Missourians throw a giant fishing celebration each year on opening day of Trout Season. There are especially large gatherings at the state’s four Trout Parks. This year, the annual March 1 opener falls on a Saturday and the weather is going to be nice. Temperatures are projected in the 50s. This means the crowds are going to be even larger than normal, and I for one am excited about it.
You need to know what you are getting into if you are planning to visit one of the trout parks on opening day. It’s going to be crowded. I mean, way more crowded than you’re expecting. It would be unacceptable fishing conditions on any other day at any other place. In prime locations, you are going to be shoulder to shoulder with people.
Some of those people have little to no fishing experience. People will move into what you consider your spot. You may be throwing your lure into the same hole multiple other people are throwing into. Your line is likely to be tangled by someone else while they’re fighting a fish. If you move from a spot for any reason, it will likely be filled by another angler quickly.
And you know what? It’s great. The reason this annual extravaganza is so spectacular, is because every one of those same inexperienced anglers is there to fish. They’re excited. It’s magical to be amongst this beehive like atmosphere of men, women, and especially, the children all coming together to catch fish. It’s the smiles you see on the kids’ faces when they hold up an old metal stringer with a few trout hanging from the hooks. It’s the laughter you burst out when you hear a child shrieking with excitement as they experience the surge of energy that comes with being tethered to a fighting fish.
It’s also their parents. The mothers, fathers, and guardians who feel connected to their children through the experience of going fishing on opening day. Maybe they had the same experience when they were young. Every adult with a child in their life should aspire to spending quality time together. At the Trout Parks, on Opening Day, you see those aspirations manifest. You see connection.
The elderly are perhaps the most special to observe. They don’t fight the crowds. They sit back and take it in. Many occupy prime observation points from the comfort of a lawn chair with a warm blanket. They often hold down the fort for the younger generations who are out in the water or moving along the bank. They exude the wisdom of presence. They won’t be looking at their phones. They’ll be watching those they love to do something they have loved. They have reached the point where focus is narrow. They are present and paying attention to what matters most.
If this doesn’t sound like fun to you, and I fully understand why to some it absolutely does not, then you should wait for another day to visit the Trout Parks. If you’re going to be too serious about fishing and you’re not excited about the crowd, then sit it out. But if you are interested, and you love fishing and spending time fishing with family, friends, and other like-minded people, then give it a try. If you enjoy the experience, maybe it’ll become a tradition. Like it is for so many Missourians and friends from out-of-state. If you don’t enjoy it, come down a few days later and you can fish any of the parks with minimal competition.
Jim Washabaugh wrote the definitive guide to fishing the Trout Parks. His book, Fishing The Missouri Trout Parks: Bennett Spring State Park, Maramec Spring Park, Montauk State Park and Roaring River State Park, provides all the information one could hope for in a guide book. When it’s not sold out, it’s available at the Trout Parks shops. It’s also available on Amazon. I was honored to write the forward for the book. The following is from my forward.
There are four Trout Parks in Missouri. Each is unique, but all offer exceptional trout fishing and many other outdoor recreational opportunities. Bennett Spring, Roaring River and Montauk are each a Missouri State Park. Maramec Spring Park is owned and operated by the James Foundation. All four parks offer exceptional camping opportunities. The Trout Parks are managed for fishing by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Each night during the season, which runs March 1 through October 31, trout are stocked in the parks’ waters.
Opening Day at the Trout Parks takes place each year on March 1. To many, this is an annual holiday. A celebration marking a new year and the soon to arrive joys of spring. The Trout Parks are crowded, in the most wonderful way, on Opening Day. Families return to the parks they have been coming to for generations. Men and women now in their golden years fish the same stretches of water they fished as children. Smiles are seen in every direction and an energy of joyfulness reverberates through the crowd. Anglers of all ages and all skill levels crowd the water to fish for trout. It’s an amazing experience.
Yet, over the years, I have heard the groans of outsiders looking in. Those who see a picture of anglers fishing shoulder to shoulder on Opening Day at a Missouri Trout Park and declare how horrible it must be to fish in such a crowd. They couldn’t be more wrong. To experience Opening Day at any of the four Trout Parks is to participate in a celebration of fishing. A celebration of all that makes fishing so special – family, friends, fish to be caught, and a beautiful place to catch them. The positive experiences generated during these Opening Day celebrations is measured by the smiles on the faces of anglers from 8 to 80, each time a trout bends a rod.
There are few trout fishing destinations in the world where more first fish are caught than the Missouri Trout Parks. These special destinations, where children with Snoopy poles are fishing next to old timers with bamboo fly rods, are worth the trip for anglers of all skill levels. The Missouri Trout Parks celebrate our state’s deep love and affection for fishing.
See you down the trail…
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