Bennett's 7/31 It rained!

[Johnsfolly]

I was still waiting on the water to clear at Bennett's from the recent flooding. Couldn't wait much longer and went down on Sunday. I have been trying to catch a brown trout in the Niagua. So My daughter and I wen there first. I have only fished up near the 64 bridge. So I decided to try down at Barclay access. When we got to the river, we went to the water and it was pretty cloudy. That would make trout fishing a bit of the as challenge. Figuring the fish would be close to the bottom and in the dingy water wanted to fish baits with some action to create some water disturbance. I tried a rattle trap and my daughter had on a rebel craw crankbait. Nothing! We both switched to countdown Rapalas in rainbow and brown trout patterns. Finally got a smallmouth on my line. Then my daughter caught one and I finished with another. All of these fish were about 8-9 inches in length. Not giants, but definitely welcome fish in poor water conditions.

Just after 9, we left the Niangua and headed to the park. When we were on the river, my daughter asked a couple of times if I heard thunder. I thought it was someone pulling a canoe down to the river. How wrong could I be, we found out on the way to the park as we drove through heavy rain. I picked up my day tag at the park and my daughter did not want to fish anymore. So she pass on the getting a tag. Her job was to net any trout I caught and to try to stay dry under her umbrella. The water in the park was still running a bit cloudy. I like to be able to see the rish respnd to my baits and anticipate the strike. Couldn't do that real well on Sunday. I caught a trout on the third cast while drifting a 1/125 oz white microjig under a float. Several casts and no more strikes. I took off the float and caught another trout while fishing a jig and pause retrieve with the microjig. It was a day when you had to switch up baits just to get one or more fish interested. After that second trout, the sky opened up and just drenched us.  Just when I thought It couldn't rain harder, it did. After being completely soaked, fished for about 40 minutes more. Caught two more trout, one on a green John deere microjig and another on a 1/64 oz olive/black marabou jig. At 11:30 called it a day.

In total we caught three smallmouth and four rainbows. Would have loved to have caught more and in particular to catch a brown in the Niangua, but was happy with the ones we caught under less than ideal conditions.

[rcguy]

Well you got some quality time with your daughter and that's the important part!

Thanks for the report.

[oneshot]

Well just before dark went down. River is still up and muddy. Spring is back to normal and clear.

oneshot