Trout Fishing Roaring River SP and Bennett Spring SP, Late July 2011

I took a few weeks off with the kayak, and decided to dust off the trout gear and fly rods and head out to Roaring River SP (near Cassville, MO) and Bennett Spring SP (near Lebanon, Mo) on this particular week.  It felt good to get the waders on again, but it was very hot out. 
At Roaring River we fished about 1/2 day, and I caught one on a silver/blue Little Cleo spoon.  We also worked powerbait trout worms and eggs, but that was all we caught for the day.  The fishing seemed to be a bit slow, possibly due to the heat.

A few days later I hit Bennett Springs.  I caught one nice trout on a spoon, and fished every zone.
Started in zone 3 with soft plastic worms, then I went to zone 2 and threw a Little Cleo Spoon (this is where I caught my fish at Bennett, and finally I ended the day in Zone 1 with a fly rod (no luck there).  Overall, it was great to get out and do this type of fishing.  A lot of things differ between going after bass/panfish type fish and going after trout.  It was good to at least get re-versed again in the differences.

Fish ON!

Mike

Roaring River, Cassville, MO. April 1st, 2009: Trout action good, seem a bit small

Got a chance to fish Roaring River SP on Wednesday for a few hours after work. Park had a semi crowd, but was not too bad. This park has real skinny waters, so it is not very conducive to wading, even hip waders.

Caught my first rainbow on a Gold/Red little cleo spoon like right off the bat (first 5 min.) in the first zone (soft plastics and artificals) right by the second bridge (in front of the pro shop). Walked around a little bit and caught the rest in the pool in front of this amazing water fall...had to film it just to have a "moment of zen" to go.

This pool was a bit of a challenge so I went to something that moved a little slower than a Little Cleo, a gold/red Super Duper on an ultra-light rod, 2# test. Caught a total of around (6) fish in about a 3 hour period. Not a bad day, weather was real nice- real windy! Went to the back of the park and fished Zone 3 w/ no real success.

Fish ON!

MLT

Bennett Spring, Laclede County, MO, March 30th, 2009: Trout are looking good this year!

This was my first trip to Bennett Spring in 2009....weather was really, really windy. Temperature was pleasant, so I was really looking forward to getting my chest waders on and getting on some fish. My favorite part of Bennett is Zone 2 (artificial and fly). I did not hit all of the normal holes, but fished just above the middle bridge (I believe it is called Whistle Bridge). Started off with my go-to, Little Cleo Spoon, Gold/Red. Took awhile to get on some fish, but started to have some success. First fish I caught was probably around 17"-18" or so. Had a real healthy, well established kipe- bet it becomes a lunker someday!

Walked over to the bridge and had a conversation with one of the people fishing in the tail water section. He had a spinning rod w/ 6# test and was catching Goggle Eye Bass on night crawlers rigged on a drift rig- thought that was cool. That part of the bridge is artificial and natural bait only. I was kind of curious how they would get the fish up to the bridge (I use 2" test or lighter if I can get away with it). Mystery answered: They have nets with long handles (look to be home maid- I do not think you can buy them that way).

Got to the other side of the bridge and switch up to a dark Panther Martin inline spinner, with an ultralight rod. Caught a few snags and then BOOM! This good sized rainbow jumped on it- right before I was ready to bring it in....gave me the same sensation as catching a fish on a topwater! I got him in and realized someone else had caught him earlier and lost him- that is what the red jig is. I bet he pounded on the jig like he hit my Panther Martin. He is now a happy fish- not only did I release him without the Panther, I also went ahead and removed the red jig as well.

The action shot video is that of a nice one I caught on the other side on the way back. Fished about 2 1/2 hours, caught close to 10 fish, all released.

This is going to be a great year!

Fish ON!

