Anglers looking for a state-record fish might catch a state-record fish almost anywhere in the Show-Me State. But dozens of anglers who witnessed the catch and release of a 31-inch rainbow trout on Nov. 2 can attest to the fact that a state record still almost certainly haunts the tailwaters of Lake Taneycomo.
Oklahoman Mark Clemishire travels to Forsyth, Mo., during the first week of November each year to fish below Powersite Dam with guide Brett Rader. They “sight-fish,” casting to big trout, whose fall spawning run brings them into shallow water below the dam. Clemishire reportedly tempted the hook-nosed rainbow trout with a tiny fresh-water shrimp imitation. That launched a 20-minute battle, during which Clemishire followed the fish up, down, and across the stream, begging other anglers’ indulgence as he tried desperately to prevent the fish from breaking the 3.5-pound-test leader that connected him to his prize. Applause broke out when Clemishire brought the fish to net. He and Rader rushed to measure the fish so they could release it alive. The vital statistics: 31 inches long, with a girth of 23 inches.
A formula for calculating approximate weight of large fish indicates the fish weighed around 20.5 pounds, well over the current pole-and-line state record of 18 pounds, 1 ounce.
Clemishire knew that not weighing his fish meant he would not qualify for a state record. But he also knew the fish was unlikely to survive if he kept it out of water long enough to get it to a certified scale. The fish seemed strong as it swam away, and if another angler manages to tie into it, he or she can thank Clemishire.
Clemishire can receive a Master Angler certificate, however, and he has a once-in-a-lifetime memory. To find out about the State Fishing Records and Master Angler programs, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/2476.
In 2005, the Conservation Commission approved a new protective slot limit and creel limit for rainbow and brown trout on parts of Lake Taneycomo. The benefits of the regulation are beginning to surface in Department surveys and angler creel surveys. Anglers, guides, and bait shops have also noticed an increase in larger trout at Lake Taneycomo.
Missouri offers world-class trout fishing at four trout parks, 120 miles of spring-fed trout streams, Lake Taneycomo, and winter trout areas in nine cities. Nearly 2 million trout, produced by Department hatcheries and the Neosho National Fish Hatchery, are stocked each year. Lake Taneycomo receives 700,000 catchable trout per year from the Conservation Department’s Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery and the Neosho National Fish Hatchery.
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