SilverMallard

Not saying either way, but the correct word in your phrase would be Amnis instead of Aestuarium. Aestuariums are coastal inlets/marshes. Amnis is a stream. Latin has a word for river, stream, and estuary. And in Latin, everything that is not big enough to be a river, or is not coastal to a sea/ocean is an Amnis. So it is the best translation for creek, branch, slough, stream, etc.

If you guess, I won't confirm. But you still might win a prize. Depends on how confident you are in your guess. LOL

You tell me... This was our biggest of many from yesterday.

Just wanted to share a bit of motivation with y'all about chasing warm water fish on the fly rod. This pic is from yesterday. When the water warms up about 5 degrees, this spot is going to get GOOD.

With a $190 gift card collection for BPS, I would head over there and buy their TFO rod/BPS reel (made by Okuma) combo in a 6wt 9' variety. That will run you about $125. I'd then buy an SA Mastery Bass Taper 6wt line (if they sell them). If they don't have that, I would put the rest toward a good vest or chest pack and pay the difference. (FishPond, WilliamJoseph, etc.) Then I would head straight for Michael's shop and take care of the rest. If you still need a line, follow his advice. I think he sells the SA Mastery line, but actually prefers the Rio high end lines himself. We all have personal preferences. BOTH are good lines. If you don't need a line because you got the SA Mastery at BPS, then have him help you out accessories, flies, leader/tippet, etc. FYI, if you didn't have the gift cards from BPS, I'd tell you to go to BCO and buy that V2 combo that Michael mentioned. That's a very good price on a very good combo. You could spend the $190 on some good waders at BPS or something like that. I wouldn't get hung up on "Made in America." Even the US rodmakers do not use 100% American-made components in most cases. And virtually ALL of the rods under $200 are made overseas. TFO owns their factory in Korea and actually makes most of the rods I just mentioned for the other guys who advertise themselves as "American made." TFO is owned by a great guy from Dallas, Texas. And he's as red, white, and blue as they come. Building his rods in Korea allows him to offer the highest quality product he can for the dollar you spend. And that is his goal. And they have awesome warranty and customer service. I gotta agree with Crippled Caddis about reels. It's a storage system for your fly line. For bass and trout and panfish, you do not need a "good drag system." But Terry is right to say that drag/no drag is no longer a matter of price point. I fish Okuma Airframe reels (drag), TFO reels (drag), and Redington RedFly (click-and-pawl) reels. The Okuma and Redington both retail for about $40. The TFO reel I have is a saltwater sportfishing reel. That's a WHOLE different critter! But for the freshwater fish you mention, you can palm the Redington reel on those rare occassions you need to. It takes 1-2 fish making runs to learn this technique effectively. If you don't want to do that, you can buy the Okuma Airframe for about the same price and have a fully adjustable drag that I and a bunch of other folks have had great luck with. Either reel should last you a long, long time and never be responsible for you losing "the one that got away." It's actual function is to store that high quality fly line...the most important component of any fly rod outfit. I'm with Michael. You can put a great line on a mediocre rod and get terrific results. You cannot put an inferior line on a great rod and get good results.

It was a bit raw out there this morning, but Russ Doughty and I managed to catch a few trout. They were all in the slot, but nice. We fished below outlet #3 for a couple of hours on 1 generator. Then we headed for Swan Creek. Very nice fish and nice report, Phil. Sounds like your fellas are having a good time.

It is my understanding that there is a small fly shop out there that is an Orvis store, and that the "guides" are Orvis-endorsed guides. At one point, this was all spelled out on the Dogwood Canyon website. When was the last time you were in a White River Fly Shop (Bass Pro)? They've been selling Orvis for the past few years.

There are entire websites and books and videos dedicated to stillwater fly fishing, which is what they call fishing lakes and ponds. But it is different than stream fishing. You can fish poppers, hoppers, and dries on the surface. But subsurface fly fishing in stillwaters requires some specialized gear and different tactics. A lot of float-tubers fish stillwater. You need sinking lines, a bit heavier rods, and they fish a lot of streamers, chironomid nymphs, and macro-invertebrates.

The shop at Dogwood Canyon is also Orvis. This newsletter went to press before the award was announced. They'll be featured in the next one, and local press releases will be out soon.

Actually, what prompted me to post this thread is not a "have to" by any stretch. It's a matter of curiosity. The fly I am thinking of catches the heck out of everything else everywhere else...from largemouth bass to catfish and saltwater sportfish. And I can fish for trout with it plenty of other places. I know it catches steelhead. So I'd imagine it'll catch rainbows...which are just freshwater steelhead. And the fly is made entirely of a hook and synthetic, translucent scudback type material.

I think the REAL solution to the regs issue would be to define SOFT PLASTICS instead of trying to define "traditional fly tying materials." Perhaps something that specifically addressed rubber worms, grubs, curly-tails, jig skirts, etc. NOT associated with fly fishing would be easier to put into a brief definition than would describing all of the acceptable fly tying materials. P.S. I fish barbless. But I don't like barbless regs. They are not easily and ACCURATELY enforceable. If you didn't quite crimp a barb perfectly enough to not snag the wardens' sexy stockings, then you get a ticket. That has always seemed really, really stupid to me. There are too many variables in barbless hook enforcement for my taste. I'd rather see them go to a single hook reg than have barbless regs.

