vanven

I think I understand why you would do this. It should allow the fly to drift directly below the thingamabobber with less line drag or bend. I suppose it would work where you were fishing a set depth and it would have to be shallow. Otherwise it seems to be a bit of work that sort of contradicts the reasons to use a thingamabobber. You couldnt easily adjust for water depth changes. -Jerod

The northeast lake is my favorite. It holds a ton of nice bluegill. I have also caught my largest bass out of it. The pond just to the west of it is also a good bass pond, but is very difficult to access without a boat or float tube. I havent had much luck in the big lake in the middle. -Jerod

I have fished it quite a bit. A couple of the ponds are perfect for a float tube or small plastic pontoon boat. The ponds are generally pretty shallow and prone to lots of water plant/weed growth. The bigger pond was an old quarry and deep enough that weeds arent as big of an issue. The area is very clean and well maintained. You can fish most of the shoreline and it is mowed to the waterline. The C&R piece is a give and take here. I love the fact that it is C&R but it seems to limit the number of really quality fish. It also limits the number of people that fish it. I think the ponds are overpopulated and growth is a bit stunted. I have caught a couple of decent 3lb bass, but nothing sizeable. I have also caught some nice bluegill. This place is a lot of fun with a light weight fly rod or an ultralight spin rod. I watched a guy catch probably 200 bluegill in a couple hours one after another one afternoon and he never moved from the spot he was fishing. I wish they would introduce some carp or something to keep some of the plant growth in check. 3 or 4 of the ponds are almost unfishable after spring. I am in Liberty and it is about 30 minutes from my house. I wish it was closer but it would get pounded if it was. -Jerod

I have a zAxis in a 5wt. I love it almost as much as my dog. I have been shopping for a 4wt, but having yard cast several contenders I can not justify not using my Z. I am now looking at a 7wt for nights on Taney in the fall and chasing carp in the KC area. I am really leaning towards a new Flight since it is going to be a rod that gets less use than my 5 wt. -Jerod

Oakley's are great sport glasses where you might have an impact. They are not great fishing glasses. Their lenses are not as "optically perfect" as some of the other lenses designed for fishing. Your best glasses are going to be some of the Smith and Costa glass lens models. Coincidentally they are also the most expensive. I actually wear a pair of Sea Striker glasses that I bought at Cabela's with a blue polarized lens. I would classify them as a cheap Cabela's house variety (~$40). I have no complaints at all. I actually had an issue where the nose piece fell off and I called them looking to buy a new piece. They sent me a new pair of glasses. That is way beyond what I expected. I find it difficult to buy glasses. I have a large melon and getting glasses that do a decent job of blocking out extra light while not squeezing my head is tough. I bought a nice pair of glass lens Costa's and actually returned them 15 minutes later after I realized how heavy they were. There was no way I could wear them for hours on end. As far as lens color, amber is generally going to be the best color but can be difficult to wear on really sunny days. Blue is a good compromise for bright days. I find that grey lenses tend to kill the color contrast too much for me. -Jerod

Now if they made one in a Wildcat purple instead of a Cow Orange........ (Although the orange is sweet on this.) -Jerod

Beautiful huh? That Orange would look great next to my green Z-Axis. K&K Flyfisher here in KC has this model in the Blaze orange in their display. I did get a chance to handle it a bit and check out the adjustable drag. I love the little red dot that lets you see how tight the drag is set. I like the idea that you can use the dot as a reference when adjusting it. I wish it was a bit of a larger arbor although it is clearly larger than my Lamson. It is not as large as the Lamson ULA, but the ULA is on the very far end of large arbor size. This thing is ridiculously light as in under 4 ounces for the 5/6 weight. The other big bonus is that the carbon fiber spools are cheap at $50-$60. I guess I need to play with this thing a bit more. I want to see the insides to make sure there aren't gears that are easily exposed to sand or elements. At $260 this isnt a cheap reel, but the limited reviews I have read compare it favorably to some $500+ reels. -Jerod

Anyone had a chance to fish one of these yet? I am a bit curious about this reel. I currently have a Lamson Velocity reel that I really like. Noone is going to accuse the velocity of being a beautiful reel. It is clearly a functional design. It does have a great drag and all around it is a very good reel. I wish it was a bit larger arbor though. The Blaze color is beautiful on this new Sage. I have handled one and they are very light thanks to the carbon fiber spool. I have seen it referred to as plastic, but it is much stronger and lighter. I am curious about the drags on these reels. I dont see much about them as far as reviews go. Any advice? This might be worth selling my Lamson Velocity and Orvis Battenkill Mid Arbor for the upgrade even if it is mostly cosmetic. -Jerod

