Warm Weather Pushes Missouri's Winter Urban Trout Stocking Back a Week

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is delaying the start of its winter trout stocking because of warm temperatures, Northwest MO Info reports from an MDC release.

Instead of stocking rainbow trout during the first week of November, fisheries crews will start in the second week. Hatchery Systems Manager Clint Hale said trout need water around 55 to 60 degrees, and releasing them into warmer water can shock and kill them.

Each fall MDC puts more than 70,000 rainbow trout into more than 30 urban lakes. Many of those lakes allow anglers to keep trout as soon as they're stocked, while others are catch-and-release until Feb. 1.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Northwest MO Info: MDC postpones winter trout stocking due to warm temperatures (Oct. 29, 2026).