The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) annual winter trout program began Nov. 1 following the stocking of nearly 9,100 rainbow trout in four southeast Missouri waters – Perryville’s Legion Lake, Jackson’s Rotary Lake, Farmington’s Giessing Lake, and of Sikeston Recreation Complex Pond.
The cities of Jackson, Farmington, and Perryville, including Perry County, Perry County Sportsman Club, Sikeston, and MDC purchased the trout.
“Trout are not native to Missouri,” said MDC Fisheries Biologist Salvador Mondragon. “They have been introduced to our cold, spring-fed, Missouri streams. In winter, when the water is cold enough, specific lakes and ponds in urban areas are stocked to provide close-to-home trout fishing opportunities.”
Mondragon said roughly 3,760 rainbow trout will be stocked during the first week in November in Legion Lake prior to the opener; 1,920 trout will be stocked in Rotary Lake; 1,240 in Giessing Lake; and 2,240 at Sikeston Recreation Complex Pond.