Bennett Spring State Park
Fishing Report This page was updated 7/2/08
Owned by MO trout fishermen, so be sure
to give them your business!
This report was submitted by Robert Neu of Lawrence, KS on 6/8/08
Date of trip: 6/6/08 Times fished: 10am - 2pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What Worked: John Deere, Olive Crackleback, White Mini-jig
My dad and I left for Bennett Springs with severe thunderstorms in the forecast for the whole
state of Missouri. Luckily the weather held off, and only sprinkled on us a couple times. The
fishing was great, and was definitly the best that I have seen since early May. The best fishing was
still on, or near the bottom with the John Deere mini jig catching fish after fish. We also had good
success bouncing an olive crackleback off the bottom, below a split shot. Everyone around us
seemed to be catching plenty of fish and having a lot of fun. I hope this report helps some of you,
best of luck, and good fishing!
Thanks Robert.
This report was submitted by Kevin M. of St. Louis on 5/6/08
Date of trip: 5/1/08 Times fished: 1:00pm - 6:00pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What Worked: Zebra Midge
When I left Springfield around 12 it was pouring down rain, but I decided to go fishing
anyway, because that was the last bit of time I had free before finals. I thought all that
rain was just going to travel down Highway 44 and get me at the park, but it didn't.
I actually stayed clear the whole time! Anyway, the water was slightly high, enough to
make wading a little more fun, and the color was a tad off. The fish were biting though,
especially on black and silver zebra midges. I think I caught every single fish before lunch
on that fly. And when they stopped eating the black and silver, I just switched to an olive
green and red. I was able to pull some big browns on a foam ant pattern that I tied up,
but other than that it was zebra midge all the way! Happy fishing!
Thanks Kevin. Hope finals go well!
This report was submitted by Robert Neu of Lawrence, KS on 5/4/08
Date of trip: 4/27/08 Times fished: 7:00am - 2:00pm Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Overcast Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Brown What Worked: White & Red BH Nymph
At the opening horn there were a lot of fishermen, and some pretty brown water which looked to be
1-2 feet above normal. Fishing was still decent, with my fishing buddy and I catching 6 nice fish each in
the 13-16 inch range. The fish were down deep, requireing long indicator lines, and added split shot to
get down near the bottom. The pattern of fly did not seem to matter as much as the color, with the
usually hot red, white, and chartruese catching the most fish. It also is important to be down near the
bottom, which was were all our action came from.
Welcome aboard Robert, and thanks for the report.
This report was submitted by Mike Tobin of St. Charles on 3/14/08
Date of trip: 3/12/08 Times fished: 10:00am - 4:00pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Milky What Worked: White & Black Jigs, Little Cleo Spoons
Got to the park around 10:00 or so -- crowd was large due to the 72 degree weather. Even if you
caught nothing it would have been a good trip. Caught my first in the spring on my fly rod -- thought
it was a brown the way it fought! Took about 5 minutes to land it and release it -- it was using the
current to it's advantage. Caught it on a tiny white jig.
Moved over to zone 2 and got my spinning rod out and started throwing my favorite spoon -- little
cleos. Caught a couple of nice fish. Got to be around 1:30, so I decided to go back to the spring
area and get the fly rod back out. Changed to a small black jig and caught a really nice one between
the spring and gauge house. Great day of fishing!
Fish ON!
You said it, brother! Thanks Mike.
This report was submitted by Randall __________ of Rogersville on 3/20/08
Date of trip: 3/8/08 Times fished: 11:00am - 4:00pm Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Overcast Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Milky What Worked: Powerbait Eggs
I threw in a white jig and made it walk but got nothing. Let it drift one time and got one hooked, but when
I was reeling in it got off. So I threw in a Kastmaster and Little Cleo -- nothing. Then tried white powerbait
eggs and got one. Threw it again missed many times and ended up only catching 2, but broke the line on about
3 fish. My dad caught 3, including a 13" brown that he had to let go.
Thanks for the report Randall. If you're breaking off fish, it's time to loosen your
drag. When the fish runs, he should be pulling line off your reel. It takes longer
to land them, but your break-off rate should drop down to near zero.
This report was submitted by David McGowan of Columbia on 2/11/08
Date of trip: 2/3/08 Times fished: 4:00pm -- siren Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What Worked: Crackleback, Wooly Buggers
After fishing the Niangua River, I went up to Bennett Springs. The water was very high
up there also. I mainly fished the end of zone 2 and caught about a dozen stripping wooly buggers and
cracklebacks, mostly deep. There was a lot of surface action on some little grey fly hatching but I
couldn't figure out what it was. I threw every dry I knew of and would watch the fish look at it, then hit
a real bug on the surface less than 2 inches away, repeatedly. Talk about frustrating. I'm a real novice
at dry fly fishing but I guess that is what they call "selective" feeding!
You got it! Basically, when you can't figure out what they're hitting on the
surface, you have to not only consider the bug, but also the stage of the bug
they're hitting. For example, a #22 Adams dry might have worked, if they're
feeding on adults drying their wings or laying eggs. But they might have
been eating the spinners and spent-wings, OR they might have been eating the
emergers. Trying to solve the mystery can make one lose his religion, but
it's fantastic when get the formula right. Thanks again David.
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 11/30/07
Date of trip: 11/30/07 Times fished: 8:30am - 1:30pm Air Temperature: Frigid Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin clear What Worked: #22 cream midge, #18 red beadhead zebra midge,
#18 red bead head copper john, #14 peach egg.
Got on the water at about 8:30 this morning. It was frigid but warmed up later on. Fished for 5 hours. Fishing
was good. Fished Zone 1 only. Hot flies: #22 cream midge, #18 red BH zebra midge, #18 red BH copper john,
and #14 peach egg pattern. Too many fish to count. Caught (1) real nice kype jawed brown today ... estimated
at 18-19". Took him between the start of the island and the first handicap pier. The water is low and gin clear.
Thanks again for the help Michael. Here's a little-known fact for you Trout Hunters to
digest. Water filters out the light waves the deeper you go (which is why it gets darker
as you dive deeper), but the first specific wavelength to get filtered out is red. What
does that mean? Red is a great fish-catching color, but the deeper you're fishing, the
less it matters!
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 11/25/07
Date of trip: 11/24/07 Times fished: 8:30am - 12:30pm Air Temperature: Freezing Weather: Overcast Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin clear What Worked: Peach Egg Pattern
Finally got out to enjoy the C&R season. Cold and cloudy day ... never got above 37. Fished for about 4 hours.
Had the Zone 1 island pretty much to myself. Started out drifting a peach egg pattern 3.5' under a strike indicator
on 5X tippet. Never switched from that pattern. The catch-n-release was consistent all morning. Most of the fish
were in the 10-12" range with several real nice "kicker" fish pushing 17-18". The C&R season is a great time to
get out and enjoy the trout parks without all of the crowds.
That is a fact. For many of us, it's the only time we can force ourselves to fish
the trout parks, since the crowds are often so light! Thanks Michael
This report was submitted by Scott Strack of Murphysboro, IL on 11/3/07
Date of trip: 10/26 - 10/28 Times fished: 7:30am-9:30am & 4:00pm-6:30pm Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Partly cloudy Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin clear What Worked: Tangerine glo-bug, chamois fly,
white floss mini-jig, griffith's gnat, renegade
My son and I decided to go to Bennett for a little end-of-the-season trip. We arrived Friday around noon. The remnants
of the low pressure front that had hung around since the first of the week was finally moving on. By mid-afternoon, skies
were clearing and temperatures were very comfortable.
Afternoon fishing was rewarding, yet not overly productive. Most fish appeared to be preoccupied with spawning rather
than feeding. I did manage to land a nice keeper brown trout on the chamois fly. I admired the brilliant fall spawn colors
and quickly sent him on his way. A few minutes later, I hooked and landed a very nice male rainbow of 17 1/2 ". As
evening approached, I swithched to dries and was not disappointed. The action was fast and furious for the next hour
on both the Renegade and Griffith's gnat. A real bonus for the end of October!!
Saturday morning came with clear skies and much cooler temps. We were surprised to see that very few other anglers
were at water's edge when the siren sounded. That morning, we were treated to non-stop action. The egg pattern was
unbeatable!! I stopped counting after catching and releasing 30 fish in the first 2 hours. After taking a midday break we
again continued the assult with dry flies. As with the previous day, the action was incredible. I don't know if there is a
more enjoyable sight than watching a trout rise to and take a fly from the surface.
Sunday morning brought much colder temps than the previous morning. We awoke to find a heavy frost on the
windshield before making our way to the stream. Unlike the previous day, there were many more early morning anglers
streamside. fishing action proved to be much the same as the day before with both the egg pattern and chamois fly
taking the lions share of fish. One slight obstacle we had to overcome was icing of the rod guides. Fortunately a little
Stanley's ice-off paste and warming temperatures made this a temporary inconvenience.
We headed home later that afternoon quite content with the success of our late season efforts. I am looking forward to
the start of catch and release season. I highly recommend it as a means to combat the winter doldrums.
Best wishes and great fishing,
Scott
Thanks Scott. I also recommend the winter park season as a great opportunity to catch
fish that are acting wilder without having to compete with crowds. And as many of the
non-park waters get slow due to VERY cold water, the parks stay active with water tamps
staying around 50.
