3wt

Nobody checking at Montauk. Very little actual signage to indicate you couln't use felt either. Most are still unaware of the change. And if somebody said it's a felony they're nuts. If somebody says you can't have them in your car they're nuts. Saying both would be enough to laugh in the guys face.

Back when I was at school in Rolla (late 90's early 00's) I would run down to Montauk and most of the time be stuck with buying whatever was at the lodge. Luckily they have always had RIO leader and tippet which is the only brand I have ever really bothered with. But as for fly tying materials etc i had to rely on trips to stl to stock up. Anyway I guess my point is that I often found myself alone on the stream shorthanded on something because I either couldn't buy it, didn't have the materials to tie it or was just broke because carrying a job and going to engineering school (plus trying to fish) was pretty impossible. I'm very glad Reeds has stepped it up down there. I was really impressed with their selection, and it's also nice to know that if you ever break a rod during a trip, you can go get a moderately priced TFO. In the past I was always concerned that if I broke my rod I'd be stuck with a shakespeare from the lodge. And as a side note- if you're still in school down there, go fish as much as you can. I regret not doing it more when I had the time and was living in the perfect launching point for trout in missouri. I only fished bennet like twice when I was down there, Meremace at cardiac once, the little piney like twice. I fished Montauk and the Current more, but not enough. If I had it to do again I would have been on a stream at 5am every saturday.

Last weekend my brother caught a nice 18+ inch brown down by the cabin outside of the park. What's up with the browns being so high up so early this year? Seems odd. Hope somebody at mdc would consider a shock/relocate program if this keeps up (yeah right).

They do. It takes a pretty good one, but when a hatch is on they still key in. They're probably not as discriminating as wild ones, but once they get their mind on a specific food, they pretty much go for that. They'll start looking up and ignore anything else. You can catch them with soft hackles just in below the surface. I think it's instinctual for them to have a one track mind when there is an abundant food source. Also I find it much more likely to see the fish living in riffles responding to a hatch. Probably also makes them more likely to have been in the stream for more than a few hours.

I don't think weekends are too crazy until you get passed memorial day. I'd think this weekend would be minimal crowds. If your looking to fish it may change your options depending on how much and what you want to catch. .

Montauk is the only place I've ever seen an indigo bunting in MO (well, once in Rolla when I was a student.) But at Montauk in April/May you will see many.

Remember to focus your fishing on the Baptist to Cedar stretch. And there are lots of gravel bars there. I would also say that the real crowds don't happen until you get to Cedar, and even then very few are campers, just day floaters, so you should be able to have some serenity in the evenings. Be aware that when it gets lots of rain and the ground is saturated you can get a quick blowout, so pay attention to weather.com and the usgs guages before you head off. Most would say if it stays below 2' at the montauk guage it's fishable and quite floatable.

Friend just got back from a 6 day float on the JF today. Said the upper part is already too low and drug quite a bit for the first two days. Unless things change I'd seriously consider other plans.

Sounds reasonable. I would think that if the fish are actually looking for a terestrial, then some of the rules of normal dry flies shouldn't apply. Laying on the side could be acceptable, movement would be a good thing, partial sinking maybe not so bad too. As to sinking flies: try dry fly dubbing if not foam, it's much less absorbant. Also use dry fly hackle, cheap hackle doesn't work as well. At any rate use floatant, and learn to dry a fly off by casting it a little. I thin a little sinking would be okay. And if you treat the post w/floatant you'll probably get a semi-sunk presentation that may work well.

Streamers too. mohair leach, wooly buggers. Olive for both, also brown and black. Take your time on the upper stretch (especially if camping) That's where you'll find the most trout. I'd go real slow and fish the good spots just down from baptist, it slows down once you go through a sharp right had turn. Then I'd stop at every good looking spot. Don't bother trying to fish too much from the canoe, use it as transportation from one spot to the next, then get out and wade fish more intensively. The Ashley creek area is one not to miss (also a good gravel bar there). There are other good locations down from there that I am not real familiar with but others here can mention. I think there is even a map labled with them somewhere here. From Cedar Grove (low water bridge you have to poratage around, also next official put-in down from baptist) I'd just go into float/enjoy yourself mode, maybe fishing a little at really nice spots if there arnt 100 or so drunks at any of them. Baptist to Akers too much for one day? I think you're thinking of pulltite. I've done baptist to akers in a day - a cold, rainy miserably long but doable. If you're fishing much it might be a real long day.

