Welcome! Thank you for visiting our website. We hope you will soon be visiting Troutdale Farm too! In June of 2002 we purchased the Troutdale Ranch from the Gates family who operated the hatchery since the 1950’s. Since June we have begun the process of renovating the hatchery building and the raceways where the fish grow. Richard, our manager, began to work in the fishing streams, clearing weeds and cutting old growth to improve access.

Our spring is sited along a natural bluff where maples, sycamores and paw paw trees tower above woodland flora such as wild ginger, false Solomon's seal, northern sea oats and wild geranium that thrive in the autumn leaf mulch. We are eager for our first spring to discover what may jump from the earth to surprise us!

The farm has supported fee fishing for people from as near as Gravois Mills and as far as Iowa. We hope many folks that have toured the area during renovation will return and celebrate our reopening. Many visitors have told us of warm memories they have as children coming with parents and grandparents to fish for rainbow trout.

In addition to fee fishing, trout sales to restaurants, grocery stores and specialty stores as well as to the general public is a major focus of our farm. Trout are available all year round from the hatchery. They can be purchased dressed or filleted. We will put them on ice and in coolers for the trip. Do you need recipes? We can help!

The date for our reopening has not been set yet. It will be announced first on this site as well as local newspapers and radio. We are very anxious to offer our hospitality to trout lovers however, a pleasant and safe visit will be our most important concern.

We look forward to making new friends and sharing the wonders of aquaculture at the lovely Lake of the Ozarks. Keep a tight line!

Dennis and Merritt Van Landuyt
And Bud, our dog

Patience! A tremendous virtue and one of my childhood’s strongest memories – "Nothing worth having comes easily". How many times did Mother say it.

Thank you to every visitor who encouraged us during the past year. We needed it! Even though we are far from completing the renovation we have enjoyed the work and know that with each step Troutdale is closer to the bit of heaven we envision. The rainbows inspire us.

Our opening day has been set for March 1^st, 2004. It may seem like a long way off, but we will need the early winter months to complete the restoration of the retail building, obtain approval from the health department and have plenty of fish stocked for catching.

In January we will post new hours and fees so you can make plans once more to fish at Troutdale.

One sad note- Bud, our dog, was found dead in the raceway earlier this year. We feel sure he was probably chasing a ‘varmint’ of some kind and just lost his balance. We miss him and his agreeable nature, after all, he did let us work there! No doubt, another dog will reside there, but Bud was our first, and so, special.

Thankfully, Richard is continuing to move mountains, literally and figuratively. As good as gold.

Keep a tight line,

Dennis and Merritt Van Landuyt
Richard , the Manager
Dusty, our cat!

Greetings!

Well, let’s get the bad news out. 
We are not ready to open March 1^st.

We sure have given it our best, but we have not accomplished all that is necessary to operate in a satisfactory environment. Over the winter we have continued to clear brush and pick up litter. Also work has continued on the retail building. We are using our new feed house (mouse proof). We have a lovely new paint job and new concrete porches at each door. As weather permits this spring new sidewalks and refurbishing of the parking lot are planned.

Richard has "retired" to work on helping his son build a new house. We hope he won’t be a stranger to the place, we owe him so much for the effort and care he has given the property. Lonnie has taken over the daily upkeep and oversight. Lonnie’s history goes way back with Troutdale (into his teens) and we are so happy he has joined us in remaking the operation.

We have received a number of communications asking about our plans to open and our fees. We would like to encourage everyone to schedule an appointment if possible. This will help us get a feel for traffic and help us plan stocking requirements. We may start out with a weekend schedule and then open more days if necessary. Our fees are not pinned down yet. There will be a cover charge for adults, reduced for kids, that will be applied to the total fish take charge. Right now we are also planning to reserve an area for Catch and Release.

Thanks again for your continuing interest in Troutdale. We are committed to providing a safe and rewarding experience when you visit. In the meantime, there are several other fish farms in southern Missouri as well as the state park facilities. Please consider a visit to an old favorite or try somewhere new! AgriMissouri has a website that lists fee fishing opportunities.  Click on the name to visit the site.

Our first year anniversary has come and gone.  We were so busy we failed to celebrate the occasion.  Our most important accomplishment has been the connection we’ve made with people who love rainbow trout!  All of us are grateful to everyone who visited even once and enjoyed the slower pace of Troutdale.  Of course, our hearts beat a little faster when that two pounder is taking the line across the pond!

 Mother Nature continues her give and take through the seasons.  This summer our shortage of rain continued, making good weather for fishing while testing the skill of trout farmers.  This fall the colors have been magnificent.  The lavender asters have bloomed more profusely than ever.  Yesterday, a bald eagle soared among the sycamore trees and we anticipate the arrival of the wood ducks who feast on the abundant watercress growing in spring water.

Our major project underway is the reconstruction of production raceways.  Our new design should be more easily maintained and provide a better habitat for our fish.  We plan to continue this work as weather will allow through the winter.

