In Brief

Enjoy Winter Trout Fishing

Now is your chance to catch a rainbow at one of MDC’s stocked lakes

MDC staff have stocked about 80,000 rainbow trout in more than 40 community lakes around the state for winter trout fishing. Many of these areas allow anglers to harvest trout as soon as they are stocked, while others are catch-and-release until Feb. 1.

The daily limit for catch-and-keep at these locations is four trout with no length limit. All Missouri residents over age 15 and under age 65 must have a fishing permit. All nonresidents over age 15 must have a fishing permit. To keep trout, anglers of all ages must have a Missouri trout permit.

Buy permits from vendors around the state or online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits. Once purchased, permits may be carried electronically through our free mobile apps, MO Hunting and MO Fishing, available for download through Google Play for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices

For more information about winter trout season and to find locations near you, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/ZF3.

Discover Nature through Eagle Days

MDC encourages Missourians to discover nature this winter through Eagle Days events around the state or by watching bald eagles on your own. Our big rivers, many lakes, and abundant wetlands make the Show-Me state one of the leading lower 48 states for bald eagle viewing. Each fall, thousands of these great birds migrate south from their nesting range in Canada and the Great Lakes states to hunt in Missouri. Eagles take up residence wherever they find open water and plentiful food. More than 2,000 bald eagles are typically reported in Missouri during winter.

Watch for eagles perched in large trees along the water’s edge. Early in the morning you can see them flying and fishing. Be sure to dress for winter weather and don’t forget cameras and binoculars.

MDC is offering various Eagle Days events around the state. Some will include live eagle programs, exhibits, activities, videos, and guides with spotting scopes. Some require registration.

Here are some hot spots for winter eagle viewing on your own:

• Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area on Route K, southwest of Columbia
• Lake of the Ozarks at Bagnell Dam Access, east of Bagnell
• Lock and Dam 20 in Canton
• Lock and Dam 24 at Clarksville
• Lock and Dam 25, east of Winfield
• Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, south of Mound City
• Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, northwest of Puxico
• Moses Eagle Park in Stella
• Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, south of I-270 off Riverview Drive in St. Louis
• Riverlands Environmental Demonstration Area, east of West Alton
• Schell-Osage Conservation Area, north of El Dorado Springs
• Smithville Lake, north of Kansas City
• Stockton Lake, near Stockton
• Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge, south of Sumner
• Table Rock Lake and Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery, southwest of Branson
• Truman Reservoir, west of Warsaw.

Ingredients:

1½ cups sugar

21⁄3 cups flour

2½ teaspoons baking soda, sifted

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup oil

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup boiling water

3 cups wheat bran

1 cup golden raisins (or part dried cranberries, dates, or figs)

1 cup pecans or hickory nuts (toasted lightly, preferably)

Blend first four ingredients (through salt) together in one bowl. Blend next three ingredients (oil through buttermilk) in another. Then gently mix all seven together.

Pour water over bran and fruit in a separate bowl; let stand a few minutes. Stir and gently combine with the batter. Stir in nuts. Pour into medium-sized muffin tins lined with paper cups. (Batter also will keep 

in refrigerator for at least a week.)

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in muffin’s center comes out clean. Turn muffins onto a rack to cool.

This recipe is from Cooking Wild in Missouri by Bernadette Dryden, available for $16 at most MDC nature centers and online at mdcnatureshop.com.