The Price of Trout Fishing in Missouri is Going Up!

A while back, I posted about how the cost of daily tags at Missouri Trout Parks will rise from $3 to $4 in 2020.  If you want to see that post, just click here.  On August 26 of this year, the Missouri Department of Conservation announced that there will be other changes as well.

Currently, the cost of a state trout permit is $7.  In 2020, that will rise to $10.  In addition to that, Meramec Spring Park will increase their limit from 4 fish to 5.  This is a pilot program and it will collect data on how the new regulation effects angler satisfaction as well as fish size.

Now in the grand scheme of things, these are small changes.  There haven't been changes to any of these costs for a long time and the limit of 4 fish in trout parks has been in effect since 2004.  Some folks will fall on the side of the fence where changes are bad and an increase in cost is unnecessary, others will see the need for price adjustments due to inflation and that additional revenue will only mean good things for the state of Missouri.  I am of the latter persuasion, but I get the other side.  Change is hard and nobody likes to pay more money for something that has had the same cost for so long.  The fact of the matter is that we can't change things back and maybe we reserve judgement until we see if the department is able to show and justify these changes with improvements in the future.  I guess we will see!

Link: https://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/mdc-will-raise-trout-permits-and-tags-starting-2020-start-pilot