This report was submitted by Kris K. of Columbia on 10/25/07
Date of trip: 10/19 - 10/21/07 Times fished: All Day Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Very Low Water quality: Gin clear What Worked: Brown Roaches, Trico's, Hare's Ears
Lowest and clearest water levels I have ever seen. Strikes were very very soft. Kudo's to a fellow
fisherman who showed me nymphing a Hare's ear looking bug with a Crackle Back for an indicator.
I learned something new and want to encourage helping out your fellow fisherman. The use of a
Crackleback for an indicator worked GREAT! The slighted hesitation or wiggle got me 5 fish in the
first 6 casts. His Crackle was custom tied with more hackles than most. Man what fun it was. Thanks
for the site.
My pleasure! Using a dry fly as a strike indicator is fairly commonly known as
a "Hopper-Dropper" rig, since most people use a BIG dry for the indicator --
often a grasshopper. Thanks for the report Kris.
This report was submitted by KRA of Waterloo on 10/22/07
Date of trip: 10/20/07 Times fished: 7:30am - 4:00pm Air Temperature: Sultry Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin clear What Worked: Everything we put on
All I can say is WOW! That was not a day of fishing but instead a day of catching. A friend and I got
there at the whistle, started in the riffles below the entrance bridge, and we did not move any more than
100 yards until we got off the water at 4 PM.
The water is very clear but has a great flow. We started off with my version a glo-ball, but I call them
my sloppy balls. They do not have the prefect round look. My friend kept with that pattern for 2 hours
and it was non stop action. After replacing my 3rd sloppy ball, I decided to try some nymphing. I started
out with a Pheasant tail and Zebra black Midge, both size 20. Again the fish were all over that and I never
had to change my flies for 2 hours. We then switched to a size 18 Hot Orange BH Virus Nymph, multiple
San Juan worms, Size 22 Buckskins. Size 22 RS2 (gray). It all worked! The biggest fish of the day were
the 4 nice browns in the 17-18" range.
Okay, I tried fishing the Green Butt Soft hackles I just tied but had no takers in a 15 minute time frame. I
did manage to take a few on the Crackleback. But since that action was a lot slower, I switched back to
nymphing.
I do have to say all the fish in the park are a really nice size. I think the smallest one I caught was a 10"
fish. Go to BSSP if you can, I think my next trip there will be Monday Nov 12.
NICE! Thanks for the report.
This report was submitted by Mike Hunsicker of St. Charles on 10/22/07
Date of trip: 10/16-10/19/07 Times fished: Mornings Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Very Low Water quality: Gin clear What Worked: Mepp's Bumble Bee, Crackleback, John Deer, Bedspread
Caught lots of fish every morning just above the whistle bridge in zone 2. Ultralight with #2 pound
fluorocarbon ine is a must. Fly fishing for me was slow through most of the lower section of zone 2,
but I did great below the dam using a chartruse crackleback. There seemed to be something taking off the
surface all the time. There are a lot of fish in the stream and they are really nice in size as well. Caught fish
close to two pounds every day. Smallest fish that I caught all week was 10". Even caught a nice size
brown next to the whistle bridge. Winter fishing should be great!
Hopefully so! Thanks Mike.
This report was submitted by Jerry Eckard of Union on 10/19/07
Date of trip: 10/13 - 10/17/07 Times fished: 7:30am - 6:30pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin clear What Worked: Silver Wulff, Griffith's Gnat,
Hackleback, Glo-bug, Chamois Fly
This was the most enjoyable and productive trip ever to Bennett Springs... even though Saturday was
very slow, the rest of the days were most productive, especially after I started concentrating on fly fishing
instead of spinning... silver wulffs,Griffith's Gnats, Hacklebacks, chamois and my own creation fly produced
the best results, especially on Tuesday. I have already booked my trip for next year.
Many thanks Jerry!
This report was submitted by Corey _________ of Perryville on 10/2/07
Date of trip: 9/30/07 Times fished: 7 hours total Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin clear What Worked: #16 Adams, #18 Olive Scud, Small White Dries
This was my first time to the park, and I was amazed at how nice it was. I started out at zone
2 about 50 yards below the bridge. On my first cast I had a hit on my olive scud. I tried the
riffles with my scud but couldn't get anything to take it. I noticed that there was a lot of fish
splashing the surface, so I put on the #16 adams and had a few takes within about an hour. I
moved upstream and didn't really have much luck with it. I tries a lot of different dries, but I
couldn't find the match :s I switched to a white globall and had no luck. But for my first trip I
will say I LOVED the place and will be back soon.
Sounds like you did pretty darn well for your first visit. Thanks Corey.
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 10/2/07
Date of trip: 9/27-9/28 Times fished: 7 hours total Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin clear What Worked: Cracklebacks, egg patterns, mini-jigs
Got down to BSSP on Thursday mid-afternoon. Was suprised by the large size of the crowds.
Brought 13 to the net in a couple hours of fishing. Caught about half of the fish in Zone 1 dead
drifting a peacock mini-jig and the other half in Zone 2 stripping a chartreuse crackleback. Friday
morning started at the horn fishing the riffles in Zone 2 and brought 39 to the net by 11:00. All of
these fish were caught in water that was 12-18" deep. All fish took either a peachy king glow ball
or a burgundy micro egg (#18). Also, had lots of LDRs. Had a good time ... looking forward to
the winter C&R.
Thanks again Michael.
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 9/23/07
Date of trip: 9/22/07 Times fished: 7:30am - 11:00am Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What Worked: Zebra midge, cream midge,
crackleback, renegade, egg pattern, mini jig
Large crowds for a September Saturday. Started in the riffles below the bridge in Zone 2. Had
pretty good action for the first 1.5 hours on a peachy king egg. Caught around 20 before the
action slowed. Moved up into Zone 1. Caught a couple on a olive mini jig then the action
stopped. Switched to a crackleback and caught a couple then the action stopped again.
Switched to a renegade. Fished the flat area just before the dam. The stream flow was a lot
slower than it has been all year. The drift was agonizingly slow. In fact it seemed the renegade
was sitting still. If I just let it sit, eventually I'd get a take. This also worked with a cream midge.
Took around a dozen on the renegade and cream midge. Pretty happy with the dry action in
the middle of the morning. Before leaving I fished the faster water around the first handicap in
Zone 1. Took several additional fish on a white egg pattern. Pretty good morning ... just kept
changing patterns as the morning progressed.
"Pretty good morning"???? Sounds fantastic to me -- especially since you
only fished 3-1/2 hours! Thanks Michael.
This report was submitted by Mike _________ of Kansas City on 10/15/07
Date of trip: 9/11 & 9/12 Times fished: P.M. Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin clear What Worked: Red Zebra Midge
Fished BSSP in the afternoons both days, from about 4pm to close. Fished primarily the shallow
water just below the bridge at the hatchery. Fished the faster water where fish were holding and
feeding, using a red zebra midge, size 16, nickel beadhead, nickel rib, at about a depth of 12-14"
under a small stike indicator. Thursday afternoon I had to change my fly 4 times as they were just
torn up from the hits. Friday was a bit slower, and I alternated between the zebra midge and a
size 16 copper brassie with copper beadhead, both worked, but the zebra midge was the biggest
producer by far. Caught a few in the 14-15" range, nothing of any great size, but most of the fish
were full of eggs. A couple of great days on the river.
Welcome aboard Mike, and thanks for the report.
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 9/3/07
Date of trip: 8/29-8/30 Times fished: Various Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Milky What Worked: Cracklebacks, zebra midges, mini-jigs
Contrary to rumors, there are still many fish in the park. Fished Zones 1 and 2 in the park
Thursday and Friday. The fishing was great. Zebra midges worked early. Cracklebacks and
mini-jigs worked throughout the day.
Thanks again Michael.
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 8/27/07
Date of trip: 8/25 Times fished: 7:00am - 3:30pm Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Milky What Worked: Cracklebacks, egg patterns, mini-jigs
Went to the BSSP on Saturday. The water is still up and off color following the flash flood earlier in
the week. That being the case, normal trout park fare was in order. Fished only in Zone 1 and caught
fish stripping cracklebacks on both floating and full sinking lines. Also, took fish on peachy king and
white mini egg patterns. The hottest ticket of the day was floating a brown roach mini-jig about 4 feet
under a strike indicator. At times, the action was fast and furious. No big fish. The weather was pretty
nice (not too hot), the crowds were pretty large, the fishing was pretty good. I'll try to make it back
out again before the Labor Day holiday.
Thanks again Michael.
This report was submitted by Jay Schubert of Nashville, IL on 8/20/07
Date of trip: 8/17-8/19 Times fished: Mornings & Evenings Air Temperature: Sultry Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: John Deere mini-jigs, chartruese cracklebacks
The fishing overall seemed kind of slow. It didn't look like anyone around us was really tearing it up.
We caught the majority of our fish on john deere mini-jigs at the source of the spring. It was our first
trip in which we learned a ton, so hopefully we make more out of the next trip. Bennett is a beautiful
place with great amenities. Even for the 90 plus degree temps we had, there seemed to be a bunch of
people fishing. I did see my first fly hatch, but I don't know what species it was. They were a very tiny
fly, smaller than an #18 griffith's gnat. Even though the fishing was slow, overall it was a great trip.
Glad you had a good time. Many thanks for the report.
BTW, you were probably looking at a midge hatch.
