In Bennett Spring, Missouri, no one misses the first day of trout season.
When the annual sounding of the siren echoed through Bennett Spring, even Missouri Governor Mike Parsons was in attendance.
The opening day of trout season is one the most celebrated days among Missouri sportsmen, as you can see in the following video. At 6:3o a.m. this morning, anglers stood shoulder to shoulder, casting lines into the same water, hoping to hook up with a trout.
The Missouri Department of Conservation Director Sarah Pauley helped launch the 2019 opener with a Facebook Live video, which can be seen below. In the video, she said wildlife officials stocked 7,500 trout at the spring branch, and that the Bennett Spring Hatchery stocked more than 33,000 in the area, plus 35,000 throughout the rest of the state.
In the video below, we see local fly tyer Kay Crabtree sound the siren to kick off the opening day.
It's incredible to see how many people still participate in such a storied tradition, but man, would I have a hard time being crammed in that tight to fish. If I'm going fishing anywhere, I'm seeking some solitude, so this probably wouldn't be for me. However, I certainly appreciate a good trout fishing tradition living on.
It's hard to guess how many people will show up to Bennett Spring to fish today, but last year, there were somewhere between 1,200 and 1,300 anglers.
The biggest year was 1992, when they saw 4,092 anglers in the opener alone.
"As we say at the department, it is always a good day to go fishing in Missouri," Pauley said.
I think it's safe to say that applies to every state!
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