Trout Fishing Report for Bennett Spring 9-22-21



How's Fishing?
Break out the hoodies, the temperature on the water in the morning is nippy. There is very little pressure on the water during the week, and most anglers - if they keep fish - have caught four nice fish and are finished within an hour. Pale evening dun or a gnat can be used effectively in the shadows on the stream. Crackleback of all colors, but especially those with grizzly hackle seem to be working very well, too. The Bennett blue crackleback has been a favorite choice. One more goodie: a midge, especially a zebra midge. Black is a great color, of course, but the copper or red are also doing well.


Of Interest
This weekend is free fishing for women.
What: Ladies Free Fishing
Annual Ladies Day , Free Fishing for all the ladies.
When: Saturday, September 25, 2021
Time: 7:30 AM to 7:15 PM
Danny Goldsmith, who teaches rod building at Bennett Springs, has made a fly rod to be given away on Ladies Free Fishing Day to a lucky female angler. To sign up, stop at Larry's or Weaver's fly shops. Weavers is donating the fly line. Larry's is donating a reel. There is also a fly fishing lesson offered by Readings fly shop.



Bennett Spring water levels for 9-22-21
Gage House water level is 2.03
Daily Discharge levels:
All discharge numbers are in Cubic Feet per Second
minimum was 68 in 1937
25th percentile is 96
Current level is 115
Median is 110
Mean is 126
75th percentile is 146
Max was 395 in 1993

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

Niangua River water levels for 9-22-21

Gage House reading (water level) is .83 feet
Discharge levels in cubic feet per second:
Minimum was 17 in 1996
25th percentile is 41
Median is 50
Today's reading is 54.5
75th percentile is 130
Mean is 292
record high max was 3670 in 2009



Lunker Club
9-12-21
Ben Tripp from Carthage, IL
2 pounds on a cream mop fly
zone 1

9-13-21
Ray Voigt from Chesterfield, MO
2-1/2 pounds on a white marabou
zone 2

Nick Gassel from Troy IL
2-3/4 pounds on a red marabou
zone 1

9-16-21
Scott Nowak from Camdenton, MO
3-13/16 on a baby bass shad body
zone 3

9-17-21
RoyRoesch from Eureka, MO
2-1/2 pounds on orange power bait
Niangua River

9-18-21
Drew Parkhurst from Eagleville, MO
2-1/4 pounds on cheese bait
zone 3

Carol Pettigrew from Ashland, MO
2.4 pounds on a hand tied lure
zone1

Sharon Thrasher from Bevier MO
2 pounds on a white gut lure
Niangua River

9-22-21
Jane Langston from Lebanon, MO
2-1/4 pounds on yellow and black rooster tail
zone 2



What's working?
From the Fly Case
cracklebacks: bennett blue, black, pearl, gold with furnace hackle
midge - zebra
Renegades
san juan worms - red

Zone 1 & 2
marabou: orange, red & black, gingersnap, black & yellow
white or cream mini jig
olive wooly bugger
john deere mini jig
glo ball -original tri color, egg with red dot
bedspread mini jig

Zone 3
live worms
power bait: white
chartreuse power bait worms



Events at Bennett
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: .
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.

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.

November 6 &7
The first weekend in November Stream Team #5462 will be holding a three day clean-up of the Bennett Spring. This year we will have two dive shops assisting us in this endeavor. James Presley will lead Diventures of Springfield in Zone 1 and Chris Heitman will lead Show-Me Scuba of Springfield in Zone 2 & 3. Our hope is to get a lot of fishing line, lures, etc. out of the Bennett Spring while other participants can clean the trash above and around the Spring. All are welcome to help! We made this a weekend event to allow for many participants as an end of the season family activity. If you know someone that wants to participate, there will be a daily sign-up sheet in the nature center from 10 am to 4 pm so that we may have record of all that attend for the purpose of Stream Team reporting. Participants can get gloves and trash bags at the nature center.
Patricia Chambers
417-532-3925

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~ Veterans Free Fishing Day



FISHING HOURS

BEGIN
END
September
7:30 A.M.
7:15 P.M.
October
7:30 A.M.
6:30 P.M.



Quote of the Week
The curious thing about fishing is you never want to go home. If you catch anything, you can't stop. If you don't catch anything, you hate to leave in case something might bite.
Author:
Gladys Taber - 1941

Thanks for reading,
Lucy

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