Bennett Spring State Park Fishing Report



Located 500 yards east of Missouri's Bennett Spring State Park
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	Trout Fishing Report for Bennett Spring Brought to you by Weaver's Tackle Store April 17, 2014 How's Fishing? Despite the rain we have gotten, the water at Bennett continues to be low and slow. This is great news for those who like to fish where they can see what they're fishing for or for those who like to fish on top water. The down side of this is that we so desperately need the rain. If you are planning to have a campfire, please keep it small and make sure that it's cold before you go to sleep. And if you are planning on burning leaves, please wait a few days. Although Friday and Saturday will be sunny and warm, there is a forecast for rain on Sunday. We have been seeing nice stringers this week. Very few anglers going home empty handed, and most have plenty for dinner as well as a few to take home. Experienced catch-and-release fisherman are talking about catching 30 fish before 10 a.m. The size of the fish seems to be hanging in there in the range of 1-1/4 plus pounds. As far as what to fish with, the tiny stuff seems to be working very well right now. A red or black midge fished two feet under the surface is a good example. Cracklebacks in holographic red or green are working well. We have been selling quite a few brassies - copper or red. If you like zone 3, it seems like the yellow glitter Power Bait or mini Trout Magnet minis are both working well. Just a note - moss cutting will happen next week on Wednesday and Thursday, and Kids fishing day is May 3rd. Water Conditions For this week: minimum was 84 in 1981 Today's output is 101 cubic feet per second - slightly down from last week 25th percentile is 144 Median is 237 Mean is 267 75th percentile is 360 Max was 666 in 1941 Gage house level is 1.99 feet Niangua River minimum was 133 (1992), today it's 107 - that's right, today is a record low again. Median is 592 Mean is 849 75th percentile is 1130 Max was 2500 in 2007 The discharge today is 107. Normal discharge is closer to 600 cfs What's Working? Marabou: black & yellow, white, powder pink, or gingersnap John deere and gray deere, white mini jig brown woolie, spinner optional brassies are the biggest winner: red, copper brown, or candy cane Brown roach White Rooster Tail From the fly case: zebra midge, red or black cracklebacks: red or blue holographic pale morning dun renegade or double trouble white or hot pink scud Zone 3 yellow glitter power bait Trout Magnet mini's red or pink plastic worms. Lunker Club 4-9-14 Bev Phipps from Clinton, MO 2-3/4 pounds in zone 1 on a white Rooster Tail 4-10-14 Rusty Gipson from Chesterfield, MO 2-1/2 pounds on a black & yellow marabou in zone 2 4-13-14 Terry Bush from Camdenton, MO 2 pounds 7 ounces in zone 2 on a black wolf dry fly Aaron Schaes from O'Fallon, MO 2-3/4 pounds on a white jig in zone 1 Fishing Times April from 7:00 to 7:30 May from 6:30 to 8:15 June/July from 6:30 to 8:30 August from 7:00 to 8:00 September from 7:30 to 7:15 October from 7:30 to 6:30 Weather Forecast Thursday A 30 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Wind chill values as low as 38 early. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon. • Friday Partly sunny, with a high near 64. • Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. • Sunday A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. • Monday A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 67. • Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 75 Calendar of Events April 22-23, Moss cutting May 3 - Kid's Fishing Day May 20-21, moss cutting June 7 & 8, Free fishing weekend June 15 weekend - Hillbilly Days June 24-25 moss cutting July 29-30 moss cutting August 19-20 moss cutting September 16-17 moss cutting October 14-15 moss cutting October 31 - last day of regular trout season November 14 first day of Catch & Release Season February 9, 2015 - Catch and Release season ends Quote of the Week Don't tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don't tell them where they know the fish. Mark Twain Thanks for reading, Lucy Contact Information for Bennett Spring Area http://mostateparks.com/content/trout-cam - trout camera http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?06923500 - real time water levels and cubic feet per second as well as historical data http://www.mo.gov/Recreation/Outdoors/Fishing/ - official Spring site http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Weavers-Tackle-Store/371940309303 - Weaver's Tackle Store Facebook Page Phone numbers for Park Agents: Dallas County: Matt Hitchings 417-733-3876 or Jarrad Jewell 417-733-0286 Laclede County: Walt Hutton 417-718-1111 or Jarad Millican 617-288-8749 OUR PREVIOUS