Crippled Caddis

Amen! Just an echo from the 'Amen Corner' Terry but heartfelt. You know how to get in touch. I ain't much but I listen pretty good. CC

Bigtime agreement on the Seafoam! I run 2 oz. to the gallon to clean an old motor and an ounce to the gallon to maintain. It also acts as a preservative to keep your fuel fresh longer. It's a definite win/win. Just be aware that on old motors that are heavily carboned that using Seafoam can break loose bits of carbon from the piston tops or cylinder head big enough to foul plugs so always carry spare plugs and a wrench. But we all do that anyway. Right?;o) CC

Phil wrote: <Walked up on 2 AGAIN in the grass within a few feet.-----I have to do laundry tomorrow so I won't be fishing.> Easy to see why you must do laundry! I would too!

Short answer is that color phases vary so widely depending on a huge multitude of factors that two fish from the same hole can appear to almost be different species. Color is the LEAST defining factor in determining origin. Monday I released a 17-18" male Brown from Spring river that was so pale and washed out that he almost resembled a fresh Steelhead. Today I caught a much smaller one perhaps 30 yds. downstream that had all of the colors we love in the Browns. If anything one would have expected the bigger, spawning age fish to be more brightly colored with the approach of the spawn. Color is NOT a defining factor to suggest origin!

<Now, 6 years later, many want to stop short of finishing the JOB, while the mastermind still mocks us.> While his facilitaters in Congress and media keep up the cowardly cry to retreat. His original precept was that Americans didn't have the backbone to endure a long struggle. The vocal spineless are doing all they can to prove him right. “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things,”---the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.”--- John Stuart Mill <Left early and after dinner, took the family to church for a prayer service.> I think that is the most cogent of commentary on the difference between Chistianity and Islam. Beware the apologists who insist that Islam is a 'religion of Peace'. "Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction".----Blaise Pascal <Got home that afternoon and started taking inventory of my arsenal... JUST in case....> The 2nd Amendment was created specifically that the American people should ALWAYS have the ability to defend themselves from enemies "from without or within". "Our task of creating a Socialist America can only succeed when those who would resist us have been totally disarmed." ----Sara Brady, Chairperson, Handgun Control "Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not."---Thomas Jefferson <I will NEVER FORGET.----NEVER FORGET..... EVER.> <I remember shortly after the attacks , seeing flags all over , everyone was being kind to each other and so very eagar to help a fellow person out , Now it seems alot have forgotten> "The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see."---Winston Churchill "That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history."----Aldous Huxley

DD wrote: <I've heard that there wouldn't be a Texas today if the Alamo had a back door?> 'Course it had one DD! How do you think those Meskins got in! ************************************************************************ On that fateful day, Davy Crockett woke up and walked from his bunk on the floor of the Alamo up to the observation post on the west wall. William B. Travis and Jim Bowie were up there already. The three gazed at the hordes of Mexicans moving steadily towards them. Davy turned to Bowie with a puzzled look on his face and sked... "Jim, are we landscaping today?"

Glad to hear of success with your outboard. Even tho it didn't seem to get hot keep in mind that the waterpump impellers are made of a rubber compound and they get stiff and inflexible with time and heat cycles. If you can't recall the last time the impeller on your motor was replaced then its waaaaaay overdue! If one of the blades of an old impeller breaks off and obstructs the water flow to the powerhead it will cook it long before you are even aware that a problem has developed. Impellers are readily available from marine dealers or NAPA auto parts outlets. They usually run @ $20-$30 and are some of the cheapest outdoor insurance available, The vast majority of outboards has a waterpump tell-tale, or 'pee-hole', outlet above the waterline to provide an indication that your waterpump is working properly. Check it EVERY time you start your outboard and frequently during operation. If it isn't pumping water shut your motor off IMMEDIATELY! It takes only a minute or two to overcook an outboard and if you haven't bought a new one recently then you don't want to KNOW what they cost these days. Replacing the impeller on your motor evey 2-3 years is some very inexpensive insurance and peace of mind. It's a very simple job-----even I can do it! CC

tippet 7 wrote: <Not a picture I took, but one of my favorites. It is my brother and I putting some of my fathers ashes in one of his favorite spots to fish on the San Juan River NM. Just above the Texas Hole back in Feb 2004.> To coin a phrase: "Bless you my son".;o) Good work by yourself and your brother. A solemn honoring of your forebear. Would that more displayed such respect----more for the value to their own souls that for that of the departed. Looks like some of the braided sections above the Texas Hole. Have you ever seen the Carp that look like nuclear attack subs that inhabit some of the deep pockets in that section? In retrospect I now wish I'd given more attention to them than the sore-mouthed trout back in the late 80s/early 90s. CC

