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Bennett Spring Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Missouri's trout-park cathedral: 100 million gallons a day, whistle-to-whistle rainbows and a century of opening-day tradition.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~54 F est.
Air / High
100 / 101 F
Wind
S 6 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Bennett Spring is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 101. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Similar at 103 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp100 F
High / Low101 / 74 F
WindS 6-7 mph
Pressure1011.9 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain21% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:44 / 19:36
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 101/74 F, wind 8 mph, rain 0%

Slow. 101 F: be on the water at dawn and off by mid-morning, or fish after dark.

Species guide

The species that matter on Bennett Spring: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Bennett Spring calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Bennett Spring today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 100 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 99 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 99 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Missouri requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Missouri license + daily trout tag (park season) or winter C&R rules. Zone gear rules posted: check MDC.

Access

Bennett Spring SP: whistle-water access throughout, store, campgrounds; Niangua floats below.

About this water

The 100-million-gallon spring park, Dallas County, MO. Missouri's opening-day tradition since 1924.

Fishing Bennett Spring: the full guide

The park institution

Bennett Spring pours a hundred million daily gallons into the Niangua: Missouri's oldest and most beloved trout park, where March 1st's opening-day whistle (thousands of anglers, shoulder to shoulder, one shared countdown) is a state ritual older than most families' memories. Daily stockings, zone rules and rainbow abundance define the park's covenant.

How the park works

Buy the daily trout tag, fish whistle to whistle (the schedule posts at the store), and match the zone: fly-only, artificials, and bait zones ladder the stream: to your style. The fish are stocked daily and educated hourly: park regulars fish 6X and micro-jigs like it matters, because by noon it does.

Beyond the whistle water

The park's stretch ends where the Niangua's wild miles begin: float the river below (rainbows holdover, smallmouth take over) for the unstocked sequel: and winter's catch-and-release season (November-February, Fridays-Mondays) offers the park at its technical, peaceful best: no whistles, no crowds, midge fishing among the ghosts.

Park practicalities

The CCC-era lodge, store and campgrounds run the full family program: zones and tags post at the store: and the spring branch's clarity teaches sight-fishing whether you asked or not. Opening weekend is the carnival: any weekday in May is the sweet spot: winter C&R is the connoisseur's park.

Common questions

What is opening day at Bennett Spring?

March 1st: the whistle releases thousands of simultaneous first casts: Missouri's great fishing ritual. Come once for the spectacle: return midweek for the fishing.

Can you fish Bennett Spring in winter?

The catch-and-release season (Nov-Feb, Fri-Mon) opens the park quiet and technical: midges and micro-jigs for wary holdovers. Many regulars call it the park's best season.

Is fishing good at Bennett Spring right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Niangua River10 miPomme de Terre Lake29 miLake of the Ozarks32 miStockton Lake44 miTruman Lake51 miGasconade River68 mi
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