I’ve had the pleasure of attending a fish-in in another state, FL, last february. I know there are alot of us here in the Missouri/Kansas area who love to flyfish. What about one here?
My question: How much interest would there be in a weekend fish-in to Bennet Spring? It would of course be open to anyone from anywhere. I think that with a little planning it could really be a great time. I’m sure we could get Charlie Reading to give a talk on rod building or even a casting class in the casting pool at his shop, there’s also the Jim Rogers Fly Fishing School right at the park, he might be able to give a casting class or two, we could probably do something like a fly swap, or have a tying night, and of course a cookout or two, the possibilities are endless.
I’d be happy to do most of the leg-work to get it organized, any help would of course be very appreciated, but before I get too involved I’d like to get a rough idea of how many people would be interested.
If anyone is interested, please let me know, and I’ll get started.
I’d be there. I’ve been trying to find a way to attend one, but haven’t been able to yet. I’m 6 hours or so away, and haven’t been there before, but would help out as needed.
Montauk instead of Bennett and I’m in depending on dates chosen.
Last year’s MO Fish-in was on Taneycomo. Tent camping is a bit of an issue there, as the State Park on Table Rock is the nearest option. And, in my opinion, Summer is a BAD time to plan one on a tailwater. They run too much water and the parks are too crowded.
My 2 ? ? Bennett Springs. More for whole families. Good accomodations for camping or rooms. Good dining hall. Lots of flyshops. Great ideas for presentations. Great idea Thunderthumbs!!
I would certainly vote for Bennett Springs for something like this. I have thought that it would be fun to attend one of these fish-ins but have never had the time or ability to make any of the others. We are about 6 hours away also but would be interested especialy if in the first part of October. The park is beautiful then, the water clear, the summer crowds are gone, the weather is great, and there are loads of cooprotive rainbows and some very nice browns in the stream. My wife’s knee replacements will be good to go by then and we are planning to be down there the 2nd or 3rd week of October anyway. It is kind of neat then also because many of the campers decorate for fall and Halloween, everything from pumpkins, to ghosts, to witches in the trees and once a scarecrow “hanging” from a tree limb. I would be interested in meeting some of the people on here and we both really enjoy time spent at Bennett Springs. How could you go wrong? :lol:
I would be interested, but might I suggest a week long event? That way, there is more of an opportunity for folks to come, if not for the entire week, for parts of it.
Mike
I’m up for it too!!
Bennett has more places to stay and such.But, Montauk is a better place to fish.Plus you have the Blue Ribbon trout waters below the park on the Current river.There are places nearby to stay but they are about 25-30 mins from the park.
Well it looks like there’s definaltely some interest. In the interest of knowing nothing about Montauk, it would be much easier for me to get something planned at Bennet this year, however next year, provided this one is a success, it could definatley be an option.
How many would be interested in a week long event. I like the suggestion, it allows more time for more people to come down, I however probably won’t be able to make it for the entire week. Or what about a 4 day event, a long weekend so to speak.
It will probably be in September/October sometime, I’ll have to get back to you on that though.
Well, you should get to know Montauk! It’s far superior to Bennett Springs or Roaring River…if you like to fish.
There are PLENTY of cabins and huge, nice campgrounds at Montauk SP. No reason to stay anywhere else. But if everyone wants to go to Bennett Springs, that’s fine by me. I’m not a trout park fan anyway.
The Idaho Fish-in is irrelevant to a MO Fish-in. We don’t get folks from up that way and they don’t see many of us. BUT…the Southern Council of FFF Conclave is the first week of October in Mountain Home, AR, EVERY YEAR. And it draws thousands of fly anglers from all over this region. So you probably don’t want to try to compete with that.
I will be in MI the last week of Sept and first week of Oct chasing steelhead, salmon, grouse, and woodcock. So either of those is out for me.
Any other time in Sept or Oct and I’m likely to attend and would even help organize a bit.
In my experience, you end up just having to slap a date on the calendar and go for it. You cannot coordinate people’s schedules. And the earlier you get the dates firmed up, the better your attendance will be.
The trout parks are great for socializing, but not much for fishing. That’s my opinion. But Montauk is BY FAR the best of the 3 trout parks and has like 9 miles of wadable Blue Ribbon water starting at the S end of the park in the Ozark National Scenic Riverway on the Current River…which is where I fish when I go over that way. Within about 20 miles to the W and S is the Little Piney, which is a wild Rainbow trout Blue Ribbon river that is very accessible. And another piece of the Ozark National Scenic Riverway is a 30 minute drive away to the S on the Blue Ribbon waters of the Eleven Point River, which almost MUST be floated to be fished. Excellent canoe outfitters abound who would gladly help out. But the real big advantage of Montauk SP is the size, condition, and layout of the place. It’s just far superior to the other two AND less crowded.