Maybe I need to dust off the little 8 foot pontoon boat I have in the garage and give it a shot as a carp fly fishing platform. I think it would be stable enough to cast from. It would also be an interesting ride depending on the size of the fish. I have caught plenty of bass big enough to turn the boat. I even caught a crappie big enough to pull me accross a small pond. Not sure what a 20 pound carp would do to that boat. It would be perfect for Longview. I can drag it to the shore and launch from just about anywhere. It would also get me out of range of the food fisherman. -Jerod

I would recommend Eric at http://bighornflies.com . He occasionally posts on these boards. He uses quality hooks and materials and his prices are hard to beat. His contact info is on the site as well as his phone number. I am willing to bet he would tie anything to order even if it isnt listed on his site. -Jerod

I know we are sort of stealing this thread but I like the discussion. I love the gear aspect of fly fishing. I would do it for a living given the opportunity. I am also hard on my equipment. It will get dunked, it will get fish slimed, it will get dirty, and it will get bumped around occasionally. I have relatively limited experience with Orvis. I own a Battenkill mid arbor reel, a 9' 5wt TLS tip flex rod, and a pair of waders for my wife. The reel was a bust. I dont really have any complaints about the quality. It is the design that i despise. The drag is sub par and the inner workings of the reel are exposed leaving them very subject to water and sand. The reel is unfishable because I dont know when the spool is going to lock up. I have lost a couple of nice fish because the spool locked from a minute piece of sand or gravel. When you compare that to the sealed drag systems that companies like Lampson offer it is very frustrating. If i took the time to clean and oil the reel religiously my opinion might be different. I spend 10-30 days on the water a year, I dont think I should have to babysit equipment for that short of a time investment. It should work well out of the box every time for years. The rod is a store/dealer issue. I believe I paid about $300 for the rod. I had to buy it in a pinch when i decided that I loved fly fishing and happened to break my Cabelas combo in a car door. I dropped $450 on the battenkill/TLS combo. I didnt have time to do the research and was new to the sport. I was pushed to purchase Orvis by a fly shop affiliated with them. Due to the inventory of the store I did not have an opportunity to explore rods like TFO, Sage Launch, etc... The rod is a tip flex, it casts like a broomstick with a twig on the end. It may be perfect for a more technical caster, but for me it was a horrible fit. I have no issues with the quality of this rod at all in fact I would like to find it a good home where it will be used. It just isnt friendly or forgiving to cast for me. -Jerod

From my perspective it is a little bit of both. From the product perspective, there is generally nothing wrong with any of the Orvis gear I have ever tried or bought. The issue is that at every price point there is a company that makes gear that is significantly better. A Konic is a significantly better reel than a Battenkill at the same price, both in design, quality, and engineering. A Z-Axis is a better rod than a Helios in almost every comparison you read. Their fly line does not compare to the SA and Rio offerings. Again, it is not that Orvis is selling shoddy equipment, but it is relatively easy to find "better" equipment in every case. There was a point in time where Orvis was considered to be a leader in many categories of fly fishing gear. In most of those areas they have been surpassed. Couple this conmon perception that Orvis gear is average with a fly shop that is affiliated with Orvis. Of course fly shops are going to affiliate themselves with a dealer, it makes sense. You now have a fly shop pushing you to purchase Orvis gear either outright, or through their product inventory. You end up with fisherman like myself who made significant purchases of gear based on the fly shop's jaded recommendation only to be second guessing themselves when the gear fails to meet expectations. This is my opinion. We all have different expectations of the equipment we purchase. I do the research, i read everything I can get my hands on before making a major equipment purchase. I like to believe that I make informed decisions when looking at a rod/reel/line combo that could easily push $1000. In no case have I ever seen Orvis among the recommended choices beyond those of an affiliated dealer. Fly rods need to be fit much like a set of golf clubs. We all cast differently and certain rods may fit everyone differently. I have poor opinions about Orvis rods based on my cast mechanics. Someone else may swear by them. If I find that a Scott rod casts better than my Sage I may change my personal rod of choice. Someone posted on this sight something along the lines of "This is not the Orvis that your grandfather and dad knew". I tend to believe that statement. -Jerod

That statement was aimed at anyone that might read this. If I am going to drive 2 hours it will be for trout. I do have access to a 16 acre watershed in Kansas where I can catch 5-10 lb bass all day long. It is just too far to stop by after work and drag the spinning gear out for an hour. -Jerod

If you have a farm pond in the KC area I will come fish it for you. CNR only. Just thought I would throw that out there. -Jerod

I have been drooling over a 4wt Sage ZXL or a Scott BIIX. I want something lighter than my Z-Axis for bright, sunny, low water days when the odds of hooking a monster are almost impossible. My Zed fishes more like a 6 wt and something lighter and slower for small flies and nymphing would be a lot of fun. -Jerod

I am near Liberty on the MO side. -Jerod

I would love to get into some Carp around the KC area. I have scouted Longview and see quite a few, but they are hard to get to with the baitcasting folks crowding the shore for dinner. -Jerod

