Ham

We raised $755,846 at this years auction. Thanks to all that were able to help. We got quite lucky and won a 52 inch plasma screen TV and a Wii and TV combo.

JE, Man I'd love to have you show me the ropes on that sonar. I'd be glad to buy the gas too, but I'm in Louisiana so I'll have to take a rain check. It is a very impressive looking piece of equipment to be sure. I appreciate you're giving a full disclosure on your business association with Hummingbird. In my mind, you can be on a pro staff and still be honest.

I made a mad dash up to Arkansas from the southern latitudes to nab some silly trout with my flyrod. Long story short, I had a blast. So I'm gonna start tying up a few of the "work everywhere not terribly difficult to tie" patterns now that I have realised that a lot of my issues with fly tying were because my age finally caught up with my eyesight and I just could not see what I was doing. OK my theory is that I want to have 3 of every size and every color that I am taking. I'm going to learn how to do the Zebra midge, but was taken aback by the half dozen variations of it. I figure three each of size 16 and 18 for each color. I guess I'll try to stop at 4 color variations. Well I'll have 24 zebra midges alone. Add in brassies, WB, Trout Crack, 6 colors of San Juan, other scuds and sowbugs. Dang it. I'm gonna need more foam flyboxes. so am I taking too many of each or does everyone end up having that many?

SKMO have you seen or read anything on the Hummingbird Side Scanner unit that's coming out soon. Ralph Mann's had an article in In-Fisherman on it and I watched a fishing show that was pimping it pretty hard. I have considered Lowrance to be the NAME in depthfinders, but that Hummingbird looked really nice.

I watched a show with a couple of guys drop shotting on TR using a Lowrance X17 unit. Having seen that show I understand better what SKMO was talking about. My drop shotting has not been the in the depths required at TR. Most of the time, I was very happy to find the brush pile with my electronics and maybe refer back to it to make sure I was in the right area. When I make the move North, I'll be in the market for a boat upgrade and much BETTER electronics.

I appreciate yall's interest. Huge click here icon

I don't care if people selectively harvest a few fish for eating. I think it would be a waste to kill a 9 pound bass from TR. The best way to grow 10 pounders is to turn loose your larger fish. I'm cool with a taking a pic or two, but when I see photos taken at a boat dock it makes me think the fish might have been killed. I generally try to release my fish where I caught them. I have been known to give a big fish a boat ride to certified scales and then another boat ride back "home". I've enjoyed reading a few of your fishing reports, but I have not been here since day one.

Did he keep that fish???

Read the thread that discusses threats to the Spring river. I will not be on the Spring river above Many Islands betwen 5-15 and 9-15 of any year ever again. I've never used my flyrod on the Spring. PM me if you wnat non flyrod tips for catching trout and smallies.

Be careful. I sure how you guys had a little advance warning. When I get up that way, I'll need to have some pre winter prep tieme to get ready for days w/o power and or no way to re-supply. Water, food, fuel, etc.

That's great news. Some tough times ahead, but I'd bet the famlies are overjoyed to have them back.

Nope nothing exotic. It is a Orvis Silver Label hand made by a friend. It is 7'6" 3 wt. He did a nice job on it. I'm using a 2 wt line and splurged and got a CFO 123 reel for it. Heck of a chub rod.

Thanks for te help. IF I was looking for myself, these things would all be posible. My Dad is the one looking for this white elephant and so far I think he's a blind man describing an elephants by grabbing the trunk. I'm not 75% sure he knows what he wants. I at least know that there are literally dozens of tapers which you then multiply by rod line weights and again by length. I am STRONGLY urging him to buy a rod like his friends and lets swith the tip guide out. That way he would at least know what he was getting. I am concerned that he would get a rod that would be too heavy in hand or too wimpy on the hookset if he branches out in the world o blanks tht are available. It's nice to go custom IF you know exactly what you want.

I did find out the that it was made in 1963 (maybe he told me he got it in 1964 not 1954?) form the Shakespeare site, but I'm still searching for line rating info.

My dad has a friend that swims a crappie jig with a Bass Pro White River Hobbs Creek 5 wt. My Dad would like a similar set up. It would be easy enough for me to go buy him one, but I screwed up and said wouldn't it be nice to have that blank wrapped as a jigpole rather than a flyrod. So now I'm searching for that blank. He would like to duplicate the weight (in ounces) and the taper. I might resort to buying the HC and stripping the guides off and replacing them with full guides. BUT are the blanks that the different White river rods are built on available?

You're killing me man.

I took a look at it yesterday. It hasn't been babied over the years so its looking a little rough. It is labeled a Wonderod #922 6'6" IF it was rated for a particular line that info is gone from the blank. I'll try to goggle it up, but does anyone have a source to help me determine the right line to try on the puppy. I have a 2 wt line, a 5 wt,6 wt,and 8 wt. I could just try the 5 wt and see how it goes. I love my Dad. He and I still get to fish together. He is in amazing health for his age and stays very active. He is always learning new areas to fish and is willing to fight a long learning curve fr a anew fish or new technique. He is NOT sentimental about equipment. He had the first Pfluger Supremes and the solid steel rods with dacron line. He doesn't ditch what works to buy the latest and greatest, but is happy to point oout that pretty average stuff is much better than the VERY best of his youth. I'll get a bigger charge out of fishing the Wonderod than e will from hearing me talk about it.

I "learned" to fly fish on my Dad's 1954 Shakesphere Wonder Rod. It is a white blank. It is old enough to not have a line rating. It is 6'6". I think it would do well with a 4 or 5 wt line. I loved it and wouldn't mind fishing it EXCEPT that I am afraid of breaking it. It's ok I have a 7'6" 3 weight for small water that is a SSSLLLOOOWWWWWW graphite.

A true beast by any measure.

Hey River Runner. Send that guide down to south Louisiana. If he pulled that crap down there, he'd be educated very quickly. I would imagine that a fist fight or worse would be included free of charge in his education. Everything you posted should be the common sense "rules" of a boat ramp. Maybe a quick, "Hey Buddy can we use the ramp now" said after 1-2 minutes of waiting and BEFORE you got angry would have done the trick. Easier for me to say that than to be there and do it I know. What guide service was this? A few calls to the guide service complaining about the operator of that boat/vehicle might make a difference. If the guide doesn't know basic boat ramp behavior, I doubt he'd be a good choice for on the water stuff either.

You too Buffalo Bob. Leave a fish or two for me would ya?

Fish. Fly fishing for panfish might be tough to do in the winter time though. for your fly rod fishing, silly trout seem to bite all year. Crappie can be caught all year long at least down here.

Why aren't the ramps on TR steeper? It is hard to launch a bigger boat on TR without getting your rear tires wet. I'm used to ramps that allow you to float the boat off without drowning your truck.

Man that's great! I hope you have the time to spend with the dog to get the full potential out of it. Labs can be so wonderful or just nervous energy chewing machines.

Bobber my man, you're killing me. If I live long enough, I'll know every decent smallie that lives in that river by name. For now, I have to read your trip reports and grit my teeth. For some reason, my life doesn't seem to be my own anymore. Come Hell or high water, I'll live in Arkansas within 5 years. I might be divorced, broke, and living on pork and beans, but'll have good fishing gear and more chances to use it. I'm 5 hours away and I have to work at the hospital this weekend so I'm O-U-T.