MDC Family Fishing Fair set for Shepherd of the Hills

Catching fish, education, entertainment all part of June 11 event.

BRANSON, Mo. – Young anglers will have opportunities to catch fish and learn about fishing at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Family Fishing Fair June 11 at a specially stocked pool at MDC's Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery near Branson. This free event, which is aimed at anglers ages 15 and under, will be from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Bluegill and channel catfish will be the fish anglers will be trying to catch, but the event is about more than hooking fish. Educational stations at the event will help young anglers learn to tie knots, filet and cook fish, rig up and cast a fishing pole, cast a fly rod and other fish-related activities. Free goodie bags will be given to all youth participants and there will be a drawing for a rod and reel at the end of the day.

Also at the event will be MDC’s “My First Fish” station. Young anglers who make their first catch can bring their fish to this station to have a photo and information taken for a certificate that will be mailed to the family.

The “Fishin’ Magicians” will also perform. This local magic act will entertain with fun magic and, at the same time, pass on educational messages about the importance of caring for our water resources.

A limited number of loaner fishing poles will be available, but it’s suggested that all anglers bring their own fishing equipment, bait and cooler, if they plan to keep fish.

No reservations are required for this event. For more information, call 417-334-4865, ext. 0.

This event is another example of how the Missouri Department of Conservation helps people discover nature. For more information about fishing in Missouri, go tohttp://mdc.mo.gov/fishing.

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MDC and local mid-Missouri libraries offer fishing rod and reel loaner program

Two young children enjoying the outdoors by fishing. Conservation make Missouri a great place to fish.

Seven mid-Missouri libraries now have fishing equipment available for public use.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Do you like to fish, but don’t own a pole? Don’t worry, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has you covered. As part of the Discover Nature: Fishing Rod and Reel loaner program, seven libraries in mid-Missouri now have fishing equipment available for use by the public. They include Boonslick Public Library (Boonville), Mexico Audrain Public Library (Mexico), Marshall Public Library (Marshall), Centralia Public Library (Centralia), Sweet Springs Library (Sweet Springs), Woodplace Library (California), and Price James Library (Tipton).

According to MDC Angler Education Assistant Don Rahm, the rod and reel loaner program provides an opportunity for youth, novice anglers, or anyone who doesn’t own fishing equipment to get outside and enjoy the outdoors.

“This equipment is available to the public to borrow and is as simple as checking out a book,” Rahm said. “We are working with these libraries, specifically, because of the availability of close public access waters that are managed and stocked by the Conservation Department.”

In addition to receiving a rod, a small tackle box with terminal tackle is also provided, according to Rahm. Terminal tackle includes essential hooks, split-shot sinkers, bobbers, and a stringer to hold the catch.

For more than a million anglers, conservation makes Missouri a great place to fish. Across Missouri, fishing generates $665 million dollars in local economic benefit each year.

“Fishing is a great way to spend family time, relieve stress, and enjoy the outdoors,” Rahm said. “This program allows someone to try fishing first before making an investment in equipment.”

For more information on fishing opportunities in Missouri, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/89 . For a list of all the rod-and-reel loaner locations in Missouri, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/28592.

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Fishing rod and reel loaner program added to Farmington, Bonne Terre libraries

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announces the addition of two new libraries into the Discover Nature: Fishing Rod and Reel Loaner Program.  The Bonne Terre Memorial

Library and the Farmington Public Library now have fishing equipment available for use by the public.  According to Salvador Mondragon, a fisheries management biologist with the MDC, the Rod and Reel Loaner Program provides an opportunity for youth, novice anglers, or anyone who does not own a rod and reel to get outside and enjoy the outdoors.

“This equipment is available to the public to borrow and is as simple as checking out a book,” Mondragon said.

Karen Roman, the director of the Farmington Public Library said the fishing equipment loaner program will be a positive resource for the community.

“I was surprised that the MDC would supply libraries with fishing equipment,” Roman said. “Libraries are becoming about much more than books these days and this is a wonderful idea and opportunity for someone who wants to try fishing first before making an investment in equipment.”

Amanda Carron is the Special Services Coordinator at the Bonne Terre Memorial Library. Carron said she and other employees at the library are looking forward to getting feedback from the community once they begin checking out the equipment.

“The fishing equipment program is a really good idea and I think it will have a good impact on our community, especially with the Bonne Terre pond being right up the street from us at the city park,” Carron said.

“We have added this program at these libraries, specifically, because of the availability of close public access waters that are managed and stocked by the Missouri Department of Conservation,” Mondragon said. 

“We have many nice places in our area where people can fish, so I think it will work out wonderfully,” Roman said.

