Fishing Report 3/4/2021

How's Fishing?

Welcome Baaaaaaaaack!!! 

Opening Day, March 1st, is the equivalent of Christmas morning in my mind, heart, and soul.  It embodies an amazing lifelong tradition for so many people.  The feeling in the crisp, frigid air (25 degrees Fahrenheit) vibrates with excitement and a child-like giddiness.  The camaraderie and sense of belonging to an infinite fly-fishing family is without measure. 

Wayne Simpson was the "siren ringer," for Opening Day.  He is an avid flyfisherman, fly tyer, and friend. He loves Bennett Spring and dedicated his ringing of the siren to his best friend Mike Ross that passed away March 4, 2020.  Wayne and Mike are fly tyers. What does Tyer mean?
It is a noun, One who ties, or unites. Fly fishing, fly tying, and the tradition of Opening Day unite all of us past, present, and future generations.

I have not been down to fish the stream yet, but I hear good things about black and yellow marabou and John Deere flies, two of my all time favorites,  glad we are training this new group of trout properly. We all know trout are tricky.  The stream is low, clear, and packed to the "gills," with beautiful trout. 

Tag sales for Opening Day were as follows:

Adult tags:  1,579

Kids:  130

Total:  1,709 tags

See you on the stream!

Water Conditions

Bennett Spring

March 4, 2021
Gage house level is 2.15 feet
Daily Discharge levels:
All discharge numbers are in Cubic Feet per Second
minimum was 87.3 in 2015
25th percentile is 129
Current level is 200
Median is 180
Mean is 227
75th percentile is 233
Max was 2250 in 1984


https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=06923500

Niangua River

March 4, 2021
Gage House reading (water level) is 1.90 feet.
Discharge levels in cubic feet per second:
Minimum was 75.0 in 1996
25th percentile is 104
Median is 237
Today's reading is 239
75th percentile is 461
Mean is 402
record high max was 2650 in 2008


https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=06923250

What's Working?

From the Fly Case

Blue Wing Olive

Pale Evening Dun
Black Caddis
Bennett Blue Cracklebacks
Wooly Buggers- olive



Zone 1 or 2

Mopflies- cream, orange
Megaworms-white, pink
Purple Haze Mini Jig
Opossum Hair Roaches~ brown, white

John Deere
Original Tricolor Glo-balls
John Deere with Yellowtail
Peach Fur Bugs
Popsicle Glo-Balls
Jimi Hendrix Glo-Balls
Tricolor Sockeye Glo-Balls
Marabou - black and yellow, gingersnap, Shell and white, white, John Deere (Moss and Yellow),  moss, ginger, yellow, red and white, pink and white
Rooster Tails-White

Zone 3

Marshmallow White Powerbait
Salmon Peach PowerBait
PowerBait Power Eggs Red, Bubblegum, White, Orange
Bumblebee PowerBait
Fluoroscent Orange Powerbait Nuggets
Yellow Powerbait Nuggets
Salmon Eggs
Bentley's Secret Bait

Weather Forecast

Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Wind chill values as low as 39 early. East wind 7 to 11 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 57. Light southeast wind.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63.

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65.


Windyville MO
37.72°N 92.92°W (Elev. 1024 ft)

Lunker Club

3/1/2021

Leona Yardley from Blue Springs, MO 3 1/2 pounds in zone 1 on a Mepps spinner

Daniel Devorrs from Olathe, KS 3 1/2 pounds in zone 2 on a white marabou

Joe Sevy from Harrisonville, MO 2 3/4 pounds in zone 1 on a brown marabou

Winton Reynolds from Peavey, MO 5 pounds in in zone 1 on a black and yellow marabou

Dustin Gibbons from Ozark, MO 3 pounds 10 oz in zone 3 on a Bobby Garland Jig

Dustin Gibbons from Ozark, MO 3 pounds 12 ounces in zone 3 on a Bobby Garland Jig

Sam Campbell from Missouri 2 1/4 pounds in zone 2 on a rubber leg jig

Abby Pauley from Columbia, MO 4 pounds in zone 3 on doughbait

Bernie Bales from Mt. Grove, MO 3 1/4 pounds in zonee 1 on a Jimi Hendrix Glo-ball

Robbie Pauley from Ashland, MO 4 1/4 pounds in zone 3 brown doughbait

Roberta Moore from Lebanon, MO 3 1/4 pounds in zone 3 on Powerbait

Ron Thomas from Felton, MO 2 1/4 pounds in zone 2 on a green midge

Ryan Courtney from Savannah, MO 2 1/2 pounds in zone 1 on a mopfly

3/2/2021

Phil Meyer from St. Peters, MO 2 1/2 pounds in zone 1 on black and yellow jig

Paul Doherty from Kansas City, MO 2 pounds in zone 1 on a white marabou

Cliffton Hill from Jefferson, City, MO6 1/2 pounds in zone 2 on a white marabou

Jim Lucas from O'Fallon, MO 3 1/4 pounds in zone 3 on a plastic jig

Todd Bauer from Peoria, IL 2 pounds in the Niangua River on White Powerbait

3/3/2021

Tom Shelley from Hillsboro, MO 2 pounds in zone 1 on a red and white marabou

Calendar of Events

For additional information, please call 417-532-4418 or 417-532-7612.

There is a list at https://mostateparks.com/events/park/bennett-spring-state-park that gives all the details of other activities, such as hikes that are going on at Bennett Spring State Park through out the year.

FISHING HOURS

BEGIN
END

March

6:30 A.M. CST
6:00 P.M. CST

7:30 A.M. CDT
7:00 P.M. CDT


April

7:00 A.M.
7:30 P.M.


May

6:30 A.M.
8:15 P.M.


June

6:30 A.M.
8:30 P.M.


July

6:30 A.M.
8:30 P.M.


August
7:00 A.M.
8:00 P.M.


September
7:30 A.M.
7:15 P.M.


October
7:30 A.M.
6:30 P.M.

Daylight Saving Time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

Quote of the Week

 What we are doing to the rivers of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to future generations

Author:

NA

Thanks for reading,

Devin