The winter trout fishing program in Columbia’s Cosmo-Bethel Park has been delayed due to “warm water temperatures,” according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.
According to a post from Columbia Parks and Recreation, the Missouri Department of Conservation pushed the stocking efforts for the river to the second week of November.
“Trout are a cold-water species and require water temperatures around 55 to 60 degrees,” said Clint Hale, the hatchery systems manager for the department. “Entering waters warmer than what they’re accustomed to can be a shock to their system, ultimately resulting in their death.”
The decision, according to both Columbia Parks and Recreation and the Missouri Department of Conservation, is to protect the trout population and ensure their survival.
This isn’t the first time the rainbow trout season has had a delay in recent years. According to previous KOMU 8 reporting, warm weather delayed the trout season in late October 2024.
The rainbow trout are raised at four of the MDC’s state trout hatcheries, and then they are stocked into urban and conservation area lakes during the winter trout stocking program, according to a news release.
Each fall, the rainbow trout are stocked into 30 urban lakes to allow anglers to harvest trout when they’re stocked, while others are catch-and-release until the beginning of February.
Columbia Parks and Recreation said it plans to post publicly when the lake is stocked and ready for the continuation of the program.