March: Winter to Spring

A cloudy rainy day at Bennett Spring State Park

March 3, 2015 (Tuesday): There was a small window of opportunity to fish on Tuesday with melting snow and temperatures in the mid-forties. I drove to Bennett Spring State Park for an afternoon of fishing. It was cloudy most of the day with a light rain on and off for short periods. The wind was out of the south with several switches throughout the afternoon. There was a forecast of freezing rain, sleet and snow later that evening.

I had hoped to be able to fish with snow on the ground; by the time I started to wet a line, most of the snow had melted. There were a few people fishing in zone one, I fished the area between the dam and the island. There was a hatch of mayflies and the air temperature was warm enough for them to get off the water. There was some interest from the trout and was prudent to fish dries throughout the afternoon. It took nearly an hour before the first trout was hooked and released. 

The fishermen using sink tips and short strips seem to be faring better catching trout. It was the last hour of fishing, when I tried a soft hackle and took a few more trout on the strip. I finished the day with fifteen trout with four trout coming back to Springfield. I did see eagles, deer feeding on grass and turkeys; all getting in a meal before the next winter storm.

The dam lights are on, time for a bite

March 8, 2015 Sunday: I returned to Bull Shoals Lake to fish for walleye after dark. The generation through Powersite dam was turned off just before I entered the water. The water felt cold, even with neoprene waders. The water was clear with the lake level 653.7 ft. It was an hour after dark I saw a wake thirty feet in front of me. It could have been a goose or beaver, I was not sure. I fished until 8 PM and called it a night… no bites.

March 9, 2015 Monday: This day was cloudy with sporadic rain showers. I started my afternoon/evening trip driving along Swan creek to look at the water from the rock bluff. There was a significant run off from snowmelt and rain with Swan Creek up a foot or two. I would bet the walleye are moving up into Swan for their spring spawn. I looked at the mouth of Swan and was tempted to fish this area for the evening, but decided to try the west bank across from Silver Creek instead, with successful fishing in years past walking the shore line throwing a Clouser minnow downstream at a 45 degree angle to the shore line and slow retrieve. I did manage one trout with no other bites. I finished the evening at the Pot Hole, there was no generation from the powerhouse and the winds were calm. I did have the light from the dam to my advantage and was able to identify two beavers moving up the lake and swam around me. Probably the same creatures I saw the night before. I stayed until 8:30 PM and called it a night. I thought about going to look at Beaver creek but data from the USGA, indicated the river was two feet high. Early spring fishing can be tough, but I did hear the frogs. The peepers are a good sign of spring and warmer days.

Lake level on the rise, 657.6 ft

March 16, 2015 (Monday): The recent rains and high water in the rivers has brought up Bull Shoals Lake 3.5 feet and was 657.2 feet. I saw this the day checking out the USGA web site for Missouri streams and decided to pack the kayak for the night. The conditions looked favorable; generation from the powerhouse, the water was colored (probably too dirty) and the water temperature was in the low fifties. I fished the edges, fished the drops spots in the Pot Hole. Again, I was not able to get a bite. The MDC had three boats in the water and electro-shocking for walleye this evening. They were taking eggs from ripe females and mixing sperm from several males. I was told they took 79 males out of swan and 17 females out of the lake. The largest walleye was 34 inches in length and had already spawned out. I will call Andy Turner in a few days to get his report of the evening and his impression to the fishery below the dam. I packed the kayak on the rack of my truck at 9:30 PM and before I left the water saw a large streak across the sky of a burning meteorite that did burn out near the horizon in the western sky. Venus was very bright and fell behind the hill at 9:30 PM. My guess is fishing can only get better.

March 22, 2015 Sunday: I had another opportunity to return to the Pot Hole. The lake level has risen to 659 feet; the water was clear with a 45°F water temperature. There was with some generation from the power house. The afternoon was sunny with a clear sky sunset followed by a new moon and Venus settling in the western sky.

I had to use the kayak since the water is getting too high to wade. I took the kayak and fished the west bank (river right). I followed the water currents and looked for eddies along the edges. Again, the bait fish are absent, no fish seen at dusk on top.  I finished the evening near the three trees and saw a bright meteorite at 9 PM.

Lake level 666.5 feet

March 26, 2015 Thursday: I returned to the Pot Hole, there was a significant rain days earlier and Taneycomo has been running four generators for several days. The water was pouring over Power site dam and the lake has risen two feet; it is now at 661 ft. I did not have much time to look around. Swan creek was high and dirty. I pulled up data for Beaver creek and it was up five feet. I decided to fish the same waters and it proved to be consistent. No fish to be found. My guess the fish went up stream due to high and warmer water.  I have no prove, but the white bass is near and the walleye are probably getting close to the end of their spawn. I did see two falling meteorites this evening.

