MDC delays stocking trout at Cosmo-Bethel Lake until next week

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Conservation will delay stocking rainbow trout at Cosmo-Bethel Lake in Columbia until next week, according to a Thursday press release.  

Catch-and-release season for trout typically begins on Nov. 1, however MDC fisheries staff do not stock trout in lakes when the water temperatures are warmer than 65 degrees, the release says. Water temperatures at Cosmo-Bethel Lake have been ranging from 66-70 degrees, the release says. Cooler temperatures are expected next week.

“We want to stock healthy fish that can thrive all winter to provide as much angling opportunity as possible,” MDC Fisheries Biologist Darby Niswonger said in the release.

Cosmo-Bethel is one-of-five lakes in Mid-Missouri that are stocked by the MDC. Regulations vary by lake and season. A fishing license with a trout stamp is required. Stocked lakes in Mid-Missouri include:

• Veterans Park Lake in Fulton
• McKay Park Lake in Jefferson City
• Kiwanis Lake in Mexico
• Lake Minesa in Marshall