Winter Trout Fishing

Bennett Springs is a Missouri State Park located near Lebanon Missouri. The highlight of this state park is a 1.2 mile spring branch of the Niangua River that is stocked with Rainbow Trout daily from March 1^st to October 31^st. It is also stocked with brown trout in the spring and the fall. During this time you can keep four trout a day, but you have to buy a daily tag before fishing. During November to February, they open the stream Friday-Monday for catch and release angling. You either have to use fly fishing gear or lures with one hook. Soft plastic lures and bait are not allowed.

My dad and I had the bug to go fishing, but since it is January, most places nearby are frozen over. We knew Bennett wouldn’t freeze, so we decided to take a day trip there. I had never been, and he had once during the catch- and-keep season, so we had no idea what to expect. We began by going into the tackle shop to pick up some hair jigs and supplies. We ended up using nothing but the jigs we bought there all day.

The first spot we pulled up to was a deep turbulent pool with water from the fish hatchery pouring into the stream from one side. Right away we could see dozens of fish swirling around. We got out and hurriedly tied on jigs. I tied on a bright green jig while my dad opted for a darker olive one. As we got closer to the water we saw how many fish were really in the crystal-clear water. There were likely 150-200 fish in this one hole! 3 casts in my dad hooks up with the first rainbow of the day. He releases it and hooks up with another one. And another one. After his fourth fish in ten minutes to my none, I asked him what I was doing wrong. He theorized it was in the color of the jig. He offered me his rod while he went to tie up a fly rod, and soon I had my first Bennett Springs rainbow trout.

By the time my dad got the fly rod all ready, I had caught and released four rainbow trout. It was obvious that we were in a good fishing hole. We continued to catch average sized 11-14-inch trout very consistently for about an hour before we both saw something special. I casted deep into a pool and as I was bringing my bait we spotted a monster trout following it in aggressively. I quickly reeled in my jig and casted again. The big one followed it again, and this time he nipped at the jig. I wasn’t able to hook him, and he swam out of casting distance. It was the biggest trout I had ever seen, about twice as long as the fish surrounding it and a lot wider. W

e continued to fish that hole for another 45 minutes, but we never got another chance at the lunker.

After we caught 20+ fish at the hatchery discharge we drove down to a bridge by the confluence of the Bennett branch into the Niangua. I fished one side of the bridge and my dad fished another. I caught two rainbows and my dad caught one and lost one. We were getting hungry, so we decided to drive to a place that I could fish while my dad made lunch. We found a spot under a rocky waterfall that sufficed. While my dad made Mac and Cheese on a propane stove, I caught 2 more rainbows.

 

After we ate we moved to a big waterfall. The water from the falls gouged out a deep, wide hole that is filled with trout. I was working my jig slow and deep when I hooked up with my first ever Missouri brown trout. I have caught lots of trout in Missouri and so has my dad, but neither of us had ever caught a brownie.

We waded downstream past the falls and caught about 10 more rainbows by an arched bridge.

That day at Bennett was the best day of trout fishing we had ever had in Missouri. The stream wasn’t very crowded, the fish were aggressive, and the weather was nice enough for us to enjoy ourselves. We will definitely be back.

 

https://mostateparks.com/park/bennett-spring-state-park