Montauk and Bennett
Trip Report
3/13 & 3/15 2024

Time for me to fish Part 1 & 2

I posted on the team-up calendar for a trip on either Wednesday 3/13 or Friday 3/15 at either
Montauk or Bennett. My thinking was that whichever day had the most interest would be the
day we would go. Now I am not a picky guy and I soon found out that FATC guys are not picky
either. In fact, some of us cannot make a choice at all so we just went both days. Wednesday’s
trip held the interest of Don Varner, David Broader, Harold Bates, Bob Hassett, Bob Palisch,
Ken Welter, Scott Payne and Me Steve Baker. We also had cameo appearances from Al Harper
and Dan Staggenborg who floated the Current River that day. The riding arrangements such as
they were, put us all at the Montauk Naturalist Cabin around 8am with trout tags in hand. I saw
at the lodge that they had stocked 500 fish for the day. Not a huge amount unless you knew the
stocking locations. As I am starting to gear up I noticed that Scott was not around, but then I
thought about who I was talking about. I think he puts his waders on at home.

We all headed in different directions to fish with plans to meet at the Stag tables for lunch at
noon. I headed to the boulder and lucked out since no one else was at that honey hole. It turned
out to be a very productive place to fish. So productive that I could not make myself leave even
after hearing that the new rules limit your time at a honey hole to 20 minutes. [Sorry Bob’s]. At
lunch, we learned that the fishing was just so-so for the morning but I do not think anyone was
skunked. After lunch we split up again to better our fish counts, which sometimes I wonder if that
is all that matters. It was a perfect day with 70* temperatures and sunshine to boot. It does not
get any better than that. The afternoons fishing was good for some better for others and yes one
of us did get skunked.

We all headed back to the cars to change out of gear where we bumped into our FATC friend
Dan Stag. He indicated that their float trip on the Current was a great time and that they did
catch a few fish. It is always great when Dan comes around with his fishing tails; he is always a

man of many words. The decision was made that we would have our fellowship dinner at
American Taco and Al Harper would be meeting us there.. We all enjoyed the meal as nine of
us crowded around a couple of tables talking about the day. It was Fellowship with a capital F
for friends. The drive home was long and all that was on my mind was the fact that some of us
would be doing this again on Friday. Who planned these trips so close together?

Part 2
So as I was saying why would a 73-year-old man plan two trips so close together. I am not sure
but maybe Don Varner or Harold Bates can explain it. It was a double header for them as well.
The other FATC members to join in the fun were Bill Byington, Denny Garner, and Vernon
Preston. We caught our respective rides and drove down 44 to Lebanon Mo. and then to
Bennett Spring State Park. Everyone I fish with asks me which park I like best. They really are
different in many ways; I like them both so I guess my best answer is I like the one I am fishing,
at the time. The weather on Friday was different with temperatures in the low 50’s to start the
day and overcast skies. We made it to the lodge about 8 am to purchase our tags and
discovered they are only stocking every 3 days but we were not disappointed with the numbers.

After gearing up we noticed that the park was not crowed at all so we had our pick of locations
to fish. Two carloads of FATC guys can head in a lot of different directions. So stay away from
my honey hole. The mornings fishing was cold and windy and on the slow side for me. I caught
a couple but could not figure out what they wanted. At lunch, we met up at the picnic table
across from the restrooms. We all had caught a few fish and then there is the Scott Payne
wanna be with a top fish count for the morning. The sun started coming out just before lunch
but the winds did not go away. I think the fish also liked the sun as the fishing picked up in the
afternoon. The crowds also started rolling in as you could see them unpacking at the cabins
and the numbers of fisherman quickly multiplied. It turned out to be a good time for us to make
an exit, and give the stream over to the weekend crowds.

After changing, I was thinking to pick somewhere different for dinner but remembering that it
was a Friday night and Lent we new that a lot of places would be packed. The consensus was
that the American Taco would be the fastest in and out and that worked for everyone. My only
goal remaining was to get home and get some sleep. Note to self; do not plan trips that close
together unless it is an overnighter.