Caddis wrote: <Those were taken at the Mountain Fork River in Broken Bow, Ok.> Spillway creek or the new section? The little trout with the parr marks looks like some of the results of the natural spawn on Spillway. Those little 'fellers' were the very reason that some worked so hard to defeat the proposed 'thrill-ride' commercial developement of Spillway creek in the mid '80s. The current fishery there is ample repayment of all the efforts and all of the ill feelings we generated in doing so. Time has amply proven that the current year-round coldwater fishery was a far greater boon to the local economy than a carnival ride. Even tho I haven't made a return to the area since moving to the Ozarks shortly after the 'Battle on the Mt. Fork' the opinions I read on a forum dedicated to the Lower Mt. Fork causes me great distress from reading of the 'improvements' to the 'Evening Hole'. That short stretch of river was virtually sacred for me and precious are the memories of the occasions when I sought and found solitary solace in it's limpid waters and challenging presentations. Why does Man presume to improve on the handiwork of the 'Great Architect'? The query is beyond my understanding. CC

<AGFC eyes preliminary trout plan, seeks input JOANNE BRATTON Bulletin Staff Writer> <The first option for both tailwaters is to wait until a University of Arkansas study about the rate of trout growth and population density is completed. The study should be finished by September 2008, Williams said. He said preliminary study results indicate rainbow trout are growing poorly in both tailwaters. In the Norfork tailwater area, 16-inch rainbow trout grow about 1.9 inches a year, compared to small, brown trout which grow between 6-7 inches per year, Williams said.> Awaiting definitive data is superfluous, verging on negligence, when we already know that the growth rate of Rainbows has plummeted abysmally from historic rates. Delaying the implementation of reasonable protective regulations will only exacerbate a situation that has already reached critical mass. Time enough to fine-tune protective measures when the last definitive data has been entered into the record, but if we neglect to take the sort of measures that we know are beneficial now then we may find in the future that managing a resource that is no longer viable is an exercise in futility. It is axiomatic, in country Ozark parlance, to "dance with the one who brung you", but at this stage it is obvious to even the least astute that the one "who brung you", the Rainbow, has retired from the dance floor. To continue to dance requires switching partners with unseemly but necessary haste. It is recognized by all and sundry who are conversant to any extent with Salmonid population trends that Salmo Trutta occupies the peak of the survival pyramid alone and unchallenged. Long after that lovely char, the Brook Trout, has perished, surviving conditions that vanquish the Western ballet artist the Rainbow and leaving the art deco Cutt far in his wake the Brown Trout continues to thrive and prosper under aquatic survival conditions that place a heavy burden of adaptability on any specie that would continue to pass on it's genes to succeeding generations. So it would seem that the trout have made the decision concerning which specie will repay the greatest dividends in the management of the Norfork system. <Bull Shoals tailwater A second option for the Bull Shoals tailwater includes implementing a 14-20 inch protected slot limit on rainbow trout from the bottom end of Armstrong Hole downstream of Cotter to the mouth of Crooked Creek. A slot limit would allow people to keep rainbow trout smaller than 14 inches or larger than 20 inches. A third option would be to have the slot limit for rainbow trout in place from the Bull Shoals catch-and-release area to the mouth of Crooked Creek, about 26 miles. Both the second and third options on the Bull Shoals tailwater propose increasing the minimum length limit of brown trout from 16 inches to 24 inches and from two fish to one fish per day.> The 2nd option is far too modest to address the scope of the problems attenuating the fishery. It is little more than putting a porous patch on the hole in the dike. To effect a viable repair requires addressing the problem as a whole. One cannot in practicality separate a living stream into discrete sections, aquatic life neither reads nor cares and attempting to impose bureaucratic solutions on natural ecosystems is sophistry at best. The 3rd option comes closer to the mark yet even so it is an attempt to divide the rivers ecosystem into human terms, an endeavor doomed by the very nature of living streams. Better, in the case of attempting to manage a cold-water fishery in an un-natural setting, to manage the entire portion of the stream that is viable for the existence of cold-water species