Jack Jones

Very nice looking fish. Never fished Joe's flies and had to look them up. I would imagine that a Mepps in-line would be similar. Any color preference? Also.....here's a really stooopid question (too much rum---see avatar, LOL): on the float between Shelvin and Hooten, is it slow enough to paddle back? Did you have a transporter waiting at the Hooten area? Sadly, I'm solo and have no real reliable pick up person most of the time and I don't want to put in and not be able to paddle back to the put in. That's why I've tended to stay on Lake Springfield, and the Finley for now.

I looked up that kayak king. That's a funky looking tool. How did it do for you? How long is it overall? Also....for those fishing....are you anchoring and tossing mostly spinnerbaits? OzarkFisherman....how do you fish that Chatterbait? I've never used one.

Getting there depends on where you're coming from. If your in the Springfield area, take highway 14 to Billings, turn as if you were going towards Aurora, and you'll see one of the signs to take you to Crane. I believe it is Route 413. Once on 413 though, I recommend checking out and printing out the maps on this forum. They are reasonably accurate, if not totally to scale (as if they could be). You just have to keep your eyes open because some of the turn offs aren't too well marked. Although the town park is easy to find

I work in the area too and only go down that way occasionally. After that report though, Im going to have to take a peek and satisfy my curious nature. Kinda like the folks that rubber-neck the car crashes.

Let's say you're fishing any given body of water, be it Table Rock, LOTO, Lake Springfield. What is your "go to" spinnerbait (e.g. size, blades, color) for prospecting and doing your darnedest not to walk away empty handed?

I read about "snagging" or "gigging" spoonbill in one of the other forums. What exactly is that Seth? Is that the only way to catch them?

Whatever I've fished for, and however the fishing has been, I know that if I haven't caught anything I can put a worm, a woolly, or a small gnat fly on and pull in a bluegill. Even if it's practically the size of bait for other fish, it puts up a fight and therefore puts a smile on my face. For that....it's worth it.

I do seem to recall wading in the C/R section and the sound of one of those entering the water. I don't know which was faster....the ripple heading towards me or me splashing towards the bank. Got to watch them snakes. I know most aren't poisonous, but I'm no expert and I'm not looking to find out.

Well....after chores I only had a few hours (and still had to head back to mow). I spent about 2 1/2 - 3 hours on the water. I confess I did very little fishing and more paddling. I took one side trail up past the ball fields to a dead end and just sat in the water watching some fur bearing critter swim back and forth, and splash around. Also, tons of turtles. Some of the biggest I'd ever seen. As I paddled further up, I could see a few channels and some nice shoals. Part of me wanted to just pull out and then jump in, but I didn't. Maybe next time. Also next time probably pack some crankbaits and 1/8th spinner baits to play around with. Either way, Finley is fun.

I'll second the idea of a hot list. One of the websites I've looked at flyshack.com has fly assortments of 25 essential or 50 essentials with a little plastic box that's a good idea for those starting out. Since Taneycomo can and is such a unique body of water, I think something like that for Taneycomo is a great idea. Tim---you could do the same for Roaring River since you know that one better than anyone.

Once again I stand educated and corrected. I am grateful for your patience on this issue. One of the hardest parts about being a transplant and a newbie to these waters is learning the names of the access points, and the names of the holes and hollows that people refer to in their posts. I had never heard of John's Ford road and didn't know to distinguish between upper and lower. So then....in your opinion RS, is the fishing generally better between Linden and the park, or above Linden? Also, if you put in above Linden Lake, can you paddle into the lake and fish it?

I haven't been there yet, but going over the bridge it looked muddy on Friday. I'm hoping to get out on it Monday to float a bit. I'll post then.

Well......I picked up my TFO Pro 8' 4wt at Tim's today. Got myself some Cortland 444 Classic for it. Took it out at the trout park and had a blast. The fight on those stockers with the 4 wt was a lot of fun. The river was flowing very quickly. I've never seen it that strong up by the hatchery. I'm hoping to take this rod out Monday for some panfish action at either Lake Springfield, or the Finley I thank everyone for all the advice that was given. This is a real good community here and I'm glad I joined the board. So far it's been a lot of good information and fun to read.

