CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Trout fishing began Sunday morning at Perryville’s Legion Lake, though the weather may have put a chill on the experience.
The temperature at the Perryville Regional Airport was two degrees below zero at the 7:04 a.m. sunrise Sunday, putting an icy hue on the first day of catch and keep trout fishing.
The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) stocked nearly 9,200 rainbow trout in four southeast Missouri waters – Perryville’s Legion Lake, Jackson’s Rotary Lake, Sikeston Recreation Complex Pond, and Cape Girardeau’s Capaha Park Pond last fall.
“Trout are not native to Missouri,” said MDC Fisheries Biologist Salvador Mondragon at the time. “They have been introduced to our cold, spring-fed, Missouri streams. In winter, when the water is cold enough, specific lakes and ponds in urban areas are stocked to provide close-to-home trout fishing opportunities.”
Mondragon said roughly 3,760 rainbow trout were stocked during the first week in November in Legion Lake; 1,920 trout in Rotary Lake; 1,280 in Capaha Park Pond; and 2,240 at Sikeston Recreation Complex Pond.
The cities of Cape Girardeau, Jackson, and Perryville, including Perry County, Perry County Sportsman Club, Sikeston, and MDC purchased the trout.
It was catch and release until Sunday morning. Anglers may now keep their catch.
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.
Learn more about fishing online at https://mdc.mo.gov/fishing.