Located 500 yards east of Missouri's Bennett Spring State Park
Fishing report for Bennett Spring State Park, brought to you by Weaver's Tackle Store
Thursday,
May 8, 2008
Bennett
Spring
floods
again!
Hello there.
Little did we dream at this time yesterday that we would be sending this
"bulletin" 24 hours later to notify you that the stream has flooded yet
again. We have had 5" of rain since Wednesday morning, and from time to
time throughout the evening and overnight hours on Wednesday, the
rain came in torrential downpours.
The stream rose
about 22" overnight and has been dropping slowly throughout the day. At
the present time, it is up about 18", murky-to-muddy (worse in Zone 3),
churning out of the spring and flowing extremely fast the entire length
of the stream.
The Whistle
Bridge in Zone 2 and the Wooden Bridge in Zone 3 are both under water
and closed.
Since the
stream will fluctuate the next couple of days, and the weather forecast
calls for a possibility of more rain over the weekend, we won't do
another update until Sunday. Hopefully, by then, we can give you a more
stable overview of stream conditions, have some pictures to share; and,
perhaps also by then, the storm front will have finally exited the
area. The chances of rain, by the way, are 40% on Friday and 60%
Saturday night.
So, in the
meantime, we suggest you scroll down to our previous report from Sunday,
re-read all the great fishing news that was contained therein, and
daydream a bit about a day in the future when we're back to repeating
that kind of good news instead of bad weather forecasts and unsettled
stream conditions. Hopefully, that will come in the near
future!
Feel free to
call us at any time (417-532-4618) if you want an update on stream
conditions, or e-mail us at
weavers@missouritrout.com and we'll get back to you as soon as
possible. We'll be monitoring the stream throughout the weekend, of
course. And, as you probably know, you can check the stream's depth
and flow online 24/7 by clicking on
'til Sunday
then,
Jerry & Brenda
Miller
Weaver's Tackle
Store
"A stream is music
and motion: smooth glides,
fast, turbulent
riffles and deep pools, each
posing a special
challenge."
~ Nelson Bryant
Wednesday,
May 7, 2008
Greetings. This is
your mid-week dispatch from Bennett Spring, and we're very glad you've
dropped by to check on the happenings from your favorite trout stream.
You have a standing
reservation throughout the season to be a virtual eyewitness to all
that's going on here and to catch up on the fishing news: what's
working best, stream conditions, weather and special event happenings,
the latest lunker list and more.
Thanks for keeping
your appointment!
Reminders
. May
fishing hours are: 6:30 a.m. - 8:15 p.m.
.
Weather permitting, they will be cutting moss, weeds
and other vegetation in the stream next Tuesday, May 13.
.
Several special events take place this month. If you haven't marked
your calendar for the MTFA Spring Derby, Charlie
Reading's Fly Fishing Expo, and/or the Men's
Retreat at the church in the Park, scroll down to our previous
report below for dates and details.
Stream
Conditions
The stream
at mid-morning was relatively unchanged from Sunday's report and looked
like the picture above. It was up just a couple of inches or so, a
little off-color and running fast. Then, a round of storms and heavy
downpours rolled through about 10:30 or so and left 2" of rain behind.
By mid-afternoon
today, the water had come up only another inch or so and looked pretty
good in Zone 1. However, it is becoming murkier the further downstream
you go.
Unfortunately, it is
quite likely that we could end up getting several more inches of
rain between now and Thursday morning, so stream conditions will
probably change even more in the next 24 hours. We'll keep an eye on
it, and should there be a dramatic change, we'll let you know with a
"bulletin."
Remember that you
can monitor stream depth and flow 24/7 on the USGS site (measured at the
Gauge House in Zone 1) at:
Stay tuned for
further developments.
Weather
All eyes are on the
skies, as very unstable weather once again impacts the Ozarks. We are
currently under a flash flood warning that extends into Thursday.
Here's the latest
forecast through the weekend:
Tonight:
Periods of showers and thunderstorms with locally heavy
rainfall possible. Lows in the mid-50s.
