Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bennett Spring Head of the branch · Bennett Spring State Park | Spring | 37.71657, -92.85675 | One of Missouri's largest springs, roughly 100 million gallons a day. The spring pool is the head of the 1.5-mile branch; the trout water starts here. |
| 2 | USGS gauge · Bennett Spring Spring flow gauge at the spring | USGS gauge | 37.71715, -92.85757 | Live flow for the branch. Coordinates from the GuidedFloats roster. |
| 3 | Zone 1 · spring to the hatchery dam Upper zone · starts at the spring pool outlet | Regulation section limit | 37.71817, -92.85805 | Zone 1 runs from the spring down to the hatchery dam. Zones are posted in the park; methods and limits are set by MDC and Missouri State Parks — check the park regulation page before you fish. |
| 4 | Bennett Spring State Park Missouri State Parks · Dallas & Laclede counties | Park / conservation area | 37.71687, -92.85233 | Missouri's most-visited trout park. Daily trout tag sold in the park during the March 1 – October 31 season; a winter catch-and-release season runs on select days. |
| 5 | Bennett Spring Nature Center Missouri State Parks · exhibits & park information | Agency / conservation office | 37.72184, -92.85536 | Interpretive center on the east bank below the spring. Trail maps, naturalist programs and the park's natural history. |
| 6 | Low drop at the MO 64A bridge Unnamed fall in OSM · just above the highway bridge | Dam / hazard | 37.72328, -92.85608 | A small drop mapped just upstream of the MO 64A bridge. Wade with care around the structure. |
| 7 | MO 64A bridge MO 64A · main park road | Bridge crossing | 37.72383, -92.85550 | Highway bridge below the nature center. The hatchery raceways sit just downstream on the east bank. |
| 8 | Bennett Spring Fish Hatchery Missouri Department of Conservation | Agency / conservation office | 37.72530, -92.85518 | MDC hatchery that raises and stocks the rainbow trout for the branch. Raceways are open to visitors; the hatchery dam marks the bottom of Zone 1. |
| 9 | Hatchery dam Concrete dam · BSSP 10 park road crosses on it | Dam / hazard | 37.72785, -92.85558 | The dam below the hatchery, with a low-water road crossing on the crest. Zone 1 ends and Zone 2 begins here. Do not wade the face of the dam. |
| 10 | Zone 2 · hatchery dam to the Whistle Bridge Middle zone · below the dam | Regulation section limit | 37.72819, -92.85654 | Zone 2 runs from the hatchery dam down to the Whistle Bridge, the footbridge below the park store. Marker set just below the dam. |
| 11 | Bennett Spring State Park Office Missouri State Parks | Agency / conservation office | 37.72607, -92.85771 | Park office in the central park area with the park store (daily tags, tackle) and the dining lodge nearby. |
| 12 | Campground 3 Missouri State Parks · Bennett Spring State Park | Campsite | 37.72691, -92.85969 | |
| 13 | Campground 2 Missouri State Parks · Bennett Spring State Park | Campsite | 37.72764, -92.86135 |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Campground 4 Missouri State Parks · Bennett Spring State Park | Campsite | 37.72585, -92.86477 | |
| 15 | Campground 5 Missouri State Parks · Bennett Spring State Park | Campsite | 37.72463, -92.86763 | Westernmost loop, farthest from the branch. |
| 16 | Campground 1 Missouri State Parks · Bennett Spring State Park | Campsite | 37.73143, -92.85993 | Closest loop to the lower branch and the Niangua. |
| 17 | Campground 1 road bridge BSSP 1 park road · near the mouth | Bridge crossing | 37.73347, -92.86040 | Last road crossing of the branch before it meets the Niangua. |
| 18 | Zone 3 · Whistle Bridge to the Niangua River Lower zone · marker approximate | Regulation section limit | 37.73292, -92.85948 | Zone 3 runs from the Whistle Bridge down to the Niangua. The Whistle Bridge is not mapped in OSM, so this marker sits at the Campground 1 road bridge near the mouth; the zone begins upstream of here. |
| 19 | Bennett Spring State Park Landing Canoe landing · mouth of the spring branch | Access / boat ramp | 37.73374, -92.86132 | Park landing where the branch meets the Niangua River. |
| 20 | Sand Spring On the Niangua · just below the branch mouth | Spring | 37.73623, -92.86101 | Small spring on the Niangua beside Sand Spring Resort. |
| 21 | Sand Spring Resort Cabins, canoe rental · Niangua River | Outfitter / canoe rental | 37.73690, -92.86092 | Resort with its own launch on the Niangua at the branch mouth. |
| 22 | MO 64 bridge over the Niangua MO 64 · Niangua River | Bridge crossing | 37.73793, -92.86073 | Highway bridge on the Niangua just below the branch; the MDC access is under it. |
| 23 | Hidden Valley Outfitters Canoe, kayak & raft rental, camping · MO 64 | Outfitter / canoe rental | 37.73937, -92.85916 | Outfitter on the Niangua beside the MO 64 bridge; its launch is on the river below the bridge. |
| 24 | Bennett Spring Access MDC · Niangua River at MO 64 | Access / boat ramp | 37.74100, -92.86062 | MDC access on the Niangua just below the spring branch — the usual put-in for the Bennett Spring to Barclay float. |
| 25 | Riverfront Campground & Canoe Rental Camping, canoe rental · Niangua River | Outfitter / canoe rental | 37.73474, -92.87300 | Private campground and canoe rental on the Niangua west of the park. |
| 26 | Fort Niangua River Resort Cabins, camping, canoe rental · Niangua River | Outfitter / canoe rental | 37.73708, -92.89084 | Resort and outfitter about 1.5 miles down the Niangua from the branch. |
Gauge: USGS 06923500 — Bennett Spring at Bennett Springs, MO. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout
Regulations: mdc.mo.gov/fishing/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Bennett Spring State Park main lot — parking at the spring head and the top of Zone 1.
Zone 1 flies-only reach — improved bank access from the spring down to the first bridge.
Zone 2 flies-and-lures reach — mid-branch access with parking along the park road.
Zone 3 bait-permitted reach — lower branch access nearest the Niangua confluence.
Park campground loops — walk-in bank access along the branch.
Niangua River confluence — access to the river below the branch for smallmouth in summer.
Bennett Spring hatchery area — viewing and access adjacent to the stocking operation.
Spring: opening day is March 1 and the branch is crowded and heavily stocked through the spring.
Summer: daily tag fishing continues; fish early to beat both the heat and the crowds.
Fall: the tagged season runs through October 31 with the most comfortable weather of the year.
Winter: catch-and-release, flies and artificial lures only, from the second Friday in November — quiet water and the best