Trout release bring fishermen out in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS - Vance Gregerson, Mike Dennis, Larry Benson and Jim Toms have been buddies for 50 years. They met working through Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 125 in Cedar Rapids. Now retired, they spend their summers trout fishing in the spring-fed stream at Backbone State Park in Dundee.

On Friday morning, however, they stood at the base of the boat ramp at Prairie Park Fishery, 2125 Otis Road SE in Cedar Rapids.

It was good fishin', the four friends said.

'I've caught two so far,” said Benson, 76, of Solon. 'We're here every time they stock.”

Friday marked the fifth time the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has stocked the Prairie Park Fishery as part of its statewide Urban Lakes Trout Program, said Tom Rohde, fisheries technician with the DNR.

At around 10:30 a.m. Friday, Rohde backed his DNR truck into the 160-acre lake and began unloading 2,200 rainbow trout, each measuring approximately 10 to 12 inches long and weighing about a half-pound.

As the fish flowed from the truck to the water, about a dozen fishermen lined the shore, fishing poles in hand, while several others fished from boats. A couple Labrador retrievers anxiously looked on as well, their paws in the water.

'The whole idea is you don't have to travel to Northeast Iowa to experience trout fishing,” said Rob Wagner, program supervisor with the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department. 'This brings trout fishing to an urban area so people can experience the thrill of catching a trout; they fight pretty good.”

In Iowa, a $13 trout stamp, in addition to a regular fishing license, is required for those wishing to fish for trout, Rohde said.

He said the trout released Friday were raised at the DNR's Manchester Fish Hatchery.

'It takes about a year and a half to get them this size,” he said. 'This allows people in other parts of Iowa to experience trout fishing and if they enjoy it, maybe they head up to Northeast Iowa to fish.”

In that regard, the Urban Lakes Trout Program, funded by the state, aims to drive tourism, Rohde said, noting similar stocking efforts take place at more than a dozen sites around the state, including Council Bluffs, Davenport and Ottumwa.

Wagner said the fall release in Cedar Rapids is one of two conducted each year. Each spring, fish are released and the Parks and Recreation Department, in conjunction with the DNR and Linn County Conservation, host a Trout Fishing Derby through which prizes are offered.

Generally, Iowa lakes, including the Prairie Park Fishery, are too warm to support trout, Rohde said, noting the fish require water temperatures below 70 degrees.

'Northeast Iowa is really the only place with water cold and clear enough,” he said.

On Friday, Rohde estimated the water at Prairie Park Fishery to be about 50 degrees - perfect for trout fishing.

And Gregerson, 77, of Cedar Rapids; Dennis, 74, of Cedar Rapids; Toms, 72, of Shueyville; and Benson said they were happy to be there.

'We trout fish once a week all summer,” said Gregerson, pulling his first trout from the water, caught using a lead-headed jig. 'It's nice to do it a little closer to home.”