Fishing Bennett Spring

January can be a slow time for a tree guy. This is especially true when its been colder with more snow than we have had the past few years. So, once I caught wind that Billy had a Friday off from school I knew that I would be taking a day off from work for an outdoor activity somewhere in Missouri. After a very short discussion, it was decided that we would head to Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon for the winter catch and release trout fishing. It proved to be an excellent decision.

The preparation

Fishing Bennett Spring with spinning tackle means light line and hair jigs. Billy respooled our ultralight gear with fresh 4# test mono. I used the days prior to tie as many 1/64 and 1/32 marabou jigs that I could muster. For trout, I like to tie the jigs without any chenille. Then I either add only marabou or sometimes tie on a little dubbing lower in the body for some color.

I also like to use more natural colors, like olive, sand, or black and any combination of those. It is nice to add a little white or sand color marabou even if just to help make the jig more visible to me while in the water to help detect strikes. If you don’t tie your own jigs, the shop at Bennett Springs has a great selection of their own hand-tied jigs and flies at reasonable prices.

Plenty of fish

We arrived at the park shortly after 8:00 and started near the discharge outlet underneath the hatchery. Only a handful of cars were parked in the lot and we were able to get a front row spot right away. It didn’t take long for us to start catching rainbow trout, each of us catching 10-15 or so in the first hour. Often we each had one on at the same time. If we weren’t catching fish we were at least having follows and enough short strikes to keep us excited all day.

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We did see a very large brown trout working the shallows, but it showed no interest in our jigs and skulked off into the darker and deeper water. Maybe next time.

As the day wore on, we fished different portions of the spring branch with pretty much the same level of success. The bite was a bit slow during the mid-day hours, but we used that time to explore the area a bit. Billy did manage to catch a beautiful little trout from inside Bennett Spring after all the fish there had ignored my offerings. We also enjoyed a streamside lunch, cooking up some cheese/pepperoni quesadillas on the cast iron skillet. Never underestimate the boost from a good meal while enjoying the outdoors.

Solitude

Later in the afternoon, the park became busier with people trying to get a bit of fishing in before the forecasted snow on its way for Saturday. After failing to find much success at the famous waterfall, we returned to the area of the hatchery discharge to find it much more crowded than earlier. Looking for a break from the crowds, Billy and I fished the small stream directly under the discharge and managed to catch a few. From there we moved onto the deeper water, working our way upstream towards the iconic bridge. We had this entire scenic stretch to ourselves, and it was beautiful.

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The fish cooperated there as well. Both of us caught plenty of nice rainbows in this area, including some of the largest ones of the day. I caught all of mine on one of my own olive and white marabou jigs tied onto a 1/32 ounce chartreuse head. Billy switched things up a bit more than I, but had success with similar colors and size marabou jigs. Even though it had been a long day of fishing at Bennett Spring, I was disappointed to hear the 4:00 siren go off signaling the end of legal hours.

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Bonus fish

Since we are prone to wander a bit, Billy and I had to go park near the campground and fish the wooden bridge just upstream from the Niangau River. I understand that this portion of the spring branch is actually warmer than the Niangua so the warm water fish can be found stacked up here at times. While we saw some very large smallmouth, we only managed to catch a few bronzebacks on this day.

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Fishing Bennett Spring during the winter catch and release season has become one of my favorite outdoor activities. I don’t particularly enjoy the crowds that accompany the catch and keep season. I also don’t love eating trout, something of a surprise considering that I do like almost any other fish. I guess I better keep trying, and probably just need to improve my culinary skills a bit. Maybe when I come back in a few months I will try again. The only thing that I know for certain is that we won’t catch anywhere near the numbers of fish nor be graced with the solitude we enjoyed today.

I also am convinced and maybe ready to bring only fly rods next time we come. While I sometimes enjoy fly fishing, I often get frustrated at my inability to make a certain cast or knowledge on how to switch up my presentation. Clearly it is my lack of skill and experience that makes me uncomfortable, but like I said, maybe its time to commit to it. I will keep you posted.

Uranus Fudge Factory

On our drive back to St. Louis, I finally made the stop at the roadside attraction in St. Robert known as the Uranus Fudge Factory. While we didn’t have time to see the side show museum and get the full experience, we did visit the general store. The enthusiastic employees with their bad jokes and variety of trinkets and clothing made for a memorable visit. The fudge was fantastic as well. Billy just couldn’t get over the fact that this entire city block was built over one little pun. But I guess whether you like Uranus a little or a lot, it’s definitely worth stopping for. Check out this website for more information:

https://www.uranusmissouri.com

Fishing Bennett Spring during the winter catch and release season is a great way to spend a winter day. For last year’s blog on the topic, check out this link:

Winter Trout Fishing

For more general information, check out the Missouri State Parks website:

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