mizzouflyfisher

Got down to Montauk yesterday (3/28), and had most of the stream to myself. Midweek is so nice. The water was up quite a bit and fairly colored. Made sight fishing slightly more difficult. Caught several fish on sz. 18 wd-40 and others on a sz. 18 beadhead midge in various colors. There were also some nice caddis coming off along with a smaller mayfly. I fished a sz 16 elk hair caddis with a size 18 adams trailed behind. Both worked. Ended up catching around 40, biggest was a 21" brown. All in all a great day on the water, not it's time to go get the bass gear out for this weekend. Mizzouflyfisher

I'm thinking about coming down for the weekend. I've narrowed the choices down to Kentucky Lake, Lake Kincaid, and Table Rock. So, what are the water temperatures like throughout the lake. Also, I've never really gotten into white bass, so I have no idea what I am doing. Is it still too early for a novice to go find some white bass. I also hate fishing deep, what's my best bet for a shallow bass bite <15ft. this time of year? Thanks guys

g-bug is simple. tie in a bit of marabou for the tail, wrap ostrich herl for the body. I match the two colors and do the best with ginger and olive, almost always size 18.

I'm looking for some insight on a good days fishing. Don't care for what, just fun. It's 6 am, and right now I'm on the 13th straight hour in the law library finishing my 30 page brief which is 90% of my grade for the course and I won't be leaving for at least another 4 (brief's due at 10 and I ain't goin nowhere). I'm thinking tomorrow I'm gonna have a few drinks , but Saturday will find me somewhere where it's wet and cool. Any input on what's fishing good would be appreciated. If all else fails I'll run down and fish the current. By the way, thanks for the b-day wishes. Hopefully I'll be able to get down to Taney a couple of days next week during Spring break. Mizzouflyfisher

I'll be at Bennett this weekend for the annual guys weekend. I'll be wearing a green columbia hat and probably a green wading jacket. If anybody's down there and runs into me, I think I'm a pretty nice guy. I'll let you know what I think of the park (whether or not the guys at the hatchery have gotten the dang little fish problem fixed). Bennett has been consistenly decreasing in terms of fish size for a couple of years, so I hope they've gotten it turned around. But, this weekend is not as much about the fishing. Mizzouflyfisher

You can't go wrong with a danvise. It's like 80 bucks, but it will handle a wide range of hook sizes. The only drawback is that it won't handle past a size 20/22, the hooks will start to pop out of the jaws. My dad has tied several thousand flies on his, but I tie the small stuff for him. I agree with the comment on kits. I would start with a couple of patterns (easy ones) and slowly build your collection. For example, wooly buggers, zebra midges (only bead, thread and wire). Get a good whip finisher (I like the wasatch brand) and a good bobbin to start. Remember to look on ebay for materials. I look on ebay daily and buy stuff at least weekly. Great chance to get cheap hooks (dai-rikis for like 7 cents a piece) and materials you need. Just remember though, once you start you will get addicted. Mizzouflyfisher

Good Luck...You don't. You can look at recent generation patterns, but still...good luck. My dad and I always haul the boat down, so we have a back up plan in case they run water. If somebody else knows how to make a prediction, PLEASE, let me know. Mizzouflyfisher

Phil- Can we add a 4th element? I would vote for presentation as the most important element of any fly. I know presentation is not an intrinsic quality of the fly, but I think you can catch fish on almost anything if you fish it the "right" way, whatever that might be given the numerous circumstances/considerations that go into fishing a given fly at given time on a given stretch of water. I know this is overly wordy, but you get the point. If not presentation, I'll have to think about what is the most important. Mizzouflyfisher

The only 1 I can figure out without doing a bunch of research is #3. That's a pollywog.

