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Greetings from Troutdale Farm! Though it is already mid-March, we wish you a happy new year. Earlier this year we received an email alerting us that the website needed updating – the life of a fish farmer is that the fish always come first. Websites do not need to be fed. But when March 1st rolls around in Missouri, we start to notice an up tick in visitors. Human beings and other critters start stirring after winter hibernation. During a brief warm spell at the farm we have already heard the spring peepers, had a snake in the raceway and Katheryn has loaded a bucket of craw daddies for supper. The vultures have returned for summer (so have the heron). Our pair of geese – Sir Bruce and Henrietta – waddled up to the raceways at the sight of the white feed buckets and the staff are anticipating another nesting. Our hatchery is full of fish again as we work towards increasing our numbers. Doubling our production output keeps us all busy. Vince and Katheryn have been with us two years and Tammy came on in August. We are so grateful to these special people who make a trout farm productive. Also we must thank again the fine chefs who purchase our trout for their menus. We plan to post a listing so that you can enjoy our product in the hands of trained professionals. Again this year we will participate in the Columbia Farmers Market which begins March 22nd and runs through mid-November. Our trout are cleaned and packaged, then iced to take home every Saturday. One of the pleasures of the experience is to initiate someone who is uncertain about cooking fish. With such a great tasting product, it is harder to hook the trout than the people! Please see our 2008 rates for fishing at the farm this year. A significant increase in the cost of fish feed has forced us to raise our price. This increase is due to the limited supply of grains available for feeds and heightened competition with other end uses, such as biofuels. No one knows how this will affect the larger economy, but certainly the cost of all food will go up, including trout. If you plan to fish we do recommend that you bring equipment and baits. While we have rentals available most people are more comfortable using their own rods. Please do not forget that we do not allow live bait of any kind. Treble hooks are abusive to the fish and should be avoided as well. We sell a few flies in the retail area if you wish to try them. We welcome you as well if you simply want to buy trout for cooking at home. You may call ahead for us to prepare in advance, or if you have time we will let you pick your own trout from the raceways. A special thank you to everyone who refrains from smoking at Troutdale. The outdoor environment is a gift to be enjoyed by all of us free from pollution of any kind. We are so fortunate to play and work in such a beautiful place. Your effort to preserve this piece of nature means we can spend more time enjoying your visit. Don’t forget that we are open all year. We recommend that you call ahead if you plan to visit on a Saturday, especially during holiday weekends. During the week we are open 8:30 am. to 4:00 pm. We are closed on Sundays. While we do not offer camping or lodging on site at Troutdale Farm, a variety of accommodations are available on both sides of the lake. Gravois Mills has two motels available on the lake. The Lake of the Ozarks Visitors and Convention Bureau has an extensive catalogue featuring lodging, dining and activities for the entire lake area. Have a happy and safe summer. Don’t forget the trout! Dennis and Merritt Vince, Katheryn, Tammy
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