This report was submitted by Preston _________ of Sesser on 8/24/07
Date of trip: 8/11/07 Times fished: Morning Air Temperature: Steamy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Cracklebacks, renegades, conehead muddler minnow
Fished two days at the park and on Saturday caught around 15 all on dries. Most of the fish were
caught on renegades or cracklebacks. Seemed like the olive crackleback was the choice bait. I only
fished zone 2 wherever I could find a spot where the people were limited. Pretty good outing, since
the heat was really on. Sunday was a different story. I caught 6 fish and then I broke the tip of my
rod. I broke it on a big brown....... that i missed and then slaped the water with my rod.. Let's not
tell Cabelas that though .
Cabelas is really good about replacing broken stuff, no questions asked.
Bass Pro does the same. Ain't they just wonderful? Thanks for the report
Preston.
This report was submitted by Scott Strack of Murphysboro, IL on 8/1/07
Date of trip: 7/30 Times fished: Evening Air Temperature: Sultry Weather: Partly cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Slightly clouded What Worked: Sulfur crackleback
Monday evening (after fishing the Niangua) we went to the park to see if the fishing was any better
there. The park was very crowded for a Monday. The girls nymphed, while I chose to get out my
4 weight and dry fly. My fly of choice was a size 12 sulfur crackleback that produced results almost
immediately. I continued to get several hits throughout the course of the evening on this rig.
Most of the other anglers I saw and talked to were complaining that fishing had slowed dramatically
over the weekend, most blamed the July heat. One of the locals, however, seemed to catch a fish
nearly every cast as we talked. He was more than happy to show me what was working for him.
Turns out he was using the same crackleback fly that I had, only he was fishing it exclusively as a
wet fly stripping it about 3 inches at a time. I probably watched him catch 8 to 10 fish as we stood
in the same area and talked fishing.
You certainly can't argue with success, but I think that guy was short-
changing himself! If you fish a crackleback in a traditional western fashion
(cast across, mend up, drift dry, swing wet, strip in), you'll often find
fish hitting in all areas. He may have been outfishing you at that moment,
but when they stop chasing a stripped fly, his fishing will stop, but you'll
continue catching them. Thanks again Scott.
This report was submitted by Marion Charboneau of Atchison, KS on 7/24/07
Date of trip: 7/16-7/23 Times fished: All day Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Slightly clouded What Worked: Glo-bugs, cream midge (somewhat)
Took a vacation trip to Bennett Spring with a friend. Started out extremely poorly (Only 3 fish from
Sunday evening through Tuesday evening between the two of us). An angler who'd been successful
took us under his wing, and we began having success on Wednesday drifting peach, yellow, and
white tri-color glo-bugs under an indicator (Fished them 3 ft deep and more). My friend had great
success with these at the hatchery outlet and below the dam, but less so for me. I did very well just
above the dam with the same. I also did fairly well with an orange glo-bug with a red dot above the
dam.
The fishing was very on and off, early and late tending to work best. There was a rain on Wednesday
night and the fish started hitting much lighter after that. Plenty of strikes, but often hard to hook up.
I did have some success in the evenings on the surface with a cream midge in size #22 in zone 1.
There's some hope for dry fly action, though the hatch was erratic--some evenings good and some
evenings very limited.
Overall, I'd give the fishing a C grade. A lot of fish in the 12-14 inch range. One brown trout caught
on a cream midge--14 inches (my first brown ever!).
A couple of other observations: I saw several anglers having success stripping streamers with full
sinking lines just above the dam. Also, be careful. I didn't see it, but I talked to several who witnessed
two men nearly drown above the dam. One slipped into deeper water, filled his waders, and then
panicked from the shock of the cold water. The man trying to save him nearly got pulled under by
him as he thrashed around. Someone luckily reached out with a fly rod and pulled them in.
Sounds like a tough trip, but catching a few on dries always makes up
for slow fishing. The interesting thing about the multi-colored
glo-bugs is how they look under water. As they roll through the current,
the color-changes take on the look of a strobe. It's quite cool.
BTW, it's important to make sure everyone is aware of an
old wives tale concerning your waders. The story is that if you fall in
and your waders fill up, you'll be pulled to the bottom. For this reason,
many people pull their wader belts extremely tight in an effort to keep
water out. Stop doing this! If your waders fill up, you can swim around
just fine. After all, water doesn't weigh anything under water, right? The
hard part is pulling yourself out of the water, since water is 8 pounds per
gallon once you're on the bank. By tightening down your wader belt, what
you're doing is making sure you'll have two air-filled balloons trying to
turn you upside down when you fall in. A wader belt serves only two
purposes. First, it gives you a place to hook your thumbs when talking to
another fisherman. Second, when it's hot, you can roll your waders down to
waist height without them falling down.
This report was submitted by Mike Hunsicker of St. Charles on 7/29/07
Date of trip: 7/13-7/15 Times fished: Different times Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Slightly clouded What Worked: Cracklebacks, Prince Nymphs, Beadspread, 1/32oz Black &
Yellow Jig, Black & Yellow Roostertails, Power Bait
The weather was beautiful, and the crowd size was down. With the exception of one fish all of the
fish we caught were over 15". No browns this time all rainbows. There was a big hatch Friday
evening, but I couldn't figure out what they were feeding on, but I did pick up a couple anyway.
My wife caught caught a couple in zone 3 and I did pretty good not great but satisfying.
Thanks Mike. Sometimes, all you need to just enough.
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 7/16/07
Date of trip: 7/13 - 7/15 Times fished: Various Air Temperature: Steamy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Red Beadhead Zebra Midge, G-bug, Crackleback
Hadn't been out in several weeks. Took the wife and spent the weekend at BSSP.
The crowds were huge. Tried to find some solitude without much luck, ended-up fishing
the fast water area (below the bridge) in Zone 2. Never moved from that area the entire
weekend. Got on the water Friday at around 6:00PM. Caught around a dozen before the
siren. Caught all of these fish stripping a #12 olive crackleback. Saturday morning: got on
the water just before the siren; caught fish consistently all morning on red #18 BH zebra
midges, #20 brassies, and #16 white g-bugs. The afternoon bite was much the same as the
morning. Once they stopped hitting on one pattern, switched to the next and the action picked
up again. Saturday evening picked up a few fish on renengades, cream midges, and
cracklebacks. Even took one fish on a tan elk hair caddis. All of Saturday's fish ranged from
10-16". Too many fish to keep count. Sunday morning I fished from 6:30AM-8:45AM.
Used the same patterns as Saturday morning with the same success. Hooked a "giant" on
Sunday morning. The fish hit a red zebra midge and took me into the backing on a downstream
run. I ran after the fish and recovered some line, with the rod bent almost double (8.5', 5 wt.).
Had the fish on for almost 10 minutes. Eventually my 6X tippet gave out. I estimate the fish at
24"+. Oh well ...
For that reason, I strongly suggest that everyone fish using rodeo rules.
If you can ride him for 8 seconds, it counts! Thanks, Michael.
This report was submitted by Glenn Covington of Blue Springs on 7/10/07
Date of trip: 7/6-7/7/07 Times fished: 6:30-11:00am Air Temperature: Steamy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What Worked: 1/32 White Crappie Jig, White Gulp Plastic Worm, White Power Bait
Hadn't fished Bennett Spring since I was a child. Took my family and my in-laws. My 9 year old
son caught his first trout on the 6th and then his first limit on the 7th. He cried on his way home,
because we had to leave, just like his old man 37 years earlier. This was a special trip that I will
never forget. All total five of us caught 27 trout in two days.
Don't make the boy wait 37 years to get back! Glad you had a good trip.
Tell your son Trout Hunter said congrats. Thanks Glenn.
***
This report was submitted by Tim Homesly of Cassville on 6/27/07
Date of trip: 6/27/07 Times fished: All Day Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: beetles, ants, apricot glo-bugs, pheasant tails
Fished bennett today, water mostly clear, you can see about 8 feet into the water, fishing was
very good today, most of my fish were caught on #12 beetles, #14 ants and caught some fish on
apricot glo-balls, and a few on pheasant tails #18's the glo-balls were #18's also. Had a shower
about 11:00 a.m. this seemed to make the fishing even better, and then the sun came out and the
beetle and ant fishing got real good.
Thanks to Tim for continuing to help us out with reports. Tim is the
owner of Tim's Fly Shop in Cassville. Be sure to visit him when you head
down to Roaring River. His contact information is:
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 6/24/07
Date of trip: 6/23/07 Times fished: 8:00am - Noon Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: #12 Olive Crackleback, #20 Brassie, #20 Foamback RS-2 Emerger
Just returned from Colorado, I guess that report is for another board. Fished BSSP for a few
hours on Saturday morning. I estimate I caught somewhere between 15-20 (all rainbows). Fished
in Zones 1 and 2. All Zone 1 fish and several Zone 2 fish caught on a crackleback in the "slower"
water. Used the brassie and RS-2 in the faster water with a split shot and a strike indicator in Zone 2.
Overall, the action was pretty good. Coming up on the doldrums of summer .... use light tippet and
look for current. Fish early and late.
It's going to get worse before it gets better! Thanks Mike.
This report was submitted by DS of St. Louis on 6/18/07
Date of trip: 6/15/07 Times fished: 11:00am - 6:00pm Air Temperature: Steamy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What Worked: Scud, Griffith's Gnat, Midges
Arrived at around 11 am, more crowded than I would have anticipated for a Friday morning.
