How's Fishing?
Fishing has been amazing! The warmer weather is giving us some great fishing with dry flies in the afternoons and evenings. There is nothing quite like the visual provided by a trout rising to engulf a fly. This visual also provides a knee-jerk reaction of excitement that yanks the fly out of the trouts' mouth! The water has some residual stain from our springtime rain a few weeks ago. The stream looks great for this time of year compared to years gone by. The stream is stocked in correlation with the tag sales at Bennett Spring State Park. As the weather continues to get warmer we will see more people flock to the stream, which increases the amount of trout in the stream.
Of Interest:
We all have our traditions, but an interesting and fun annual tradition at Bennett Spring State Park is the "D" Cup Tournament. What started as a father and son trip 28 years ago has turned into a gathering of 27 men that come from near and far to enjoy the fishing, friendship, and competition for one weekend every Spring. The patriarch of this angling tribe is Skip Russell. He takes immense pride in this tradition he has developed over the past two decades. Last Saturday was the awards ceremony that included a traveling trophy that rivals the likes of the Stanley Cup presented to the winning team. There is also a celebratory fish fry for all participants. The "D" Cup Champions for 2019 were: John Russell, Skip Russell, Taylor White, Sean Mahoney, and John Ryan. Congratulations!!! We hope your tradition continues to withstand the test of time.
Water Conditions
Bennett Spring
April 7, 2019
Gage house level is 2.37 feet
Daily Discharge levels:
All discharge numbers are in Cubic Feet per Second
minimum was 77.0 in 1936
25th percentile is 130
Current level is 256
Median is 194
Mean is 233
75th percentile is 279
Max was 315 in 1986
Niangua River
April 7, 2019
Gage House reading (water level) is 2.16 feet.
Discharge levels in cubic feet per second:
Minimum was 94.6 in 2016
25th percentile is 126
Median is 263
Today's reading is 298
75th percentile is 392
Mean is 302
record high max was 818 in 2013
What's Working?
From the Fly Case
Bennett Blue Cracklebacks
Red Cracklebacks
Olive Griffiths' Gnats
Pale Evening Dun
Renegades
Olive RGN's
Black Caddis
Yellow Elk Hair Caddis Emerger
Zone 1 or 2
Chartreuse, Orange, Olive, Yellow Mopflies
White and red mini jigs
White mini jigs
John Deere
White and pink megaworms
Apricot supreme red dot glo-balls
Tricolor glo-balls
Light roe red dot glo-balls
Jimi Hendrix glo-balls
Marabou - black and yellow, gingersnap, ginger, white, pink and white, salmon and white
Rooster Tails - Bumblebee, Skunk, Metallic Lime Tiger, Brown Trout, Tinsel Watermelon Tiger, Tinsel Rainbow Tiger, Yellow Spot
Zone 3
Bubblegum Powerbait Worms
White Glitter Powerbait
Yellow Powerbait
Rainbow Powerbait
Salmon Peach Glitter Powerbait
Fishing Times
BEGIN
END
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.
Weather Forecast
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Breezy, with a south wind 13 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Breezy.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58.
Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59.
Windyville MO
37.72°N 92.92°W (Elev. 1024 ft)
Lunker Club
4/2/2019
Steven Henry from Lebanon, MO 2.1 pounds in zone 2 on a brown and gold marabou
4/4/2019
Jeff Cunningham from Higbee, MO 3 1/4 pounds in zone 1 on a zebra midge
4/5/2019
Bruce West from Kansas City, MO 2 pounds in zone 3 on a white worm
4/6/2019
Joe Gicona from O'Fallon, MO 2 pounds in zone 1 on a white mopfly
Derek Gray from Chillacothe, MO 2 1/2 pounds in zone 2 on a red and white woolie
4/7/2019
Derek Gray from Chillacothe, MO 3 1/2 pounds in zone 2 on a red and white woolie
4/8/2019
Kathy Pezold from Columbia, MO 2 pounds in zone 1 on a ginger marabou
Calendar of Events
Weed Cutting- April 10-11
Veterans' Free Fishing Day - April 27, 2019
Kids' Free Fishing Day - May 4, 2019
The Mayfly Project Fly Tying Night at the Bennett Spring Church of God Annex Building - www.TheMayFlyProject.com . May 10, 2019 6-8 P.M.
Weed Cutting-May 22-23
State of Missouri Statewide Free Fishing Days--- June 8th and 9th
Weed Cutting- June 26-27
Weed Cutting- August 7-8
Weed Cutting September 18-19
Women's Free Fishing Day - September 28, 2019
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 though out the year.
Quote of the Week
My best fishing-memory is about some fish that I never caught.
Author:
George Orwell
Published:
Coming Up for Air - 1939
Thanks for reading,
Devin