(The following is a press release from the Missouri Department of Conservation.)
Unseasonably warm temperatures have prompted the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) to postpone its annual winter trout stocking. Fisheries staff stock rainbow trout in urban-area lakes across Missouri beginning the first week of November. However, warm water temperatures have pushed stocking efforts to the second week.
“Trout are a cold-water species and require water temperatures around 55 to 60 degrees,” said MDC Hatchery Systems Manager Clint Hale. “Entering waters warmer than what they’re accustomed to can be a shock to their system, ultimately resulting in their death.”
Each fall, MDC stocks more than 70,000 rainbow trout in more than 30 urban lakes. Many of these areas allow anglers to harvest trout as soon as they are stocked, while others are catch-and-release until Feb. 1.
Rainbow trout are raised at four of MDC’s state trout hatcheries. Around 70,000 trout are stocked in urban and conservation area lakes during MDC’s winter trout stocking program. The areas are stocked to provide close-to-home trout fishing opportunities.
“Our goal is to stock healthy trout that can thrive all winter to provide anglers as many fishing opportunities as possible,” Hale explained. “With cooler conditions forecasted in the coming week, water temperatures will drop enough that the fish can be stocked.”
Trout fishing regulations vary by location and season. Anglers are encouraged to check local regulations before fishing. All Missouri residents between the ages of 16 and 64 must have a valid fishing permit. To keep trout, anglers of all ages must have a Missouri trout permit.
Fishing permits are available for purchase from numerous vendors across the state, online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, or through MDC’s free MO Fishing mobile app