Started off with a brown scud size 18 and the fish were just attacking. Caught eight before the
pattern stopped producing. Switched to a little 22 midge pattern and caught 7 more. Around 2pm
the fish started taking some surface flies. Switch to a griffiths gnat and caught 4. Surface feeding
slowed after an hour and I switched back to my midge. Ended the day catching 23 but was hooking
into fish left and right all day. Overall, the fish were on fire on Friday.
More dry fly action at Bennett! I'm gonna have to make a trip out there
before they change their mind. Thanks DS.
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 5/21/07
Date of trip: 5/20/07 Times fished: All Day Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What Worked: Cracklebacks, Pale Evening Duns, Renegades
Fished the park over the weekend and had a great time. Way too many fish to count.
Fished all day Saturday and half the day on Sunday. Pretty consistent on olive
cracklebacks both days in Zones 1 and 2. The Saturday evening dry fly action was
good. There was a decent hatch of PEDs. Used #18PEDs and #16 Renegades with
good success. Didn't catch any of the MTFA tagged derby fish this weekend.
Sounds like a great time. The one drawback to Missouri trout fishing is that there are
limited opportunities for dry fly action. There's nothing more fun than watching one
rise to the fly.
This report was submitted by Blake ________ of St. Charles on 5/20/07
Date of trip: 5/20/07 Times fished: Buzzer to 9:00am Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Orange, White or Yellow Power Bait
Went down on Friday and caught nothing. Saturday limited out.
Sunday caught two trout. All together, caught 6.
Sounds like they made you work for them! When the fishing's
tough, it just makes the catching all the more better. Thanks
again for the help Blake.
This report was submitted by Mike Tobin of St. Charles on 5/13/07
Date of trip: 5/11/07 Times fished: 12:00 - 5:00pm Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Milky What Worked: Brown & White Rooster Tails, Silver/Lime Spoons
A great day of fishing! Caught 2 rainbows right off the bat between the dam and bridge (near the bluff).
Moved over closer to the bridge and caught my first brown on a silver/lime little cleo spoon. I have
caught tons and tons of rainbows, but this was my first brownie, so it was special. It seemed like it
"played out" more, but maybe it was just me. What a beautiful fish! Caught several on a brown/white
rooster tail. Caught a total of 8-9 trout, released all. Seemed to catch most towards the bottom near
structure. Everyone seemed to be catching a lot, weather could not be better - left when I saw a
thunderstorm moving in. Great day!
Glad you had such a good time. I agree with you that browns often seem
to have more fighting endurance than rainbows. I also agree that I could
just be imagining this! Thanks Mike.
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 5/5/07
Date of trip: 5/5/07 Times fished: 6:30am - 12:30pm Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What Worked: Crackleback
Fished Zone 1 in the park today. The weather was beautiful and fishing
was very good. Too many fish to count today. I'm confident it was my
best day of the year. Caught almost all my fish on cracklebacks. All
rainbows today. Kept a couple for dinner. All fish hit the crackleback
while I was aggressively skipping it just under the surface at the end of
the drift. The water is clearing up and nearing normal flow. It was Kids
Day in the park and it looked like everyone was having a good time. I
sure did.
Kids Day is always a blast, and it's certainly fun when
you happen upon THE fly that the fish want. Thanks again
Michael.
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 4/28/07
Date of trip: 4/28/07 Times fished: 7:00am - 2:00pm Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Milky What Worked: White Globug, Peachy King Weighted Globug
Black-n-Yellow Marabou, Olive Crackleback, Olive Leech
Caught and released 24 rainbows in Zone 1. No brown trout today.
Took fish on a variety of flies and had to change flies frequently. The
water is still up and moving pretty good. Beautiful weather, it was
almost balmy (it's time to put up the neoprenes and breakout the
breathables) and the crowds were pretty heavy. Tiny white glo-bugs
took the most fish. Most fish caught using a 7.5', 3 weight outfit, 5X
tippet, strike indicator 3-4'. The catching came in bunches today with
periods of nothing in between.
Glad you had a good trip. Thanks again for the help
Michael.
This report was submitted by Kevin _________ of St. Louis on 4/25/07
Date of trip: 4/24/07 Times fished: 1:30pm - 7:00pm Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Overcast Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What Worked: Pheasant Tail, White Caddis, Black Crackleback
I arrived at the park around 1:30 and started fishing around two. The second
I stepped in the water the rain really started coming down! It was warm though,
so the rain really didn't bother me. It actually helped the fishing alot. There was
a nice caddis hatch after the rain stopped. I caught about 3 with the caddis and
then the fishing started to die again. The sun came out for about 2 hours, and it
started to get really humid, and the fish just didn't want to bite! But right before
the second round of rain, the fish really started moving in the water. So I put on
a Pheasant tail and caught about 3 or 4. And then the fishing died again when
the rain ended.
After a while I got bored and started trying new techniques. I used a black
crackleback and swung it across the choppy water after the main entrance
bridge. To my surprise, this turned out to be the best technique! I ended up
catching 6! It made my day to know that technique could actually work!
Yes, it is a great technique. Many people think of the
crackleback is just a great pattern, but it's really
nothing special. It works well, just like the Griffith's
Gnat and the Renegade -- two similar style flies. The
trick is the technique. Cast it up and across, mend
your line once or twice, and drift it like a dry. Right
before it begins to swing out below you, twitch it under
the surface. Let it swing subsurface for several seconds,
and then start stripping it in like a streamer. You'll
hook dry fly fish when it hits the water, wet fly fish on
the swing, and streamer fish on the strip. It's like
fishing three flies at once. It also works great with a
G-bug, if you can keep the marabou tail dry enough to float.
This technique has been used by Western fishermen for 50
years with no-hackle dry flies and soft hackle wets. It's
just taken a while for midwest fishermen to catch on.
Thanks Kevin.
This report was submitted by Eric Abernathy of St. Louis on 4/23/07
Date of trip: 4/20-4/22/07 Times fished: All day Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Milky What Worked: Prince Nymphs, White Marabou Jig, Renegade
My brother-in-law and I fished off and on all weekend at Bennett. The water was
high and moving fast. You had to cast pretty far upstream to get in position. Everyone
there seemed to be fishing deep. Fishing was slow but seemed like it picked up as the
weekend progressed; I guess because the water levels were going down. I tried almost
everything in my fly box and caught some with a crackleback, white marabou jig, and
a renegade. The fish definitely weren't coming to the top very often so, dry fly action
was limited. My brother-in-law and I did have luck on a prince nymph fished deep.
The trip was complete with a hole in my waders and nearly being attacked by a snake
protecting its nest. It wasn't the most successful trip; but any day on the trout stream is
better than any day at work.
Welcome aboard Eric. Yes, the high water this spring is giving people fits.
Actually, higher water often benefits the fish. It adds oxygen
to the water, and it kicks up the insects & scud. This, however, tends
to push the fish to the very bottom of the river. The friction of
the water against the river bed slows the current there, and, of
course, that's where all the bugs are. In other words, if you can
cast a fly with half a pound of lead on it, you're GOLDEN! If not,
you might as well go home.
This report was submitted by Jerry Eckar of Union on 4/18/07
Date of trip: 4/17/07 Times fished: 7:00am - 10:00am Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What Worked: Yellow & Black Rooster Tail
OMG...
I finally found the honey hole after three days of glorious fishing... and lets
just say that I found it in Zone 2 between the dam and the "pipe"...after
trying every jig, color, fly, midge, and glo-bug, they finally decided that
the RoosterTail would be their delicacy of the day... got my limit in 3 hours,
and some good size ones too... BTW, watch out for the rocks while
wading - diving while wading is not advised... :-) I will return!!! and so
will my WIFE!!! Yep, she is now hooked too... and she got her limit on
kapox of various flavors, with a glo-bug or two for changeouts.
Yep, some of those rocks are like greased bowling balls.
I've been swimming at Bennett once too many times myself.
Welcome aboard Jerry, and thanks for the report.
This report was submitted by Mike Tobin of St. Charles on 4/17/07
Date of trip: 4/16/07 Times fished: 4:30pm - 6:30pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Milky What Worked: Gold Little Cleo Spoons, Silver Spoons
Fished zone 2 by the chute area, near the bluff. Water was higher than expected,
lots of fly rods and strike indicators out and about. Felt good to get in the water,
threw a 1/6 little Cleo spoon, gold (my "go to" lure when I am at a loss at what to
throw). Got results right away. One jumped about 4 feet out of the water. Tons
of fun with 2# and an ultralight. Caught one every 6-7 casts. They turned on heavy
(caught around 6 in a row) and then turned off in traditional trout fashion. The only
bad thing about a 1/6 is you may lose some to brush piles on the other side - they
are worth the risk, however, because they respond so well in fast, deep, murkey
water. That is probably why they only sell the real light ones at the pro shop - they
do not want the brush and trees on the other side to look like Christmas trees :)
Ain't that the truth. I used to have a buddy that located
good fishing spots by finding the trees with the most bobbers
hanging in them. Thanks Mike. Good to hear from you again.
