School will be in session Monday, Nov. 1 as Huckleberry Park pond will be stocked with 400 trout. There will be an additional 300 trout stocked at a later date.

Hannibal Parks & Recreation recently entered into a 25-year Community Assistant Program agreement with the Missouri Department of Conservation for the Huckleberry Park Pond.  The Department of Conservation provides 50 percent of the cost the trout supply in the Huckleberry Pond and fishery biologists will monitor the fish stock in the pond.

The trout fishing will be catch and harvest, with a daily limit of four trout. Individuals must possess a valid fishing license AND a trout permit or qualify for an exemption through Missouri Department of Conservation. The only species of trout in the pond is rainbow trout.

The other fish available and daily limits are:

  • Largemouth Bass (more than 15 inches): 6
  • Channel Catfish: 4
  • Trout: 4
  • Crappie: 30
  • All other fish combined: 20

Information on fishing licenses available on the Missouri Department of Conservation website: https://huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/fishing.

The renovated pond was funded with the help of an $184,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant. The pond, in the 63-acre park at U.S. 61 and Huckleberry Drive, was leaking water and it had bank erosion and accessibility issues. The pond was drained, excavated and lined with clay. It was widened at its north and the shore was lined with stone rip-rap to control erosion. A sidewalk was constructed around the pond and a handicap-accessible dock installed for people with mobility issues.