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The opening of trout season on March 1 is a Missouri tradition that anglers enjoy.
By 7:15 a.m. Saturday, Montauk Lodge had sold 1,509 adult tags and 227 youth tags. Montauk hatchery manager Kyle Case reported 2,174 tags at the end of the day - (1,864 adult, 310 youth).
Two other state parks touted 2,384 at Bennett Spring and 2,729 at Roaring River for the opening day of catch-and-keep trout fishing.
Robert Christensen fired the pistol at 6:30 a.m. sharp with his family watching and wife, Veronica at his side. Case counted down the seconds to the delight and cheers from the audience gathered on the bridge.
Catherine Wynn
Robert Christensen (left) fired the pistol at 6:30 a.m. sharp with his family watching and wife, Veronica at his side. Hatchery manager Kyle Case counted the seconds down.
Much of the landscape may have changed at the park after the devastating November flood. Countless hours from volunteers and park employees brought the park back in time for opening day anglers.
“Overall, we had a fantastic opening weekend. It was great to see people back in the park and enjoying fishing again. It was fun to watch everyone catch fish all day long,” shared Case.
“One thing the flood did was stock quite a few fish from our hatchery pools prematurely, which led to plenty of fish to be caught. I had multiple people comment on how good the park looked and that they didn’t think it would be open for March 1 with all the devastation the flood caused,” shared Case.
As coverage of opening day took place, numerous people shared the same sentiment and gratefulness to those who worked tirelessly to open the park.
Several lunkers were caught over the course of opening day, with the first on the board being Bryce Cast of St. Charles, who reeled in a rainbow trout weighing 4 lbs. 10 oz.
Local lunker anglers from Salem included:
• Bryce Schofield, 3 lbs. 6 oz., rainbow
• Matt Pax, 3 lbs. 6 oz., rainbow
• Lucas Morrison, 3 lb. 2 oz., rainbow
• Randy Lea, 3 lbs. 4 oz., rainbow
• Sara Jones, 3 lbs. 4 oz., brown
“We are fortunate to have very dedicated and hardworking staff working for both MDC and DNR that have worked tirelessly through the winter. Not only have we had our park staff working, but we have had regional and statewide crews in to assist in debris removal and cleanup as well. It’s been a big team effort,” continued Case.
“We have also had a lot of help with our statewide hatchery system in rearing and hauling trout into Montauk after the flood. This helps us be able to have fish to stock statewide throughout the year. As the season progresses, I look forward to things looking more like they used to as we are able to repair more of the damaged infrastructure. Montauk is open and fishing is great!”
Christensen said it best in a few words he shared when selected for the coveted spot of firing the pistol on opening day:
“Fishing Montauk is a family tradition, I enjoyed trips with my parents, aunts, uncles, my in-laws, children, and grandchildren. There are others I’ve introduced to Montauk and trout fishing, and I hope all will continue the love of Montauk that I have.
To all the hard-working people who have done so much to reopen Montauk—thank you.”