This report was submitted by Mike Weidman of Paola, KS on 4/14/07
Date of trip: 4/14/07 Times fished: 7:00am - 11:30am Air Temperature: Frigid Weather: Snowy Water Level: Very high Water quality: Milky What Worked: Peachy King Glo-ball Jig
Fished in a wet and snowy blizzard this morning. It reminded me
of Great Lakes steelhead fishing. This April weather is crazy. The
spring branch was very high, off color, and flowing fast. Caught 12
rainbows and 2 browns. Kept 2 small rainbows for dinner. All fish
hit the peachy king glo-ball jig bounced along the bottom in the "slack"
or slower water eddies. Most of the fish were caught in Zone 1.
The largest fish 18.5" was caught in Zone 2 where the hatchery
stream meets the spring branch. Felt fortunate to catch the fish I
did. I didn't see any other fish caught. Used a 5 weight 9 foot
outfit, 4X tippet, strike indicator set at 4 foot, and used split shot
to get the glo-ball down. The crowds were down because of the
horrible weather. Helped a few guys out that hadn't even had a hit.
Had a great time. Looking forward to next weekend, maybe the
weather will be better.
I never have a problem fishing in cold, rainy or
snowy weather, but I absolutely hate fishing when
the water is up. On the smaller creeks, a bit
of a swell with just of tinge of color can actually
help the fishing, but high water on bigger rivers
like Bennett can make you lose your religion.
Thanks for the report Mike.
This report was submitted by Mike ___________ of Kansas City on 4/10/07
Date of trip: 4/6 - 4/7/07 Times fished: Mid-day & evening Air Temperature: Freezing Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What Worked: Olive Peacock Wooly Bugger
Fished Zone 2 primarily this weekend - found success in most of the
holes on the river. Had great success in the hole under the bridge
below the dam fishing the wooly bugger suspended below a small
strike indicator at the same level the fish were holding. Caught 15-20
fish out of that hole alone. At 11:30 am, the fish were still quite deep,
and only caught a couple. About 2:30pm, came back that hole, and
the fish were holding at about 2-3 feet below the surface feeding. I
adjusted the depth of the bugger each time for success. Also caught
several fish in the creek running out of the hatchery back into Bennett
Spring. There were a lot of fish in the riffles and runs, and the were
more than willing to take the bugger or a size 16 zebra midge - olive
or black. At the point where that small creek off the hatchery enters
Bennett, where there is still good current, fish were holding, and
hooked up with several nice fish there. Most people were fishing
the deeper water, and I was actually catching fish right behind them
in the current. A natural drift of either the bugger or the midge worked.
Fishing that little feeder creek was always one of my
favorite tactics this time of year -- forgot about
that until I was reading your report. One thing folks
should remember is that trout that are holding in
faster current are generally there to feed. Never
ignore the riffles & chutes, if you see fish there.
Thanks Mike.
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 4/6/07
Date of trip: 4/6/07 Times fished: 7:00am - noon Air Temperature: Frigid Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: White Glo-bug, Peachy King
Glo-bug Jig, Olive Crackleback, White Marabou
30 degrees and the wind was howling. Had to make several trips to
the truck to warm up. Caught and released 18 rainbows and 3 browns
in Zone 1. Spotted some giants and fished them hard but couldn't generate
any interest. Kept alternating between baits. Real light takes on the glow
balls today. Missed quite a few fish. There was no doubt about the
crackleback and white marabou fish ... they hammered the fly. It was
so cold today that at one point I looked up and counted only 6 vehicles in the area.
Sounds like a good trip. If we can survive a little discomfort,
the benefit is almost always solitude. And if you can pull
that off in a trout park, it's definitely sweet. Thanks again
for your help.
This report was submitted by Michael Weidman of Paola, KS on 4/1/07
Date of trip: 3/31/07 Times fished: 7:30am - noon Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Overcast Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: White Glo-bug, Champagne Glo-bug
Fished the park at Bennett Springs on 3/31 from the starting siren until noon.
It wasn't too crowded, because of the threat of storms. Caught and released
19 Rainbows in Zone 1 on #14 white glo balls and champagne glo ball jigs.
Hooked one giant rainbow just outside of the spring hole that finally pulled
off after 5 minutes on the hook (Oh Well!). All the landed fish ranged from
10-15 inches. Started out using a 9', 5 weight outfit and switched mid-morning
to a 7', 3 weight rig. Lots of fun with the lighter rig. Overall, I'd rate the fishing
as OK. The spring flow was pretty good and most of the fish were caught
with the fly bouncing off the bottom. Fine tuned with small split shots to get
the rig near the bottom and used a strike indicator.
When things are slow, DEEEEEP is usually the way to go.
They say 90% of trout are caught in 6 inches of water --
the bottom 6 inches. Never took a survey, but it sounds
accurate. Thanks Michael.
This report was submitted by John __________ of St. Louis on 3/29/07
Date of trip: 3/29/07 Times fished: 7:30am - noon Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Black & Yellow Marabou, Super-duper,
Brown Glo-bug, Red & White Glo-bug
This was my friend's first visit to Bennett Spring. We are teachers and normally
go to Maramec Spring during spring break, but today we decided to do the extra
hour of driving. The weather was great, comfortably cool and partly cloudy. Started
to rain a bit as we were leaving.
We had a marvelous morning of fishing, the stream seemed quite normal and clear.
I was surprised about the small number of fishermen, my experience at Bennett in
the past has been during the summer with larger crowds.
At the siren, we started just above whistle bridge, and eventually made our way up
to the bluffs. We caught most of our fish on the upper end of the bluffs. I guess that
we caught and released at least 35 fish between the two of us. We used a variety of
lures, but a black/yellow maribou worked well at the whistle, then I switched to a super-
duper (copper w/red tip) and that also worked well. As the day progressed, we did
well on glow balls, both brown and red/white. It seems that switching lures frequently
was a good strategy.
A very memorable day on the water, especially for my friend, who had a great experience
for his first time at Bennett.
By the way, there was a little girl, probably no more than ten years old that caught a brown
just below the whistle bridge on a worm -- it weighed in at just under ten pounds. Talk about
a grin from ear to ear..............
I should say so! I once witnessed a girl about 6 years old catch a
20-incher there on a Snoopy pole. She was standing about 10 feet
away from a guy with maybe $1000 worth of gear on his person.
Hate to admit it, but I was laughing on the inside. Thanks for
the help John.
This report was submitted by Bond of St. James on 4/2/07
Date of trip: 3/27 - 3/29/07 Times fished: all Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Cracklebacks, Scuds, Midges
One of our family traditions is to spend some of spring break in one of the
spring cabins. It seemed like zone 1 had a lot fewer fish this year. The
weather was ok, not too crowded, but really worked for the fish. I finally
started going to zone 2 and, even though it has more people, it also has
more fish. I caught three really nice ones, including one a big brownie on
a crackleback I made from a latex glove. But the best thing was that my
nine-year old son caught his first couple of trout on his own. He is pretty
hooked now and that is as it should be.
That's a wonderful thing. My son (8 y.o.) has hooked a couple
on his own, but he's still yet to completely land one without
assistance. Can't wait. Thanks Bond.
This report was submitted by Kevin Miller of Linn on 3/27/07
Date of trip: 3/26/07 Times fished: 7:30am - 1:00pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Overcast Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Olive Wooly Bugger, Y2K, Pheasant Tail
What a treat, a Monday spent fishing instead of working! I started the day
just below the dam in zone 2. Caught a few on the Y2K, than I switched
to a PT nymph and caught a few more. I then moved downstream below the
riffle and caught another on a soft hackle. Next I tried an Olive Wooly Bugger
and caught three or four more. I decided to move and went back above the bridge
and caught another on a midge pattern. I ended the day above the dam in zone 1
where I caught 4 or five more, including a smallish brown. They ate all my wooly
buggers, so I decided to call it a day. It was great to have so much room to move
around at Bennett. I love to fish the parks on weekdays!
That's a fact. Regardless of the various complaints about the trout
parks, they are all top-quality trout waters with big springs
and plenty of forage. If you could fish them alone, it would
almost seem like a storybook. Thanks Kevin.
This report was submitted by Michael __________ of Paola, KS on 3/11/07
Date of trip: 3/9/07 Times fished: 6:30am - 1:00pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Rainy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: White Glo-bugs
Fished in the rain most of the day. Caught and released 31 rainbows and 1 brown in
Zone 1 in the park. Used #12 white glo-bugs, 5X tippet, small split shot weight, and a
strike indicator. Nothing over 15 inches for the day. It was good day and rain kept the crowds down.
Sounds like a great trip. It's nice to hear that there are some
browns present. Thanks Michael.
This report was submitted by Matt B. of St. Louis on 3/6/07
Date of trip: 3/6/07 Times fished: 11:30am - 6:00pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Peacock Bugger, Cream Midges, Near 'Nuff Crayfish, Griffith's Gnat
Despite the numerous complaints that I overheard from other fishermen about
there being "too few fish", the fish being "too small this year", the water being
"too clear", etc., I felt like I had a pretty good day. Stripping/sight fishing with
a big crayfish fly isn't something I try too often (for trout), but I really enjoyed it.
In the afternoon some cream-colored, midge-sized flies came off and there
were plenty of rises to them. Met with some success targeting the most active
feeders. I also had lots of interest from 10"-12" rainbows while twitching a
Peacock Bugger (thanks to the guy from Reading's for recommending those)
on or just under the surface.