Public fishing areas nearby include Hager Lake, Thomas Lake, Giessing Lake, the Mineral Area College Quarry Pond,  Bonne Terre City DiSalvo Lake, St. Francois River and Leadwood Access on Big River. Mondragon said all of these areas offer opportunities to catch catfish, bass, crappie and sunfish with great bank fishing access.

In addition to receiving a rod, a small tackle box with terminal tackle will be provided, according to Mondragon. Terminal tackle will include essential hooks, split-shot sinkers, bobbers and a stringer to hold the catch.

For more information on fishing opportunities in Missouri, go to mdc.mo.gov or call the MDC’s Southeast Regional Office at (573)290-5730.

Runge to host renowned artist and world angler Bob White

Image via Wikipedia

Join global fly fisher, artist, columnist and fly-fishing guide at MDC Nature Center in Jeff City Oct. 15

JEFFERSON CITY Mo – The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Runge Nature Center, in partnership with the Capital City Fly Fishers, will host “A Fascination with Fly Fishing” featuring Bob White on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 9 a.m. to noon.  The global fly fisher, artist, columnist and fly-fishing guide will share his adventures and experiences fly fishing around the world, including in New Zealand, Seychelles Islands, Australia, Alaska and the Midwest.

White was inducted into the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Artist in 2009. He was Fly Rod & Reel magazine’s Guide of the Year in 1988. As the 1994 Artist of the Year for the Alaska State Parks Foundation, he produced and donated artwork for the first Alaska State Parks Foundation print. His work has been presented twice in Fly Rod & Reel’s gallery. White has been featured as a guide and artist on ESPN’s Fly Fishing the World and Fly Fishing America. He currently illustrates the closing columns for Fly Rod & Reel, Ducks Unlimited magazine, Gun Dogmagazine and Hatches magazine. He is a columnist for Midwest Fly Fishing and regularly contributes to many other sporting publications.

For more information on this free community program, call 573-526-5544 or emailkathy.cavender@mdc.mo.gov.

Runge Nature Center is located at 330 Commerce Drive (Rte 179) in Jefferson City. For more information on Runge, visit MDC online at mdc.mo.gov.

Montauk Trout Park Fly Fishing

I sure don't want to present myself as the expert on this area. I have been to this park probably five or six times. Of the parks, I do enjoy it the most, especially when I can get there on a weekday. A week or so ago, I fished it with my younger son, he concentrating on the bait area while I stayed exclusively in the "fly area."

I put fly area in quotes, because if you are not familiar with the park, spin fishing is also allowed here, but there are restrictions regarding terminal tackle allowed. Generally speaking, there is no negative interaction between spin and fly fishermen here as I have heard there can be in some places. Some of the spin fishermen here have shared pointers with me that even though I am using a fly rod, I have found very helpful. The caveat I will throw in is that there seems to often be a lack of stream etiquette in the parks.

This lack of etiquette seems to be equally displayed by spin and fly fishermen. I do not have a confrontational personality, so when someone comes thrashing through the stream right by where I am fishing, or casts directly into the area where I am drifting my flies, I usually just move on. I always hope they get the idea, but doubt they do.

More often, folks are polite and stay an acceptable distance, and sometimes pleasant conversations ensue. Last time I met a couple of retired gentlemen from Illinois. One of them had grown children who lived in Alaska and Colorado - both places where I have lived. We shared stories of streams, lakes, and ocean areas where we had both fished. He was spin fishing, but was also a fly fisherman and shared some advice on what to try. Because I didn't know the flies he was talking about I nodded like I did, but remembered the names so I could learn about them later. I wasn't having much luck (it was slow for everyone) and when I told him I wasn't sure I was gonna catch anything, he said "sure you will."

We parted ways and a bit later I took a break. I went back to my truck, rested awhile and re-hydrated. I then tied some new tippet and headed back out. I got to my favorite hole and started cycling through the options I have had luck with in the past. This time I used a strike indicator, which normally I avoid. First I went through my offerings at a depth where I was just ticking the bottom. Then I shortened up to a depth of about 24". When I tried this with an orange and red glo-ball I started getting meager taps. Ten minutes of this later, the fish for reasons inexplicable to me began inhaling my offering.

Some trips at this park I have limited in a very short time (4 fish). Other times I have had to work at it a bit. I enjoy the latter more. My thought on being successful in the fly area is to find and area that I know or can see (depends on clarity of water) and keep trying things until I find what is working. In these parks, I am convinced that generally, fish in a given area are just waiting for the right offering at the right time. It really is like a switch gets turned on and then off.

For information on the park, visit their official site at Montauk State Park Official Site. For more information on trout fishing in Missouri, including trout parks, visit Missouri Trout Fishing.