Jan 26, 2024 trip to Bennett Spring

All it took was Scott sending out a text asking if anyone was up for a trip to Bennett.
Maybe it was the promise of temps in the mid-30s. Or maybe it was a the virulent strain of “cabin fever” that was going around the flyfishing community during the near zero temperatures.

It wasn’t surprising then that the response was a pretty loud “heck yeah”. At one point there were 20 guys that replied, which included 5 “maybe’s”, some of whom couldn’t make it.
Those that attended were DanStag (the author), Scott Payne, Steve Baker, Rich Francis, Harold Bates, Bob Hassett, Vern Preston, Tim Klotz, Sid Aslin, Bob Wilson, Chili Williams and Steve O’Neill.
New FATC member Steve O gets special mention for joining us from Camdenton.
Steve is both a duck hunter, fly tier and fly fisher who has taken dry fly fishing to another level. It was good for him to join up with us.
We also were joined by a couple other new fishing g buddies from another Ozark STL fishing group. Nice guys all.
The variety of flies that seemed to be working best were a small size 20 white emerger, a cherise worm, soft hackle size 18 with an olive body. Green perdigons, Rainbow warriors, red San Juan worms and poison tongue (who comes up with these names?) were all successful through out the day.
The guys really had to work to catch their trout. The water was surprisingly clear and still a bit low, considering the recent rains.
The bites were extra soft and light. Many guys reported losing 1-2 fish (hooking and briefly playing) for every one they landed. The small flies needed to induce a take obviously contributed.
For the nymphers, a very sensitive indicator and smaller sized tippet helped.
For the author stripping a white woolly in 1 foot quick jerks, induced a number of strikes and 3 fish in the last half hour. This was after stripping a crackleback or a mini leech for nearly an hour and only picking up the occasional fish.

A few items of interest:
-Sid Aslin was able to catch a few without even getting his feet wet. Due to medical concerns, he’s decided not to wade. Hats off to Sid for his perseverance. He was rewarded with several nice fish.  
-Tim Klotz made the trip to zone 3 which is a bait only area in the catch and keep season. He ended up having a “very nice day”, (since Tim avoids keeping a count).
-Steve O’Neill only picked up a few on his small, normally deadly dry flies tied with cdc, since the fish were only sipping or were taking mere emergers. Steve was getting light takes on the dries, but not the deep hook sets he was hoping to get. No doubt Steve will get them next time.
-We had so many guys we had to eat lunch in shifts. Some of our friends from the “other fishing”  club joined us and were amiable, cheerful companions.
-We also met a contingent of 4 additional guys from the “other Ozark STL fishing group” who were super guys to fish with.

It’s amusing how trout fly fishermen all feel a sense of brotherhood whenever and wherever one encounters them. Possibly it’s the love of the outdoors and the beauty of the creatures we seek. Maybe it’s the sympathy for the frustration we’ve all felt at one time or another. Maybe it’s the shared attempt to solve the great riddle of “what are they biting on? “
Whatever it is, there’s always a fun time when the guys get together an share experiences.

A few guys took off early to get home before too dark/late. The remainder of the group,  by general consensus, made the pilgrimage to American Taco in Rolla for a cheerful fellowship dinner to end up a superb and satisfying day.
We can’t wait to get out and do it all over again.

Submitted by DanStag
Jan 28 2024