Thursday:
50% chance of morning showers. Cooler, with highs in the
mid-60s. Overnight low in the mid-40s.
Friday:
Partly sunny. High 71°' low 50°.
Saturday:
Partly sunny with a 40% chance of showers. High 75°; low 55°.
Sunday:
Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 60s; lows in the upper 40s.
Let's switch focus
now from the weather and what "might" happen, and talk instead about
the present, that is, the great fishing that's been taking place the
last couple of days.
Who's Been
Fishing?
By late Sunday
afternoon, the vast majority of the weekend's large crowd had pulled up
stakes and hit the road for home. Most of them had been here for the
Kids Day festivities.
Some of the adults
who did linger another day or two past Sunday confessed they did so
because: (1) they were counting on there being far fewer people on the
stream, and (2) they were gambling that there would be wall-to-wall fish
left over in Zones 2 and 3 from the ultra-heavy stocking that was done
for Kids Day on Saturday. And they were right on both counts!
The all new cast of
characters in the early week (some admittedly lured by our
peace-and-plenty promises in Sunday's report) has been small in numbers,
but they have reaped big rewards, that is, tranquil surroundings with
ample breathing room, and bunches of hungry, healthy fish in the stream.
How's Fishing?
Back in the headlines
of our mid-week "newscast" are the words Quality and Quantity. . .and
yes, we capitalized both words on purpose, because the fishing has been
first-rate the last couple of days. The momentum started building over
the weekend, and the beat goes on.
Lots of reports about
catching quite a few fish in short periods of time have reached our ears
this week, and the fact that quite a few of the fish being caught are
such nice size made for a double bonus and real win-win situation.
But let's hear it
from the anglers themselves (whose comments we recorded as close to
verbatim as we could when scribbling them down). It should be noted,
too, that many of these quotes did not come from people who were fishing
in that heavily-loaded Kids Day area. Several were fishing in Zone 1
as well as in the upper section of Zone 2.:
. "Caught 4 or 5
that must have been close to 2# and caught
a fish every 4 or 5
casts. I was so tired I had to sit down
on the handicap ramp
and rest!"
. "Thirty-seven
fish this morning, 30 yesterday morning,
and 16 the morning before that. Real nice ones
too."
. "I'll tell you what; there are some nice fish
down there. We each
got our 4, and now we need a bag of ice, 'cause we
don't want
them to spoil. These are going in the frying
pan."
. "Caught my best stringer, ever, today."
"Didn't have a strike the first 30 minutes, but
after
they warmed up, I caught a lot. Kept some really
nice ones, too."
. "Excellent fishing, decent size."
. "Let a dozen or more go, and what I kept were
12"
to 14" at least."
. "Fished in the river," (Tues. a.m.), "and you
can say in your
report that Super Dupers were tearin' 'em up. .
.plus the
four fish I kept were almost 2# each."
. "Probably my best fishing trip in 20 years.
Caught 50-60
between the two of us...I myself had 24 in the
first hour."
. "Never had so many strikes in my life. The
last hour
and a half was as good as the first 20 minutes in
the morning."
We rest our case.
Mid-Week
A-List
And just what, you
ask, are all those fish being caught on?
Here's what the
early-week anglers say is working best:
Jigs: Black
& yellow (either black head or gold head).
Mini jigs:
"John Deere" (but the White Floss was a real close first
runner-up).
Glo balls:
Any bright 3-color combination
Other: Super
Dupers (Zone 2 legal).
Dry flies:
Still not much, but here and there, we're hearing about
#18 Renegades as the thing to use if you're trying top-water.
Nymphs,
etc. : Olive Mohair Leech
Zone 3: Any
white prepared bait (White Power Bait, Zeke's White and White
Double-Double Glitter Power Bait all have been best sellers this week so
far).
Kids Day
Revisited
Kids Day this
past Saturday was a huge, memory-making event for 893 kids. We have a
couple more success stories to share here, news that didn't reach us
until after "press deadline" on Sunday night's report (scroll down in
case you missed the Kids Day coverage).