I'm not sure the fisheries biologist had it right. Property line doesn't matter. Even if both sides are owned. It is considered a public easment. We can even leave the canoe and walk onthe gravel bars. I doubt the sheriff would arrest anybody, but that doesn't mean they would make the right call.

Typical landowner solution - make a friend or pay a local official enough to get no parking signs where they want to cut off access. That landowner seems to have been quite the problem over the years (pretty sure it's one).

I believe your assesment of navigable is incorrect. Navigability and it's application to stream access is federal and appearently small portable craft were deliberately part of the rationale to "navigability." http://www.nationalr...-law-public.htm This is why there are strange access rules (not touching stream bottoms in CO etc) but navigatign those waters is still allowed, because it's a federal thing. And I am appalled that the state doesn't have a bigger problem with such landowner nonsense. The stream in question is stocked and publicly funded. This should never be done in a stream that can be deemed closed to the public. The very existence of public access points and stocking would indicate accessiblity. I'm sure a it would weigh heavily on a judge asked to make the call. The solution by the state has basically been not making hard and fast determinations, which just feeds the problem, causes local jurisdictions to make bad rulings on accessibiltiy taht make for inconsistent rule (and rules that are inconsistent with law in fact). How does allowing confusion seem like a good treatment of this issue?

And more money more luck. This is the accepted theory as to why fly fishing gear is so expensive. Also the fish give credit for best costume, which explains the creation of fly vests and goofy fly fishing hats.

Step one: count your money Step two: buy fanciest reel with coolest design that is just at or barely below money from step one. This actually works for all fly fishing gear purchases.

I'm not expert. I'd never seen water snakes quite that red, but from google pictures it very well could be. It is awfully large for a corn. Also I think corn snakes are supposed to have a distinctive checkeboard belly. I'm changing my answer to very red water snake.

corn snake, and a pretty big one.

I think some type of Tricos have to make the cut. Probably a 24 or 26 in a spinner.

So you took the trail from baptist, but I though it crossed well before the horseshoe bend. I thought it crossed at the 90degree right hand turn (I've seen horses crossing there before) just up from some of the bluffs. Is that the horseshoe bend? I thought the horsehoe bend was down from Ashley some distance. Only asking because I never catch fish like that brown and would like to steal every secret you have... I also don't keep up with "names" of holes or spots along the river.

April/May is Montauk at it's best. Wildflowers, indigo buntings flying, few people, nice weather.

Delicious, Pantano Romanesco, Cherokee Purple, Prudens Purple, Yellow Brandywine, German Johnson, Green Zebra, Matt's Wild Cherry, Black Cherry and Yellow Pear. Think I saw you 'round over at Idig.

I've tried all that and still got blight something awful last year. I get some almost every year. I'm trying to do some drip irrigation this year. I'm also doing all heirloom tomatoes, so arguably less disease resistance in those varieties. I break down and use daconil as an antifungal. Works better as a preventative so I won't wait until there are problems. Fairly safe as far as chemicals go.

Why so much tilling? I just till to loosen and amend and plant.

Go with breathable stocking foots and decent boots. I wouldn't buy anything from BPS as far as waders. I would consider Cabelas but probably not the lowest line. They seem to have some okay boots. I think at the right time of year you can get closeout Simms at a good price, I did a couple years ago. In general BPS and Cabelas breathables will develop the dreaded seam leaks, probably at your crotch, and that can't be fixed. Cabelas my stand behind their product and replace, but I doubt BPS will. Once you try Simms or another higher end brand you will know the difference in quality.

There certainly are many more fly rodders at Montauk than when I started as a kid in the early 90's. Almost everybody in the fly area holds a fly rod. It used to be the opposite.