MDC to hold Discover Nature - Fishing event on June 8

Families will get a chance to learn about the fun of fishing
at a Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC)
Discover Nature Fishing program (pictured above)
June 8 at MDC's Bois D'Arc Aquatic Education Pond
in Greene County. 

 Free program will be at MDC's Bois D'Arc Aquatic Education Pond in Greene County.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Fishing is a great way to connect families with the outdoors. It’s a great tool to introduce children to healthier lifestyles and it’s a good activity for strengthening family bonds. These are some of the many benefits of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Discover Nature – Fishing Program.

This program provides free lessons to help kids and families gain skills and confidence to enjoy fishing through a series of four instructional sessions:

• Lesson 1: Equipment, casting, proper fish handling
• Lesson 2: How to tie a knot and bait a hook
• Lesson 3: Five common Missouri fish – their anatomy, habitats and life cycles
• Lesson 4: Fishing with lures, fishing regulations

Interested families will have a chance to take Lessons 1 and 2 of the Discover Nature – Fishing program classes at MDC’s Bois D’Arc Aquatic Education Pond on June 8. The program will be from 6-9 p.m. The Bois D’Arc Aquatic Education Pond is part of MDC’s Bois D’Arc Conservation Area and is located at 4045 State Highway UU near Bois D’Arc in western Greene County.

All fishing gear will be provided by MDC staff. Participants should wear clothing and closed-toed shoes suitable for outdoor and water activities. People can register for this event at:

https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/192680

Each participant must register for this program individually. To register your child, you may need to make a family account, or add them to an existing family account. You can also make a separate account for your child. Participants will not need a fishing permit to take part in this program. For questions about this event or about the registration process, contact MDC Community Education Assistant Jeanell Stockton at Jeanell.Stockton@mdc.mo.gov or at 417-737-0698.

People can get information about other upcoming Discover Nature Fishing classes can be found at mdc.mo.gov.

MDC works with partners to improve fish habitat at Table Rock and Bull Shoals reservoirs

 

Missouri Department of Conservation staff a
re currently working on improving fish habitat at Table Rock
and Bull Shoals reservoirs by dropping trees
 (pictured above) at select sites around these lakes.

Brush piles will serve as fish attractors.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Creating a spot that attracts fish is a great way to attract anglers.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is refurbishing existing underwater fish habitat brush piles throughout Table Rock and Bull Shoals reservoirs and establishing habitat at new sites in these two popular lakes. This work is being funded with a grant MDC received from Bass Pro Shops to replenish and establish fish habitat sites at Table Rock and Bull Shoals.

The origins of the habitat improvement project currently underway at Table Rock and Bull Shoals can be traced back to the National Fish Habitat Initiative (NFHI), a project that went from 2007-2013 and involved MDC, Bass Pro Shops, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and many other partners. This project resulted in the establishment of 2,024 fish habitat structures at Table Rock and 193 in Bull Shoals.

The grant MDC received from Bass Pro Shops in 2022 is to refurbish 645 of the brush piles on Table Rock and 35 sites on Bull Shoals to ensure that they remain viable fish attractor locations. An underwater brush pile serves multiple roles for fish: It can provide nursery habitat and protective cover for some young fish, as well as attracting larger, predatory sportfish species such as crappie and bass. This conglomeration of fish, in turn, translates into great fishing spots for anglers.

“Table Rock and Bull Shoals are aging reservoirs and much of the woody structure in these lakes is deteriorating,” said MDC Fisheries Management Biologist Shane Bush, who manages Table Rock Lake. “Fish habitat projects like this one and the NFHI project allow MDC to be proactive in helping to maintain the quality fish populations these reservoirs have and ensure that fishing remains great for anglers in the future.”

The current project began in November 2022 and will continue through December of this year. So far, 371 brush piles have been rebuilt and 19 new brush piles have been established at Table Rock. At Bull Shoals, 27 brush piles have been rebuilt and six new brush piles have been added.

The GPS locations for these sites can be found on the MDC website at https://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/where-fish.  Other fishing information can be found at mdc.mo.gov.