Trout Fishing Report for Bennett Spring - October 12, 2021
How's Fishing?
Our catch and keep season is winding down quickly. Because the 30th and 31st are on a Saturday and Sunday, there are three more weekends of the season in this month.
The Holland Derby was last weekend and it was such beautiful weather! The water was stunningly clear, comfortably cool temperatures and no wind.
A lot of nice sized fish were put in the stream and there were a lot of anglers with lines in the water to catch them. Tag sales were up to 1209 on Friday and 1278 on Saturday. For comparison, on opening day this year there were 1709 tags sold.
As far as what's working, it's really hard to say what is a good choice to use, because almost everything is. Cracklebacks are a super choice. Anything salmon or peach colored - for example glo-balls, fur bugs, power bait- is also working.
Whatever your favorite, enjoy your time on the stream.
Bennett Spring water levels for 10-12-21
Gage House water level is 1.97
Daily Discharge levels:
All discharge numbers are in Cubic Feet per Second
minimum was 78.6 in 2017
25th percentile is 96
Current level is 103
Median is 112
Mean is 156
75th percentile is 140
Max was 1530 in 1970
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=06923500
Niangua River water levels for 10-12-21
Gage House reading (water level) is .83 feet
Discharge levels in cubic feet per second
Minimum was 19 in 1993
25th percentile is 33
Median is 54
Today's reading is 54.5
75th percentile is 185
Mean is 115
record high max was 618 in 2010
Lunker Club
9-29-21
Tim Reichert from Warrenton, MO
2-1/2 pounds on a pink jig
zone 2
9-30-21
Jim Hamilton from Kirksville, MO
2.4 pounds on yellow power bait
zone 3
10-1-21
Jack Davis from Marthasville, MO
4 pounds on a black & yellow jig
zone 2
Harry Goodwin from Louisburg, KS
2-1/2 pounds on a red brassie
zone 1
10-2-21
Amanda Nimmo from Buffalo MO
2 pounds on a black and yellow marabou
zone 1
10-3-21
Dale Swanson from Collinsville, IL
2 pounds on an olive crackleback
zone 2
10-4-21
Sandy Bennett from Jeff City, MO
2 pounds on a shrimp
zone 3
Frank Paulo from Fairview Heights, IL
2.2 pounds on a pink & white marabou
zone 2
Donna Ellison from Eolia, MO
2.2 pounds on a pink & white marabou
zone 2
Carol Heath from Dittmer, MO
2-1/2 pounds on a Capt. Dave Wooly
zone 1
10-5-21
Steve Saladino from Kansas City, MO
2-1/2 pounds on a peacock wooly
zone 1
Dustin Gibbons from Lake Ozark, MO
2-3/4 pounds on a bibby garland minnow
zone 3
Connor Cooper from Carl Junction, MO
2.4 pounds on a grey scud
zone 2
10-6-21
John Modesto from St. Louis MO
5-1/4 pounds on a crackleback
zone 1
10-7-21
Don Detjen from Union MO
2-1/8 pounds on a black & yellow marabou
zone 1
Kimberly Horm from Festus MO
3 pounds on a salmon egg
zone 3
Russell Wisa from St. Charles MO
2 pounds on a black & yellow marabou
zone 1
10-9-21
Jordan Kauffman from St. Louis MO
2-1/4 pounds on an orange sucker spawn
zone 2
Tim Russo from Festus, MO
5 pounds on a tan ghost
Zone 2
10-10-21
Craig Horman from Alma, MO
2 pounds on pink glo ball;
zone 1
Jeff Gibbs from Liberty, MO
2 pounds on a green olive jig
zone 2
10-11-21
Ian Garber from Rogersville, MO
2 pounds on a spoon
zone 2
What's working?
From the Fly Case
cracklebacks: bennett blue, red
midge - black or red zebra
Renegades, original and firecracker red
griffiths gnat
sow bugs
scuds, flesh color
Zone 1 & 2
marabou: black & yellow, gingersnap, white, peach & brown, peach & white
white or cream thread jig
john deere mini jig
glo ball -easter egg, original tri color, jimi hendrix, peach
spoon jig
peacock wooly
Zone 3
salmon egg
live worms
power bait: white, salmon peach
shrimp
Events at Bennett Spring
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.
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 a 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
October
7:30 A.M.
6:30 P.M.
I related intimately with the following quote. I'm sure many of you will.
Quote of the Week
We are what we cross paths with - not what we seek out, but what takes hold of us. Those associations create our core. They become the essence of our being. A little stream grabbed hold of me and became a meandering baseline, an anchor point from which I could take all bearings for things to come
Author
Craig Spinner
Published:
From the Essay 'Nature has a Way of Finding us All'
Thanks for reading,
Lucy