25 February 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – There are now tons of new fish swimming in Lake Shawnee, 7,000 pounds worth to be exact. Shawnee County Parks and Rec held its semiannual trout release on Feb. 24. The main boat ramp was lined with a cheering crowd, while the fish swam into the lake.
Because trout fishing season happens during cooler months, Parks and Rec holds one in October and one February. The fish come from a farm in Missouri, so they aren’t native to Kansas, but Parks and Rec said adding them to Lake Shawnee enhances the overall fishing experience. This is the 44th year Parks and Rec has been stocking the lake, and every year the semiannual trout release always draws a pretty big crowd.
“It’s funny that more people come out in the cold in February than they do in October,” Mike McLaughlin of Shawnee County Parks and Rec said. “I think it may just be a little bit of cabin fever in the winter, they’re looking forward to spring. But yeah, when the kids see the trout come out, some of them are pigmented different, so they come out gold like giant goldfish. The kids get to screaming, they just love that.”
Anyone wanting to fish in the lake will have to wait a few days, as Parks and Rec said the trout need about one week to adjust to the water. Lake Shawnee reopens at 6 a.m. on March 4, and Parks and Rec is expecting the lake to be pretty busy.