T.J. Clarke

Cahill is the General Contractor. They did Montauk as well.

This is the 3rd DNR/MDC project the Vendor has messed up bigly. They were low bid but also some behind the scenes good old boy political things going on as well with picking them. The good news is now DNR/MDC has the documented ammunition to override that low bid thing (and any political bs). Sadly Bennett is going to be behind schedule.

My first trip to Rockbridge felt a little expensive but the second trip seemed like a bargain. I started thinking of it differently; no Hoosiers tossing beer cans, no canoe/raft party animals floating by, no loud kids splashing behind me, throwing rocks, no shoulder to shoulder crowds, 2 pound plus fish, quiet place to learn and hone skills, one of the most remote counties in MO, very scenic.

I am with you. I have a simple Old Towne 16.9 and simple sit in kayak. I bring two rods tops, LOL. I realize everyone is different but it is interesting to watch the over the top kayak guys. I am in a position to watch a lot of them. First off they spend a ton of time di*8ing around on shore with the gear. Part of the fun for them is spending an hour on shore gathering all the gear. Kit for them is everything. They have so many rods on the yak it looks like a mobile NSA antenna spy device. My relatives in Wisconsin are pro bass fisherman and they use less gear. To each is own but it is funny to watch them. I can respect them but still poke fun.

Sounds like you are not far from Bennett. Try the river at Barclay Conservation area. Keep it simple with jigs and rooster tails. Like many places it can be hit/miss. When it is good it is a lot of fun.

I think it is interesting you can still buy a beautiful 1873 in 44-40. They are made by Miroku now but better than ever.

If this is true half the population of Iowa will be gone.

"This park fishes a little differently for me than the others, can’t really but my finger on it". The park does fish differently now. Xray, I used to fish the park once a week back in 1984-1986 era. It has changed a lot like other things. First, I am not a good fisherman but we knocked them dead back then. We met two old retired Dudes from St James that fished the park every day when they could. They were old school even using green sewing thread on the ultralight spin reels! As much as they tried they could not get me to switch to thread, LOL. Anyway we learned a lot from these two old boys about the park. Part of the fun was eating with the locals at "The Pines" restaurant.....long gone now. Back then there were lots of fish in the stream. We always limited out on the last riffle before the foot bridge. If we wanted to do more we teased the trout from the swing bridge with white jigs. Danced the jigs until it drove them crazy. Tons of fish held under the bridge in those days. You could walk across the trout. They also stocked lots of browns just outside the park. If you hit it right you could catch browns until your thumbs and pointer finger were raw from taking them off. I went back last Sept. after many, many years. Needless to say I was disappointed. As far as good eats? If you do not mind eating with old ladies Sybill's restaurant is very good. The wagyu burger is crazy good and you can get it breakfast style with an egg on top. https://www.sybills.com/lunch

Naturally you move on when confronted with a person like this. My point was to cover your bases if you CANNOT get out of the situation. I would never encourage one to carry a weapon who does not wish to. Just the opposite.

I am a calm, nice, friendly person but there are way too many crazy stories out there for my taste. The pocket in the front of my chest waders is the perfect size for my 2-inch scandium light weight .357 magnum. We owe it to our family and each other to be able to return from the outdoors safely.

Last year when a guy drowned there, I became paranoid. Maybe it is because I always fish it alone. The next time I fished I wore a slimmer lifejacket. After that I felt sort of silly so ditched it.

Moonshine has some nice rods for a good price. Very happy with the fiberglass vintage style one I picked up.

I read the hatchery flooded this week due to the rains. The hatchery manager said he was "optimistic" the impact would be minimal?

Nice, and you are far enough away from all the concrete busting noise at Bennett!!

Ah, the Zara Spooks. Man are they fun to catch fish with!! Of all the top water rigs why does the Fishermans brain delight so much in that one lure?

Thanks for the nice report.

Not the best day, too many excuses. One good thing; I used my childhood shotgun Dad gave me, Mossy 20 ga. from 1971. Brought back great memories. Back at it this afternoon. Big flocks at the house naturally, more than at my plot!!

I'm going to anyway. Good for you; I retired on my #62 birthday and DO NOT regret it. Many people just wait too long. Too many identify their lives with a career only and refuse to retire.

I missed the public meeting on Bennett Springs future updates last Friday, but learned a few things anyway. It looks like the big news is a kids splash pad located at the old pool spot. New restrooms and playground. To be done March, 2025. I can hardly wait!!!!! I also learned something I never knew. The DNR Ranger for Bennett has to patrol Lake of the Ozarks Park and Ha Ha Tonka as well! Let me translate; 90% of his/her time Lake Ozark, 9% of his time at Tonka, 1% at Bennett. Flowers.

Note alternate routes for Folks headed to Bennett Springs. Missouri Route 64 over Goodwin Hollow Creek near Lebanon to close June 10 | Missouri Department of Transportation (modot.org)

Nice, Thanks for the report.

I really wanted to stop there but had to get home. It is on my list. Back in the late 90s the Mrs. and I did the DNR State Park Passport program. Did all the parks across the state, all the covered bridges, all the major civil war battlefields. It was one of the most enjoyable thinks we ever did. Learned a lot of history.

There is a lunker photo album in the lobby that is interesting. Gigantic Rainbows, even saw some people I knew in those pics. Many of them holding two fish well over 5 pounds. The catch and release is fairly pricey so I have not done that yet.

That rod is awesome.

Treated myself, or should I say cheated myself to Rockbridge Wed. Nice day, only six people fishing the entire time. Winter rate on the motel room, so that was nice. This fish was 3.5 pounds, other fish were 2 and 3 pounds. They put up a good fight, using 5 wt 1980s vintage L L Bean flyrod outfit. Stream looked good but saw a few pieces of trash. Saw no trash last time I went. I am a litter fanatic, so maybe I notice it more. They did not have a basic room cleaned so they gave me the upgraded room for the same rate. LOTS of big fish below dam. They are stocking it well even for a Wednesday off season. If you drive through Ava MO near RT. 5 check out Archie's restaurant for breakfast: 605 No. Jefferson. Nice Folks, good breakfast, discount always offered for first responders and military. Total cost for 3 fished cleaned/fillets, fishing fees and room, total= $171.97