River, North Fork of the White River and parts of Roubidaux Creek the length limit is at least 15 inches.

Lake Taneycomo guide Duane Doty with a nice rainbow trout caught below Table Rock Dam.

In the Blue Ribbon areas, which include Barren Fork Creek, Blue Springs Creek, Crane Creek, part of Current River, part of Eleven Point River, Little Piney Creek, Mill Creek, part of North Fork of the White River and Spring Creek are where only one fish over 18 inches may be taken.

In addition to a fishing permit, a trout permit to posses trout on all waters outside the four trout parks is required. A daily tag is needed when fishing the trout parks.

Trout like cold, fast moving streams. They cannot survive in water that doesn't cool down to 70 degrees at least a few hours a day, which is critical during this hottest time of the year. All of the state's trout streams are fed by numerous springs and the trout parks are built around very large springs. For instance, Lake Taneycomo receives the cold water from the outlet from Table Rock Lake. The winter trout areas depend on winter temperatures for the fish to survive in ponds.

Trout fishing in Missouri?

You better believe it.