February: Bull Shoals Lake and the Pot Hole

The wading is good with lake level at 653.4 ft

February 13, 2015 Friday: My first trip to the Pot Hole since last spring.  The water level was 653.4 feet, which is low enough to wade; the three trees are at the waters edge. The water was clear and cold; the temperature was 42 degrees. A road project on river run extended a new road access to the powerhouse higher along the hill with a gate across stating road was closed. 

The new road to the powerhouse can be seen in this photo

I started fishing at 5 PM and the sun was down behind the hill by 6 PM. There was little wind or water moving from the powerhouse. Just before dark, the trout were taking midges off the top, with feeding rings seen in all directions. I had a few tugs on the Clouser minnow pattern from curious trout with no steel to the lips. At 7 PM, the horn sounded and water came through the wheels. I stayed until 7:30 PM. After a fly broke off, my hands were cold and I needed to take a leak. I took these signs to call it quits for the night. This will be my destination for the next month and hoping for a walleye on my next trip.

January 2015: New Year at the Bennett Spring State Park

A view of the stone bridge from the base of the dam

January 5, 2015: It has been difficult finding a day to fish the state parks, with Christmas and getting to spend family time; Ann had a total knee operation at the end of the year and is recuperating. So, Monday there was an opportunity to get out. I had not been to Bennett Spring State Park for more than a month and decided to return to familiar water.  The day was cold with a light wind and very bright skies. The area above dam had very little fish activity with two fishermen at the end of the point catching a few trout. I decided to fish near the stone bridge and wade up stream to the dam. The fishing was a bit slow until the fly could get near the water below the dam. This water had a broken surface and the trout were eager to take a fly. I was on river left and as I approached the dam, made a decision to climb on top of the dam and slowly fish the waters immediately under and below the dam. 

A walk on the dam

The #20 dry fly was fished dry, wet, dabbed and skated across the surface. The trout made many attempts to take, drown and eat the fly. I had three hours of constant action and stop counting released trout after twenty to hand. I was amazed to the number of trout swimming in the seams below the dam; it looked almost like the mass of trout seen in the hatchery.  The footing on the dam was good with solid traction on the concrete surface. It was a good time catching trout and it is always a joy when you get the key to unlock the secrets to catching many trout. Hope to return next weekend.

The footing is better than it looks

January 16, 2015 (Friday): The weather forecast for this past weekend, called for sunny skies and temperatures in the upper fifties. I took Friday and Monday off from work to fish Bennett Spring State Park. On Friday there were fifty to sixty fishermen in zones 1 and 2. I fished in offbeat areas to find some solitude. The water was clear and difficult getting the trout to take a fly. I saw only a few people in view catching a trout here and there throughout the day. I did see a fellow standing on the dam fishing with a fly rod wet wading in his bare feet. Later that day came across a turtle sunning himself on a tree limb in the water. 

I checked the calendar and it is still January. Yep… There’s something strange with the weather; 2014 was recorded as the warmest year on record. Maybe 2015 is on track to top that record. Needless to say to the catching was tough with seven trout released from hand for four hours of fishing. Hope Monday is more productive.

It's too nice to fish

January 19, 2015 (Monday): I went back to Bennett Spring State Park on Monday. The day was warm with temperatures reaching the lower sixties, a bright sky with a variable wind from the south. I stopped in to see Charlie Reading and purchased some barbless hooks (Daiichi #18 and #20 1190). I was in the water before noon and fishing below the whistle bridge in zone 3; I try to fish this water at least once during the catch and release season. There was not much surface activity but managed to take a few with a dry fly. I did try a brown jig and took a few more rainbows. There was a crowd on hand with people dispersed all through zones one and two. There were several people fishing off the dam, so I passed up fishing below the dam. The water just above the dam in zone was vacant so I finished my day fishing along the weed edges hoping to hide my presentation. 

The mayflies made a brief appearance

With the bright sun, the line hitting the water made enough ripple to cast a shadow on the bottom of the creek, spooking most of the fish. It was a disadvantage to throw a long line. I found it somewhat better to slowly walk to places the trout had shelter and lightly land a dry fly along the edge. I managed to release eight from hand with my last cast last fish two minutes before the whistle blew. That was after breaking off two trout with 8x tippet after 3:30 PM. There are only three more weekends left for the catch and release season.