I did a little nymphing (w. indicator) at different depths and didn't "catch" any
trout, but actually foul-hooked more than a few while picking up for the next
roll-cast... not sure why I kept hearing folks whining about there being too few
fish. If you're snagging them accidentally, it would seem like there might be quite
a few of them swimming around down there.
The weather was great. The food at the lodge was good. I caught fish on
streamers and dries. I wasn't at work. You won't hear me complaining.
Geez, that's just nuts. Too few fish at a trout park is funny
enough, but the water being "too clear"? Good grief! Some people
just need to complain, I suppose. You did the right thing right
off the bat by checking with Charlie Reading for some advice.
Not only is a good guy, but he absolutely knows what he's talking
about. In 1990 or so, he's the one that gave me my first real
lecture on how to sight fish productively. Thanks for the report.
This report was submitted by Dave B. of St. Charles on 3/21/07
Date of trip: 3/1/07 Times fished: All Morning Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Overcast Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Marabou and Rubber Leg jigs
Been leeching off the fishing reports here for a couple of years, felt it was time I
finally contribute something. I did very well (and the other 4 guys in my group too)
quantity wise and had 15+ by noon fishing the dam at end of Zone 1 and under the
bridge. I agree with the reports of "smaller fish than usual" especially for opening day.
The average size was maybe just a little smaller than typical, but the big difference was
that very few lunkers, 3+ lb were caught. Normally we see several 3-5 lbs and a few
6-8+ lbs. After first day fishing there were only 5 on the lunker board and just 1 over
4 lbs. I used white, black/yellow and green/brown jigs fished deep in the holes and had
good luck all morning and the same results the next day. I had 8 fish Friday morning by
9 am just in time to clean up, pack and go home.
Welcome aboard Dave! Thanks for the report.
This report was submitted by Mike Noll of St. Louis on 1/16/07
Date of trip: 1/12 & 1/13/07 Times fished: Various Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Rainy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Light Cahill, Wooly Bugger
What a crazy trip, rain ice snow cold... but fishing was great. I mostly fished around the
bridge and dam. The two feeder creeks that come into the stream right above the bridge
were stacked with fish. I still cant believe the amount of fish I caught on top... Nothing
big but about 30 fish Friday and 75 on Saturday. Power went out Sat night in the cabin
and decided to call it a trip... water was getting higher late Saturday. I guess it will be
real high by this weekend.
Wow! You sure can't complain about catching 100 trout in two days.
Glad you got out when you did, though. That kind of success can
get a man killed -- refuse to leave the river in the middle
of the ice storm and get hit by a falling tree branch or something.
Thanks for the report Mike.
This report was submitted by Darin Penrod of Kansas City on 12/11/06
Date of trip: 12/11/06 Times fished: 8:00am - 2:30pm Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Overcast Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Crackleback, Renegade
Started at the opening horn. Did well on a #8 renegade in the a.m., probably 10 to hand.
In the afternoon a small hatch came off at about 1:30 p.m. Tied on a #14 crackleback
and proceeded to catch 10 in less than 20 min. Fished what i believe is the flyfish only
area at the spring. Nice way to spend a day off.
Welcome aboard, Darin. Winter is a favorite time for many to go fish
Bennett and the other state parks. It's one of the few times you'll
find such high quality water where trout are behaving and feeding
naturally. Thanks for the report.
This report was submitted by Tom Clements of St. Louis on 11/5/06
Date of trip: 10/22 - 10/25/06 Times fished: 7:30am - 6:30pm Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Overcast Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Cracklebacks & WoolyBuggers
The trout were biting so the weather really did'nt matter (but it was chilly in the morning). We had our best luck on
pale yellow and olive cracklebacks in the morning, then black or brown woolie buggers in the afternoon. We would
start in the morning above the dam fishing down towards it. In the afternoon we would fish above the Holland dam.
Friday, the 25th, was the only day that it really rained hard, but it did'nt slow down the fishing. Our youngest son
was home on leave and had a great time fishing those four days. Talked to the naturalist there on the 23rd. She said
that Bennett would probably be the last park to see any inprovements. That Roaring River was in "ICU" mode needing
the most attention. We where at Montauk in early Sept. when they were pouring the pads for the liquid oxygen tanks up
by the catch & release area and down by the main hatchery. Hope to get in on some of the winter fishing here in St. Louis.
Good to hear from you, Tom. Nice way to finish off the trout season, with 4 days on the water.
The winter trout park season should be good. The Maramec hatchery workers put in dozens of
trophy-sized trout on Wednesday 11/8, just for the winter season. I imagine the other parks
did the same thing. And everyone knows the city lakes are always stocked with big fish for
the winter season.
This report was submitted by Leo Crook of Independence on 10/3/06
Date of trip: 9/28 - 10/1/06 Times fished: 7:30am - 7:15pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: White & Multi-color Jigs
Weather was excellent, water was extra clear, which made fishing tough. Had best luck later in the day for good size. Had to look
for their hiding spots. Had best luck with the "bed spread" and the tri-color "Jimmy Hindrex", and crickets. Weekends at Bennett are
just never long enough.
I don't care where you're fishing, the end of the day is always a sad event, even when you do it for a living! Thanks Leo.
This report was submitted by Tom Clements of St. Louis, MO on 9/30/06
Date of trip: 9/25 - 9/29/06 Times fished: All day Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Cracklebacks, Wooly Buggers
This is my first report online, so please bear with me. I got down to the stream about 8:00 am Monday the 25th. Tied on a pale yellow
crackleback in a size 12. I hooked up on my third cast just above the Holland in zone one. For me this was a good sign. I fish a sinking
line so I normally stay with wet flies and the Backs and Buggers did not let me down. I don't count fish but I do count my blessing for
being able to get out and fish. I will say that fishing was good enough that I did all my fishing between the spring and Holland dam. I
was there for the siren the rest of the week. Wednesday was the only day I stopped fishing during the day, hey I took the wife to the
outlet mall in Osage Beach. You got to keep them happy. The wind picked up Thursday and it cooled off on Friday, but the fishing was
good the whole week. I saw the stream was low below the dam between zones 1 & 2. The best I can tell is the streambed got washed
out below the CCC bridge. Where the water used to fall off the bottom of the dam 8 or 10 inches now it's more like 15 or 16 inches. To
end this report on a good note I caught a lunker above the Holland Friday morning about 8:15 am. He (I could tell by his bottom jaw)
hit on a #6 olive Woolly Bugger. I got him in, netted him, removed the fly and turned him loose. The guy next to me asked why and I
told him I've got two on the wall and the wife said "no more". Any way it took a long time for him to get to that size, its not in me to
end it on a grill in a pan. We are going back down the last full week in Oct. Oh be still my pounding heart.
Sounds like a great trip. October is one of the best times on the trout stream, with the newly chilled air,
changing leaves, and brown trout starting to feel perky again. We'll look forward to your next report.
Thanks, Tom.
This report was submitted by Mike Hunsicker of St. Charles on 9/12/06
Date of trip: 9/6 - 9/10 Times fished: Morning & Evening Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: jigs black/yellow and ginger, dry flies mosquito and grifiths gnat, nymphs geen/black midge and bh pheasant tail
There are lots of good fish in the spring branch, and the crowd size was down now that the kids are back in school. Fished spinning
tackle with jiggs in the morning and fly fished in the evenings. My best success was fishing zone two with a #18 tungston bead head
green midge under a small float. Remember that 7x flurocarbon tippett is a must use because the water is so clear the fish detect
anything larger. Caught a few nice-sized browns in zone one!
That's certainly good news about the browns. They've been struggling with the warm water all summer,
but the increased activity means the water temperature has been more consistently at that 61 degree point that
brown trout are best at. And that means the Autumn migration can't be far behind. Yay for us! Thanks for
the report, Mike.
This report was submitted by Dale ________ of Shawnee, KS on 8/30/06
Date of trip: 8/30 Times fished: 7:00am - 3:00pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Cracklebacks & Nymphs
Evidently the slow fishing from the hot summer weather is over. The fish were on a feeding frenzy. Fished Zone 1 and 2 with
mostly green crackleback or small bead head nymphs. Lost count around fish 30 or so. It seemed that everyone on the river
was catching fish all day. I saw one old timer release at least 15 fish in a 45 minute period by the hatchery outlet. Most fish
were the standard 12 - 14" rainbow with 4 rainbows near 20 inches and 1 brown at 15". As perfect as the day was I still
get frustrated with the invading of personal space from other fisherman. There were very few people in the park yet others
would come within 15' or so even with similar water wide open near by. That and with more non-flyrodders in the fly fishing
only section make the trout parks somewhat of a letdown.
Thank goodness its finally September. The last 6 weeks or so have been downright tough almost
all across the state. We all feel your frustration regarding crowding at the parks. It really
wouldn't be that bad if fishermen would mind their manners. Suffice it to say that there are
a bunch of fly fishermen who can't wait for the fish for fun season to open at the parks.
