MDC Has Temporarily Waived Fishing Permit Regulations
R-T Photo/Seth Herrold
Fishing is a great way to get outside and enjoy the outdoors while you wait for the return of sports.
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There are not very many silver linings to a world without sports. But, on Sunday, with temperatures trending back toward the warmer end, I found one.
Without sports on TV to keep me inside, I ventured out across the driveway to the pond for some bass fishing.
Fishing remains one of the few sports in which you can partake during these unprecedented times. A lot of outdoor activities are still on the table for those of us starved for sports and getting outside can really help get you over the depression of quarantine life.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has temporarily waived fishing permit regulations until further notice, which basically means you don’t need a fishing license to drop a line in public waters. While most state parks are closed, most also still have fishing access available.
Crowder State Park, just west of town, is one such state park. While the campgrounds and offices at the park are closed, the lake at the park is still open to fish as long as you use common sense and keep yourself at a safe distance from other anglers. The lake is plenty big enough to keep your distance.
Like a lot of kids, I grew up fishing. I have several memories of my Dad taking me and by brother and sister fishing at various small farm ponds. Dad always liked to fish for catfish and when you are working with three kids that’s probably the best idea. Get the lines in the water and then you don’t have to worry about it until someone actually catches something. If you are fishing for a meal in addition to the experience, catfish is the way to go.
But, as I got older, I became enamored with bass fishing. The constant motion, casting and reeling, and the variety of baits makes bass fishing a really fun experience.
When my wife and I built our house on one of my parents’ farms, we had an old pond that had about dried up, dug out and refinished. After it filled for a year, I started my very own bass pond with 25 finger-sized bass. I stocked up the pond on plenty of food sources for them – Bluegills and minnows. A year later I began fishing. It was a long process to get to that point, but the payoff was more than worth it the first time I reeled in one of those finger-length bass that was now close to a foot in length.
You will hear a lot of people say fishing is therapeutic and there is a reason they do. It is the perfect way to wind down at the end of the day. Whether you are stressed, mad or just not having a good day, something about standing at the water’s edge, throwing out a line, takes you away. It’s a welcome reprieve from the world we find ourselves in right now. The MDC realizes this and they serve to be applauded for allowing everyone the opportunity to enjoy this sport during these trying times .
So next weekend, if you are needing to get out of the house, do it safely and find a place to fish. Maybe you know a landowner with a pond who would give you permission. Maybe you will venture out to Crowder. Or, maybe you started your own bass pond a few years back and you want to check and see how they are growing.
Whatever you decide, fishing will always be a good decision.
This week’s recommendations are…
Read: The Secret of Golf : The Story of Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus by Joe Posnanski.
Watch: I watched the 2014 AL Wild Card game a couple of nights ago. Here is a link, https://www.pscp.tv/w/1vAxRBbAynXxl.
You’re welcome.
Eat: Keep hammering those local businesses’ curbsides. But if you have a good day at the pond or lake, why not have a fish fry.