January 25, 2015 Sunday: I met Bill Taylor at six AM and he drove to Montauk State Park us for a day of fishing. The day was cloudy with occasional rain showers, a moderate wind with wind gust to twenty-five knots and the air temperatures in the mid-forties. For me, excellent conditions to fish; a rough water surface and no shadows on the water. There were a few fishermen in the park, but I had very few fishermen in view most of the day. Bill and I started below the dam and fished our way upstream and finished nearly a mile towards the spring at the end of the day. There were a fair number of spawning trout on or near redds. I fished mostly dry flies throughout the day. We released from hand twenty-one trout with Bill catching one rainbow over sixteen inches. There was a small hatch of mayflies and midges swarming on the banks. We finished the day of fishing at 4 PM with the sound of the whistle and left the park. We drove to Rolla to dine at Bandanas BBQ. It was after 9 PM when I returned home. A fifteen hour day of traveling and fishing made for a long day. Montauk is a very enjoyable park to fish and visit, consider the journey for your next destination.

Bob Randall lining his rod getting ready to fish Bennett Spring SP

January 30, 2015 (Friday): Bob Randall and I made our first fishing trip together. Bob is retired federal worker having worked for the US Forestry and National Park Service. We met at the Springfield Nature Center at 9 AM and drove together heading for Bennett Spring SP.  The day was sunny with a light wind and the air temperature in the mid forties. The park had a dozen fishermen above the Holland dam with two fellows above the dam. We started our day to fish by walking the dam. We managed to catch and release a few from hand and fished it until noon. 

Bob fishing from the dam releasing a trout

There was no one fishing near the top of the dam with four fishermen up stream near the access path. The water was clear and the sun was bright. There was a good hatch of pale morning duns and the trout were chasing them down. Getting them to take a dry was difficult at the beginning of the hatch. I fished near the intake for the hatchery and worked around the aquatic plants. I was only able to get a few in the area. Bob walked up to fish in the slough and took a few with a wooly bugger. It was after 2 PM, many of the passing fishermen were voicing frustration with the catching and many left. The dry fly was starting to get the trout’s attention and more came to hand. Bob and I fished to the whistle at 4 PM and returned to Springfield to help with the MDC teen club by teaching the teen club members how to tie a wooly bugger. John Dozier lead the discussion and provided the presentation. Overall, Bob and I had a good day, with 37 trout released from hand. There is one weekend left and I am undecided were my next destination will be.

February 2, 2015 (Monday): My daughter called at 9 AM to let me know it was too cold to fish. We made plans to fish Roaring River SP the week before. So with this news, I decided to fish Bennett Spring SP. There was a light snow flurry when I left Springfield with the air temperature near fifteen degrees. It was forecast to be above freezing by 2 PM. When I entered the park, it was empty; no one fishing and no one parked. There was some sunshine beginning to break through the clouds with a brisk north wind blowing up stream with a wisp of fog dancing above the water surface. It was 11 AM when I started at the dam and fished my way up stream. There were some mayflies on top, with the trout being very selective allowing the insects to float some distance before slurping them down. I used the #20 PMD with a white tail, bright green body and light blue dun wings.  The line was kept tight and short to reduce the ice in the guides. A bald eagle did come into view and perched near the dam in a sycamore tree for a short period. The clouds moved on before noon with the sun coming out, a light tippet was used and several trout brought to hand managed to shake a head and break the tippet taking the # PMD with them, that happened eight times. The cold light tippet (8X) did not have enough elasticity with to cold temperatures. I did manage to bring to hand twenty-two trout for the day. It was a good day to fish with no other fisherman on the water, a serene setting at a Missouri state park.

December: Catch and release trout fish at Missouri State Parks

December 5, 2014: Rod Pennington and I met at Montauk State park to fish for a three day weekend. I left Springfield Friday at 9 am, driving Hwy 60 in the fog. By the time I drove through Houston on Hwy 63; the fog started to lift and the rain started to fall. It rained all the way to Licking and on to Montauk.  I stopped at the lodge, and paid for two nights’s lodging and we stayed in cabin #31. The rain continued to fall and I waited 45 minutes before, moving the gear into the cabin. A pileated woodpecker was seen outside the cabin door, with the sounds heard throughout the weekend. Rod was delayed and did not get to the park until 3:30 pm. The rain let up at 1 pm and I made my way down to the spring creek and started to fish near the power lines, making my way up stream for the next three hours. The clouds were low with a light rain until 3 pm. I tied on a small dry fly; the flies worked best when pulled under and fished with a tight line through the water. I managed to release fifteen with a last sat last fish before 4 pm. We stayed in cabin 31; it is located on the hill near the stream and walking distance to the lodge.