as a whole rather than a series of parts. This truth is so obvious as to brook no reasonable argument. Imposing a workable slot limit on the cold-water portion of the river as a whole has much to recommend it. In practical terms it simplifies regulations and enforcement of them both in terms of the public's ability to grasp and retain the specifics of the regulation and the duties of the agencies charged with enforcement. In order to place greater emphasis on the value of a trophy fish as well as reduce impact at the top levels of the specie specific ladder I would further propose a tag system much as used in the harvest of the Whitetail deer of two (2) Rainbow or Brown Trout over 24" annually. Such slot limit regulations complimented by a trophy tag system will be readily understandable by the public reducing harvest irregularities while simultaneously instilling a greater respect for the value of the resource in general and management for trophies specifically. In so doing it compliments and extends both public recognition of the value of the resource and the worth of it for the local economy. As an aside please allow me to point out that it is recognized by the studious shareholder that slot-limit regulations impose little or no impairment of sport for the 'average' tourist angler who does so much for our economy. Nor does it threaten in any degree the 'put & take' hatchery bureaucracy that is such an integral part of AGFC management practices. Indeed it puts a premium on stocking of fish outside of the slot-limit for those who want to indulge in keeping and consuming their catch, whether indigent shareholders or tourist anglers. As such I can but see it as a 'win/win' situation for all. < Norfork tailwater A second option for the Norfork tailwater includes implementing a 14-20 inch slot limit for rainbow trout from the bottom of Long Hole to the bottom of the last island above the confluence with the White River. A third option for the Norfork tailwater includes implementing a 14-20 inch slot limit for rainbow trout from 100 yards below Norfork Dam to the bottom of the last island above the confluence with the White River. Both second and third options include increasing the minimum length of brown trout to 24 inches.> Comments relative to the White River in the paragraphs above apply to the Norfork as well, but in spades. It is common public knowledge that the short -5 mile course of the Norfork is more critically impaired than is the main stem of the White River proper. With that in mind I think there would be far greater shareholder support for more restrictive regulatory care for the Norfork than might be the case with the White. Indeed the necessity for more extreme measures in order to protect and enhance the historical trophy nature of the Norfork fishery demands greater care, protection and enforcement. The ever increasing fragility of the aquatic environment of the Norfork begs that it be the featured plaintiff in legal efforts to enforce all state and federally mandated water quality standards. AGFC as well as ADEQ have moral obligations to the shareholders and the people of the State of Arkansas in toto as well as the in-house legal representation needed to pursue enforcement of all applicable water quality standards. At this point it is obvious that what is lacking is the will to do so. Insofar as special regulations geared to the specific needs of the fishery I do not presume to advise the biologists charged with husbanding the resource. They, better than anyone else, know the critical measures needed to enhance the ecosystem and the fishery. As a shareholder and caring user of the resource I ask only that they do what is best for the ecosystem, fishery and the local economy.

I see a more than interesting thrust to this entire thread. Disaffectation with NAPCAR shines forth from every post including the initial posting by DD. This accords well with my statement in the initial post on this board regarding loss of interest by both Winnie and I due to over-saturation of NAPCAR programming. It seems others besides we two long-time fans have became disillusioned by the contrived artifice obvious in creating a 'show' as opposed to a race. It all smacks of the 'bread and circuses' that presaged the downfall of the Roman Empire. Is the France Empire teetering on the brink? I, for one, suspect that to be the case. While NAPCAR fans may not be the most critical of fans even the least astute are registering dissatisfaction with transparently questionable yellow flag cautions that un-naturally condense the field. No one likes to be treated as mentally incompetent and the artificial bunching of the field that steals the advantages earned by hard-charging competitors earns righteous contempt from those who understand the true nature of competitive motorracing. Others may have dissenting views,;o) CC

