Montauk State Park near Salem, Missouri has a lot to offer. With its crystal clear spring water, a humungous trophy pond, a large fish hatchery, and great camping sites, it is a go-to place for people of all ages. In fact, even Missouri’s Governor, Jay Nixon, is thrilled to be spending this Friday, March 1st, at Montauk.
There are many great things about the park, but its premier attraction is trout fishing. The clear waters and heartily stocked trout fish bring fishermen and vacationers from all over. Governor Nixon will be shooting off the starting pistol at 6:30am on the bridge at Montauk State Park to indicate the beginning of this year’s trout season. Fishermen will be anxiously awaiting that sound of gun fire in the bright and early morning as they are waist deep in the cool spring water.
Trout season has officially been declared from March 1st until October 31st. There is a catch and release pond offered at Montauk year round. Licenses and tags are required and can be purchased at the State Park shop in the center of the park. Trout fishing will start around 6:00am to around 7:30am and will end near 7:00pm or 8:00pm. The daily limit of fish caught at Montauk is four and these fish can be cleaned at one of the cleaning stations near the banks of the river.
Governor Nixon will be one to participate in this annual event and is excited to jump into a pair of waders, grab his fly fishing pole, and wade into Current River this Friday with the other Missouri fishermen attending. After a few hours of great fishing at Montauk State Park, Governor Nixon will arrive at Bennett Springs State Park near Lebanon to begin his fly-fishing adventure.
“One of the pleasures of living in Missouri is trying to land a trout on opening day,” Governor Nixon stated. “I’m delighted to be at two of our trout parks on Friday to join in one of the generations-old traditions that make Missouri State Parks such great places to visit.”
Governor Nixon will be available to talk to the media at Montauk State Park after firing the starting pistol around 6:30am. When he arrives in Lebanon, he will also speak to the media around 11:30am before continuing his day of fishing.
If you are interesting in other great trout fishing locations aside from Montauk and Bennett Springs, fishermen can kick off this year’s season at Roaring River State Park (near Cassville) and Maramec Spring Park (near St. James).