That's the Ford Access right before it flows into the James, isn't it? Where did you put in at? If all goes well, then hopefully Monday I'll be putting in at the town park and padding up river to Linden Lake, then just float back and fish. Hope it's not too swift to go upstream.

Prescient wisdom Phil.....probably stopped me from driving the kayak down on Monday and trying to put in at Coopers Creek. Guess I'll wait a few weeks. When I was down at the other end...Empire Park... on Thursday it didn't look too bad though.

The big advantage you guys have is the service. Patience is a huge thing. I'm relatively new at fly fishing when I'm around I have a million questions, I take forever to decide, and I research the hell out of everything before I buy. Being able and willing to answer those questions knowledgeably, especially in relation to the waters you are on is great service. One thing I would suggest is make sure you have an email address that is functional and checked regularly from your site. Make sure it is prominently displayed. Tim, I almost missed yours because it's hidden at the bottom of the page in relation to everything else. In this busy day and age, and given that your shops are often an hour or more away, it is nice to be able to email anytime day/night about what you have, what you don't, and what you can order. I know when I've been in Phil's shop and Tim's, I've had great experiences. I've only been to BCO once. It seemed to be closed on the weekends when I went to go there. I've never been to Readings, but I hear its good. Had a tough time getting info about it because they didn't have a website. That's my .02 (more like a nickel)

Awesome!!! Thank you very much for that map. I'm looking forward to paddling this water and fishing it too. It's nice to have some many options so close.

Okay.....you've convinced me, LOL. I'll go Pro. It's only money , right? I actually have a nice rod/reel tube from Cabela's I picked up when I was in St. Louis last year for $20. So that part is covered. I definitely planned to upgrade the fly line. RIO seems to be the trend around here. As I've looked in other web stores geographically, it seems they push Cortland in the Northeast, Scientific Anglers in some parts, and in the Midwest/Rockies the RIO lines. I was going to shy away from the Cortland 333+, and have considered either a Rio line or the Cortland 444. Anyone have any experience with the Cortland 444? Now 3wt---question for you.....why an 8'6" as opposed to 8' in your opinion? I wouldn't plan on 9'. I'll save that for when I get my 6wt rod.

That would be good, but not sure where that is. This is the map I'm going off of right now. http://www.missouricanoe.org/river-maps/jamesfinley.html Is Green Bridge known by another name? What would be the location?

I humbly appreciate everyone's advice. It's always great to hear the voices of experience. Having said that, I think I will go with the TFO. I'll probably keep my Dogwood reel for now and re-line it with some new 4wt line. I'd ask advice on that, but I'm sure that's a whole other can of worms. I'm looking at either the Signature series 8' 4wt. Considered the Professional series, but based on what I've been reading online, I'm not sure there's a real need to spend the extra $40. Later in the summer, if I like the TFO rod, I'll probably pick up the same kind in a 9' 6wt for Taneycomo trout and smallmouth on the rivers and lakes. Slow and steady.........

I'm a newbie to the Finley. I've lived in Nixa for a few years, but only now started to think about taking the yak out on this one. Also, I've never fished from the park. Anyone have experience putting in at the town park in Ozark and paddling upstream to Lindenlure Lake (or is it Lindenlure Dam)? I know it's been blown out due to the flooding, but when it settles, is this a reasonable float? Also, is the area below the dam at the park a good spot? If so, how do you access it? Since this is a close body of water and gas prices are high, I'd love to explore it more and could use the advice/info from someone more familiar with it than I. I've reviewed the map on Missouricanoe.org. Seems like there are a few good spots to put in and that this doesn't flow so heavy that you couldn't paddle upstream and float back to your put in. I'm usually rolling solo so there isn't anyone to pick me up down river.

Really great video. This flooding has really given an opportunity to see what's below that doesn't usually come up. Sad that it had to happen though. Hope everyone's staying well down there.

What size spinner you using? Single or tandem?