<Small trout do grow at that rate but but from my experience a 15 inch bow or brown does not grow at near that rate...the larger fishes growth rate slows considerably.> You have a good point! I highly suspect that the writer, being a journalist rather than a biologist, mixed apples and oranges from the biologist's statement. As you pointed out fingerlings grow at an absolutely astonishing rate once past the egg-yolk dependent stage and up to their first anniversary. This is far more prevelent in warmwater species like Bass than in trout but the principle does still apply. I suspect that the statement was a thinly veiled acknowledgement that the Norfork tailwaters are so impaired at this point that growth rates of hatchery bred Rainbows are not possible as they were historically. The smaller Brown trout, stocked as 6-7" fish, still possess the ability to more efficiently convert food intake to growth than do the larger 'Bows. The other factor is the impaired water quality of the Norfork tailwaters which are no longer able to provide the nutrients historically available. I have addressed these issues as well as a plethora of others related to new specie specific regulation proposals for the White river system tailwaters in a reply to various agencies, officials and individuals that awaits vetting by a (semi) impartial editor. (Dano---;o)) You are among the addressees. If I can remember it long enough I will post it in it's entirety on this thread. CC

Dave: check your PMs, sending excellent article on putting an old motor back in service. CC

Check with the applicable state agency---there SHOULD be a way to get a Missouri title with a notarized bill of sale from the person you recieved it from that also states clearly that at the time the boat was built and sold that a title was not required in Arkansas.

One man's 'take' on the issue: <I had in mind the Rio Grande but the more I look at the Selective Trout I think I might just go with it.> My own understanding is that the 'Selective Trout' line works best on a medium action or slower rod. So you might well be picking the wrong line for your rod depending on the taper. <Most of my lines are WF. I was under the impression it would help me with distance.------The 8 wt came loaded with WF and I can throw it a mile.> <the primary reason is that the DT lines will load rods better with less line out of the rod tip-----> <Double taper line is a better bet for shorter casts. It loads the rod better and makes for better roll casts. It loads easier for the shorter range of casting strokes.> DT roll casts better simply because the taper is more gradual than the WF so the transition of power from rear to front of the line is better as opposed to the fast taper of the WF. As implied by the descriptive name, 'Weight Forward', the WF line has a quick taper from the front to the maximum diameter of the line. Therefore less line out the rod tip implies greater weight than the same amount of DT line-----up to 30 feet-----where both lines should wind up weighing the same to be rated as the same weight line. Remember----the line is rated for the first 30' of weight only so what follows has no effect on the rod weight rating. So the WF should load the rod quicker than the DT for short casts all else being equal. It is past 30' where the greatest difference will be noted. The WF line quickly reduces diameter to the point that after the first 30' the line diameter becomes somewhat similar to the running line in a shooting head system. Therefore as the line out the tip is increased for longer casts the weight of the line in the air increases slowly. Conversely a DT line has a loooooong belly or mid-section of rather uniform diameter compared to the WF before gradually tapering down again in the final 30'. Therefore as the line outside the rod tip increases with longer casts the weight of line in the air increases much faster with a DT than with the WF. This means that the load on the rod increases and the DT will overload the rod faster than the WF. Some rods will simply refuse the increased weight because of design and taper. The WM Featherweights are a notable example of the principle. They are VERY 'tippy'. That is most of the movement of the rod when loaded occurs in the forward 1/3 of the blank. Which is why they are a very satisfactory rod for short casts. And suck like a Hoover on steroids once overloaded. A good caster (I'm NOT one!) can overcome that and make the rod cast down into the mid-section and butt but the rod still isn't truly gleeful about it. They're simply more fun to use at short range where they (and the user) will be happiest. In summation the 1st of the quotes above is correct because of the 'shooting head' nature of the WF line. The latter two quotes are erroneous----because the quicker taper of the WF will load the rod faster for short casts or heavy flies. The DT is better for roll casts and delicate presentations because of the more gradual nature of the taper as opposed to the WF line. <Up until a few years ago most rod makers would designate two line weights on the rod. Such as 5/6 which would be noted on the blank. This meant that it was designed for a 5 wt dt or a 6 wt wf line. Even many of the old glass and cane rods came with two wt designations.> This is a function of the rate of weight increase as more line is airialized as implied or stated in the paragraph above. Ballistic vest donned, defenses erected, fire retardand spread liberally. CC