MLT

Busch Wildlife CA, St. Charles County, MO, Lake 28, March 29th, 2009: Powerbait Paste worked well for Rainbows

Very interesting start to the day....we had about 3" of snow on the ground, and by the time I got out to Busch Wildlife CA, almost all of it was melted. Got my hip waders on and proceeded to walk around the lake. Fished next to a Canada Goose nest...female let me past, but once the male flew in, it became an issue...secret is not to show fear- or they will attack. Instead they just hissed at me and I walked past. Caught the largemouth Bass on a Little Cleo Silver/Blue spoon real close to shore. Got to the corner of the levy- backside of the lake, and bottom fished with a small treble and white/red/blue Powerbait paste. Took back home (2) decent Rainbow Trout and missed on a couple of more. Got real windy towards the end.

Fish ON!

MLT

Busch Wildlife CA, St. Charles County, MO, Lake 28, February 28th, 2009- Still a lot of trout in lakes

Got out to Lake 28 around 1:30 p.m. and fished until about 5:00. There are still a lot of trout in this lake. In November, December and sometime January they stock this lake and it is catch and release only...seem to recall they stock them with a couple of thousand or so.
Got my hip waders on and walked around towards the back of the lake (forest side, not Highway D side). Used a Silver/Blue Little Cleo spoon due to the overcast skies, but had little luck, so I hiked towards the parking lot and changed the spoon up to a Little Cleo Gold/Red spoon (my "go-to" spoon). Got in the water a little and caught a nice one fairly deep.
Man it started to get cold out...the guides were freezing and water was freezing on the line (this can be a challenge w/ 2# test). The real reason I stopped after a couple of hours was that my feet were absolutly freezing. The air temp was colder than the water temp, so when I got out of the water, it really started to get cold... note to self: make sure to put on (2) pairs of wool socks, not just one!

Fish ON!

MLT

Busch Wildlife CA, St. Charles County, January 3, 2009: One Rainbow, One Brownie, and One Bass

Saturday, January 3rd, 2008: How is that for a title? Sounds like a George Thorogood Song, does it not? Weather was very warm (55 degrees or more) and most of the ice has melted from the lakes. Quite a large crowd at all of the lakes (typical for a warm Saturday). I just got a brand new pair of hip waders. I thought this would be a good day to break them in.

Went to Lake 22 first and proceeded to walk the entire lake. Lots and lots of people fishing w/ bait, so I went with my typical pattern, spoons and metal. Lake conditions are very high and murky to almost muddy (Lake 22 leaned towards the latter). Walked around the entire lake. Did not see anyone get on any major fish (one person caught one in the back part of the lake on bait, but that is all I saw). Caught a nice Largemouth Bass on a gold Kastmaster spoon w/ red slash- thought it was weeds until it started to move in the opposite direction. Went to the back corner of the lake where I had limited out last weekend (forgot to post a report on this site) and fished it for about 20 min. w/ no success.

Decided after that to go to the catch and release lake, Lake 28. Towards the back of the lake there was an ice patch (lost a spoon on it, thank you very much!) and started to fish the edge of the ice bank along the jetty. Caught a nice brownie! (see the photos and video below). It is amazing how bigger their teeth are than the Rainbows (thought I was thumbing a Walleye at first!) Fought hard and was a real joy to catch. Caught him using this seasons old reliable, Gold Super Duper

Walked around the side of the lake closest to Hwy D and hiked over a water covered jetty (hip waders came in real handy) and caught a nice rainbow on the standard, Gold Little Cleo spoon. He was deep near some structure. Debated getting the fly rod out and throwing jigs, but decided to head back.

Fish ON!

MLT

Bennett Spring, Lebanon, MO: Thursday & Friday July 10th & 11th- Crowded Conditions

Here is a video from Bennett Spring. Hit the part late in the day (after 4:30) on the 10th, caught a couple of trout on spoons. Time was limited, so I went right to my "go to".

Came back Friday around 3:00. Had more time, so I got the fly rod out and threw some really small jigs- no luck. Moved around later and went to the "go to"- no luck. Managed to "0-fer" for the day. Park was REALLY crowded. I think everyone is staying in Missouri for vacation this year.

Fish ON!

MLT

Montauk (Current River), Wednesday March 26th: Park a little torn up, fishing very good!

