Fishing Report for 7-28-21
How's Fishing?
It's going to be hot this week. It's been a great summer with warm weather but not excessive heat. This week isn't that way. We're going to feel it. A great reason to head to the stream.
Working where I do, one of my greatest pleasures is the stories the fishermen bring back to the store. Today's story was of a young man, Caleb, who caught his first lunker off the whistle bridge. He was fishing with his family and a group of family friends that included their pastor, Chris. Chris caught a very nice fish with a gingersnap marabou but wasn't able to land it. When it swam off, it scooted through the tube and out the other side. Caleb's line was there waiting with salmon peach power bait. The fish took it and ran, but not far. Caleb's dad was there to help him with a net and he had his first ever lunker. The same lunker that Chris had caught shortly before. They knew this because it still had the marabou in it's lip. This was just not Chris' day. It definitely wasn't the fish's, but it was Caleb's!
It promises to be a great weekend. See you on the stream,
Bennett Spring water levels for 7-27-21
Daily Discharge levels:
All discharge numbers are in Cubic Feet per Second
minimum was 81 in 1934
25th percentile is 110
Current level is 329 -new max for this date
Median is 136
Mean is 144
75th percentile is 161
Max was 299 in 1990
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=06923500
Niangua River water levels for 7-27-21
Gage House reading (water level) is 1.97 feet
Discharge levels in cubic feet per second:
Minimum was 17 in 2012
25th percentile is 36
Median is 62
Today's reading is 286
75th percentile is 104
Mean is 93
record high max was 353 in 2016
Lunker Club
7-23-21
Jeff Mattes from Chapin, IL
2-6/10 pounds on john deere green rooster tail
zone 2
Sean Luebbert from Rich Fountain, MO
2 pounds on a white marabou
zone 2
7-27-21
Destin Creel from Brookfield, MO
2.5 pounds on a black & yellow marabou
zone 1
7-28-21
Caleb Wilkinson from Marble Hill, MO
2-1/4 pounds on salmon peach dough bait
zone 3
What's Working?
From the Fly Case
chartreuse crackleback
bennett blue crackleback
weighted ginger wooly
Zone 1 & 2
marabou - gingersnap, gray, orange, black, or chartreuse marabou
bead head black wooly bugger with flash
white or tan mop worm
john deere mini jig
white floss jig
red and white floss jig
Zone 3
live worms
orange, chartreuse, or marshmallow power bait
gulp chunky chartreuse
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Bennett Tradition quilting
In commemoration of the Missouri bicentennial, Bennett Spring State Park will host a monthly program entitled Bennett Traditions. Each program will include a 20-minute presentation about a natural and/or historic topic that pertains to the area. The presentation will be followed by a 20-minute lesson from Karen Jaegers about quilting that relates back to the presentation topic. The event will conclude with a short question-and-answer session led by June Buckles of Buckles, Bobbins and Bolts quilt shop.
Dates, presentation topics, quilt block designs and quilting techniques are as follows:
Aug. 26 - Snakes; snake block; batting choices and the process.
Sept. 23 - Birds; flying geese block; choosing techniques (primitive vs. machine).
Oct. 28 - Trees; maple leaf block; binding techniques.
Registration is required and limited to 10 people. Each program will be recorded and posted online at a future date. To register or for more information, contact the Bennett Spring nature center at 417-532-3925.
PROGRAM TIME: 11 A.M.
HOW TO BUILD A FLY ROD
8/13/2021 TO 8/14/2021 | BENNETT SPRING STATE PARK | LEBANON, MO
Instructor Danny Goldsmith will teach students how to construct a fly rod during this two-night class held at the nature center. Whether you have never made a rod before or are looking for new tricks of the trade, this class is for you. Participants must provide their own fly rod kit, which can be purchased online or through a local fishing shop.
Participation is limited to 10 individuals. Call 417-532-3925 to register.
PROGRAM TIMES: 6 P.M. - 9 P.M.
Weed Cutting September 14th and 15th
Aug. 21 - Songbirds
Bennett Spring State Park will be hosting monthly birding activities geared toward youth but open to all ages. Each month will highlight a different species or category of bird. Programs will start at 10 a.m. with a hike to see the birds' preferred habitat and to try to locate the featured species. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be a related activity designed in a come-and-go format at the nature center.
. For more information, call 417-532-3925.
PROGRAM TIMES: 10 A.M. - 2 P.M.
Nature Center | 417-532-4338
THIRD ANNUAL AND MISSOURI BICENTENNIAL PICKING UP PAWPAWS CONTEST
9/15/2021 TO 9/25/2021 | BENNETT SPRING STATE PARK | LEBANON, MO
The pawpaw is our largest edible fruit. It can grow up to 6 inches long and is often compared to a banana with mango flavor. The fruit can be eaten raw or baked. Lewis and Clark were known to eat them on their expedition in 1806, Native Americans wove the inner bark into fibers for cloth, and pioneers used the inner bark for stringing fish. The pawpaw is also Missouri's state fruit tree.
Can you find the biggest pawpaw? Help celebrate this edible part of Missouri's history from Sept. 15 through Sept. 25. We invite you to search your own private pawpaw patch to find the biggest pawpaw you can. Bring it to the nature center at Bennett Spring State Park on the dates and times below to be officially entered into the contest. Peak ripening is in September.
Pawpaws will be weighed at the nature center Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pickers will provide their name and phone number along with the county in Missouri where the pawpaw was harvested. A photo will be taken of each picker with his or her pawpaw.
CONTEST DATES: SEPT. 15-25
WEIGH-IN TIMES: WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY, 10 A.M. TO 3 P.M.
September 25, 2021 Ladies Free Fishing at Bennett Spring State Park
7:30 AM - 7:15 PM
Holland Derby
The annual Holland Derby. Fishing derby for fundraising for The American Cancer Society. Derby runs two days - 9th and 10th. Tagged trout are released, they will 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 throughout the year.
Events for 2022 - save the date.
April 23, 2022~ Veteran's Free Fishing Day
FISHING HOURS
BEGIN
END
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.
Quote of the Week
“Somebody behind you while you are fishing is as bad as someone looking over your shoulder while you write a letter to your girl.”
Ernest Hemingway
Thanks for reading
Lucy