At least six of us went to Bennett Spring State Park for some Catch and Release Season fishing. John Bush, Harry Morgan, Russ Doughty, Dick Solomon, Keith Coffey and myself were there. I didn’t see Keith as he was fishing in another location and didn’t join us at lunch in the Gauge House Pavilion near the spring. Others had said they might go but we failed to catch up to them if they were there. We also ran into David Cook, the president of the Kansas City Chapter. We didn’t remember to take any pictures until late in the day.
The cold, wet day eventually became a clear, comfortable day. A bald eagle soared overhead. The water was high and turbid. Success was variable all over the stream. I know that Dick Solomon did very well at the Gut Hole during the hatchery pellet feeding. There was a fairly brief time slot where fish were taking something off the surface. I took a couple on dry flies. Late in the day midges were so thick in some locations that you could inhale them. Just before that midge hatch, I was doing well on a tan scud in the fast water where the outlet stream joins the spring creek. That stopped suddenly and John Bush began to catch them on the Dorsey Top Secret Midge. Other flies used successfully were chamois worms, brown harvester midges, deer hair pellet flies, and a brown gilled midge. Dick Solomon adds that he “was too busy catching fish” to take pictures, “the big ones were biting up by the Spring after lunch.”
All who attended had a great time.