Kids Day often marks
the first time a youngster has ever fished or catches his or her first
fish. Twelve-year-old Emily Day of Laddonia,
MO (pictured above) caught her first fish ever on Kids Day
weekend: a brown beauty that now has her "officially hooked" on trout
fishing, according to her dad, Howard. Way to go, Emily! Keep up the
good work!
There were two more
lunkers that should be included in the Kids Day weekend tally, too. Ryan
Strope, Fulton, MO, caught a 3#, 4 oz. trout
on Sunday afternoon on a grub. And, Shelby
Finley, who was pictured on our last report for having caught a
2¼-pounder on Saturday during Kids Day, came back with an even bigger
trophy on Sunday: a 3#, 4 oz. fish that she caught
in Zone 3 on a worm.
Three cheers for
Emily, Ryan and Shelby!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As always, we've
enjoyed our Wednesday visit with you and invite you to check back with
us on Sunday for more sights, sounds and stories from Bennett Spring.
Let's make a date to meet again then.
Thanks for visiting,
and we hope you'll be at Bennett Spring soon -- in person -- and will
get caught fishing!
'til next time,
Jerry & Brenda Miller
Weaver's Tackle Store
OUR PREVIOUS REPORT:
Sunday,
May 4, 2008
Welcome! You are
now connected to our twice-weekly review of all-things-Bennett Spring,
where we're committed to bringing you fishing news that's factual,
frequently updated, and fun. Thanks for stopping by and for including
us in your week.
Kids Day headlined
the weekend just past, and in tonight's report, we'll be covering all
the who's-who and what's-what buzz from that special day, along with
bringing you an overview of the rest of the weekend. There's good
fishing news on both fronts, so away we go . . .
FYI
. May
fishing hours are: 6:30 a.m. - 8:15 p.m.
.
The next moss cutting in the stream is
scheduled for Tuesday, May 13, weather permitting.
.
You'll find our May "Trout Talk" specials online at
http://www.trouttalk.net/uploads/weaver_s-tackle-store.jpg .
We do mail orders and accept all major credit cards!
.
Special events in May include:
May
17 & 18: Missouri Trout Fishermen's Association Spring Derby.
Tagged fish and prizes. Registration $5. Open
to the public. For rules and more information, click on
http://www.geocities.com/kcmtfa/Spring_derby_welcome_2008.htm
May
16 & 17: Spring Men's Retreat at Bennett Spring Church of God
(next to dining lodge in the Park) Hosted by the men of
the church and open to the public. Worship services, devotionals,
meals, fishing tournament, and other outdoor activities. FFI: Pastor
T. J. Brown at 417-532-7531.
May
24 & 25: 4th Annual Fly Fishing Expo hosted by
Reading's Fly Shop. Fly tying demonstrations
and discussions, fly tying contest, casting lessons and tips. Factory
reps from major manufacturers. Call Charlie Reading at 417-588-4334 for
more info.
.
Many of you have asked us for information on the Lead
Mine community that's located about 25 miles from Bennett
Spring, where Mennonite farmers and merchants sell a variety of wares,
including homegrown produce, baked goods, handcrafted furniture, bulk
foods, spices, flowers, plants, and the like.
To answer
your main question, the stores are open for the season (including the
very popular Ozarks Winds Bakery featuring freshly-baked breads, pies,
cookies & pastries), and we now have maps showing the location of many
of the businesses. Stop by our store and pick up your copy!
Current Stream
Conditions
The severe
thunderstorms and heavy rains that had been predicted for this area on
Thursday and Friday thankfully missed us, and what little bit of rain we
did get early Friday morning barely registered in our rain gauge.
So, the stream is
looking better day by day and at this time is up only a couple
of inches. It continues to clear but does have a little
bit of a green tint to it. It's running fast
yet, so fishing deep is still our best advice for the most productive
results.
Weather
After a couple of
chilly nights (34° last night), it sounds like the jackets and hoodies
can come off again this coming week. You may need an umbrella, however.
Here's the latest
forecast:
Monday:
Partly sunny, with a 76° high and calm winds. Overnight low
53°.
