SilverMallard

Always. 2 reasons: I'm lazy and a klutz.

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. I'll make some calls about lodging options and so forth for sure. But I figured there would be some good knowledge around these here parts as well.

Thanks, gang! This is the kind of info I was hoping for. Planning a trip down there next month with a friend. I also like cold-weather camping. But we may opt for a cabin or something. So there's no fishing in the park M-W this time of year, huh? I'd imagine that means everything else is closed then too, right? What about the campgrounds? We were thinking weekdays to really have the place to ourselves.

I want to know about the fishing, camping, lodging, meal choices, etc. in January/February please.

The cheap BPS "breathable" waders aren't actually very breathable. I've had a couple of pairs of them over the past few years. You do get hot in them in warm weather. But they are inexpensive and keep the stream out. I have heard good things about the Orvis mid-range waders and Simms guide weights are the Rolls Royce for now. But the Orvis waders are considerably more expensive than the White Rivers and the Simms go for over $300. But the Simms user reviews are awesome. They probably do pay for themselves over time. BUT...I just got a pair of the new William Joseph waders, and I gotta tell you they seem to be the cat's meow! From a design perspective, they are the best I have ever seen, touched, worn. And if they are as durable as everything else from WJ, Badlands, and Vortex (same company...3 namebrands), they should last forever. The warranty says it all: if you tear them up, they'll fix them for free..forever. If they fail, they'll replace them free...forever.

I paid $115 for my Beretta Xtrema brand new. I've owned $1000+ shotguns and $100 shotguns. The Xtrema is a great gun that is 100% reliable and fun to shoot no matter the load. But I've still killed more ducks with 870 Express Magnum than all the others combined. And I absolutely love my Baikal double guns...and they were less than $300 each when I bought them.

Yeah, I know! And that's just about the population of the entire county now.

I know where the most sparsely populated county in the lower 48 states is. They have great fly fishing and gorgeous scenery. And I'll never tell!

I hate to break it to y'all, but those 3 places are overrun with obnoxious yuppies from Kalifornia and Seattle nowadays. You might as well stay put.

On Taney (and everywhere else I've fished), the answers to your questions are: When the horn blows, you have about 5 minutes to get to safety. Twice? God only knows! Depends on how much they generate. So the safe assumption is about 5 minutes. Again, God only knows. It can rise a few inches up to almost 10 feet. But the cfs (flow rate) is far more threatening than the water level. You can drown in 6" of water if you're unconscious or trapped face down. A strong swimmer can lose to a strong current. In still deep water, even a marginal swimmer can get to safety. Current kills.

Well, I don't even know how to find that story on the site, but I do remember it. A couple of things: 1. It happened on the Norfork tailwater, not the White River. The Norfork is NARROW. And that bad boy comes up FAST! And since it was my first time there, I had no idea that we were too far from the horn to hear it. I was relying on the guy I was fishing with for that sort of knowledge, but we never really discussed safety issues. Learned something from that. 2. The horns are not entirely reliable. I understand that sometimes BSD starts generating with NO horns. And the # of horn blasts...in my experience...is only indicative of what is going to happen to the cfs and water level on ALL of the tailwaters about 50% of the time. In other words, I pay NO attention to how many horn blasts there are. I assume that 1 horn blast equals max generation. I head for shore and watch to see what happens for about 20-30 minutes, or head for the car and move downstream as discussed in some of the above comments. 3. There is NO FISH worth a dunking, let alone dying over.

1. Don't litter and it's not a problem. 2. In 600 years, no one will remember you to curse you for using fluorocarbon tippet. 3. In 600 years, that stream might not even be there anymore...let alone 6,000. 4. You do a LOT more damage to the environment driving to/from the stream and wading in it to fish than you do using fluorocarbon tippet. Don't sweat the small stuff. 5. Do you use lead weight? We've known for a LONG time that this is about the worst enviro-damage done to watersheds by sportsmen. Again...don't sweat the small stuff. 6. Do you sanitize your boots and waders every time you hit different water? This is a HUGE environmental problem caused by anglers. Again...don't sweat the small stuff.

An old duck hunter's proverb: ducks die just as dead when shot with a $200 Remington 870 as they do with a $2000 Beretta. And I don't mind using the Remington as a boat paddle if the motor breaks down.

There is almost always some good fishing that is not very crowded if you're willing to walk, scout, and cover some water to find good feeding lanes and lies. The reason it is so congested at the outlets and from rebar upstream is that most folks are not willing to do these things. They want it as easy as possible, and would rather complain about crowds than walk downstream. Frankly, rebar is nothing special and it is fished to death. And the full-contact fishing in the outlets reminds me of those fish ponds for kiddos at the county fair.

Al! Great to see you here! That's the first post I've seen from you in over a year on the Internet. I was beginning to worry...

For me, the difference in action would be more important than the 2pc vs. 4pc thing unless you do travel quite a bit to fish. I don't think 2-3-4pc has much bearing anymore once you put a rod together. Given the choice, I would put the extra $50 into a rod over a reel any day for pan fish and trout. BUT I would put the extra $50 into a good line before I'd spend it on rod or reel. Put a bad line on a good rod and you have a bad rig. Put a good line on a bad rod and you have a mediocre rig. Put a good line on a decent rod and a cheap reel and you've got a good rig for pan fish and trout.

As some of you know, I am a HUGE fan of WJ products. This vest won best new product of 2006 at a couple of the big fishing retailer shows. But I also wonder about warm weather. I wear a WJ Gear Bag Chest. I love it. I also had a Coastal II. The backpack in it was just too big for my use. But I loved the chest pack portion. I have a pair of their waders, boots, and their wading jacket on the way now. I've been waiting on the waders for 2-3 years. And they finally have them now. They went through some serious revisions getting them the way they wanted them.