Soon we will begin taking eggs for next year’s trout.  Kellie will nurture them from the incubating jars into the hatchery troughs.  It’s an exciting time at the farm with so much abundant life.

Lonnie and Kellie are also preparing trout for our restaurant customers in St Louis and Columbia.  Attending the Columbia Farmers Market this fall has generated a good customer base of people who appreciate the flavor and quality of trout which has never been frozen.  Thank you to all our friends from the Market.  We look forward to participating next spring if we have the opportunity.

Our little shop at Troutdale offers t-shirts for children and adults and long sleeve shirts in adult sizes.  We also have a line of polarized lens glasses that must be tried to appreciate.  Once you put them on, you won’t be satisfied with anything else.  The “Mo’s Krill Bait” has been very successful.  This is a floating bait which looks very similar to the feed the trout are raised on.  We have a great relish to recommend in either mild or HOT flavors.  The mild would be lovely with a smoked trout appetizer.  Ask for “Ruby’s Chow Chow”.

Have you seen the great promo ad on KMOS-TV?  We have sponsored a weekly agricultural news magazine show for several years.  This summer the filming crew visited and put together some wonderful scenes.  “Market-to-Market” airs on Friday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 8:30 pm.  Our promo runs before and after each program.

Remember that fresh trout is available at the farm year round.  We clean, bag and ice your trout at no charge.  Butterfly fillet is available for a small charge.  If you call ahead, your order will be prepared and waiting in the cooler when you arrive.  We are open for fishing nearly seven days a week.  Call ahead to confirm, especially for Sundays.  There is nothing lovelier than Troutdale in the snow, come see for yourself.

When you think of trout, think Troutdale!

 Dennis, Merritt, Lonnie & Kellie

Greetings once again from Troutdale Farm at Gravois Mills, Missouri!

Though it is only the 11^th of March, we are already seeing signs of spring at the farm and none too soon for all God’s creatures.  It has been an eventful winter; every day has been a challenge to withstand the cold, snow and ice that have tested our commitment to provide the freshest trout to our customers across Missouri.  Most of the time we succeeded.  We will remember the ice storm in St. Louis that cut power lines in many restaurant kitchens across the city.  Yes, we brought the fish back to the farm for repacking and freezing.  Dennis and I also will never forget our walk from the blue gate through 15 inches of snow to the hatchery.  The fish were happy to see their caretakers.

Vince, (Kellie’s dad) has stayed on with us during the winter months.  His contribution has been invaluable and he is becoming a darned good fish farmer!  Kathy joined us last summer and she is now full time with responsibilities in the processing room and caring for the fish.  She can tell you to the fish how many blue trout are on the farm.

With the help of Vince, Kathy and Richard we managed to finish the set of raceways to the point that we began stocking them this winter.  Yet to complete are surrounding sidewalks and we look forward to this job finally finished and on to the next!

Accompanying this update you will find the 2007 rates for catch and keep or catch and release.  We have raised our price by 50 cents to help offset the increase in trout feed costs that took effect for us in February.  Most of our customers have told us they thought we offered a bargain for the money; we hope you will continue to think that the experience of fishing and the taste of fresh trout is worth this modest increase.

We are currently supplying the need for trout at a number of restaurants in Columbia, Jefferson City and St. Louis.  This requires that we work a traditional week Monday through Friday processing trout for delivery.  Saturdays we attend the Columbia Farmers Market and invite fishing at the farm too.  We have only one day to rest (catch up at home) on Sunday so we have decided to close this day.  Sunday was often a good day for relaxed fishing but we are simply in need of a sustainable schedule and we regret  we have no other choice.  Six days a week we are open at 8:30 to 4:00 pm.

While we have had rain at the farm in the last month, we know that the water table is still relatively low.  Regular precipitation will recharge the 8 – 10 mile radius that supports our spring, making trout habitat possible.  However, often when we receive fast rain the runoff can make the water less clear, the fish harder to see and fishing not as enjoyable.  Unfortunately this is not something we can control. 

Finally, we are looking forward to seeing our regular visitors and making new friends this summer.  We hope each of you has a perfect day at Troutdale Farm. Remember it is not necessary to fish for your trout.  We are always happy to net some to take home.  Are you interested in sharing one of your successful trout recipes with others?  Send us via email or bring with you to the farm your suggestions for preparing trout.  We would like to help others – is there a recipe book in the works?

As I write the hatchery is nearly full of fingerlings and fry.  Already some have been graduated to the outdoor raceways so they have more room to grow.  Our survival rate has been good so far this year and in the next two years we will strive to increase our inventory in order to supply additional customers with the freshest, tastiest trout in the state.

Thanks to all of our trout eating friends across Missouri.  You have given us an opportunity we cherish. 

See you soon!

Merritt and Dennis

&

Vince and Kathy

PS:  The record catch this year is 5.5 pounds of rainbow trout- March 6, 2007, so far!