Here is your fly recipe for a Kern Emerger. I would be sure and experiment with color combinations. Hook: TMC 3761 #12-20 Thread: Black Rib: Gold Tinsel Body: Peacock Herl Tail: Black Hackle Fibers Thorax: Olive Hare's Ear Dubbing Wingcase: Yellow or Pink Foam Legs: Rubberlegs Optional This is the recipe for the original Kern's Emerger. Obviously the picture you posted has some extra stuff. I would concur with Brian on his assessment of those materials. This fly developed as an offshoot of the hare's ear. Kind of like a mix between a hare's ear and a prince nymph with foam. Interesting. Let us know if it works. Mizzouflyfisher

I've been posting for a while, so it's probably about time I introduce myself. Right now I'm a 1st year law student (go ahead and start thinking of jokes, I could always use some new ones) with no idea what I want to do with my life. I've been fishing since I was 2 under the helpful watch of my dad. My true passion is trout fishing. I was stuck in the trout parks for quite a while, but within the past few years have discovered the joy of Taney and the Current. I also enjoy tying. My room in my duplex has more space devoted to fishing tackle and fly tying than everything else combined. I also bass fish quite a bit, but not as much as I used to. Trout fishing is followed closely by Muskie fishing. If you thought trout fishing was expensive and addictive, try muskie fishing. Holy poop. Those $20 jerkbaits add up quickly. I spend several weekends a year on lake Kincaid in Illinois and take a yearly trip to Lake of the Woods in Canada. Take a trip out to Wyoming just about every year also. My dream trip was a 9 day unguided float trip down the Kanektok River in Alaska a couple of years ago. 6 guys, 92 miles of river, thousands of fish, only seeing 6 other people in 9 days = awesome. That trip will be repeated in a couple of years. This summer I'm going back to Canada. I'm also thinking about moving to Wyoming for the summer. Just trying to figure out what I want. If I don't move to Wyoming, I will at least be taking off and driving around for 2 or 3 weeks fishing the rivers out there that I haven't fished yet but are on my list. You can live off Ramen noodles and peanut butter and jelly for 3 weeks, right. The only thing I need to figure out is the shower situation. That's me in a nutshell. Mizzouflyfisher

RRV- I use a Renzetti Traveler and love it. I don't have much experience with other high quality vises, but I would highly recommend a Renzetti to anyone. Mizzouflyfisher

I would definitely be interested in this sort of tournament. I have never fished in a trout tourney because of the rules regarding up or down and difficulty catching fish outside the slot if you are fishing up, then if you catch nice fish you have to keep them. More than anything I just want to meet some more people and improve my skills. The only person I ever fish with is my dad or myself (not that he's a bad guy to fish with, he's great). I would just like to expand my horizons. Are we still talking about a 1 fly, or just catch and release in general. Also, if we are talking 1 fly, can we make it a 2 fly tournament, 1 for no generation, and 1 for generation. I think with the forum, spreading news of a tournament would create interest, but the hard part might be getting judges. Also, I am all for a deposit requirement. Make people put there money where there mouth is Keep us updated. Mizzouflyfisher

The problem with using a dry and nymph tandem rig is that you can't control the depth of the nymph. When you use an indicator, you can add split shot above the fly to get the nymph deeper. If you add split shot below a dry fly, most all dry flies (maybe not chernobyl ants) will sink. If you are going to fish an area for a while and no that you aren't going to need to change depths and you can get your nymph deep enough without split shot, go ahead and use a dry. I only use a dry/nymph tandem rig when I know there is a pretty good chance that I will catch something on the dry, and I know that I won't want to change the depth of my nymph often. Mizzouflyfisher

I am a big fan of short rods. I use a St. Croix 7'9" 3 wt. for almost all of my day time fishing. Throwing tandem nymph rigs with split shot is not a problem. I have also used it for skipping cracklebacks, but don't recommend it. If I'm going to pitch bigger stuff or if it's windy I use an Orvis Trident TL 9' 5 wt. This is a very fast rod, so I don't use it with light tippets. The 3 wt. will handle most any fish in taney, and I don't have nearly as many breakoffs as I do with the 5 weight. Plus it's just so much fun to fish. At night I either throw my 8 wt. St. croix or the 5 weight. They all have galvan reels on them. I love the galvan drag system. Mizzouflyfisher

I like em also. They cast really well, and they have a really shiny finish (which could be good or bad). They are some of the easiest jerkbaits to fish, and they make a great pike and smallmouth bait. I'm hoping to get some of the bigger jointed x-raps to take up to Canada. I'll let you know what I think in a couple fo months. Mizzouflyfisher

Brian- What size is that box?