Happy B'day Phil! And thanks for sharing the pics. Love 'em! CC

I feel foolish because I have misplaced the book and can't recall the title but I think the best thing I've read was Henry Schoolcrafts' report of his 1818-1819 tour of the region to evaluate it for mineral deposits in an effort to get himself appointed the federal mining supervisor of the area. His report was the first written description of the region and the people and it is so seminal that it has to be considered the primary 'must read' on the subject. Quite shortly after moving here @ 19 years ago I bought 'Living History of the Ozarks' by Phyllis Rossiter and I cannot recommend it too highly. It is a wealth of information for newcomer and native alike and her love of her native land shines from every page. Another 'must read' IMO. Short list of others I've enjoyed that were worthy of remaining in my library: 'Stiff as a Poker', Folk tales and humor by Vance Randolph 'Ozark Pioneers', Just as implied by the title by Bob Hinds 'Civil War in the Ozarks', Short overview by Steele & Cottrell 'Discover the Ozarks', Small but good tour guide by Bob Hinds I never feel I really know either an area or a people unless I know the history. So for me Schoolcrafts book was a treasure when I discovered it had been reprinted. I cannot recommend it too highly. CC

Terry wrote: <There was a guy at Conclave last year who had his jig there and was making them right there on the spot. I bought one of his and really liked it.> Was it Jeff from Dorber? I saw him making furled leaders at Conclave the last time I attended a few years ago. So I know they sell them. I also have a friend in Texas who makes and sells them as part of his small online business to support his own flyfishing habit so as a plug for him here's his website: <http://www.robinscustomleadersandflies.com> The Hatches article finally got me off of dead-center and I picked out a board to make a jig yesterday and sanded it down and varnished it. If I get the time to get it finished today I wanta start trying out some concepts I've had lurking between my ears for some time now. Thanks for posting the article. CC

TroutBum My friend sent the following info but couldn't guarantee it. Leo E Eck (501) 988-5672 10414 Batesville Pike, Jacksonville, AR 72076

I thought I had Leo's phone # but couldn't find it when I looked. Bear with me however, I just sent an enquiry to a cane rod builder in the same town so I should hear from him in a day or so with contact info. CC

<Is it possible to find a new, used or refurbished bamboo rod in the $170 to $300 range?> Certainly. Whether you can find the rod length and weight you want in that price range is the real question. <Is ebay the way to go?> Not unless you are already a bamboo expert. And even they can get stung. The best bet is to forage the forums devoted to bamboo. Most of them have a for sale section and you're far less apt to get burned buying from a devoted bamboo fan than online auction sites. <Any suggestions on good brand names of vintage or used rods to look for on the ebay site or elsewhere. Does anyone in the Ozarks refurbish and sell 4 or 5 wt. bamboo rods,> Leo Eck in Searcy, AR does. You'll find him at every FFF Conclave in Mt. Home with a table full of refurbished rods for sale. As far as what you are looking for is concerned you must recognize that in the era when bamboo was king that 9' 6 & 7 wt. rods were considered the standard. Shorter rods for lighter lines were specialist rods for ultralight afficianados and were therefore few and far between and often custom orders from the best makers by those who could afford to indulge their preferences---current prices of such rods do not fit in your specified budget by several orders of magnitude. Today such rods command the greatest attention from both collectors and users and command prices commensurate with their desirability. One you might try to find that is still almost affordble is the South Bend Model 290, a 7 1/2' for a 5 wt. Built during Wes Jordens tenure at South Bend it was a very good design for the money and still is. Hope that helps. CC

