Opening Day - Trout Seasonn 2008 - Lebanon, MO

6:25 am
Lebanon, MO
Rolling Trout waters
Trout tag secure
Weighter's snug...

Almost ready....

This morning at 6:30 am the sound of the opening siren could be heard for miles. Fishermen (and women) were greeted with clear skies and a promise of temperatures in the 60's.

Opening Day of Trout Season at Bennett Spring State Park was officially under way. 

While I am not a fisher-woman, I do enjoy the park and took a trip down to see all the excitement. License plates from Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Ohio were plentiful. Throw in a few from Wyoming and Florida, with one from Nevada for good measure. I'm sure there were others I didn't notice.

  Park officials estimated over 3,000 trout tags would be sold today alone.

Here are a few fun facts about Bennett Springs State Park, some more well known than others:

• The Park has over 3,216 acres
• The property was acquired by the State in 1923
• The area originally attracted Settler's as a spot to set up grist and flour mills
• Over 100,000,000 gallons of water gush from the Spring each day
• There are over 12 miles of hiking trails on the property
• The Natural Tunnel is 15 ft wide and over 300 feet long
• There are 3 fishing "zones"
  Zone 1 - Only flies are permitted.
  Zone 2 - Only flies and artificial lures are permitted.
  Zone 3 - Only soft plastic bait (unscented), natural and scented bait are permitted. All flies and artificial lures are prohibited, even if natural bait or scent has been added.
• All zones are marked and enforced
• The "season" runs from March 1st at 6:30 am until sunset on October 31st.
• The daily limit is four, with only one brown trout equal to or greater than 15"
• There is no length limit on rainbow trout
• One of the largest fish to ever be caught in the park was on October 22, 2005 in zone 2.
  A brown trout weighed in at the store: 17 pounds, 5 ounces, 26.5 inches long
• The Hatchery Manager helps select the honorary whistle blower, typically someone with a long history of fishing in the park
  

Before leaving the Park this morning, I talked to one dedicated fisherman, Joe, while he was walking along the road, heading back to the water, I asked him about his experience so far. He said the water was high and running fast, making the water muddy. Said it was slow going today; he was still empty handed. But, he was back to the water. For my new friend Joe, it wasn't about catching any fish, it was all about the experience...

The experience of Opening Day, Trout Season 2008.