I use only C&F & morell fly boxes. I love the C&F fly boxes despite the $$$. I currently have 3 and am looking to buy a 4th. I use a fishpond pack 99% of the time, so I can only carry 4 boxes. 1 C&F box carries all of my dry flies, 1 C&F threader box carries all of my scuds plus some midges, 1 C&F (the one that carries 564 flies) box carries all of my midges, nymphs and soft hackles, and 1 morell box carries streamers, cracklebacks, mini jigs, etc. I also use a morell box for my terrestrials. I don't think I have a problem with hackle getting crushed, but, I don't check them very often because I don't fish dries very often. The C&F boxes keep flies organized so nicely, plus, I can put size 10-26 all in the same box. I won't use anything else, but that's just me. MIzzouflyfisher

I never did get the beadhead renegade tied. Turns out I had homework that was due yesterday on Wed., so I started that at midnight, finished by 2 and emailed it. Figured I better skip the tying and get my 4 hours of sleep. Still made it down to montauk. I caught fish on a couple of new patterns. I'm going to try and post pics today or tomorrow as long as I get my dad's camera from him today. My camera just isn't good enough for close ups. If I can't get pictures, I will at least provide descriptions because I feel pretty good about these. Mizzouflyfisher

My vote goes for Montauk. Seems like Montauk clears out faster in the afternoons. Plus, I would rather fish the trophy area below the park. It's much tougher down there because there are many many fewer fish per mile than in the park, but I find it more rewarding, and you can find solitude. I fished yesterday and caught a lot of fish 60+, but I fished a lot of the park. Key is to keep moving and find open water that holds fish. There is a lot of water that doesn't hold fish, particularly the stretch by the campground. I would recommend driving up to the spring and fishing your way down. Whatever you decide, easiest way to catch fish is with a white sparkly mini jig, size 1/180. I'll try to post a picture today. Fish it under a float and drift it about 2 inches off the bottom. If you want more specific information about either park, PM me and I will give you what I can. Mizzouflyfisher

I found out today that most of those fish are carp. Last time I was down in Dec., it was about five o'clock with a light breeze and I still had my sunglasses on. I think the carp became trout in my imagination. What happened to all the trout in that lake. There used to be a bunch of trout with several 20+. Seems now there aren't any. Still had a great day despite the thousands of people. Weather was just too good to pass up. Plus, the bright sun helped my touch up on some slow water sight fishing (2 midge rig, using the size 18 wd-40 as the "indicator"). This really requires absolutely no wind. I caught a lot of fish, but nothing real big. Only saw a couple of really nice fish. Mizzouflyfisher

I prefer to add something extra to v-rib midges. Sometimes I will add a wing of flash material or an ostrich collar of a matching collar. I like these in slow water fished deep. Like down past outlet 3. There are lots of colors that work too, black, white, grey, olive, brown, amber, red, etc. I think I'll try one tomorrow. Plus, I've taken it on myself as a personal challenge to catch a fish on a beadhead renegade dead drifted. (Somebody asked a question about this on a previous post) So, its 12, i'm getting up at 5, and I still have flies to tie. Wish me luck. Mizzouflyfisher

I think I'm actually going down to Montauk for opening day. Actually, I'll probably spend most of the day below the park, but there are some monster trout that I saw swimming around the lake above the hatchery. It's worth paying $3 to take a shot at them. Plus, that area doesn't get fished to hard. I don't know if I have ever made it for an opening day. So, we'll see how crazy it is. The beautiful day and chance to try some new flies is much more appealing than law school. I'll let you know how it goes. If anybody reads this that is down there, I'm driving a black jeep cherokee, probably with magnetic rod rack on the hood and roof. Mizzouflyfisher

My dad has a motor mount on his, but he has never used it. He would rather take the dog with him. But, most pontoons suck on lakes, so if you want to do some small pond fishing, a motor would be very helpful. If we are going to fish pond, we usually take the canoe. Mizzouflyfisher

Nobody can tell you not to fish near a dock. They can post as many signs as they want, doesn't mean squat. Just be sure you don't cast onto the dock or bump it with your boat going around the corner. You have the right to contact any portion of the water under, behind or beside a dock. Shoot, if the cables to the dock are high enough to go under or under water far enough to go over, you can go past the cables. I usually try not to do that. Somebody with some guts and a cell phone needs to go anchor right next to the dock for a bit and get this taken care of. A quick call to the police and a report could go a long way toward cooling this guys temper. Disclaimer: Don't do anything stupid!!! A piece of water, no matter how good is not worth a dangerous confrontation. Maybe somebody should print off all of these posts and mail them to the guy. Might shed some light on how he is perceived. Mizzouflyfisher