Love 'em, let 'em go during catch and release trout season at Roaring River

Derek Perona of Farmington catches a leaping rainbow trout Dec. 18 while fishing with his dad, Mike Perona, at Roaring River State Park in Missouri. Fishing is with flies only, and all trout must be immediately released.
Derek Perona of Farmington catches a leaping rainbow trout Dec. 18 while fishing with his dad, Mike Perona, at Roaring River State Park in Missouri. Fishing is with flies only, and all trout must be immediately released.

Cold fingers and ice on a fishing rod are small prices to pay for landing trout after trout during winter at Roaring River State Park.

The catch is, they must be thrown back. That's rule No. 1 during the Missouri state park's winter catch and release trout fishing season. Anglers who brave the cold don't seem to mind sliding each rainbow trout back into the stream, which flows through the heart of the park.

Roaring River

Roaring River State Park is located 10 miles northeast of Seligman, Mo., on Missouri 112. Winter catch and release fishing is allowed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday through Monday, from the second Friday in November until the second Monday in February.

A Missouri fishing license and annual trout permit are required.

Hiking trails are open during winter. The campgrounds and cabins are closed.

Information: 417-847-2430.

Fishing is allowed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from mid-November until mid-February. Only flies may be used. Marabou jigs are considered flies according to the park's rules.

Roaring River is a different park during winter than during the more popular catch and keep season that runs March 1 through Oct. 31. Anglers may see more bald eagles than people. A fisherman may be alone on a long section of the trout stream. The park is quiet. Trout are often eager to bite.

Iced-up line guides and frosty fingertips were a challenge for a scattering of fishermen at the park on Dec. 18, a chilly Friday. The temperature was 20 degrees when fishing started at 8 a.m. It didn't nudge above freezing until 11. A half-dozen anglers could be seen along the stream.

Some were catching trout. Others weren't.

Derek Perona of Farmington and his dad, Mike Perona, had the hot hand. Trout rocketed from the water on the end of their fishing lines. Their 1/32 olive-colored jigs with white heads had the trout's attention. They fished the jigs with spin-cast tackle and 2-pound test line.

"That 2-pound test makes all the difference," Mike said.

It's amazing how picky fish can be. The Peronas showed their jigs to a fisherman casting nearby. He had a jig that looked similar, but wasn't exact. Trout ignored that offering while continuing to bite for the Farmington pair.

By noon, their fish count was about 30, including a 5-pounder. The guy with the similar jig? Two fish.

What does Mike like most about catch and release season?

"You don't have to clean 'em," he said. "And you don't have the crowds that you do during the keeping season."

Gene McCullough of Garfield fished 50 yards downstream. Casts of his fly rod formed graceful loops of bright yellow line over the stream formed by Roaring River Spring. It flows at 20 million gallons per day from a cave in a cliff at the north end of the park.

Friday is McCullough's favorite day to fish during winter.

"The trout get to rest all week with nobody fishing for them. Sometimes they can be a little harder to catch on Monday," he said.

Egg patterns, San Juan worms and midges are McCullough's top producers. His favorite is a yellow and pearl midge in size 16 or 18. That's tiny in the world of fishing flies.

"I like to fish here during catch and keep season, too, but I don't even keep fish then," McCullough said. "I like this winter season because there's not many people here. You see bald eagles and the scenery is so pretty.

You don't have to come when it's cold. There are plenty of warm days to fish during the winter."

A nice routine at Roaring River State Park is to fish in the morning, then warm up with a hike on one of the trails. Pack a lunch for fine dining along the trail. Visit Roaring River Spring, tour the trout hatchery, then fish some more in the afternoon.

Missouri State Parks runs the park. Missouri Department of Conservation operates the hatchery where thousands of trout are raised. Roaring River Spring provides high-quality cold water perfect for raising rainbow trout.

Several hundred trout are stocked a few days before catch and release season starts, said Fred Spirgen, the hatchery manager. More are stocked occasionally through catch and release season.

Anglers are allowed to catch all the trout they can muster with their fishing flies, so long as they let 'em go.

Flip Putthoff can be reached at fputthoff@nwadg or on Twitter @NWAFlip

Sports on 01/19/2016

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