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