REPORT: Trout Fishing Report for Bennett Spring Brought to you by Weaver's Tackle Store April 11, 2014 How's Fishing? The wind is calm, the temperature is warm (70 degrees as I write this) and it's not raining. Oh, and the fish are biting! We are getting reports of catch-and-release anglers pulling in 30 plus fish before 10 a.m. The most positive thing we have been hearing is that these fish are of an acceptable size. Anywhere from one and one quarter to one and three quarters seems to be the typical size. There are still smaller fish in the stream, but it has been very encouraging to see the larger fish in the stream and to hear the reports. The water is still super clear and very low. It's been so long since we've had rain in this area that the rain that we do get soaks into the ground as if the ground were a sponge. The weather forecast for the week calls for rain off and on, but I don't anticipate a significant change in the condition of the stream. The best day of the week will probably be Saturday. Sunny and warm with little wind. Who's Fishing? I enjoy seeing the returning groups and catching up on their lives. One of the groups that we see this time of year is Skip Russell's family and friends who come to Bennett every year to celebrate Skip's birthday. The group has a trophy (as several groups do) that gets passed to the team with the best stringer. This year they decided, that because there are now so many of them, to limit each stringer to two fish. We have pictures of the event posted on our facebook page - Weavers Tackle Store. Thanks for helping us to remember the reason we are here! And special thanks to Chad for getting the whole group to start coming to Bennett. Water Conditions April 9, 2014 for Bennett Spring, MO Bennett Spring output is 104 cubic feet per second - slightly higher than last week For this week: minimum was 82 in 1936 25th percentile is 130 Median is 197 Mean is 237 75th percentile is 308 Max was 740 in 1929 Gage house level is 1.99 feet Niangua River minimum was 96 in 2007 25th percentile is 130 Median is 251 Mean is 312 75th percentile is 469 Max was 789 in 2008 What's Working? Zones 1 and 2 Marabou: white, powder pink, or gingersnap John deere and gray deere glo balls: tri color #4, pink lady brown woolie, spinner optional brassies are the biggest winner: red, copper brown, or candy cane From the fly case: cracklebacks: red or blue holographic pale morning dun renegade or double trouble Zone 3 salmon peach power bait red or pink plastic worms. Fishing Times April from 7:00 to 7:30 May from 6:30 to 8:15 June/July from 6:30 to 8:30 August from 7:00 to 8:00 September from 7:30 to 7:15 October from 7:30 to 6:30 Weather Forecast Thursday: Mostly sunny with a high near 76. South wind 10 to 16 mph, gusty Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny with a high of 71. East wind 6 to 8 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Sunday : A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy with a high near 69. Monday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy with a high near 56. Calendar of Events April 22-23, Moss cutting May 3 - Kid's Fishing Day May 20-21, moss cutting June 7 & 8, Free fishing weekend June 15 weekend - Hillbilly Days June 24-25 moss cutting July 29-30 moss cutting August 19-20 moss cutting September 16-17 moss cutting October 14-15 moss cutting October 31 - last day of regular trout season November 14 first day of Catch & Release Season February 9, 2015 - Catch and Release season ends Quote of the Week Now I am . . . like anyone with a strong preference for the fly rod, totally indifferent to how large a fish I catch by comparison with other fishermen. So when a fifteen-year-old called Fred, fishing deep in midsummer with a hideous plastic worm, caught a four and a half pounder . . . I naturally felt no resentment beyond wanting to break the kid's thumbs. Author: Vance Bourjaily 1981 Thanks for reading! Lucy Contact Information for Bennett Spring Area http://mostateparks.com/content/trout-cam - trout camera http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?06923500 - real time water levels and cubic feet per second as well as historical data http://www.mo.gov/Recreation/Outdoors/Fishing/ - official Spring site http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Weavers-Tackle-Store/371940309303 - Weaver's Tackle Store Facebook Page Phone numbers for Park Agents: Dallas County: Matt Hitchings 417-733-3876 or Jarrad Jewell 417-733-0286 Laclede County: Walt Hutton 417-718-1111 or Jarad Millican 617-288-8749 Noted fly fisherman, Lefty Kreh was once asked by a non-fisherman what was the sense of catching fish only to let them go. He responded, "Do you burn your golf balls after a game?"


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