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Bennett Springs State Park Review by Jim Baudo |
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| The park is state operated with cabins, campground, RV hookup, tackle shop, restaurant and rainbow trout stocking facility. There are three zones of fishing at the park. Zone # 1 is restricted to single barbed hooks. Zone # 2 is artificial lures, but no bait or plastic, and Zone # 3 is all baits allowed. all we had to do was get up early, buy a trout tag and start fishing. With trout tags displayed, (this is a requirement at the park for anglers). at Bennett Springs. We caught a bunch of trout with the largest near 2 pounds, and lost many more. There are certain sections in the stream where the fish are holding, so you can be catching fish on almost every other cast, while your neighbor will be not get a strike. Your location is very important, If the action slows then move and cover more water. Keep moving until fish are located. Trout can easily hold in depressions as little as 5 to 8 inches deep. In flatter sections of the river, this might be their only cover. Proper drifts are also very important. The ability to present a natural fly relies upon mending the fly line so the fly drifts naturally with the current. Fly line caught in fast current will pull the fly out of the strike zone, and give an unnatural appearance. Though, there are situations when this is the exception when fishing emerging flies. As with bait fishing, the idea was to have the baits float with the current, but off the bottom. The water this trip was muddy, with visibility less than 1 foot. Usually the water clarity is excellent with visibility down to 6 feet. After a long morning of wading the river, I relaxed on the shore and watched woodpecker's, cardinals, and blue jays search for food. In the morning you can also hear squirrels, wild turkeys, and the sound from crows and magpies. the Ozarks has great scenery, bird watching, and a abundance of insects. there is plenty of shore access along the 1½ mile spring. | |||||
| WE FOUND THAT MOST OF THE TROUT WERE 8 TO 13 INCHES WITH AND OCCASIONAL 14" PLUS. WE HAVE STOPPED FOR THE LAST 34 YEARS TO ENJOY THE OZARKS AS WE PICK UP BOATS AND CANOES AT THE MANUFACTURING PLANT JUST A FEW MILE DOWN THE ROAD. WE HAVE PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD CALL US AND ARRANGE TO PICK UP THEIR BOAT, CANOE, OR PONTOON WHILE THEY TAKE IN THE WORLD FAMOUS HEART OF THE OZARKS. CALL US AT THE NUMBER BELOW TO ARRANGE FOR A DEALER TO ASSIST YOU IN SELECTING A UNIT OF YOUR CHOICE AND A GREAT GETAWAY AT THE SAME TIME. | |||||
| There is also plenty of room at the bridge at Zone # 3, here anglers can still enjoy quality trout fishing from the convenience of a stable location and not fight the current. | |||||
| We cooked the trout on a grill. we sprayed the troUt with butter flavored great value cooking oil and salt and peppered them and laid them on tinfoil, on the grill, then squeezed a little fresh lemon over them. it took only about 4 minutes on each and the skin with the scales attached just fell off exposing the delicate meat. The fishing and camping is great at Bennett Springs State Park, and you can enjoy the beauty of the Ozarks. The Park Lodge has great food, and with a good camp spot, you can even walk to the river to spend your day fishing. Give Bennett Spring State Park a try this year for great Ozark trout fishing. Jim Baudo | |||||
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RETURN TO OSAGE CANOES |
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