I am slightly interested. I am guessing this is a 1980's 2 piece 4 weight 7 foot WT model? -Jerod

Sounds like you had a very similar night fishing Saturday to what I reported. The takes were odd, nothing hard, just grab and run upstream. -Jerod

I drove down from KC on Friday with grand plans of fishing all weekend and besting the 22 inch rainbow I caught 5 weeks ago on my last trip. Very little of that happened. Friday 7/30 Too hot to fish. Too hot to drive to a fly shop and walk across the smoldering asphalt parking lot. We got down to Branson mid afternoon Friday. The water was running, in fact it was running higher than I had seen it for a long time. It was on the 4th step at outlet 2. I decided to shop with the wife and come back at night. I came back down at about 9:30pm and waited for 2 hours for the water to drop, and it did. It was on the bottom step of outlet 2 when I called it a night. Never got a line wet. Saturday 7/31 I had decided to get some sleep and fish early Saturday when the schedule said the water would be off. I pulled myself out of bed at 5:00am and choked down a couple of the stalest Dunkin Donuts ever. This was probably a sign that I should have stayed in bed. I fished from 6:00am until about 11am. The sun was up but there was still a very thick fog on the water. I am used to fishing at night and using the trees on the opposite bank to guide me. This didnt help me much in the area below the boat ramp. I am not familiar with that area. There are far too many big rocks to stumble over. I finally managed to find a boat and the guide was kind enough to help me find a place to cross the river in the soupy fog. I threw every single midge and scud pattern in my box at the fish below the boat ramp with very little success. The only takes I managed were on a size 18 gray scud. Tan, which is usually a very good bright day color, might as well have been an electrified iron spike. The fish fled from tan when it touched the water. Apparently midges were just as scary. Rusty midge, always a great go to fly, it was a flaming death trap to the fish Saturday morning. Tough, tough morning. Saturday Night I tried some new Thai food place an hour before I tried to go fishing Saturday night. It delayed my fishing by about 4 hours. There was no way I was going to try and put on waders the way my stomach felt. It actually took me three trips back and forth to the hatchery before i felt safe in the waders and water......I wont be eating there again... I hit the water about 11:30pm and fished for 3 hours. Fishing was slow and there were a lot of folks on the water. There was no fog, which is rare. I could see headlamps every 30 yards from the big hole all the way up to the cable. A few reds, a green, some white. It looked like Christmas. Fishing was tough again. I managed about 5 fish to hand in the three hours with just about as many missed takes. I also foul hooked two fish which is really rare at night while stripping big streamers. The takes were odd. Usually they slam a streamer. These fish would just pick up the fly and take it upstream. Instead of feeling for a yank, I found myself feeling for the line to get lighter. I threw a brown PMS, a purple PMS, a purple hibernator, and a black hibernator. I almost went to the big black circus peanut with the stinger hook, but I didnt have my net and didnt feel like pulling that thing out of the back of my head or out of my finger in the dark. It was a rough weekend fishing. I think the unusually high water left the fish a bit tired and full. The hot weather didnt help either. It might be time to start planning an early October trip. The wife will be 8 months pregnant then and it might be my last fishing trip for a while. I did stop by Lilley's and saw the new mount of the world record brown. That is a big fish. The funny part is that I think I have seen bigger fish swimming in Taney. -Jerod

I will be down to Taneycomo this weekend with my wife. I plan on doing quite a bit of night fishing with the afternoons being so hot. If you see a dark gray Tahoe with Catch and Release tags stop by and say hello. -Jerod

I agree with what you have seen posted above. A decent breathable set of waders is the key. I have 2 pairs of fleece liners in different weights. I break out the heavy pair for winter along with some warmer socks. In the summer I wear a light layer of fleece and tube socks. Your head and hands are usually where you lose the most heat when it gets chilly. I fish at night frequently and by October I might be wearing a light stocking cap at night just to slow down heat loss. Even during the summer it can get a bit chilly and might require a heavier long sleeve shirt at night. The fog is damp and tends to be closer to the river temperature than the temp on the parking lot. -Jerod

I dont think it is ever cold enough for neoprene in SW Missouri. The water is always the same temp and you can layer your torso. -Jerod

This is an old thread at this point but I want to follow up. I have made several orders with Eric at BigHorn Flies website. I am very pleased with the quality of the flies, oh yeah they are relatively cheap too. He uses quality materials, and above all quality hooks. I am very happy to have a new box full of flies to try out on my next trip. -Jerod

These guys covered it. I get them occasionally as well typically for a couple of reasons: 1) being too fast on my forward cast and not letting the line extend on the backcast 2) being lazy about my backcast and letting it go too far past 10 o'clock 3) goofing off and trying to make off-plane casts instead of sticking to the normal mechanics -Jerod