Annual Winter Outing: Heart Of America Fly Fishers

Posted byBruceCochran

The HOAFF winter outing at Bennett Spring State Park is one of our most popular events each year. Always the first weekend in December, the weather is usually pleasant but this year Mother Nature out-did herself and smiled on us with 60-degree afternoons.

A picnic lunch near the spring on Saturday, followed by more fishing till 4 PM, then barbeque at Ollie’s at 6:30.  Throw in a trout or two and you’ve got yourself a super weekend.

If you’ve never taken advantage of the winter catch & release weekends at Bennett Spring you’re missing out on some of the best trout fishing of the year. The winter season runs from the 2nd Friday in November to the 2nd Monday in February.  All three zones are open to catch & release fly-fishing from 8 AM to 4 PM Friday through Monday. No daily tags are required but you must have a valid MO fishing license.

Thanks to Webmaster & Event Coordinator Bill Brant for these excellent photos.

Now put on your waders, get out there, and start pounding the water to a froth.

Published by BruceCochran

Bruce Cochran graduated from Oklahoma University in 1960 with a B.A. in design. He worked as a humor writer/illustrator for Hallmark Cards from 1960 – 1962 and has freelanced as a writer, cartoonist and illustrator since then. Cochran drew daily sports cartoon for USA Today from 1983 – 1991. He has 10 humor/cartoon books published by Willow Creek Press and his work appears regularly in Wyoming Wildlife, Outdoor News, On Wisconsin Outdoors, Pheasants Forever Journal, Wildfowl, Gundog, Ducks Unlimited magazine, Delta Waterfowl and other publications. He also writes and illustrates a regular humor column for Wyoming Wildlife News. Bruce won first place in the magazine humor category of OWAA’s EIC contest in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Life Sponsor: Ducks Unlimited. Life member: NRA. Member: Pheasants Forever, Trout Unlimited, OWAA and Outdoor Writers of Kansas.