"Liten (sic) up?" If you don't want to discuss this topic, just don't. It sure isn't causing me any stress. LOL

Well, scudback is DEFINITELY a "traditional fly-tying material." And it is definitely "soft plastic." And since scudback is commonly used on flies commonly fished in the TMZ of Taneycomo, I suspect that if one fished a fly consisting of a hook and scudback, one would be perfectly legal. Thus, I would assume that Gummy Minnow flies would be OK, too. The material is Sili-skinTM. Similar stuff has been used on saltwater flies for many years, and the Gummy Minnow is a very common FLY. By comparison, a jig is NOT a fly. It is a jig. And we all know that soft plastic jigs, worms, grubs, etc. are not legal. I guess one of my questions would be if I can use this fly on a 1/100th oz jighead the same way we use egg patterns and thread jigs on high water...with a fly rod. It's really no big deal, though. I can tie weighted eyes on a fly hook with this fly too. Or I can put a split shot weight above the fly. It kind of seems to me that the 1/100th jighead variant might be questionably legal, while other versions would clearly be flies...thus legal.

jd, 1. I put it here to stimulate discussion because there has been historic controversy over the "traditional fly-tying materials" element of the legal definition in state law. Several of us have discussed it before in person and on BBS's. Technology/materials change over time. So do legal interpretations. I thought it might lead to some interesting discussions. And I'm not in a hurry. 2. The scud with nothing but scudback on it was hypothetical. I don't want to discuss my REAL ideas in a public forum at this time. 3. I eliminated the jighead option to keep the discussion focused the use of synthetic fly tying materials and avoid the jig vs. fly debate altogether.

Cool. I didn't know Quentin reads this forum. I'll have to mind my manners from now on. I like to ethical, not just legal. And to me, that means not violating the SPIRIT of the law as well as the letter of it.

OK. Now I understand. I did not know that law because I do not bait fish and have not learned how to work more than one fly rod at a time. But I am kind of puzzled by how one manages a spread of rods across 75 yards. If you assume the bloke stands in the middle at all times, that's still over 30 yards each way to get to the end poles IF you see a nibble. I used to have trouble keeping an eye on TWO that were pretty much within arm's reach. LOL

Here's a question for the grist mill. Phil, if you haven't discussed this with the Wardens, I hope you will and then report back to us. I'd like to get Quentin's input on this. The MO legal definition of a "fly" basically says that anything tied on a single hook with (among other obvious things) "...traditional fly-tying materials" is considered a fly when used with fly-fishing tackle. So here is question vis a vis the "soft plastics" prohibition in the Trophy Management Zone: Gummy Minnows? Tube flies? If I tie a fly and cast in on a fly rod with no jig head...just a fly hook...and that fly is entirely made of a "soft plastic" synthetic TRADITIONAL FLY-TYING MATERIAL, is that fly legal? Here's another example! What if, on a wild hair, I decided to wrap a bunch of scudback material around a scud hook, secure it with no thread...only glue...and tie it on the end of my leader? Would that be legal?

OK. So the "illegal" part was "bluegills for bait?" I haven't bait fished in MO since I was a kid. So please refresh my memory. Because, if the fella was there by himself and decided to fish the way you described, it wouldn't bother me at all. I'm a big fan of "first come first served" when it comes to that sort of thing. Now, racing you to your intended spot was a bit over-the-top. I'll grant you that, given the 7 poles in the water across 75 yards of bank stuff. But I don't have a problem with bait fishermen using several rods at once so long as they don't bully people who were there first into giving ground.

She takes good care of her clients. That listening thing is critical and rare. But I have to tell you she is a better contract negotiator than she is a house hunter. I was a better house hunter than her, but she runs circles around me in negotiations. I wasn't kidding or being biased when I said they don't get any better than her around here. Glad y'all found "the house!" I always need another buddy on the lake with a boat and dock and cold beer in his frig. LOL

Last night, Orvis announced the 2007 Orvis Outfitter of the Year: River Run Outfitters of Branson, Missouri! Congratulations to Stan and Carolyn Parker, Shannon, and all of the guides and staff at River Run Outfitters. http://www.riverrunoutfitters.com

There aren't many fish, gang. It'll take some time for them to come back. But the two I caught were very healthy. If you go, please don't play them long and release them well. And try to stay on the bank as much as possible. That's a delicate stream. I noticed a new sign that said something about trout restoration. I don't know what that means they are doing in there. Perhaps trapping the otters? I sure hope so! troutchaser, that stretch of land is where the lower CA is. And that's where I was fishing. Give me a shout. I like to fish it on a weekday and no more than once/week right now. But I'm flexible.

Jeremy was KILLING them on that egg pattern he's using! Brown or rust midges were good too. Ken the Simms rep was nailing them on a brown zebra midge and I was catching them on a rust ZM.

Score one point for the good guys! Hooray! Unfortunately, they'll be back at our throats next session and probably with a companion bill in the house and senate...a much more serious threat.

Uh, when they turned the water off this afternoon, Jeremy Hunt, Ken the Simms rep, and I were slaying them up around the MDC ramp...well, THEY were slaying them and I was being the contrarian seeing of the fish would hit stuff those two guys were NOT throwing at them. I finally got tired of watching them catch fish on every cast and tied on something similar to what they were fishing with. And I started catching fish too. Shortly thereafter, my wife showed up and beckoned me to lunch at the Chinese buffet. And I was sort of hungry. FYI, the water was COLD! The fly was Jeremy's weird egg or a rust or brown Zebra Midge. So I guess you found a pretty decent REALTOR, Dave? That can be tough around here. We have plenty of part-timers and hobby REALTORS. But not many true professionals. Glad to hear you found a place.

Fished Crane Creek this afternoon in the Wire Road CA below town. Got there about 4 and fished until 7. I caught a 12" Rainbow right away and a 14" a few minutes later. A couple of casts later, I lost my last fly of the type they were attacking. I only had 2 with me...oops. Saw 3-4 more trout, but couldn't get them to pay attention. And I didn't see the otter today. Water was clearing today...still a bit off-colored. Water level was about the same as it was the last time I fished it a few weeks ago...which is GOOD. Think beadhead soft hackles size 14-16.