CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) annual winter trout program will soon begin with the stocking of nearly 9,000 rainbow trout in four southeast Missouri waters – Perryville’s Legion Lake, Jackson’s Rotary Lake, Farmington’s Giessing Lake, and Sikeston Recreation Complex Pond.
MDC’s annual winter trout program will soon begin with the stocking of nearly 9,000 rainbow trout in four southeast Missouri waters – Perryville’s Legion Lake, Jackson’s Rotary Lake, Farmington’s Giessing Lake, and Sikeston Recreation Complex Pond.
The cities of Perryville, Jackson, Farmington, and Perry County, the Perry County Sportsmans Club, Sikeston, and MDC, purchased the trout to be supplied. MDC pays 50 percent of the cost to stock the trout, with each city handling the other half.
The annual winter trout fishing program begins Nov. 1, marking the opening of Missouri’s winter trout season. Anglers can cast a line for this popular cold-water fish through the fall and winter months on a catch-and-release basis. Anglers also may harvest trout beginning Feb. 1.
Trout are not native to Missouri. They have been introduced to the cold, spring-fed, streams of southern Missouri. In winter, when the water is cold enough, selected lakes and ponds in urban areas are stocked to provide close-to-home trout fishing opportunities.
MDC Fisheries Management Biologist Salvador Mondragon said roughly 3,760 rainbow trout will be stocked during the first week in November at Perryville’s Legion Lake prior to the opener; 1,920 trout will be stocked in Rotary Lake; 1,240 in Giessing Lake; and 2,240 at Sikeston Recreation Complex Pond.
According to MDC, all trout must be immediately released and unharmed from Nov. 1 through Jan. 31. During this time, anglers may only use flies, artificial lures, and unscented plastic baits. Only one fishing rod may be used at a time, and chum is not permitted. Beginning Feb. 1, any bait may be used, and four trout may be kept regardless of size.
“Flies imitating aquatic insects are popular with fly fishers,” Mondragon said, “but spinners, small spoons, and other small lures are also good choices.”
All anglers between the ages of 16 and 64 must retain a valid Missouri fishing permit and any angler harvesting trout must also possess a trout permit.
More information about fishing can be found online at https://mdc.mo.gov/fishing, or by contacting the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Southeast Regional Office in Cape Girardeau at (573) 290-5730.