Great evening of fishing. Arrived at the park around 4:30 or so. I knew I had a limited time, but it was great to fish Montauk State Park again. I had not fished Montauk in a couple of years. I think the last time I was at the park was in 2005 during the catch and release season. Forgot how beautiful of a park Montauk truly is .

Started off in the fly area. I picked up a couple of nymphs a few days ago, so I thought I would try them out. Threw those as well as black jigs (real overcast conditions). No luck. Spoke with a gentleman who had been fishing the area all day. Montauk has so much sand due to the flood that they had a backhoe dredging the area right before the dam earlier. Probably should have throw a San Juan Worm.

Went back to the car and got my Quantum w/ 2# test and decided to throw my go-to: Spoons. Started to catch them right under the bridge. If you look at the photo, there are about 3 large trees that were uprooted and are jammed under the bridge. What is cool is that water is flowing under them. The trout were suspended underneath the trees under the bridge! So I got downstream and threw the spoons up stream so the current would take them back. Caught the largest one (measured out at 18") in the structure. Caught another good size fish (about 17") right in the current. That was the one I thought I was going to lose.

I cannot wait to go back to Montauk!

Fish ON!

MLT

Bennett Spring, Lebanon, MO: Monday, March 24th- Caught my biggest Rainbow so far this year!

Check out this NICE SIZED Rainbow Trout. Caught this one in zone 2 with a gold/red little cleo spoon on my Quantum 5' rod w/ 2# test.
Drove up to zone 1 to throw some jigs on the fly rod, but the spring is still chucking out an incredible amount of flow- most of the area in Zone one around the spring is still flooded out like last week.
Hit Zone 2 (near the cliff) with the fly rod, but with the water up, just did not feel like I was getting in front of the fish like I needed to. The water is still super murky (not quite brown, but almost) so you need to get right up on the fish- sounds like a job for spoons!
Drove the car around towards the bridge and started to throw little cleo gold spoons. Caught a nice on on the second cast. Kept missing on- could not figure out what was going on. Either it was a real small fish (as if the hook might be too big), or a really nice size fish (as if I was not setting the hook hard enough to penetrate the kipe). Missed this fish (2) times before the 3rd time. I threw it almost to the bank and brought it in REAL SLOW. When I felt the tap this time, I made sure to give it more than a wrist set. This large fish is the end result. It felt good to let it go- maybe it will become a monster someday?
Started to feel cold around 6:30 so I took off. Great couple of hours of fishing!

Fish ON!

MLT

Busch Wildlife CA, St. Charles County, Mo: Lake 22 produces both trout and bass!

I did not know if I was going to be able to get some fishing in Saturday due to all of the rain that was predicted, but it looked like it was heading south so I decided to head out to Busch Wildlife CA, St. Charles County, MO.
Started off slow. My daughter and I went to lake 24 yesterday afternoon and did not catch a thing. Walked along the dam and threw rooster tails and little cleo spoons- no success. Started to get colder, so I almost entertained the thought of going back to the house.
I am glad I decided to go around the lake. Started to throw a gold/red little cleo spoon (my favorite in water that is high and murky). Caught a typical stocker sized rainbow right away (about 13").
A little later on caught a really small rainbow on a bobber w/ Mike's Atlas Shrimp Salmon egg close to shore- real small one!
I set some rods out with blue/green power bait and orange power bait on the bottom- not a touch! It started to get around 5:30, so I was getting ready to pack up. Threw the little cleo spoon out and BAM! got a big hit! It was a 14 1/2" bass (measured it) caught on my ultra-light spinning rod, 2# test in cover- What an achievement! I really thought I was going to lose him due to the light tackle and all the cover I had to pull the fish through. What a rush! First bass of the year!

Fish ON!

MLT

Bennett Spring, Lebanon, MO- Wednesday, March 12th- Trout got a work out Today!

Here are some great shots of Bennett Spring State Park, MO. The temperature got up to 72 degrees- spring is on the way!

Started at the spring with a fly rod and small white jig. Caught a nice rainbow- fought me for 5 minutes! Every time it got close, it would jump back in the current or try for under a rock. Thought I might lose the fish a couple of times. What a rush!

