New to Trout Fishing: help me get started please.

[jimithyashford]

Decided to try trout fishing. So far I have floated Ninangua hair below Bennet Springs twice. I fished the same way both times and I caught 3 fish for about 10 hours of time on the water. 

Got on the water at the crack of dawn, so I have about 3 hours of alone time on the river before it fills up with party floaters. 
 

Used 2 set ups the whole time- set up 1: small hook with 2-3 powerbait artificial eggs on it, about a foot up from what a small split shot weight. I fished this by tossing it into currents and letting it float put logs/cover or swing out and settle into eddies for a minute before reeling in. Sometimes I’d toss it into a deeper hole and let it sink to the bottom and sit there for a minute. Set up 2 was a small rooster tail that I fished more or less the same way you would for smallies. 
 

So! A few questions please-

 

Is this a good spot? I know trout aren’t native to our waters and only exist in places they are stocked, or are descended from stocked populations. I know there is a hatchery at Bennet, so in theory you’d barely be able to get a hook in the water without catching a fish, but maybe it’s overfished? I honestly have no idea. I just know I caught only 3 for 10 or so hours of fishing and probably passed 100 other fishermen and never saw anyone else landing a trout. That seems awfully meager pickings for having a hatchery right there. 
 

Is trout fishing just a really slow kind of fishing? I have no frame of reference. I know it feels really slow compared to like bass fishing, but fishing all morning for 1 or 2 might be par for the course for all I know.

 

It’s my understanding. That like 99% of the fish you catch at or just below a hatchery are relatively small, and you have to go to waters where they have time to grow and breed naturally to get bigger trout. Are there “good” trout streams of that kind in Missouri? Or are those fish exceedingly rare?

[fishinwrench]

When you caught one...what were you doing, and what type of water were you doing it in ?  

Gotta pay attention to every little detail.....then try to find places to repeat it. Like putting together a puzzle.

Hang in there 👍

[tjm]

2 hours ago, jimithyashford said:

Used 2 set ups the whole time- set up 1: small hook with 2-3 powerbait artificial eggs on it, about a foot up from what a small split shot weight. I fished this by tossing it into currents and letting it float put logs/cover or swing out and settle into eddies for a minute before reeling in. Sometimes I’d toss it into a deeper hole and let it sink to the bottom and sit there for a minute. Set up 2 was a small rooster tail that I fished more or less the same way you would for smallies. 

So which rig did you catch the fish on? Like the wrench hinted,  ^^^, you have to learn from the fish and details count. 

2 hours ago, jimithyashford said:

Is trout fishing just a really slow kind of fishing?

It's just like fishing, you might have 100 fish days or  ten days in a row skunked. I think it seems a lot  slower when using bait, but what does a fly-rodder know? 

2 hours ago, jimithyashford said:

I know there is a hatchery at Bennet, so in theory you’d barely be able to get a hook in the water without catching a fish, but maybe it’s overfished?

All the waters in the USA are over fished, we just have too many people with too much free time. 

But the Bennett Spring hatchery is in the middle of a multi year rehab with no production and any stocking is from other sources. https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/bennett-spring-fish-hatchery/bennett-spring-construction-updates

2 hours ago, jimithyashford said:

small hook with 2-3 powerbait artificial eggs

This is a detail, but  if you want help you kinda have to be specific; a "small hook" is relative- a #2 is small compared to #8/0  and pretty big compared to #8. I used to use #10 when fishing trout with worms and I used to use #24 when fishing trout in ponds with flies. If using an  egg, I'd want one egg to pretty much cover a hook shank and to float near the bottom, not lie on it. Perhaps a #12 egg hook. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

I would fish in the park if it were me.   A lot more fish.   Stop in at weavers and see what the hot color jig is and fish that in zones 1 and 2.  2 pound test fluorocarbon will get more bites than heavier line.   Get rid of the power bait.  Soaking bait is boring and chicks prefer guys that don’t use it.  Keep us up to date on your progress please.  

[Foghorn]

12 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

I would fish in the park if it were me.   A lot more fish.   Stop in at weavers and see what the hot color jig is and fish that in zones 1 and 2.  2 pound test fluorocarbon will get more bites than heavier line.   Get rid of the power bait.  Soaking bait is boring and chicks prefer guys that don’t use it.  Keep us up to date on your progress please.  

And a good pair of polarized sunglasses.

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

I agree with everything that was said above.   I'm not familiar with those waters and what the typical fish counts may be.  I can tell you from personal experience,  just because they are there, and you can see them doesn't mean they will bite.   Even if you caught many the day before in the same location with the exact same setup.   Just keep trying, and have fun.    Catching fish is just a bonus.  

[Johnsfolly]

3 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

I would fish in the park if it were me.   A lot more fish.   Stop in at weavers and see what the hot color jig is and fish that in zones 1 and 2.  2 pound test fluorocarbon will get more bites than heavier line.   Get rid of the power bait.  Soaking bait is boring and chicks prefer guys that don’t use it.  Keep us up to date on your progress please.  

I would say the same. Fish the different sections of the park. Use different baits. The park will provide lots of opportunities to see fish respond to different baits and how you can change slight tactics to get a response. Catching fish there should give you some successful techniques to use in other areas.

Also listen to Wrench and others on applying what worked in one location to other similar locations. I personally didn't like fishing the white or red ribbon areas in MO. I found that the further I got from easy access on blue ribbon streams that I found better fish that were likely to bite. If I wanted to fish stockers, I'd fish the parks or the urban lakes in the winter. Your power bait setup with six inches between shot and hook plus using a #20 treble hook with two or three Gulp eggs will catch a lot of stocker pond trout in Feb.

If you can travel try, get to know OAF folks and get down to one of the "fests" on the White river in AR.

[T.J. Clarke]

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.  

[jimithyashford]

6 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

I would say the same. Fish the different sections of the park. Use different baits. The park will provide lots of opportunities to see fish respond to different baits and how you can change slight tactics to get a response. Catching fish there should give you some successful techniques to use in other areas.

Also listen to Wrench and others on applying what worked in one location to other similar locations. I personally didn't like fishing the white or red ribbon areas in MO. I found that the further I got from easy access on blue ribbon streams that I found better fish that were likely to bite. If I wanted to fish stockers, I'd fish the parks or the urban lakes in the winter. Your power bait setup with six inches between shot and hook plus using a #20 treble hook with two or three Gulp eggs will catch a lot of stocker pond trout in Feb.

If you can travel try, get to know OAF folks and get down to one of the "fests" on the White river in AR.

Can I ask why you don’t like fishing white and red ribbon streams, or what about blue makes you prefer them?

 

I thought the whole point of the ribbing streams was more restricting rules means healthier populations and better fishing?

 

[jimithyashford]

10 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Soaking bait is boring

Do what instead? I alternated between rooster tail and power bait. Powerbait is the only thing that got bit. 
 

The only trout methods I’m familiar with are using some passive lure like power bait or a fly or a little plastic worm or something that you cast and and let drift through likely areas. Or fishing them basically like smallies with little spinner and what it.