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Published December 31, 2006 12:33 am - Roaring River, one of Missouri’s state trout parks, is located seven miles south of Cassville and this is my favorite time of the year to fish there — winter catch and release. Silas Gray: Trout parks are great for winter fishing trips By Silas Gray
Globe columnist Roaring River, one of Missouri’s state trout parks, is located seven miles south of Cassville and this is my favorite time of the year to fish there — winter catch and release. Winter catch and release begins on the second Friday of November and ends on the second Monday of February. In the past, we were allowed to fish from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. This year the Missouri Department of Conservation and Missouri Department of Natural Resources expanded our season to include Mondays. Waiting until 8 to start fishing does have one big advantage — plenty of time for breakfast. For years I’d stopped at the Hilltop Family Restaurant, just north of the park, at the junction of highways 112 and 76. Their breakfast was good, but their homemade toast was excellent. The trip just hasn’t quite been the same since the Hilltop was destroyed by fire this past year. This time I decided to try the restaurant across the road, Fisherman’s Den. They don’t have homemade toast, yet, but I’m glad to report they serve a very good sausage and cheese omelet. I arrived at the park shortly after the bell, and it was raining. I stopped in the first parking lot in the spaces between the bathroom and the fish cleaning station, and it began raining harder. I hustled all my tackle, rain jacket, waders and boots to the small front porch on the restroom hut. There almost was enough room to stay dry while I got dressed. One drawback to the winter season is almost everything is closed — the restrooms, the lodge and resort. The hatchery is still operating and there are about three portable johns stationed throughout the park. Roaring River is divided into three zones, and I wanted to spend the entire day in the wading area of Zone 2. Near the spot where I’d parked, there’s a deep pool with the remains of a concrete water wheel frame. Wading is permitted from the end of that pool and ends near the handicapped fishing access between Campgrounds 2 and 3, past the Highway F Bridge. I’d recently learned to tie a fly called the Chamois Worm, and was eager to try it. It’s extremely easy to tie — just thin strips of leather cut from a chamois towel tied to a Size 14 hook. The leather swells as it soaks up water and looks like a real worm. It remains extremely flexible and is durable. The rain quit as I walked to the water, and the chamois quickly caught two fish from the fast water at the beginning of the wading area. The rain started again, and the action stopped. I switched through several colors of salmon egg patterns, then an Adams dry fly, Elk Hair Caddis, small Woolly Bugger, different colors of the San Juan Worm and finally a black foam ant. 
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