fishing for trout

[hcfliesandjigs 0]

Hey everyone I am pretty new to fly fishing for trout. I have fly fished for a long time but usually use small drys and poppers for bluegills. I have a fishing trip planned for this coming Wednesday to Bennett Springs state park here in Missouri but have no idea what to be doing. It will be a day trip and I will only have a couple of hours to fish before I will have to head back home. Can anybody give me any advice on what to fish with flies wise or set up wise to catch my first trout on a fly rod?

[Fisherboy0301 0]

We'll I've never even seen a trout but I can already tell you three things! First you need to tell us the river, talk to the local fly shop to see what's hatching and what flies are catching fish, tie flies to match the hatch and if all else fails wooly buggers, pt&grhe nymphs, and muddler minnows are you're best bet.

[Fish For Life 0]

Honestly i would keep it simple. Just set yourself up with something simple like a bead head pheasant tail nymph or a gold ribbed hares ear nymph with a strike indicator. Those two basic nymphs that will catch you trout practically everywhere, no matter what hatch is going on. Its a simple set up, and one of the best. Thats what i mostly use, and it has proven successful many times. Good luck!!

[TheHound 0]

An old man I ran into on the river one day told me, "You can never go wrong with a box full of caddis flies." I second this and recommend a few different caddis patterns. The Balloon Caddis is quite an easy dry to tie and is usually my go to fly. Any size from 12 to as small as you dare go. The Dead Caddis is also a really simple but effective dry.

That pheasant tail or hares ear nymphs are always good to have in your box also.

[Spanky29ca 0]

Stimulators are always a great searching pattern for trout, If I'm fishing waters I don't know, ill use a stimulator with a dropper prince nymph or pheasant tail.

[ScottK 0]

Here's some Bennett fishing reports:

 

 

http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/forum/42-bennett-springs-state-park/

[tidewaterfly 0]

Since we're getting into the summer season and you already have experience with Bluegill flies, give some terrestrial patterns a try for the surface. Beetles, ants, hoppers, crickets are all eaten by trout. The suggestions already given for nymphs are all good too. Buggers are good most anywhere!

 

You might also give some other streamers a try. Small Zonkers are great for trout. I like the white ones as well as black.

 

I don't get to fish for trout much, but when I did terrestrials, nymphs & streamers are what I used most, as I could not rely on being on the water during the hatches. Trout do still eat even when there are no hatches, and all of these are usually present in the summer months.

[flytire 0]

i hope theyre all gone

 

[ScottK 0]

^^^ That's why I never go to the Mo. Trout parks on opening day. Or weekends. Or weekdays for that matter.

[spm 0]

Hey everyone I am pretty new to fly fishing for trout. I have fly fished for a long time but usually use small drys and poppers for bluegills. I have a fishing trip planned for this coming Wednesday to Bennett Springs state park here in Missouri but have no idea what to be doing. It will be a day trip and I will only have a couple of hours to fish before I will have to head back home. Can anybody give me any advice on what to fish with flies wise or set up wise to catch my first trout on a fly rod?

I was just there last week. There is a spot in zone 2 that has a little slough flowing into the main current. Flip a common fur bug (They will have tem at the lodge) or hairs ear under a strike indicator and let the current take. You don't have to cast more than 10 feet. In fact you can catch fish swimming behind other anglers.

 

Good luck.

s.

[wschmitt3 0]

Is that picture for real?

 

I hope this doesn't sound snobby but... Do people really fish like that?

 

As for suggestions as to what to use fish for life's is a good one. Hang a p.t. nymph and a hare's ear off of an indicator and you really can't miss. Other good subsurface combos could include a bugger and a nymph, nymph and soft hackle.

 

Good luck!

[spm 0]

Is that picture for real?

 

I hope this doesn't sound snobby but... Do people really fish like that?

 

Unfortunately, it can be on opening day. Doesn't look like fun to me, but for some, it's an annual tradition.

s.

[hcfliesandjigs 0]

Thank you for your replies guys I have been checking the reports but was hoping for some go to patterns that people would use on any river they fish for the first time. It sounds like caddis flies and pheasant tails are going to be going with me along with my terrestrial box I already use for bluegill. Thanks for your replies guys they were very helpful.

[jd1983 0]

Yeah, fishing in the trout parks can be pretty simple so don't over think things. Tan and olive caddis, BWOs, and cracklebacks (my favorite are green with grizzly hackle) will all produce on the surface late morning through the afternoon and evening.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Yeah, fishing in the trout parks can be pretty simple so don't over think things.

+1 - the one time I fished at Bennett Spring--and this was years ago, when I was new to fly fishing--I had no idea what to use there either, so I put on a #12 Adams parachute and started in the section where you can fish flies or gear. When I got the fly tied on, I tossed it in the water and began to strip out line for my first cast. Before I could make the cast, an 18" rainbow swam up and grabbed the fly, which was sitting about a foot away from my leg. I caught three more rainbows on the next three consecutive casts, and decided to move to the "flies only" section, where the trout were rumoured to be harder to catch. I did have to go down the the #16 Adams in that section before I got a hit, but once I got the size right I caught a rainbow every 3 or 4 casts for about half an hour. They averaged 16".

 

Granted, that was only one day over fifteen years ago, but I still doubt you need much more than an Adams in the correct size. If there's a blazing caddis hatch going on you might need a basic down-wing pattern like an EHC or a small stimulator, but even then I'd try the Adams before I switched flies. My impression of the place was that the fish were big and beautiful but not difficult at all.