This report was submitted by Fr. Marion Charboneau of Atchison, KS on 8/13/06
Date of trip: 8/6 - 8/11 Times fished: Various Air Temperature: Steamy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Very Low Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Beaded Nymphs & Woolly Buggers
I fished zones one and two of the park for the week. I characterize the fishing as rather sluggish, but since it
was my first time at a trout park, it's hard for me to make comparisons. That said, a day's fishing produced roughly
3-4 fish. My best day was Thursday (caught 6), and my worst Friday ( caught 2). I had my best luck with woolly
buggers in the usual colors and beaded nymphs drifted under an indicator, particularly typical Gold Ribbed Hare's
Ears and Pheasant Tails. The fish wouldn't look at beaded Prince nymphs except for one spurt on Thursday in which
I caught 4 fish in about 15 minutes near the hatchery outlet. Glo-balls produced a few fish as well, and a couple fish hit
scuds. There were some small pale "mayflyish" insects present on the water in the evenings in zone 1. Trout were willing
to take these from the surface, but with one exception, ignored my very iffy attempt to match them with a dry fly. I kept
forgetting to pick them up at the flyshop, but the small pale morning/evening duns and other related flies looked very much
like them. Someone who went after them with one of those might have some luck on the surface. The fish I caught often
came right after tying on a new fly and/or in pairs (i.e. tie on a black woolly bugger and immediately catch a couple of fish).
You'd start thinking think you'd found the magic combination. Then it would go dead. Switch to a different fly and it would
happen again. I don't know if that's typical of fish in the park, but this happened just about every day. Last but not least,
my biggest fish was a 15 inch rainbow. I saw 3 brown trout and another fisherman reeled one in on a jig. None appeared
to be legal size.
Welcome aboard, Marion. Your report sounds typical of trout parks in August. Trout across the
state (especially larger ones) are typically sluggish this time of year, and the requirement
for continuous changing of flies is also typical -- not just in the parks, but in the wilder waters
as well. That said, trout park trout are just weird, in every other sense of the word. You can
match the hatch perfectly and offer beautiful and delicate presentations and catch nothing, while
the guy next to you is tearing them up on a piece of chamois tied to a hook. Go figure. Many
fishermen overlook the scud pattern at Bennett, though, which is a primary forage item for Bennett
fish. When fly fishermen are struggling, scud patterns are often the secret that very few seem
to know. Thanks for the report.
This report was submitted by Kevin ________ of Glendale on 7/25/06
Date of trip: 7/21/06 Times fished: 7:30am to 3:00pm Air Temperature: Sultry Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: WD40's, Flashback Pheasant Tails
Took a day trip from a vacation at Lake of the Ozarks to explore Bennett Spring. Fishing seemed slow and the other
fishermen I talked to confirmed that the few previous days had been a little better.
It took about 4 hours of trying numerous flies and lures to figure out a pattern that worked - tried buggers, glo balls, jigs,
rooster tails, Rapalas, crankbaits, dry flies, several different nymphs and clousers in zones 1 and 2 with no success. Eventually
found that tiny nymphs with no weight on the line fished through the faster, shallower riffles produced fish. Ended up landing 4
and losing about a dozen in the last 2 hours. We ended up hooking fish on WD 40's, Flashback PT's, green copper johns, and
bead head soft hackle hares ears - sizes 18-22. I talked with the other fishermen in the same riffle who I watched having success,
and they were using various other small soft hackles swung through the riffle tail outs.
I'm not the biggest fans of the parks - big crowds, some inconsiderate fishermen, and trout that usually don't behave like trout
turned me off of them several years ago - but I was taking my in-laws and wanted to see a new park so gave it a shot. I got about
what I expected from previous experiences at Meramec and Montauk, but was happy in the end that my 17 year old brother in law
landed his first trout - 3 actually - and all on a fly rod. I might have created a new flyfisherman. Other highlights from the day were
the 3 kingfishers I watched diving all over zone 2 and yet another mink sighting - I'll bet not the same one from the Meramec, though!
There sure have been a lot of mink on the rivers this year. The trappers should have a good season.
Thanks for the report, Kevin.
This report was submitted by Bond of St. James on 7/21/06
Date of trip: 7/12 through 7/16/06 Times fished: various Air Temperature: Steamy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Cracklebacks, Copper Johns
My family and I camped at Bennett last week, and I got in a lot of stream time, thanks to their swimming pool and another
Johnny Depp movie. I fished from the spring to the Whistle Bridge, but had the most fun in Zone 2 from the little rock bluff
down to the hatchery outlet. Even though the park was crowded it wasn't bad early and late. I caught about 3 dozen trout and
lived through some big storms.
Thanks for your continued help with reports, Bond.
This report was submitted by Ron Metts of Bourbon on 7/7/06
Date of trip: 7/6/06 Times fished: 6:30am to 9:45am Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Pheasant Tails, Glo-bugs
I went out and started fishing in zone 2 at the bridge. I caught 5 there and then moved to zone 1. I caught about 15 more
up there switching between glo bugs and pheasants tails. Overall it was a good day.
Our thanks to Ron for continuing to help us out with reports.
This report was submitted by Bond of St. James on 6/23/06
Date of trip: 6/23/06 Times fished: 6:30am - 4:00pm Air Temperature: Steamy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Cracklebacks, Copper Johns
Hit Zone 1 and tried a few old standards and a few experimental flies, but only got serious action with green cracklebacks
and then copper johns after the sun got up. I took a break and went to visit Charley Reading and he said choronomids -
green with black heads on #16 scud hooks were hot. When I went back it rained. I waited it out and tried Zone 2. Had a
little luck with ants but did best with a gold c-back. There was a guy fishing about 20 steps downstream from me that was the
best caster I've ever seen. He caught a lot fish, too. One of the best things about that trout park is getting to see masters in action.
Thank for the report, Bond. Everyone should make it a point to visit with Charlie when they're at
Bennett or the Niangua. Some say he's a bit abrasive at times (aren't we all), but he's a great guy
with a ton of knowledge about fly fishing both for trout and smallmouth.
This report was submitted by Bond of St. James on 6/2/06
Date of trip: 6/1/06 Times fished: Morning Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Overcast Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Cracklebacks
I tried several sizes of soft-hackles but had no success. A moderate caddis hatch began at 7 am so I switched
to cracklebacks and caught five. Went down to the hatchery outlet in Zone 2 and the density of fish was great
enough to walk across and not get wet. There were a lot of guys there too, like piggies at the trough.
Yeah, they do like to crowd the outlets -- fish and fishermen alike. Thanks for the report.
This report was submitted by Zach Luechtefeld of Beaufort on 5/31/06
Date of trip: 5/26-5/29 Times fished: Whistle to Whistle Air Temperature: Sultry Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Stimulators, Ants, Hare's Ears, Creepers
Went fishing last weekend. Caught a ton of fish Friday. No one will believe me, but I caught 34 fish Friday -- in one day!
Thats my personal record. I caught most of them on an orange stimulator. I also caught some on ants and hares ears. But
there was a spot where some smaller trout were stacked on top of each other like they are in the hatchery. I would just
set my fly down in the water and almost instantly get a fish. The rest of the weekend was a little slower. Monday got up
and went fishing in the spring -- caught one nice fish that weighed two pounds. Over all I had a great weekend.
When you can find a crowded feeding lane like that, catching fish almost gets tiresome. Okay, not
really. Thanks again for helping us out with reports, Zach.
This report was submitted by Andrew Maienschein of Jefferson City on 5/26
Date of trip: 5/22/06 Times fished: 10:30am to 5:15pm Air Temperature: Balmy Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Milky What Worked: Secret Bait & Worms
It was a nice afternoon in the park. Spent the day in zone three from the suzy hole up to the bridge. A fair amount of
people fishing in zone three, but not too crowded. My finance and I caught several rainbows -- nothing too big, average
size. But, we caught more brown trout that day then I have seen in my whole life! None over the legal size, but they would
have made decent rainbows. Side note we also latched on to a couple of nice size sucker fish, like there was a school or something.
Thanks for the report, Andrew. Sounds like a good trip. That's strange about the browns. They
shouldn't be migrating up into the park until September. That's worrisome -- maybe something wrong
with the water temperature in the Niangua???
This report was submitted by Ron Metts of Bourbon on 5/14
Date of trip: 5/13 Times fished: 6:30am to 12:30pm Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Milky What Worked: Powerbait & Jigs
Started fishing at the buzzer in zone 3 with powerbait. Landed two fish about 12-13in. At seven o'clock moved two
zone two fishing various jigs and landed 10 more throughout the day. It was a good day of fishing. The park was crowded
though being kid's day.
Good to hear from you again, Ron. Thanks for the report.
This report was submitted by Billy Stratton of Swansea, IL on 4/14/06
Date of trip: 4/13/06 Times fished: 4:30pm - 6:30pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Crackleback, White San Juan Worm
I was on the Niangua with my family canoing most of the day but my mom let me stop at the park for a couple hours. I started
out near the top of zone 1 with a white San Juan worm and caught one and hooked one, but then my clumsy half hitches started
coming undone, and the body started falling off. Switched to a crackleback and sightfished. Was doing great and caught a few
until, again, the hackle came loose. A guy to my right was doing awesome on a little pumpkin colored jig that was nothing but an
orange lead head and floss. Moved downstream a little and caught one more on an olive dry with a stubby little marabou tail I
thought of at meramec when a nice one hit a wooly bugger on the surface because I put a stiff dry fly hackle on it.
Thanks for the report, Billy. Stopping at a trout park for 2 hours of afternoon fishing usually ends
with frustration, but sounds like did quite well.