Tuesday:
Mostly cloudy. Good chance of rain. High 74°; low 61°.
Wednesday:
Mostly cloudy. High 75°. Showers and thunderstorms likely
Wednesday night, with a low in the lower 50s.
Kids Day
Recap
Saturday was a very
special day for kids. The day was built around them and was all about
making sure they caught fish, in the hopes that having a little success
early-on would hook them for a lifetime.
Mother Nature didn't
fully cooperate with the temperatures on Saturday morning, but the sun
finally came out around noon, warming things up a bit and bringing out
more of a crowd.
There was so much
excitement and enthusiasm in the air, however, that weather didn't seem
to matter. One would have thought that each of the kids who
participated in Kids Day had been given a season pass to Disney World.
We were unable to
get a final count from the hatchery on the number of kids who registered
for Kids Day (we'll let you know in Wednesday's report), but we do know
for sure that hatchery staff stocked 3,900 fish in the special area that
was designated "kids only," from the hatchery outlet in Zone 2 down to
the Suzy Hole in Zone 3.
It was very
productive fishing for even the youngest of anglers (check out our long
lunker list below). The majority of the kids, parents, grandparents,
aunts and uncles we talked to on Saturday indicated that their
youngster(s) caught their limit (some within the first 30 minutes) or
got close to it. The largest catch we heard about was 4 kids catching
150 fish before 9 a.m.!
The special
demonstrations, exhibits and displays were also a major hit with both
kids and adults. One particular favorite was an educational exhibit
from the World Bird Sanctuary which featured an Eurasian eagle owl, a
Tawny owl, a Harris hawk and a Peregrine falcon; those birds stole the
show, the kids told us.
Kudos go to hatchery
personnel and the volunteers who worked hard to make Kids Day such
a special event. "We'll be back next year," was what we heard many
times over from families and kids. They're hooked now!
How Was Fishing?
(aside from
Kids Day)
You already know what
fishing was like for the kids on Saturday, but what about the adults who
weren't allowed to fish that day in the same place? And what about the
day before and they day after? Our opinion is -- based on the adults we
talked to -- the tide is turning!
One of our first
customers Friday morning said it was his best morning in two years. He
also mentioned that the fish he caught were very nice. He set the stage
for that day, because we had similarly good reports the rest of Friday;
the good news continued on through the weekend, too.
A group of 5 guys
from Terre Haute, Indiana, who've been fishing here
together for eight years, also reported excellent fishing and the best
year yet for numbers of big fish caught (including a lunker for one of
them).
A lot of adults said
they couldn't wait 'til Sunday to be able to get down to what had been
the kids-only area, because they knew it was still loaded with fish. We
even talked to one couple who have taken Monday as a vacation day to
gain this advantage!
As for the Sunday
fishing, it turned out to be a great day, for the most part.
The majority of the anglers we talked to (which was a mixture of new
people just arriving and some who had been here all weekend) said
they did well. Mostly, though, they mentioned the size of the fish
caught. "Every fish felt like it weighed 4# when I was reeling it in,"
one guy said. If you need more proof, read our lunker list for the
weekend!
And now, read on for
the second installment of a dry fly success story.
John Cearlock
of Vandalia, IL gave us our first glimmer of
hope for top-water fishing about 10 days ago, and we had hoped we'd hear
from him again after his return trip this week (to turkey hunt and trout
fish). We had an e-mail from John mid-week, and we'll let him take up
his story from here (it's even better than the earlier one):
"The Light Cahill
hatch above the dam is beginning to pick up nicely. Caught 20 fish
between 6 p.m. and the whistle (Tuesday night) and about 15 the night
before in the same time frame.
Size was key, as the
fish were very selective and only wanted Size 20. If you tried to go up
or down in size, the fishing was slow. Strikes were a ball, being
splashy and fierce! GREAT ACTION!
Skipping
Cracklebacks and woolies on full-sink line at mid-day was also very
productive, with fish mid-depth to deep in the water column.
Black/Blue, Chartreuse/Green and Black/Green in Size 10 were good bets.
