Kids fish for trout in winter

Tyler Greer, Matt Breite and Andrew Shelton last month braved cold weather to take advantage of an unusual winter fishing season in St. Louis. They all used different types of bait to try to catch rainbow trout.

Usually, St. Louis-area kids and their families have to travel fairly long distances to fish for rainbow trout. The fish normally need cold, spring-fed streams or lakes to flourish.

But, from November through March, the Missouri Department of Conservation stocks catchable-sized trout in more than a dozen St. Louis area lakes. This is the time of the year when water in shallow local lakes is cold enough to sustain trout.

The MDC started its St. Louis winter trout stocking program in 1989. This season, the trout are being stocked in 16 lakes. (For a list of the 16 lakes, you can click here for an advance story from October, 2003.)

Last month, the St. Louis Parks Department added a special twist to the trout fishing opportunity. Park ranger Tim Emmons hosted an after-hours "trout-and-chili" fishing event at lakes in Suson Park In south county.

The MDC made a restocking run to Suson Park early in the week. Then, Emmons was on hand with a heated chili meal so kids and their families could warm up after fishing.

The County Parks will host another "fish-and-eat" event Friday, Feb. 6, at Tilles Park. That event is at the Windegger Shelter in Tilles from 6 to 10 a.m. There's trout fishing and an all-you-can-eat breakfast.

For information, call (314) 416-4374.

Twelve-year-old Tyler Greer is a seventh grader from High Ridge. The Suson Park outing was his third time for trout fishing. He's caught five.

At Suson Park, he used plastic worms for bait. But, he didn't expect to catch any trout that would match his biggest catch. That was a 17-inch smallmouth bass. He caught it last summer while on a canoe trip on the Black River in southern Missouri.

He said the fish is at a taxidermist being mounted now for display at his home.

Asked about his best fishing experiences, Tyler said, "Whenever I catch big fish." His worst: "When I don't catch any fish."

Tyler has been fishing since he was five. He said he hopes to make a living on the professional fishing tour.

Fourteen-year-old Matt Breite of St. Louis used a more traditional trout bait. The eighth-grader used fly-fishing gear. And he had tied his own artificial flies.

He even brought along his special brimmed leather hat to complete his fishing outfit.

He said he had caught a trout earlier in the fall. But, this was the first time he'd taken advantage of the winter trout season on St. Louis lakes.

He said he usually fishes for bass and crappie. Concerning his biggest fish, Matt said, "I caught a big carp at Trout Lodge."

He said he's been fishing for about five years.

Thirteen-year-old Andrew Shelton brought along a jar of some special, scented bait for his trout fishing efforts. He said the Powerbait "had a pretty powerful scent" when put on the fishing hook. The bait was in the form of fish eggs.

Andrew said he's been fishing since he was three. But, he added, "I'm not lucky at it."

In keeping with that, he said the biggest fish he ever caught was "almost an accident." He said he snagged a large catfish "outside his mouth' while fishing at Lake Taneycomo near Branson.

He said his best fishing trip was at Lake Barkley in Kentucky. "In just one day, I doubled the total number of fish I'd ever caught in my life."

The weather for the Lake Suson trout-and-chili event was pretty cold. In some parts of the lake, fishermen had chipped holes in the ice to get their hooks and line into the water.

But, on the lake's sheltered side, the water was open. Also, Ranger Emmons brought along a fire barrel so the fishermen could warm up if they needed it.

In the St. Louis urban trout season, MDC trucks stock the 16 lakes twice-a-month. However, they don't announce the stocking schedule. If you want to find out when the lake near you has been stocked, you can call a Fish Stocking Hot Line at (636) 300-9651.

For the early part of the season, most lakes are under a catch-and-release rule. But, toward the end of the season, kids catching trout can keep the trout they catch.