For fair-weather fishermen like me, this is the time of the year to re-spool the reels, restock the spinners and sort through the rest of the mess that served as a tackle box through the spring, summer and fall.
But for the hearty boys and girls who don’t let a little cold interrupt their ichthyological interests, opportunities abound year-round. These are the folks who will forego the visions of sugar plums associated with upcoming holidays, and dream exclusively of wading waist deep in ice water on March 1.
Thanks to the state Department of Conservation and many local municipalities, trout anglers can fill their stringers close to home while they wait in anticipation for the end of February. Eighteen lakes in the St. Louis region will receive about 40,000 rainbow trout this winter.
Closest to home for Jefferson County anglers are the 6.5-acre Island Lake and 1.5-acre Carp Lake at Suson Park off Wells Road on the other side of the Meramec River. Both lakes have available fishing platforms and accessibility for the disabled. Anglers with a valid fishing license and annual trout tag may keep up to four fish daily.
Anglers in the southern half of the county may consider traveling in the other direction for their winter trout fishing adventures. Legion Lake in Perryville, Giessing Lake in Farmington and Rotary Lake in Jackson will receive about 9,000 trout courtesy of the conservation department. Fishing in these lakes is catch-and-release only through Jan. 31. Anglers may only use artificial lures and flies and must return their catch immediately, unharmed, through that date. On and after Feb. 1, fishermen may use any bait and keep up to four fish each day.
Back up north, about half of the participating lakes are catch-and-release only, and the rest, like those at Suson Park, allow anglers to keep what they catch. Lakes 7 and 21 at August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles County are for catch-and-release fishing only, but Lakes 3, 22, and 23 there allow anglers to keep up to four fish.
Other catch-and-release-only lakes in the winter trout program are Jefferson Lake in Forest Park, Koeneman Park Lake in Jennings, Tilles Park Lake in St. Louis County, Union City Lake in Franklin County and Walker Lake in Kirkwood.
The additional catch-and-keep lakes include Boathouse Lake at Carondelet Park and O’Fallon Park Lake, both in St. Louis City; Gendron Lake in St. Ann, January-Wabash Park Lake in Ferguson and Vlasis Park Lake in Ballwin.
Anglers are only allowed to fish with one pole and line at a time, and any type of chum is prohibited at all locations. The conservation department stocks additional fish through the season. A local phone line, 636-300-9651, offers updated lake-specific information following each stocking.
The thrill of the catch awaits all anglers and those who plan to put fish on their stringers know that the hatchery-raised rainbows are delish fish when they are baked, smoked, fried or prepared just about any other way.
Most of the fish that are stocked in area lakes are about 12 inches long, but the program includes “brood stock” lunkers that may weigh up to 10 pounds. Opportunities like that can tempt even the wariest of us to consider wetting a line in the wintertime.
John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and is the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas for the Leader outdoor news page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.