All in all, I'd rate
fishing an A minus."
We're spreading the
news! Thanks, John. . . your experience is bound to be a good omen.
What's Hot?
The exit poll results
are in, and the weekend super-anglers' (both adults and kids) choices
are listed here:
Jigs: Black &
Yellow (be sure to notice how many times it appears on the
lunker list); Red & White; Red & Black.
Mini jigs:
"John Deere"; "Bedspread"; White Floss
Glo balls:
"Easter Egg" or "Jimi Hendrix" 3-color (tie for 1st);
Oregon Cheese; Dark Roe.
Other:
Rooster Tails (almost any bright color and fished slow and
deep); Kapok; red or hot pink brassies.
Dry flies,
nymphs, etc.: Activity still spotty, but small Light
Cahills, #16 Renegades and big Cracklebacks
are being talked about. Bead head wooly buggers
(fished on sinking line), deer hair bugs, and tan scuds
were also mentioned here and there over the weekend.
Zone 3:
Orange Double Glitter Power Bait; Yellow Glitter Power Bait; red &
white plastic worms.
Lunkers
Look at the length
of this lunker list! All but four of them were caught by kids ranging
in age from 4 to 15. They were so proud (and the envy of many adults)!
Biggest fish
honors go to 10-year-old Anissa Jensen of
Sedalia, MO. She caught a 5-pounder
and got a free fish mount too! She was using a black & yellow
marabou jig. Way to go, Anissa!
The rest of the
kids' list is most impressive, too. It reads like this:
. Caleb
Bryson, Ashland, MO (2#, 6 oz.)
. David
Bowman, Ashland, MO (2#, 4 oz.)
. Laredo
Payne (4 years old), Lebanon, MO (3#, 4 oz. - Power
Bait)
. Collin
Drummond, Hallsville, MO (3¼# - Ginger jig)
. Jacob
Schaffer, Laurie, MO (2 lunkers, a 3¼# and a 2½#, both caught
on a black & orange marabou jig).
. Hunter
Fullhart, Arkansas City, KS (2# - yellow plastic worm)
. Andrew
Power, Centralia, MO (2¼# - pink & white jig)
. Shelby
Finley (pictured above), Falcon, MO (2¼# - salmon eggs)
. Sean
Meier, Wildwood, MO (2½# - red & white Rooster Tail)
. Clark
Palmer, St. Clair, MO (2# - black & yellow jig)
. Jared
O'Dell, Wood River, IL (3# - black & yellow jig)
. Allen
Griffin, Rocheport, MO (3# - earthworm)
. Brant
Dooley, Hannibal - (3#, 4 oz. - minnow)
. Jaycie
Womack, Quincy, IL (2#, 8 oz. - Power Bait)
And congratulations
to the following adult fishermen who also caught lunkers over the
weekend:
. John
Bunch, Terre Haute, IN (4#, 12 oz. - caught on a black
& yellow jig).
. Buster
Witherspoon, Clinton, MO (3¾# - black & yellow jig)
. Mel
Boehme, High Ridge, MO (3#, 2 oz. - green Power Bait)
. Glen
Feeney, Maryland Heights, MO (2#, 4 oz. - black & yellow jig).
Good work, one and
all!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And so it goes on a
beautiful springtime evening at Bennett Spring. Look for our next
update at mid-week, and again, thanks for stopping by.
This one
afterthought. In case you skimmed the Kids Day section in tonight's
report, we'll mention again that 3,900 fish were stocked for Kids Day in
the designated areas of Zones 2 and 3. Not all those were caught, of
course, so it stands to reason that there are oodles and oodles of fish
left in the stream. Big ones too! And, as of this afternoon, most of
the crowd had departed.
If you can get away
soon and head this way, we think it would be worth your while.
'til next time,
Jerry & Brenda Miller
Weaver's Tackle
Store
Weaver's Tackle Store
11388 Highway 64
Lebanon, MO 65536
Phone: 417-532-4618
e-mail: weavers@missouritrout.com
The word on the trout stream is:
"WEAVER'S has the BEST prices!"
Come in and compare.
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