DNR
Home PageTROUT SEASON BEGINS MARCH 1 AT THREE STATE PARKS
JEFFERSON CITY, MO., FEB. 14, 2008 -- At 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, the long-awaited sound of the siren will resound, and trout season will officially begin at Roaring River State Park near Cassville, Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon and Montauk State Park near Salem. Officials in the three state parks are preparing their parks for the arrival of eager fishermen. Trout catch-and-keep fishing season runs each year through Oct. 31.
With opening day falling on a Saturday this year, Missouri Department of Natural Resources officials expect good crowds for trout opening. It is anticipated that approximately 8,400 trout tags will be sold at the three state parks. Trout tags can be purchased at the state park concession stores.
Although trout fishing will be the main activity at the three state parks on opening day, the parks also offer other opportunities, including hiking and learning about the parks through exhibits in the interpretive and nature centers. All three parks feature campgrounds, as well as dining and lodging facilities.
At Montauk State Park, a dedication ceremony of a newly planted tree sapling will be held at 10:30 a.m. This new sapling will replace the great white oak tree adjacent to the Current River, which was removed this winter due to declining health. Representatives from the Department of Natural Resources and Missouri Department of Conservation will join park visitors for this historic event.
At Roaring River State Park, fishing tags will be available at the CCC Lodge, which will open at 9 a.m. on Feb. 29 and will be open all night. The Emory Melton Inn and Conference Center will open at noon on Friday and will offer a breakfast buffet beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday. The Cassville Chamber of Commerce will hand out free coffee near the CCC Lodge beginning at 5:30 a.m. Bill Ash, a retired Roaring River State Park assistant superintendent, will receive the first trout tag. The first three kids tags at the park will go to the winners of an art contest open to several area schools.
Visitors for opening day can also expect to see improvements at all three of the state parks. At Bennett Spring State Park, the renovated Campground #1 will be fully open for use. As the season progresses, work will continue on the campground, including sowing grass seed, planting bushes and trees and paving the new roadways. All 48 campsites in Campground #1 feature concrete parking and table pads, tables made of recycled materials and 50-amp electrical service.
At Montauk State Park, repairs were completed on some rental cabins and motel rooms. A stream habitat project that involved the installation of root wads into the stream was completed to enhance fishing opportunities. Gravel and sand were removed from select locations in the Current River to improve depth of fishing holes.
Visitors to Roaring River State Park may not notice some of the park improvements because they were done at Camp Smokey, the park's organized group camp. Smoke detectors and emergency lighting were installed, and roofing was replaced on some of the buildings. What visitors may notice is the new carpet in the great room and in the upstairs lodging rooms in the Emory Melton Inn and Conference Center, the new roof and porch beams on the nature center and new porch beams on the CCC Lodge. The Department of Conservation and the park also partnered to replace six old wooden baffles in zone #1 of the stream with new stone ones.
Trout season in Missouri is a cooperative effort of the Department of Natural Resources, which manages state parks, and the Department of Conservation, which operates the hatcheries and stocks the streams with trout.
For more information on state parks and historic sites, contact the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf), or visit the Web site at www.mostateparks.com.
