All about the trout: Season begins at Jackson's Rotary Lake on Feb. 1

Beginning next week, Jackson's Rotary Lake will open for rainbow trout harvest.

The Missouri Department of Conservation's Winter Fisheries Program partners with communities to stock a local lake during the winter and provide people the experience of catching and bringing home rainbow trout.

Perryville and Farmington have this program as well, and MDC fisheries biologist Mike Reed said this has been a successful endeavor for many years.

"We stock the lake on or around Nov. 1," Reed said. "We have a catch-and-release program with certain restrictions, and then the regular harvest season starts Feb. 1."

Reed said the program is great for anglers of all skill levels.

Larry Pierce uses his net to land a trout Tuesday at Rotary Lake at Jackson City Park.Andrew J. Whitaker

"This provides a fishing opportunity that's close to home for a lot of people," he said. "It's really cool because the lakes are in parks, so people can take the family, kids or novice fishermen."

Reed said trout are readily caught, and the lakes are not a tough hike, as is often the case when fishing for trout.

"There's no hiking deep into the woods. In a park, you can usually walk around the shoreline pretty easily," he said.

Jackson parks director Shane Anderson said this has been a great program since it began in November 2003 with about 400 pounds of trout.

"We have upped the poundage significantly since we started," he said, adding the lake was stocked with about 2,000 pounds of fish in November 2016.

"We wanted to standardize our program to fit with other programs in Missouri," Anderson said. "Since we have a three-acre lake, we wanted to stock it well. It made the fishermen smile last year. We're hoping for more of the same."

Anglers age 15 to 65 will need a trout-harvest permit in addition to their fishing license, Reed said.

Information on how to buy appropriate licenses and permits is available at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/permits.

The daily limit is four trout, and there is no size limit, Reed said.

On average, the fish start at 12 inches long and weigh is between 1 1/2 to 2 pounds. He said this size is comparable to a fish served in a restaurant.

"We have several that will be over two pounds," Reed said. "Not all of them are that size, of course, but we have good growth on the fish in the lake."

He added, "We want people to catch these fish and take them home."

Anderson likes the trout fishing because it helps draw people to the park this time of year.

"From my end, as programmer, I viewed the lake as a feature of the park and wanted to make use of that resource, best I could," he said. "I want families to use the park even in winter, and this is a great way to do that."

Reed said the beauty of the trout program is state and local dollars are going to a source of enjoyment for people.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is funded by a one-eighth-cent sales tax statewide, and the MDC's contribution is matched by money from the city of Jackson.

"Everybody's working on this thing together," Reed said. "Citizens have a part in this. We see great ownership. There's a deep sense of involvement. Real positive program and result."

The Winter Fisheries Program is just a portion of the agency's statewide efforts to seed streams and rivers with trout, Reed said.

"We really try to stock our bodies of water so our fishermen can get out and enjoy nature. We hope to continue these programs for many years," he said.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address: Rotary Lake, Jackson City Park, Highway 61 N., Jackson