This report was submitted by Kevin Miller of Linn on 3/6/06
Date of trip: 3/4/06 Times fished: 7:00am to 10:30am Air Temperature: Freezing Weather: Rainy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: #16 Hare's ear nymph, #18 Dave's Harvester midge
I started fishing in the fly only section with the Hare's ear nymph and caught about 5 or 6 fish. I fished there until
I got so cold and wet that I went and stood under the bridge -- caught one more there. Then the rain slowed up a bit,
so I left the bridge and put on a Dave's Harvester Midge. I quickly caught 3 more including a 14" brown. I than broke
off my fly on a nice rainbow. I was tying on a new fly when my dad said it was time to go. I outfished my dad 9 to 6 :)
He was using a marabou jig.
Ha! I'm 38 years old, and I still love outfishing my dad. It never gets old!
This report was submitted by Miles McClain of Lebanon on 12/11/05
Date of trip: 12/10 & 12/11/05 Times fished: Afternoons Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Blue Winged Olive, Red & Black Budge w/Tungsten Beadhead What DIDN'T work: Light Colored Nymphs
With the temperature below 50 I had planed on fishing midges and nymphs all day. The bite was OK on Zug Bugs
and Phesant tail nymphs sizes 14-16. I saw a few fish rising to some green colored bug (could not tell what it was)
so I tied on a Blue winged olive and caught a fish on nearly every cast!! It was the best dry fly action I had all year.
Easily caught 50 fish in three hours on Saturday with the biggest about 14". Not big but a lot of fun. A couple of
people around me had caught larger fish. 16"-19", just not my day for the big ones. Sunday started off about the same.
They still liked the blue winged olive size 14. The wind had picked up a bit and the bite slowed down after about an hour.
I went back to nymphing with a red and black striped midge and caught a lot of small fish with one going about 14"-15".
They would bite just about any dark colored nymph size 14-18. Over all it was a great weekend. I did not expect to be
using a dry fly all day but I loved it.
It's fantastic hearing about true Western-style fly fishing working at the trout parks.
It kinda makes one tear up just a bit. Thanks for the report, Miles.
This report was submitted by Eddie Brinkmeyer of Kansas City on 11/29/05
Date of trip: 11/27/05 Times fished: All day Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Griff's Gnat, Adams, Olive Scud, Copper John
This day was one of those days that no matter what came out of the fly box, it worked. The fishing was slow for the first hour
or so, but warmed up quickly with the temperature. I started out with the standard nymphs in Zone 1 -- scuds, copper johns,
BH Pheasant Tails in size 16-18, and landed a dozen or so. Switched to drys around mid morning in zone 2. Disco Midge,
Griff's Gnat, Olive/Grizzly Caddis in sizes 20-24. I fish with a 6 1/2-ft 2-wt. rod, which really makes it fun. The largest fish on
top was a beautiful 17" bow. Gusty winds made it hard to present a dry delicately, so I switched to a BH Olive Marabou
streamer. Didn't take long for a couple of nice browns to thump my offering. The nicest being around 16". All in all, an excellent
fishing day, with the normal crowds of people of the regular season nowhere to be seen. I recommend the winter season at
Bennett Spring to anyone wanting to learn the sport of flyfishing.
Thanks again for the help, Eddie. Bennett Spring is a terrific place to fish,
except for the crowds. MO Dept of Conservation understandably wants to benefit as many fishermen as possible,
but it seems they'll eventually have to do something to thin out the traffic. Maybe raise prices, drop
the daily limit again, have a limit on the number of daily tags sold, or perhaps set up a catch & release
area like they have at Montauk and Roaring River.
At Johnson Shut-Ins State Park you may have to sit
in your car and wait for a car to leave before they let you enter. It can be a pain, but it keeps the
crowds under control. If you'd like to sound off about what the state can do to make the parks less crazy,
click HERE to post your opinion.
This report was submitted by Miles McClain of Lebanon on 11/12/05
Date of trip: 11/12/05 Times fished: Morning Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Overcast Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What Worked: Caddis Flies, Midges -- red w/black stripes & tungsten bead heads
Fished Bennett Springs today from 8:00am to 12:00pm. Fishing was HOT, HOT, HOT all morning. Started with a
hares ear nymph and caught a few. I noticed that there were fish rising all around so I switched to a tan bodied caddis fly
and "tore 'em up!!" The real active fish were holding close to the large boulders in zone one. Most were small fish though
so I decided to move down stream. Switched to a red and black midge and caught an 18" BROWN right away
(my biggest of the year!!!) Moved down to zone two and caught a few more on the same midge. Once I knew where the
actively feeding fish were holding I just moved from boulder to boulder and cleaned house. Great day of fishing.
Thanks for the report, Miles. You know, a reproduction of that 18" brown would cost you less than
$200 at Ozark Taxidermy :-) -- end of shamless plug
This report was submitted by John Jackson of Erie, KS on 10/20/05
Date of trip: October 19, 2005 Times fished: 10am to 6pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Slightly clouded
The trout were very picky. Dry fly fishing was extremely tough. The fish were
rising to some but the take was extremely light. Nymph fishing was the best
with a olive/brown wooly bugger. I noticed there were not a lot of fish being
taken. In watching other anglers you'd see a few caught here and there but mostly
a lot of casting between takes. Overall, I'd rate the fishing at tough and below
average. As always, just getting out was worth the trip and the fall colors made
it a great day on the water.
Thanks John. It does seem like the trout parks have been hit-and-miss this month. We'll receive word
that someone just tore them up one day. The next day, we hear you have to fight for every bite.
Barometric pressure changes? Hmmm.
This report was submitted by Scott Turney of Grain Valley on 10/17/05
Date of trip: 10/14/05 Times fished: 10am - 6pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin clear
Fished the park on Friday and Saturday. I caught plenty of fish in both Zones 1 and
2 on cracklebacks and Elk Hair Caddis's. Fishing was some of the best I have had there.
I don't like to fish there and haven't been there in 3 years, but my brother needed
an escape, (who doesn't) but needed it to be close since he flew in on Friday and back
out on Sunday. Weather was perfect but also created a lot of fisherman as well.
Cracklebacks were working the best of the 2 flies and worked both on top, and right
below the surface.
How cool is that? I remember a time when trout park fish didn't know what a real bug
looked like. Hatchery fish taking traditional flies is an indicator that they have become
resident fish. Catch and release is a wonderful thing! Thanks for the report, Scott.
This report was submitted by Dick Solomon of Springfield on 7/13/05
My friend john and I went back to Bennett yesterday, and we did limit out but it wasnt easy.
I should say KEEPER LIMIT, I don't do the the small ones we had plenty of them.
I did find the John Deere Jig. The folks at Bennett sell them and I bought a couple.
It did ok but my Little White Bomber took the prize for the day. I plan on tying
my own version of the JD. BTW it has a Green Painted head with yellow eyes, olive
green mariboo tail, and olive chenille.
Thanks again, Dick.
This report was submitted by Dick Solomon of Springfield on 7/8/05
My friend John and I waded in about 2:00 Monday afternoon July 5, 2005. We started just below the Spring down
by the first handicap pier. Both of us used a small white mini jig with a weighted float. I caught my first fish on the
first cast, and it couldn’t have been a better day for fishing. We had a boat load by 5 and my elbow was killing me,
I had switched to a fly rod and was using the same bait only in a different way. I moved down to the big open pool
-- lots of floating slop all over the place -- but we kept bringing them in, my biggest of the day weighed a little over
3 lbs. -- big old sow. I stood next to a young lady who was having REAL good luck and she said she was using
a John Deere Jig. I had never seen one so she let me peek and it was yellow and green like the tractor. Would
like to tie some up if I can find one for a sample. Keep up the good news. Will write back on our next trip.
Our thanks go out to Mr. Solomon. If anyone can
send us a photo of a John Deere Jig, we'll post it here.
This report was submitted by Greg Mitchell of Springfield on 5/1/05
I fished Bennett on Sat 4/30/05. The fishing was excellent. I was using a small nymph with a split shot and an idicator.
I fished above the dam in zone 1 and just below the dam in zone 2. Most of the fish were stockers but did catch a
couple in the 14/15 inch range. Water is up a bit and slightly discolored due the recent rains. Not as crowded as
a usual Saturday due to the cool temperatures which I’m sure helped the fishing. I have fished Bennett at least
twice a month last fall, winter and this spring. The fishing has been good to excellent almost every trip. Some
days there have been more of the bigger fish than others. Winter was the best for the bigger 15 to 18 inch fish.
Thanks for the report, Greg. Glad to have you on board.
This report was submitted by Tim Homesley on 4/29/05
Fished Bennett springs yesterday, had been hearing rumors that the fishing was not good this year,
well fish #'s seemed to be down, but it is april and they stock less fish for less fisherman, I still
mangaged to catch 23 fish in about 3 hrs, #20 adams, small pheasant tail, and burlaps are what I
caught most of my fish on, I also caught one nice(2lb) brown on a white mohair leech. It was a
great day only saw maybe 20 fisherman and never was crowded and was able to take my time and
fish like I wanted. 55 degrees and cloudy yesterday made for some good fishing it even sprinkled
rain a few times, water clairity was clear.
Thanks to Tim for continuing to help us out with reports. Tim is the
owner of Tim's Fly Shop in Cassville. Be sure to visit him when you head
down to Roaring River. His contact information is:
Remember, if you go fishing at Bennett Spring, please be sure to send
us a report about how you did. Click here if you would like more
information on Bennett Spring State Park.
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