Mourning The Passing Of The High Bank Hole

[NoLuck]

I wonder what they plan to do with all the additional trout that the newly expanded hatchery will surely produce ?

I hope that this "new and improved" hatchery operation will result in much improved management of the fishery BELOW bennett. Because if it doesn't I consider the whole thing a disgusting waste of time and money, along with altering a section of the spring branch that should have been left alone.

I mean after all...how many more fish could they realistically put into the spring branch for Christ sake ?

How many fish that were put in the spring were bought from other sources other than their own hatchery?? I know that local vendors told me that they were actually buying them small fish that were being stocked this past season. If they can produce their own fish it would be a money saving deal in the long run. From what I remember they had more room in the existing hatchery that was not being utilized. I believe they had some leaks and such and that may have been why the open pools were not being used though.

[ozark trout fisher]

How many fish that were put in the spring were bought from other sources other than their own hatchery?? I know that local vendors told me that they were actually buying them small fish that were being stocked this past season. If they can produce their own fish it would be a money saving deal in the long run.

I don't know much about Bennett Spring, but I'd guess that this and last years shortage of hatchery trout was mostly due to the floods in '08. I know it washed a lot of hatchery trout into the spring branches in pretty much every park, which kinda set them back for the next year or two.

Last year and some of this year, everyone was complaining about the lack of hatchery trout in the parks, and many were staying away. I was loving it-the parks were less crowded than ever, and there were still more than enough trout around to keep any sane man happy. I have never, not even once, found there to be a lack of fish at a trout park. I've noticed the numbers go down before, but even on the worst days, there were always many more fish than any stream could sustain on a long term basis. I'm of the opinion personally, that it would be just fine if the trout parks cut back their stocking numbers pretty significantly. Maybe the number of fisherman will go down as the fishing gets a little bit challenging.

And best of all, you could take some of those fish and stock them in a water where they can have a chance to survive, hold over, and maybe even spawn- like say, the Blue, White, and Red Ribbon areas below the parks.

It's not going to happen, but it's good to dream.

[gwh]

The hatchery project was announced in 2005, here is the article that Mike Kruse had in the Conservation Magazine, Feb 2005.

http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2005/02/-new-plan-missouri-trout-fishing?page=0,0

Hear him talk about the project, the goal was increasing trout production by 20%.

There have been issue over the past few years at Bennett, low water, floods and one time they had a few inches of rain during a very hot period of time, the water temp jumped due to the run off, killed a lot of fish. This will happen in the future also.

The current hatchery facility they have is old, it needs to be replaced. I looked at the drawings that were in the bid package, could not find them tonight on the MO Conservation web site. From memory they were replacing the hatchery building to give them more capacity. Though they were going to work on the races also. Look at the concrete in the races, it has some age.

There is a greater demand for fish now, trout parks, blue & white streams, Urban program. If you don't upgrade you will have problems in the future.

gwh

[stlfisher]

I think the hatchery upgrades were probably necessary and I agree the demands for more trout are on the rise. It is unfortunate that has to come at the expense of a productive part of the spring branch that will now be less "wild" in nature. I don't see why they couldn't do it another way.

Give me more riffles at the parks...those channelized stretches really suck.

[gwh]

Interview with Mike Mitchell in Lebanon paper.

http://www.trouttalk.net/publish/article_689.shtml

[fishinwrench]

So according to that article this is all about stocking the St.Louis area mud puddles during Winter. No mention at all of improving the Niangua fishery management.

Are you St.Louisans getting the message ? "Please don't come HERE, we'll just bring the trout to YOU !"

They could have done this at Meramec Springs... since it's closer and all. I'm sure the James foundation could use a financial boost.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Virtually all of the holes have disappeared, a product of construction both in the park and above it. The spring itself is not the vigorous out pour that it once was.

For decades now the spring branch and the river have been managed by the gubmint to increase revenues and absolutely nothing has been done to increase the value of the experience. Compare Roaring River and Bennett, you don't see the same mindset at RR.

I think you can thank Sam Welch and Jim Rogers for the "improvements" at Bennett.

[ozark trout fisher]

So according to that article this is all about stocking the St.Louis area mud puddles during Winter. No mention at all of improving the Niangua fishery management.

Are you St.Louisans getting the message ? "Please don't come HERE, we'll just bring the trout to YOU !"

I am from the general vicinity of St. Louis (about 50 miles out) and only about 20 miles from the nearest urban "trout pond", and I can tell you that I really wish they would quit the winter pond thing. Wasting fish on ponds where they can't survive doesn't seem like much of a management practice.

I'd much rather see those fish go somewhere like the Niangua, where they might actually survive the summer.

But frankly, I think that any of the trout parks, with the possible exception of a few certain areas in Montauk, are pretty much hopeless. Why fish crowded water when, below all 4 trout parks, there are miles of quality water with many less people?

Trout parks have for the most part been turned into channelized ditches. It's such a shame, as all four have the potential to be high quality Ozark streams. Start taking down the rock dams, mill dams, and other stream "improvements";start restoring these streams to their natural state, and I might pay $3 to fish there. But given their current state, I would be more inclined to pay $3 to fish in a pond full of stunted bluegills than a trout park.

[NoLuck]

Are you kidding me???

Jim Rogers has nothing but your best interests in mind at Bennett. I mean, why in the world would he want fly fisherman to be pushed away from Bennett???

I mean we don't bother them people at the store for anything other than a tag.......

We do spend money in the campground and maybe a little at the lodge when we don't feel like cooking ourselves. But man those spin fisherman and newbies just bug the heck out of them buying new stuff and souveniers and tackle and lures and snacks and renting cabins and......... Wait a dang minute here. Maybe he would have an interest in bringing in more regular Joe trout fisherman instead of the seasoned guys and gals that tie their own flys and come with everything they need for a weekend or longer stay.

[laker67]

Kingfisher Hole????

Kingfisher flat lays just downstream of the highbank hole, before the bend at the rock hole[bluff hole] and state record rock. Before the floods, a kingfisher always perched in the tree by the drainage ditch on the east side.