CASSVILLE, Mo. -- Fishing earlobe to earlobe with family and friends is part of the fishing party that takes place every March 1 when catch-and-keep trout season opens at Roaring River State Park.
About 2,000 anglers are expected Sunday for opening day, said Paul Spurgeon, manager of the Roaring River trout hatchery. That's a crowd, but there's quiet, solitary fishing available downstream from the park boundary.
Outside the park
One access to Roaring River away from the state park is at the Missouri Department of Conservation gravel parking area a few miles east of the park on Barry County Route F. The lot is on the south side of the road. Walk down a trail on the southeast corner of the lot to the river.
Or, turn west off Missouri 86 on to Farm Road 2260 at the Baptist church at Eagle Rock, Mo. Go one mile and park at the low-water bridge.
Check Missouri fishing regulations before wetting a line at Roaring River, in or out of the state park.
— Staff Report
Roaring River starts as a 20-million-gallon-per-day spring near the hatchery. It flows through the heart of Roaring River State Park for the first couple of miles. From the park boundary, the stream meanders four more miles to its confluence with Table Rock Lake near Eagle Rock, Mo. Fishing can be good outside the park. Just ask Tyler Stewart and Shawn Flannigan.
The two were fishing three to four miles downstream from the park Jan. 17, where Stewart caught and released a 21-inch rainbow trout. That's a huge fish in or out of the park.
Stewart, of Mt. Vernon, Mo., and Flannigan, head football coach at Rogers High, are longtime friends. Stewart didn't want to say how he caught the trout, "but it wasn't on a fly, so that narrows it down some," he said.
There are bait and lure restrictions at Roaring River State Park, but anything goes outside the boundary. Miniature marshmallows or Power Bait are good choices, Stewart said, adding he caught his big trout on four-pound test line.
Flies that work inside the park work well outside. Trout go for egg patterns, San Juan worms, woolly buggers and micro jigs. Anglers can use any bait, any lure or fly.
Wild Water
It's different downstream, away from the manicured grounds and easy access inside Roaring River State Park. The shoreline can be gnarly with weeds, rocks and roots. Russ Tonkinson of Rogers and I found that out during a fly fishing trip on the stream in late January. Seeing photos of Stewart's big trout got us revved up. We had to go.
Tonkinson and I parked at a low-water bridge on a paved county road about a mile upstream from Missouri 86. There were lots of shallow runs but few deep pools where trout might dwell. We fished until noon without a bite.
After our trip, I checked in with Michael McLellan, owner of McLellan's Fly Shop in Fayetteville, for some advice. It's been awhile since McLellan has fished Roaring River, but he said finding the deepest water is key.
"You want to find those little pockets and holes that hold fish. There can be a lot of skinny water in between," he said.
Trout Downstream
Spurgeon, the hatchery manager, confirmed trout are stocked the entire length of Roaring River. Trout aren't native to the Ozarks, so nearly all trout in the region are stocked. The Missouri Department of Conservation operates the Roaring River hatchery and stocks about 6,000 trout per year outside the park, except during summer. The river downstream from the park gets too warm for trout to survive, Spurgeon said. The average size is 12.5 inches long, same as inside the park.
"We also stock brown trout once a year, usually in the fall. Fishermen have caught some nice-sized browns down there," Spurgeon said.
Think outside the park to find long stretches of uncrowded water at Roaring River and maybe a big trout.
Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip.
Sports on 02/26/2015