Kansas Wildlife and Parks boosts trout numbers with Gunn Park's Fern Lake fish dump

FORT SCOTT, Kan. — For the third time this season, Kansas Wildlife and Parks has stocked Fern Lake in Gunn Park with trout.

Today's delivery in Fort Scott came from Crystal Springs Hatchery in Ava, Missouri.

The goal is to make sure there's enough trout for fishing season this spring.

Over the past several weeks, crews have dumped several thousand fish into the lake. And they're not finished yet—crews plan to be back out in mid-January with more trout.

"We maintain a high density of trout here at Gunn Park in Fern so that people, when they have time and they run in here to go fishing, they're very likely to catch some nice trout. We try to stock and maintain those densities of fish to provide an excellent opportunity for angling," said Don George, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks district fisheries biologist.

If you plan on fishing, George says you're required to have a trout permit, which also pays for these trout stockings.