Tim wrote: <When are they supposed to have the visitor center open in Neosho ?> Don't know the schedule, but you can contact the 'Friends of the Neosho Hatchery' organization for details. Don't have any contact info and the head of the group, a pretty blonde pro flytyer from Neosho, who I know only as 'Tbird' from John Wilson's board along with Davy Wotton who spearheads the 'Friends of the Norfork National Fish Hatchery' (the largest hatchery in the national hatchery system BTW) are both fishing Montana 'til the end of the month. They left last Thurs. after the Wednesday 50 year rededication of the Norfork hatchery shindig put on by the Norfork 'Friends' group. It was an impressive gathering of speakers and Dave Whitlock (a close friend of Davy) even put in an appearance back in Arkansas in honor of the occasion. The 'Friends' put on a BBQ & beans lunch afterward but it was too hot to hang around so I fled home to the AC. CC

skeeter wrote: <At the same truck race I mentioned in previous paragraph one of the support races was called the "Silver Bullet " cars ( I think ) and they were front engine roadsters> A 'Humpy' Wheeler brainstorm IIRC---intended to catch 'graduates' of the 'Legend' car series looking for a more adventurous challenge. A definitive 'spec' class, but capable of putting on a heckuva show as you noted. Which (Humpy being the P.T. Barnum of stockcars) was the root of the concept. A win/win deal for Humpy, he gets to sell or lease the cars, sponsor the races, sell the tickets and concessions and garner the income from all of it. All that said I've enjoyed the few times I've caught the racing on TV. It has much the same nostalgia kick as historics racing without the flinch factor of witnessing racing icons being hazarded. Frankly I'd love to see a national series as long as NAPCAR had nothing to do with it. Faint hope!( <NASCAR has become BORING and is over-hyped and over-marketed for what you get. Think race fans are starting to realize that as TV viewership is down 18% this year and the Corporate types are WORRIED.> As I noted in my opening post my wife and I, followers of 'stockcar' racing since long before it became bigime, have had the pleaasure of it stolen from us by the over-saturation and hype. If it has driven two such as ourselves away then it must surely have repelled less devoted fans. The only race I make it a point to watch of recent years are the roadraces. The ovals have became so boringly repetitive and predictable that I have adopted the NAPCAR name because they induce naps rather than interest. <I love F-1 with a passion but please, somebody get rid of Bernie Ecclestone and his dictatorial ways.> Surely Bernies' pact with the Devil that keeps him alive must soon expire! The fear is that his monopoly will be carried on by family members as greedy and short-sighted as the France heirs. <At least they put some driver input back into the cars with the grooved tires and reduction in electronic traction controls.> Hope looms in the proposal to reduce aero effects by a substantial margin and the soon to be implemented abolition of traction control entirely. F-1 could profit from Humpy's Silver Bullet concept by returning to a formula that puts more emphasis on the driver rather than the technology. Technology is great for the techno-freaks but the average ticket buyer or TV watcher would be better entertained (and retained) by racing that includes the close competition and more passing of the era that preceded the introduction of aero dependency. Nor can aero dependency be considered to be 'improving the breed' which has always been thought of as the reason for racing whether of horses or motor vehicles. While NAPCAR has erred by placing the greatest emphasis on the 'show' aspect F-1 has made the mistake of ignoring that facet virually altogether. Neither seem to understand that the paying customer just wants to see good racing and it is hurting both ends of the spectrum. Or such is my opinion FWIW. CC

I scored as a hardcore conservative leaning toward libertarian. No surprise there!

brownieman wrote: <I'm a junkhead'.----I will collect and research most anything but antiques and ways of the past intrigue me...vintage fishing equipment being my main interest.> I greatly resemble that remark myself! Who else still has his first two rod & reel outfits as well as the reel his father bought in 1916? Along with the remaining plugs which include a 'Dowagiac Diver' with 5 sets of trebles. This past winter I reactivated a lot of my 'veteran' tackle and this winter I intend to fish it. Perhaps even from a 1956 Arkansas Traveller jon powered by a 5 horse 1950 Johnson TN-26 or a '53 Sea King. <Many have told me over the years I should be a fishing guide. Have always been hesitant to do so because at that point it becomes a job instead of a hobby and the risk of not enjoying fishing has never been worth it.> Same story here brownie. But I have resisted temptation because of seeing a cousin become a successful guide and coming to detest fishing as a reult. There is only a single letter of difference between a joy and a job but that small difference is truly all that counts. CC