Popularity remains high for trout-season opening day

Members of the Southwest Missouri Fly Fishers kept busy tying flies at the Arc of the Ozarks Outdoor Show last weekend. With the opening of Missouri's four trout parks March 1, fly tyers across the area have been getting ready for the start of the season. (Photo by Ken White/Special to the Daily Mail)

Thousands of anglers line the banks and-or in the streams, shoulder to shoulder awaiting the sound of the siren at 6:30 am.

The annual ritual will begin. There is not another fishing event like opening day at our trout parks. For most, it is the anticipated thrill of being there year after year on March 1.

Where else could you find fishermen willing to share space in hopes of filling their creels? There isn't a prize involved, maybe recognition when they land a lunker. A non-competitive spirit seems to exist among the trout fishermen on opening day.

It's that time of the year when the countdown starts as the 2017 trout season approaches. Of course, fishing never stops in Missouri, but there is something special for the thousands of anglers that gather in our state's four trout parks on March 1.

With a Wednesday start of the catch-and-keep season in the parks, the anticipated crowds won't be as crowded as a weekend opening, but there will be thousands of trout anglers on hand with around 2,000 each at Bennett Spring, Roaring River and Montauk State Parks and 1,000 at Maramec Spring.

You can bet the banks will be lined with anxious anglers waiting to make their first cast. Opening day isn't just about fishing; for many of the anglers who see each other for the first time since last year's opener, it is a reunion.

Harold Gordon, Kansas City and George Scott, St. Louis, met at Bennett Spring many years ago and have continued their friendship every opening day since. Gordon said, "George and I met at the park store when we both brought in a lunker rainbow trout to be weighed. His fish weighed four pounds two ounces while mine weighed four pounds four ounces.

Gordon continued: "We were both fishing in the same area near the spring where we hooked the trout. We started a conservation and found we had a lot in common. Since that opening day, we get together each opening day to catch up on the past year's activities as well as catch fish. We both look forward to March 1 no matter what the weather is forecast to be."

Also, There are many people who don't fish opening day, but turn out just to be part of the event. Jim Mason, who lives near Lebanon drives over to the stream just to watch all the activity. He said, "I have seen a lot of funny things on opening day at Bennett. I remember seeing a woman hook a big trout, but when she tried to net it, the fish slipped back into the stream and she started crying and didn't stop for 15 minutes.

"I have watched fisherman hook fish while several others thought they had it hooked. The result is usually a mess of tangled lines and some disappointed anglers. I do look forward to being here each year on opening day. There is no other day like it, if you fish or not."

Generation after generation have passed on their fishing ritual attendance to our trout park openers. No matter what the weather, early in the morning there will be bumper to bumper traffic on the highways heading towards the trout parks as opening day traditions and anticipation continue.

All four parks have been busy getting ready for the upcoming season. Paul Spurgeon, hatchery manager at Roaring River said, "We were able to do repairs from one end of the stream to the other end and have fully recovered from last year's flood. We have plenty of fish available for the anglers."

The catch-and-keep season that opens March 1 will continue through Oct. 31. There will be three trout stocked for each expected angler for a total of more than 21,000 trout, which average around 12 inches in length. There will also be a mix of lunkers ranging in size from three to 10 pounds.

Trout anglers at the parks will need a daily trout tag. Missouri residents age 16 to 64 also need a fishing permit in addition to the daily tag. Nonresidents 16-years and over also need a fishing permit. The daily limit is four trout. An outline of the four trout streams are as follows:

Bennett State Park

Located 12 miles west of Lebanon on Highway 64, Bennett Spring consists of a single spring. It is the state's third largest spring that produces an average of 100 million gallons of water daily.

The stream is a mile and a half long running from the spring to the Niangua River. There are three fishing zones, one for flies only, one for flies and artificial lutes only and one for bait only.

The park was acquired by the state of Missouri back in 1924; over the years it has been expanded substantially. Today the park's 3,099 acres encompass most of the watershed of Spring Hollow. Amenities include a swimming pool, church, nature interpretive center, dinning lodge, store, cabins, campground, picnic areas and five hiking trails.

Maramec Springs

Located southeast of St. James on Highway 8, this beautiful spring produces an average of 96,000 gallons per day.

The spring branch is a mile long with no fishing allowed upstream from the road bridge. Unlike the other three parks, there are no separate fishing zones. In addition to trout fishing, the park has a reception center, café, campground, picnic areas, two museums, playgrounds, trails, tennis courts and historic iron works for which it is well known. For more information check online at maramecspringspark.com.

Montauk Park

Located 21 miles southwest of Salem on Highway 119, it is the most rustic of the four parks and offers a variety of fishing experiences.

During the regular season, trout are stocked daily in the two and a half miles of stream ranging from 20 to 50 feet wide. The park covers more than 1,300 acres and includes cabins, picnic areas, trails, Montauk Mill, lodge, campgrounds, restaurant and stores. There is a fly fishing only zone, and artificial lure or live bait zone.

Roaring River State Park

Located seven miles south of Cassville on Missouri 112, the river starts from a stream at the base of a shady bluff and produces an average of more than 20 million gallons of water each day.

The two and a half mile stream is separated into three fishing zones. No wading is allowed except for the catch-and-release area in zone 2.

The park covers more than 3,300 acres including a lodge, swimming pool, cabins, motel, campground, restaurant nature center and a well developed system of trails. Each of our four parks offer great trout fishing for those thousands of anglers who await to kick off the start of the March 1st. 2017 opener.