A Fun Day at Bennett Spring State Park

In my humble opinion, Missouri Trout Parks are supposed to be fun! When a person fishes for stocked trout in a well stocked stream among crowds of people, the entire situation is supposed to be fun.  I don't mean that in a bad way either.  I learned how to fly fish at Bennett Spring State Park.  I used to get goosebumps when I would hit certain landmarks en route to the park!  What I am trying to state is that while my horizons have expanded since my first experiences at Bennett, I still love the place and I still think it is a fun place to fish.

My buddy Justin has a lot of fond memories of Bennett as well.  He has been visiting the park for a long time and when we started discussing fishing trip options during our winter break (we teach together), a float on the Niangua and some fishing in the park sounded like fun.  We settled on this option because while we thought we might catch a few in the river, we thought we could put up gaudy numbers in the park.  In a rare occurrence in regard to my planning of trips, things worked out just like we planned.

While Justin got some bites on the river, the takes grew exponentially when we started fishing the park.  I caught 5 in a very short amount of time and Justin landed three as well.  We hunted for schools of fish, targeted them with 1/80 ounce jigs under indicators, and watched our bobbers as well as our flies (sight fishing) when the conditions dictated.  We fished three different spots which included above the spillway along the peninsula, upstream of the whistle bridge, and at the whistle bridge itself.  We caught fish at every location with the peninsula being the most productive.  We threw white thread jigs all day and never needed to change.  You can find the same fly in my online store by clicking here.

Prior to our visit, I had heard quite a few negative things about the fish quality and quantity in the park.  My expectations were tempered as a result but by no means was I disappointed with the size or numbers of fish.  I thought there were plenty of fish in the stream and some pockets held fish that were above the 12 inch standard for stocked rainbows.  The biggest fish I landed was a 15 inch male rainbow and Justin's fish came on the last cast of the day (I think).  Overall, it was a lot of fun fishing for these beautiful fish and the thrill that accompanied each catch took me back to my youth.  I only fish Bennett about once a year anymore but every single time, it is a lot of fun!