After fishing that spot for some time, I went to Zone 2 (artificial and flies) and grabbed my spinning rod and threw a Gold/Red Little Cleo spoon (caught a nice one close to the bridge) and switched it up (after moving to the cliff area between the two bridges) and caught another nice one in a deeper pool using a White/Rainbow colored Cleo Spoon (lost it a couple of cast later in some structure)

As much fun as the spoon fishing was, just had to get the fly rod back in action. I am starting to realize there is NOTHING as much fun as catching any kind of a fish on a fly rod. The video shows the last attempt. I was not catching much on the white jig. I had a nice conversation with a couple from Indiana, who said they were "tearing it up" earlier with dark green and black jigs. So that got me thinking "you know, I have not changed the jig color up much- let's try a black jig." The video shows the end result. Caught it between the spring and flow gauge house. What an incredible day!

Fish ON!

MLT

Busch Wildlife Conservation Area, December 30th: Trout Excellent once again

Another great day of fishing. Fished Lake 24 (one of my favorites). The lake had a partial freeze toward the road, so went out near the dam. They were hitting right where the freeze line hit the non-frozen water. I really think that the depth of the water had more to do with it than the ice, however. Went out around 1:00- had my limit by 2:00.

Once again, Spoons are the key. I think with spoons, Super Dupers, Rooster tails, the action is different than bait. It seems that when you do hit, the action is WILD! and when you do not catch any, you do not catch any for hours.

I am glad I limited out- we smoke these for the new year- it is our annual event.

Busch Wildlife CA, St. Charles County, MO, December 29th: Trout Fishing Good

Trout fishing was good, but not at first. Walked all around lake 22 (needed the exercise, anyhow) with no luck. It is amazing to me how low these lakes still are. We need a heavy snow this winter to get them up again.

Most of the people out were fishing baits (power baits, some hatchery powder baits) and having some success. After fishing about 2 1/2 hours, I almost changed my approach. I forgot my tackle box that had all the baits- I was getting ready to switch over to bait fishing. I am glad I stuck with my guns, however.

Around 4:30 got to some brush and BAM! They started to hit on the little cleo gold/red spoon. I limited out within about 1/2 an hour, and came out with more fish than the guys who were bait fishing it.

Lesson learned: When you have experience with something that works, and you know it will work- never doubt the "game plan" you started with. I think most of my "non-success" in the past had to do with second guessing the "game plan."

This sounds like something I could use in one of our business talks. Principles in fishing and business really have a lot of similarities, do they not?

Fish ON!

MLT

Bennett Spring: Day before last of "catch and keep" season (October 30th, 2007)

Great day at Bennett Spring. Caught 6 or so nice ones (catch and release). Good crowd- water a bit skinny (we need some more rain) I cannot wait until catch and release season and the winter keep season in STL.

Meremec Spring Trout Fishing- September 28th

Great Day of fishing at Meremac Spring- Arrived about an hour after the horn went off (I always underestimate how long it takes to get there from my home). Dallas needed a break from school and I needed a break from work, so this was a great fit. Caught one nice size one, the rest were small. I am actually saving these in my freezer- plan on smoking them on the smoker grill.
Tried a lot of things, caught them on gold little cleo spoons, used a little trout gravey on them as well. Fishing was slow for most, but people were cleaning fish, so some things worked. Meremec can be a bit of a challenge. Probably has to do with the fact that the stream is not zoned out.
Couple of cool hatchery pictures as well. You could not have asked for better weather.

Fish ON,

MLT

Bennett Spring, May 11th- Caught my first Brown!

What a great day of fishing! Water was at normal stage, but had a lot of debris floating in it as well as being very cloudy (must be on the fall)

Used two ultralight spinning rods, caught 6-7 Rainbows, 1 brown. Used my favorite spinning spoon, Little Cleo Silver/lime for the majority of the fish, including the brown. Caught a couple more on a brown/white rooster tail. Used the fly rod for a while with a lime San Juan worm, but just could not get into it (by the spring), so I went back to the ultra-lights.

Fish on!

MLT