Fishing Report 4/9/2021
How's Fishing?
Fishing is great! The stream has cleared up a lot, full of trout, and gets better each day. I have had pretty good luck on Bennett blue cracklebacks' on top or subsurface. Marabou in yellow and red is working great on a flyrod or spinning rod. I hear great things about orange Powerbait or Bentley's Secret Bait in Zone three.
Spring is a time of renewal, rebirth, and a return to long forgotten traditions. Spring is also a beautiful time to visit Bennett Spring State Park.
See you on the stream!
Bennett Blue Crackleback Recipe
- Hook Size and manufacturer is dependent on your preference. I like to use a size 10 on a regular basis, but sometimes I tie smaller.
- Peacock Herl (the greener the better for me)
- Blue Pearl Braid
- Hackle color of your choice. I like to use natural grizzly. Furnace or brown hackle is the color used most often
- I use white Uni-thread in a 6/0 or Veevus in an 8/0, which helps me to not crowd the eye of the hook.
If you are new to tying or would like to see this fly tied please feel free to contact me (Devin at Weaver's Tackle Store).
Have a great week!
Water Conditions (Comparison)
Bennett Spring
April 9, 2021
Gage house level is 2.37 feet
Daily Discharge levels:
All discharge numbers are in Cubic Feet per Second
minimum was 82.0 in 1936
25th percentile is 130
Current level is 261
Median is 202
Mean is 232
75th percentile is 292
Max was 740 in 1929
March 23, 2021
Gage house level is 2.89 feet
Daily Discharge levels:
All discharge numbers are in Cubic Feet per Second
minimum was 80.0 in 1936
25th percentile is 130
Current level is 439
Median is 186
Mean is 228
75th percentile is 285
Max was 784 in 2012
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=06923500
Niangua River
April 9, 2021
Gage House reading (water level) is 1.84 feet.
Discharge levels in cubic feet per second:
Minimum was 88.9 in 2016
25th percentile is 125
Median is 259
Today's reading is 223
75th percentile is 349
Mean is 287
record high max was 789 in 2008
March 23, 2021
Gage House reading (water level) is 2.85 feet.
Discharge levels in cubic feet per second:
Minimum was 42.0 in 1996
25th percentile is 149
Median is 287
Today's reading is 611
75th percentile is 594
Mean is 434
record high max was 1610 in 2012
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=06923250
What's Working?
From the Fly Case
Pale Evening Dun
Bennett Blue Cracklebacks'
Wooly Buggers- olive, purple, brown
Blue Wing Olive
Zone 1 or 2
Mopflies- cream, orange, olive
Megaworms-white, pink, red
Purple Nurple Mini Jig
Opossum Hair Roaches~ brown, white
Peacock jigs
John Deere
Original Tricolor Glo-balls
Peach Fur Bugs
Popsicle Glo-Balls
Jimi Hendrix Glo-Balls
Purple Dot Glo-balls
Monarch Mini Jigs
Marabou - black and yellow, gingersnap, Shell and white, white, John Deere (Moss and Yellow), moss, ginger, yellow, red and white, pink and white, Crawdad~Tricolor Marabou
Rooster Tails-White, Fluorescent Orange, Brown
Zone 3
Fluorescent Orange Powerbait
Glitter White Powerbait
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 Garlic and Original
Weather Forecast
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 76. Wind chill values as low as 42 early. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 59. Light northwest wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 73.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.
Tuesday: A chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.
Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 59.
Windyville MO
37.72°N 92.92°W (Elev. 1024 ft)
Lunker Club
3/27/2021
Ramon Perez from St. Louis, MO 2 1/2 pounds in zone 1 on a white jig with a gold head
3/27/2021
Ethan Thomas from Normal, IL 2 1/4 pounds in zone 2 on a white megaworm
Kyle Perez from Springfield, MO 2 pounds in zone 1 on an olive/yellow marabou
3/28/2021
Joey Owens from Indy, IN 2 pounds in zone 2 on a blue marabou
3/29/2021
Jeremy McWhirter from Kalkaska, MI 2 1/2 pounds in zone 2 on a chartreuse crackleback
3/30/2021
Dennis Bonath from Bella Vista, AR 2.1 pounds in zone 3 on a white Powerbait worm
Rich Hunt from St. Louis, MO 2.2 pounds in zone 2 on a shammy
4/2/2021
Scott Waldron from Wentzville, MO 2 pounds in zone 3 on salmon eggs
Dave Rogers from Hazelwood, MO 4.5 pounds in zone 2 on a pink/white glo-ball
Gannon Baylous from Hartsburg, MO 2 pounds in zone 3 on a yellow rubber worm
Ritchie Branstietter from Latchrop, MO 2 pounds in zone 2 on a black and yellow marabou
4/3/2021
Gail Mann from Hartsburg, MO 2 1/2 pounds in zone 1 on a marabou jig
4/4/2021
Ritchie Branstietter from Latchrop, MO 2 3/4 pounds in zone 2 on a black and yellow marabou
4/6/2021
Scott Westfall from Vandenberg Village, CA 2 3/4 pounds in zone 2 on a Jimi Hendrix Glo-ball
Scott Westfall from Vandenberg Village, CA 2 1/4 pounds in zone 2 on an olive woolly bugger
One of Scott Westfall's lunkers that he had the State Park Lodge cook up for him! Nice fish Scott!
Calendar of Events
Bennett Spring State Park
April Activities
9 & 10 —Fly Rod Building Class, 6 pm to 9 pm,
Nature Center
Learn how to construct a fly rod during this two night
class. Participants must provide their own fly rod kit
(purchase online or through a local fishing shop). 10
person limit. Call 417-532-3925 to register.
11 – Blacksmith Demonstration, 10 am – 4 pm at Shelter B
Watch blacksmith Matthias Penn display his craft. A coal forge from
the late 1800's and traditional tools will be used to make a wide
variety of ironwork.
22 – Traditional Quilting – Trout, 11 am, Nature Center
This program combines history and quilting. A presentation on trout will be followed
by creation of a trout quilting block and instruction on applique technique. 10 person
limit. Program will be recorded.
24 – Hummingbird Hike, 10 am, Nature Center
Activity/Game 11 am – 2 pm
Join the park naturalist on a hike to discover hummingbird habitat and to
try to spot these aerial acrobats. A related craft or game held in a come-
and-go format will follow the hike.
April 17, 2021~ Veteran's Free Fishing Day
May 1, 2021~ Kids Free Fishing Day
Weed Cutting May 18th and 19th
Free Fishing For Everyone. This event runs two days 5th and the 6th of June. When: Saturday, June 5, 2021 Time: 6:30 AM to 8:30 PM
Weed Cutting June 22nd and 23rd
Weed Cutting August 3rd and 4th
Weed Cutting September 14th and 15th
September 27, 2021~Ladies Free Fishing Day
Holland Derby
The annual Holland Derby. Fishing derby for fund raising for The American Cancer Society. Derby runs two days 9th and 10th. Tagged trout released to win prizes if caught.
When: Saturday, October 9, 2021
Time: 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM
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
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
Fall. The light fades early; the angler is pinched for time. At sunset he considers how he might best use the remaining hour, which reminds him - in a flash - of mistakes and misconceptions of hours, weeks, and years gone by. Don't try to be fancy now, he tells himself; go with what works.
Author:
Geoffrey Norman
Published:
The Ultimate Fishing Book-
Thanks for reading,
Devin