Hey, I am right there with ya on that lazy thing sometimes...and on the rationalizations too. We all do it. My point was that this is not the rod's fault. In fact, I am so lazy that I don't mind missing a few casts/fish to take a break. So I am more likely (nowadays) to go to the car to switch rods and take my sweet time about getting back to the water. If there's someone in the parking area to chat with or I have a drink or two in the cooler, I may not get back to the water at all!

I would expect the more expensive rod to be a bit more versatile I guess. Seems logical. But the 4wt TFO not handling 6wt flies used for night fishing Taney because one is too lazy to go change rods when the sun goes down is hardly the rod's fault! I do not know of a single fly rod at any price that is excellent for fishing size 18-22 midges and stripping size 6-10 streamers. This reminds me of an old TX cowboy proverb: It is the poor craftsman who blames his tools. Would you use 20 lb test monofilament to lift a 1000 lb piano with a block and tackle?

Davy's a well-known expert, but almost ALL of the other experts I know recommend waxing the ferrules. In fact, most casting instructors and rod afficionados I know/have read won't put a rod together without wax. They claim it REDUCES wear and prevents slippage. And this is NOT a TFO problem! This is a multi-piece fly rod issue in general. I own a bunch of TFO's. I do not care much about aesthetics. If you do, TFO rods below the TiCr line are not for you. They are Jeeps, not Mercedes. Frankly, it makes no sense to try to compare a $600 Sage or GLoomis or Winston to a $100 TFO. Why would you even be considering two rods that are in such different price ranges? That's like asking someone to compare their Ford Focus to a Ferrari. Going to/from the grocery store, parking on the street, owning without a garage, not being able to afford big repair bills, the Ford wins hands down for a typical family/person. However, I don't think anyone would argue that a Ford Focus would take a Ferrari in a race, be more of a chick magnet, or impress your neighbors better. But I don't know ANYONE looking at a Ford Focus who is realistically considering buying a Ferrari. Me? I drive a Chrysler Cirrus with 150k miles on it. So I'm obviously a TFO man! And I'll take them over ANY similarly priced rod on the market.

Well, there are several organizations involved in this loop. From bottom to top they are: local CATV company, Chiefs, and the NFL. You can't really blame the satellite folks and they only have one logical answer to a complaint: buy satellite. The local CATV folks are indeed missing the boat as stated above. This needs to be brought to their attention by their consumers. It's all about their perceptions of the demand. If enough people want something, they can get it and put a price tag on it that folks will pay. The Chiefs control their broadcast rights and negotiate them on a regular basis. If they don't agree to something, it doesn't happen. The Chiefs need to know this is costing them fans. For a pro sports team, their local TV market is KING. Size matters. Why they would trade a satellite audience for a huge chunk of their regional market from their own fan base is beyond me, but those guys aren't totally daft. The NFL cares a LOT about what NFL fans think. And they KNOW that 80% of their fan base is watching on TV sitting in working class households. This was probably an experiment. They need to hear the down-side. They do have some leverage over the teams with regard to broadcast contracts. They offer incentives and disincentives for special programs. The reason ESPN got the MNF contract is simple: HDTV! ESPN is way ahead of the networks in their ability to deliver HD coverage and programming. And they have a bigger viewer base than the networks do now. These are recent changes. Remember, everything goes HD in 2008. And this contract is multi-year. But ESPN has a decided advantage and can deliver NOW, not 2 years from now. NFL Network also broadcasts in HD. Satellite has an HD advantage over the cable companies. This is a technological change that is going to have a lot of impact on all sorts of TV programming. That's why they phased in the change over a 10-year period and we are 10 years or so behind the Japanese in terms of HDTV. But it's here now, fellas. Soon you will have to realize you are either going HD or you are not going to watch much TV...or ANY TV. Finally, the pro sports stadiums are still full. And they are building bigger stadiums as fast as they can. "Pricing out the common man" is obviously NOT happening or it is not a bad idea. Take your pick. Seems to me that if YOU can no longer afford a game (which is still cheaper than the avg ticket price for a major concert and about the same price as many Branson show tickets), then perhaps YOUR economic power (wages, etc.) is eroding in comparison with the rest of society. But it defies the facts to assume that most folks are in the same boat that you are when the stadiums and ball parks and arenas are still selling out on a regular basis and the teams are all complaining about how they need bigger venues to handle more paying fans. And...fyi...I think the ticket prices are too high also. And I cannot afford a big CATV or satellite bill either. But let's get real.

I also have some classic "red line" Hotwheels, for those of you who collect Hotwheels. Bunch of really good extension cords for $1 each...including an outdoor 100' cord. Capuccino maker. Bread machine. Microwave oven. Fuji Finepix digicam. And much more!

It's one of those $300 Murray's from Wal-Mart. Works great. Needs a very inexpensive repair to the "kill switch" lever on the handle to be perfect. It's a mulching mower. But it's awesome for a $60 lawnmower...and that's what I'm gonna price it at for the sale. The gas-powered trimmer will also be $60. Or you can buy the "lawncare combo" value pack for $100 and get both.

Also have a very decent lawnmower (3 years old), gas-powered weedeater, various lawn and garden tools, bunch of hand tools, few power tools, etc.

We recently bought a Canon W2 (I believe it is). It was $400 at Target. My wife has a degree in photography and she is really impressed with this camera. You will also need a memory card for it and that's about another $75.