It was after 4:30 PM when I met Rod at the cabin, he was able to get fifteen minutes of fishing before the siren sounded. He caught and released three trout fishing near the low water bridge. We ate at the lodge. The lodge is open on weekends serving a very good meal at very reasonable prices. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and opened until 6 pm on Friday and Saturday nights. On Sundays, the lodge is open for breakfast and lunch, but closed in the afternoon; so plan according with Rolla the other place one can travel after a day of fishing for an evening meal.

December 6, 2014: Saturday morning, Rod and I had eggs in a hole and bacon. We were on the water shortly after 8 am starting at the power lines.  Again, I worked my way up stream and Rod went down stream. The day was overcast, in the high thirties. Warren Wilkerson and Joe Davis planned to leave Springfield and be at the park before 11 am. Warren is the president of the Missouri Trout Fishermen's Association and a meeting was scheduled to meet with the three chapters at noon in the lodge. I fished until a few minutes after 11 AM with nine fish to hand.  Warren and Joe finally caught up with me with Rod walking up the road as we left the cabin for the meeting. The meeting lasted an hour and we returned to the cabin. We warmed up the smoker and prepared the evening meal. We all brought a variety of meats. Rod brought chicken, pheasant and quail. Warren and Joe brought a pork loin and filet mignon. I provided a chunk of halibut.  All of this was placed in a smoker for three hours with mesquite wood. Again, we walked back to the spring creek to fish until 4 pm. Rod returned before the rest of us and placed some corn still in the husk in the smoker. We had quite a feast, with more food than we could possibly eat. We sat around that evening discussing a variety of topic and turned in before 10 PM.

December 7, 2014: The morning alarm went off at 6 AM, with Joe cooking bacon and eggs. After breakfast, we moved our gear back to our vehicles and the keys to the cabin returned to the lodge. Two does stood next to the truck looking at Rod and I for some time. I moved for a camera and they took off down the hill out of sight. We were on the water and fishing after 9 AM. Rod planned to stay only a few hours before driving back to Rogersville. Warren and Joe fished near the hatchery; a place Warren calls the honey hole and stayed there most of the day. I started below the dam and fished to the blue hole. The day started cloudy with temperatures in the low thirties. There were only a few breaks in the clouds with the sun peaking out. For me the fishing was excellent. The mayfly hatch was light, but the duns I saw on the water were quickly dispatched by the trout. I took fifteen trout below the dam, before moving above the dam and fishing to the blue hole. Five of these fish were in the sixteen to twenty inch range caught on#20 hooks. Some took a dry, or a wet fly or gently pulled give the fly some movement. I release thirteen more trout above the dam before the day of fishing was over.

 This was a good weekend of fishing. There were only a few fishermen on the water, most of the time I was out of sight of other fishermen. The trout went for the dry flies one a dun was seen on the water. Five of the trout were over sixteen inches with the largest twenty inches in length. There was plenty of wildlife seen with a variety of raptors; bald eagles, turkey vultures and hawks. I had several encounters with white tail deer. With a doe and twin fawns at the end of the trip, they scamper, played and head butt each other before moving across the stream for the evening. The four of us totaled 105 trout caught and released for the three day weekend. The round trip distance from Springfield to Montauk and back is about 220 miles. I would recommend fishing Montauk and plan to stay at least two days. I will return before the end of this year’s catch and release season.

December 13, 2014: I woke late in the morning, started the coffee brewing and packed the truck with fishing gear to make the trip to Roaring River State Park to fish for the day. I plan to fish three state parks in the month of December, so this would the second park. It was after 9 AM when I left Springfield. It was seasonally warm with foggy condition all the way to Roaring River S.P. It was a seventy mile one way trip on Hwy 60 and then south on Hwy 37 at Monett then on State Hwy 112 in Cassville to the park. 

The park was not crowded with the fishermen dispersed from the hatchery to the lower reaches of the boundary waters. I fished the same area where Jenn, Des and I camped earlier this fall, in waters one can wade and fish. It’s not great water with only a few spots for trout to find cover but it did provide solitude. There were only a few fishermen in view for the afternoon with seven trout caught and released for the day. There was not a surface hatch seen while fishing and it took a wet fly to hook the few trout. I fished until 4 PM and returned to Springfield. Beware, most of the bathroom facilities are closed for the season. So, make the necessary stops before entering the park. My next trip will be Bennett Spring S.P.