Missouri 2008 Official Vacation Planner - (Page 102) CENTRAL MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION Fishing and Hunting Duck hunting at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, near Columbia MO Missouri is known for its large fish, and many anglers plan trips here with the State Record Fish Program in mind. But a father and son in Callaway County weren’t thinking about records in 2006 when they pulled a 5.05pound crappie from a local farm pond. The enormous black crappie set state, national and international records and now swims for the pleasure of the viewing public at an aquarium in Bass Pro Shops, Columbia. Missouri has more than 300,000 privately owned lakes and ponds offering bluegill, crappie, largemouth bass and channel catKRISTEN OESCH, HOLTS SUMMIT, MO. fish. Seven current state-record fish came from these ponds. There are good largemouth bass and catfish numbers in the Lake of the Ozarks and, farther west, in Truman and Pomme de Terre lakes. Surprising Pomme de Terre also boasts and West Plains (417-256-7161) serve Central Region anglers. See pages 104–105 for fishing opportunities at state parks. Hunters took more than 54,000 turkeys in Missouri’s spring 2006 gobbler MISSOURI IS KNOWN FOR ITS LARGE FISH, AND MANY ANGLERS PLAN TRIPS HERE WITH THE S TAT E R E C O R D F I S H P R O G R A M I N M I N D . a thriving population of toothy, meantempered muskies. Smallmouth bass are plentiful and large in southerly streams of the Central Region, including the Big Piney, Gasconade and Niangua rivers. Big strings of crappies are taken at the Lake of the Ozarks. The wide Missouri River is a trophy catfish destination. At Bennett Spring State Park, west of Lebanon, cool, clear water gushes from the natural spring and anglers stand shoulder to shoulder in their struggle with rainbow trout. Cosmo-Bethel Lake in Columbia and McKay Park Lake in Jefferson City are stocked lakes that make for wonderful winter trout fishing. State conservation offices in Columbia (573-884-6861), Kansas City (816655-6250), Springfield (417-895-6880) season but hardly dented the state population of 500,000 plus. The Whetsome Creek Conservation Area in northeast Callaway County isn’t widely known, but its big-oak forest makes for great turkey hunting (acorns mean turkeys). Deer thrive where there’s a mixture of forest and open land, a common landscape in the Central Region. The Missouri Department of Conservation maintains comprehensive information about public fishing and hunting opportunities, habitats, licenses, permits and seasons. Visit www.missouriconservation.org. Left: Sizable catfish taken at Truman Lake, near Clinton 102 Missouri Vacation Planner 2008 http://www.missouriconservation.org
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