Mild temperatures lure fishermen

A bass angler on a foggy February morning.

The recent February weather has brought out many anglers who usually spend this time of year getting their tackle ready for the good spring fishing

Bob Walters, Warsaw, couldn't stand it when the temperature hit 60 degrees so he picked up his fishing gear and headed for the lake. He said," I don't usually do much fishing in the winter because I don't care to freeze my butt off in order to catch a February fish. I know the fish hit in bad weather, but on those days you won't find me out there so I can't prove they do hit then."

Fishing for bass in your favorite waters still isn't the same as it is in summer when the best time is usually early in the morning and late in the day. In winter the best fishing can be found in the middle of the day as Walters found out. A degree or two can make a big difference in the feeding habits of winter bass, the warmer water can trigger a feeding spree.

A brown trout from Lake Taneycomo.

Walters and his friend Sam Butler hit some shallow water where there was a lot of brush along a sunny shoreline on the Lake of the Ozarks. Using six pound test line and small jigs, the pair of winter bass anglers caught six keeper bass with the largest weighing four pounds. Walters said, "We fished a lot slower than we will in April. Most of the fish were caught in four feet of water. For results and comfort you can't beat fishing at mid-day on a February bluebird day."

Crappie anglers have been enjoying the winter fishing at many Missouri lakes including Lake of the Ozarks, Truman, Stockton and Table Rock. With the trout season opening March 1 at the trout parks and with walleye runs about to start at some streams, fishing will be coming to the front of the outdoor scene.

Just going into February gets some anglers excited including Jim Sullivan, Ozark, who is a serious trout fisherman who has fished for rainbows in Missouri for more than 30 years.

He said "I found out several years ago that the time for catching big trout on Lake Taneycomo is February. One time, when the weather was like it has been this winter, we took a trip to Branson in February and had very good results. I caught my largest trout of the year and have been coming back each February since with the same results, I can't explain why, but I always catch my largest trout this month."

With the traditional March 1 opening of the trout parks for catch and keep approaching, many trout anglers are busy tying flies and getting their gear ready, but by that time, anglers like Sullivan have already caught lots of fish.

To many anglers the trout is the glamor fish that more and more anglers are after. The importance of trout fishing in the state has grown dramatically over the past several years. Places like Bennett Spring, Roaring River, Montauk, Meramec Springs and Lake Taneycomo attract trout anglers by the thousands, many for the first time.

Although trout aren't native to the state, its popularity among anglers keeps growing. Untold numbers of trout have been released into Missouri streams since the first release back in 1882 when 1,500 rainbow trout were put into the Spring River in southwest Missouri.

A later addition to Missouri cold water trout fishing is the brown trout. This native of Europe was stocked in the Current and North Fork rivers in the 1980s and was so successful that the stockings were expanded to other streams. It is sought after by more and more anglers who find catching a lunker brown a big challenge.

Although fishing never stops in Missouri, March 1 is the unofficial start of the fishing season, anglers are ready to catch that fish of a lifetime.