T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM
Marshall County Conservation Board Director Mike Stegmann assisted in the release of 2,009 trout into Sand Lake on Friday.

Around 30 people showed up for the eighth annual Iowa Department of Natural Resources release of 2,009 rainbow and brook trout into Sand Lake on Friday.

Gary Siegwarth, manager of the Big Spring Fish Hatchery 10 miles northwest of Elkader, brought the fish in the back of the truck. It was part of an annual fall campaign to bring trout fishing into more urban settings, Siegwarth said.

“It’s a cheap recreational thing that people can do. It gets them out in the sun, near the water,” he said. “A fishing license is also cheaper than a good pizza.”

Marshall County Conservation Board Director Mike Stegmann helped release the trout into the calm waters as fisherman waited on the shores.

“These fish will go through the winter,” Stegmann said. “Fresh fish is hard to beat as opposed to the processed fish.”

The cold, clear water of Sand Lake will sustain the trout through ice-fishing season. Stegmann said some of the trout that survive that long will get bigger than they are now.

Even though Stegmann is not a die-hard trout fisherman, he has done it before but his preference is hunting for water fowl such as ducks and geese.

“I do know that bait choice is dependent on the mind set of the fisherman,” Stegmann said. “Some people use red worms. Some people even use canned sweet corn.”

The daily limit for properly-licensed trout fishermen in Iowa is five and the possession limit is 10.

In addition to the regular fishing license, people must pay the trout fee of $14.50, which supplies the cost for the trout annual trout release in non-native parts of the state. Trout are only naturally found in the northeast corner of the state, Siegwarth said.

Fishermen ages 16 and younger can fish for trout without having paid the trout fee but only if he or she is in the company of an adult who has paid the trout fee.