Greasy B

The bait casting set up I use most requires me to shift my hand up onto the reel to get my thumb on the spool to cast. kind of half gripping the rod and half gripping the reel. This does not afford an adequate grip to set the hook. I then need to shift my band back more to grip the rod handle to gain enough leverage to set the hook. While this hand shift is only slight it seems to me as inefficient and there is an instant where I'm not in a position react. While I didn't need to read this thread to understand something that has been a thirty year issue i still haven't found a solution.

One of my goals this year is abandon spinning as much as possible. Advantages or disadvantages not withstanding the darn things are just to hard on my hands. After a season of holding the reel stem between my fingers I develop this big knot where it goes between my finger. Heck I still have the knot from last year. Ergonomics is a big deal when I have this thing in my hand for countless hours. I'm not entirely sure but it seems to me that bait casting rods and reels also have their disadvantages as well. what can I do to have a rig that doesn't disfigure my hand and doesn't wear me out?

Yes, good for Brian. Stoneroller is right on the money. Knowledge is much more interesting than blather.

Next winter two thirds will has been turned into fish food and the remainder will worthy of catching. A couple of weeks ago a caught two beautiful 14" browns right in front of the landing at Baptist, I figured the fish had probably been in the river about a year. It was pretty cool I seen them sipping BWO's in a foam line tight to the bluff while we were loading our canoes. Before we shoved off I got my first two fish on my first two cast. Gosh I love that river.

Yea, it was a whole string of events that happened as the country was experiencing an environmental awakening in the mid 70's. Cool story.

I'm not sure how much information is a available online. Probably your best source would be the book Passages of a Stream by James P Jackson. It's a fascinating story of how the first COE dam project to have been put to a public vote was turned down. The vote was a non binding referendum that helped usher in the end of the dam building era. A lot of folks on this forum can also provide insight.

10"-12" is pretty big for stocker browns. I was under the impression that the browns get pulled out of the ponds at Shepard of the Hills at 8" or so.

I'm a believer, i think.

Credit is just like pictures, who need em.

Great fish. I took some big flies to Current a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't hardly find room to make a cast till I got down toward Cedar Grove by the time we got that far down the river the fish shut down. We did get some nice fish drifting elk hair caddis in seams and foam lines on the upper river.

Keep those rod tips tucked in the canoe. Few things are more heart breaking than snapping a rod tip off at the beginning of a multi day float.

The comment “use your fly rod like a spinning rod” was meant to summarize what all the other comments are saying. Basically you throw your bait with the fly rod but you animate it like you would with spinning or bait casting equipment. Dredge the bottom, rake the top, swim and dart your flies in between. What don’t work are the usual trout techniques of dead drifting, nymphing and swinging flies.

The river biological catastrophe of our time goes on while the authorities roll over and pee on themselves.

Maybe another way to look at it is to spin fish with your fly rod.

I've never run across any one smart enough to paddle the canoe well and dumb enough to do it for me.

I would lean toward a canoe that performs well on a river as opposed to one that allows you to stand. Fly fishing from a solo canoe is an exorcize in controlled chaos. If the wind is light it's not to difficult, if it's blowing hard your screwed. Sometimes you just have to let yourself spin and pinball down the river getting a cast in here and there where you can. If you make a huge effort always trying to position the boat for the perfect cast you'll spend all you time paddling instead of casting. An anchor is an option but once I drop it and make a cast or two I'm bored and have pull it right back up to find new water. More times than not I'll hang my foot over the side or wedge the canoe on a rock or tree.

Short List of “Ozark must floats” in no particular order: Mineral Fork was a staple for 20 years; I haven’t been on it since Rivermont closed. Vehicle security has me worried. Meramec float from Short Bend to Woodson, it’s been a few years, I’m not sure if my knees can handle the portage from hell. Lower Niangua haunts me; I got just a taste last summer. Osage Fork Through the militarized zone. Maybe this should be at the top of the list. Gasconade from below the puddle in Hartville to Hazelgreen. I’ve done the lower half; this has got to be one of the quietest stretches of river in the state. It’s a bit of a pipe dream; sitting in a canoe for more than three days is kind of rough. I’d have to bring another canoe for my Chiropractor. Buffalo River, It’s kind of embarrassing to admit that I have never been on this most essential of Ozark Rivers. No excuse. James River, heck I’d like to float a bunch of rivers in SWM. There just aren’t enough three day weekends to make the drive worthwhile. Big River from Brown’s to Morse Mill, for the longest time I figured this for a sweet float. After they put in the boat ramp in at Morse Mill I was kind of heart broken, I don’t know if it gets pounded for the whole 17 miles but I’m sure it’s not as peaceful as it was when I would paddle up from Morse Mill and fish by way back. St Francis River, I don’t know how this slipped through the cracks but I have only wade fished it. Little Niangua, if this smaller version of its parent river I need to float it.

Good Grief, It’s difficult not to be incredibly angry. Stream Smallmouth are one of the joys of my life, this is an outrage.

I ended up getting a sweet deal on a great canoe so I’m out of the market until I can find more storage room. I would have jumped all over a little used 158 a few weeks ago, I think it’s the best boat in the Discovery line. Man, I need a pole barn bad!

Hey, what do you know, this thread didn’t explode. Maybe if humor and joviality, were a reality we wouldn’t have to deal with banality.

Subvert the dominate paradigm!

From Baptist Camp to Cedar Grove the river is definitely canoe & yak water. Some stretches are no wider than a fly rod is long. Below Akers it's John boat-able.

What we need is the ghost of William F Buckley to pay the candidates a visit and box their ears.

You go boy!

No offense intended DaddyO. I was once a FF C&R snob, it was just a stupid phase I was going through. An old friend cured me by spending a day showing me how to catch bluegill with a cricket and bobber. I too prefer a fly rod but I enjoy many forms of sport fishing. Good luck on your trip, I'd love to read a report.