Missouri Department of Conservation Fisheries staff have recently stocked more than 70,000 rainbow trout in more than 30 urban-area lakes around the state for winter trout fishing beginning early November. Many of these areas allow anglers to harvest trout as soon as they are stocked, while others are catch-and-release until Feb. 1.
Find locations and other information for winter trout fishing at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/fishing/species/trout/trout-where-fish/winter-trout-fishing-areas. In Mid-Missouri, McKay Park Lake in Jefferson City and Veterans Park Lake in Fulton are among the fishing locations.
Conservation officials said limits and tackle restrictions vary by lake and season. Residents should check for special area regulations before fishing. The daily limit for catch-and-keep at these locations is four trout with no length limit. All Missouri residents over age 15 and under age 65 must have a fishing permit. All non-residents over age 15 must have a fishing permit. To keep trout, all anglers of all ages must have a Missouri trout permit.
Buy fishing permits from numerous vendors around the state, at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, or through the free MDC mobile app, Mo Fishing, available for download through Google Play for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices.