Gavin

http://fwp.mt.gov/fishing/fishingmontana/b...lefish_FAQ.html Here's a recipe for some homemade caviar...not sure if it would be any good if you froze the eggs first, it might affect the texture. Cheers.

It really depends on what you want to do... Livingston MT is tops...take a float down the Y. Stone then grab a steak and a margarita at the Rib & Chop House before heading back to Bozeman...Hard to beat that, but I like fishing the Madison, and some other places too. Then you have Northern California...great fishing on the Upper Sacremento. L. Sac around Redding, the McCloud, the Pitt.

http://eaglespark.com/montaukmap.htm I usually fish up between the rock hole and the jetty hole. There seems to be less human traffic in that area cuz its more than 100' away from a parking spot.

Depends on what you want to do...but its hard to beat a trip to Montana, Wyoming, or Idaho in the summer time. Beautiful scenery, wild trout, and lots of outdoor activities.

Something different.... I want to float a few sections of river that I havent floated before, fish as often as I can, and take our little girl on her first float trip. Hope to get out to N. California in the fall to visit my sister and do some fishing up near Redding. New Tackle..... Took and inventory of my fly and spin tackle about a month ago...Since then I've restocked all my favorite baits, and added a couple to try this summer.. plus I went through all my baits to replace or sharpen dull hooks, beat up skirts, etc. Still need to respool a couple reels, clean, inspect, and rig a few fly lines, and tie more flies.

I like some parts of LD's books, the parts where he talks about fishing and hunting but I really dont agree with his points of view. At least his rants are entertaining. Cheers.

I'd check out the SA Mastery Expert Distance as opposed to the GPX..I use the SA Expert Distance for most of my fishing with 5wts and up...I like the longer head length because for distance and roll casting. The Rio Gold is similar and a good line though the head is just a bit shorter than the XXD lines. Check out the taper profiles on the manufacturers site......I usually fish DT's or Triangle Tapers on 4wts and below... I not sold on the Sharkskin lines yet. I've tried em on the lawn and they cast a bit further than the XXD, might have added 5-10' but it wouldnt have made any difference on the river. The downside.... they made a lot of noise, and I didnt like the feel of the line. I've gotten plenty of line burns while distance casting with standard fly lines before and the Sharkskin felt like it wanted to bite me back. Cheers.

No kidding...that sucker needed a workout or a gastric bypass to correct its eating disorder...What was that couch potato raised on? Pellets, guts, or MickeyD's?

In Missouri I consider anything over 15" to be a nice fish, and a couple fish 15" or bigger makes for a memorable trip..over 20"..I've never caugh one that big in Missouri..I've caught 6-7 in the 19's in MO over the years but a 20" river smallie has eluded me so far. Biggest spot was 17" or so, and I've caught several LMB in the 20-24" range our rivers. Cheers.

Gear ratio is an indicator of fast line retrieve...but the true measure is how much line it retrieves with one crank of the handle. Cheers.

Location, Location, Location...Its hard to find big rainbows in a put and take fishery because most of the fish wont last long enough to grow to trophy sizes. Might try fishing Greer to Turner stretch with lures...There are more big fish up there because of the bait and size restrictions, or you can fish differently on the water you are currently fishing. Buy some good polarized glasses and spend some time hunting for big fish instead of fishing your way down the river. Once you find the type of water they prefer, find similar areas on the river, and start refining your presentations so you can catch them.. Another hint..Fish at peak times and be there first or last.......Dawn, Dusk, peak moon phases.......Also, what kind of bait are you using? Sculpins, Minnows, Crawfish are the big bites that large trout prefer. Plus bigger baits keep the dinks off. Cheers.

Started seeing Otters in abundance on Mill Creek in the late 90's and the fishing went south in a hurry after that...Then we had a long drought with no water in the creek..It wasnt worth fishing for years, but it be on the rebound these days. I think Otters can have an impact on a small creek, but I dont think they can clean it out entirely. Hungry two legged otters are the ones I tend to worry about the most. Cheers.

Otters are here to stay..like em or not, so there isnt much point in complaining about it anymore. Kinda like trying to stuff tootpaste back in the tube... I'd trap em if I lived close enough to check my sets on a daily basis but I dont..Others folks trap down there though. Support your local trappers, and hope that they are successful. Cheers.

Dunno.Tear Mender is a latex fabric cement and it works really well for double bunnies..Not sure if there are any competing brand names but the local fabric stores would probably be a better bet than a hobby store like Micheals... Another idea..cement the front half, and dont cement the back half of the bunny strip, or make a one and a half bunny..full strip on the top, half strip on the bottom..Might be easier to cast as well. Cheers.

I'd go with the 9' rod and make it a 4pc if you can....I have plenty of rods to choose from but I use the 9' 5 & 6wts most often. Cheers.

290 per mile...seems a little high for that creek...Sure they werent talking about Southern Red Belly Dace? Lots of those in that crick.

Thanks for the reports. Sounds like you both had good fishing. Unfortunately, my plans have changed..should be down in the next couple of weeks though. Gavin

Nice, how's the fishing been? Thinking of heading down there this weekend to snap a few photos.

I use the 78's and Slender Ponters on streams for smallmouth and trout for the most part...Hardly ever do any greeny fishing. Rps thanks for the link. Cheers.

Not sure who the biologist in charge of the Niangua is, but I'd call or email them and ask. They have always answered my questions. Try the "Ask MDC" link on their webpage. As for the fishing...free wade access is limited, but some of the CG's will let you fish for a small fee. Probably best to float it and there is no shortage of outfitters on that stream. I've only floated it a couple times, and its not my favorite stream. The scenery is nothing to write home about when compared to the 11pt or Current, cattle have access to the creek in several places, and the stream bottom was littered with trash and beer cans. The catching was typical for a put and take section of river... Great around places where a stock truck could get to the water, slower in spots in between. Cheers.

I tie em on my leader and see how fast they sink..

It really depends on what you want to do..If you want to take your dad fishing, Alaska should be on top of your list. I think Phill has some nice package deals available for a decent price. If your looking for a vacation that will satisfy a variety of interests other than fishing its hard to beat a trip to Y. Stone mid-July through the end of August. Fly to Bozeman, rent a car, and reserve a couple rooms in the Park and some of the gateway towns. Tour Y. Stone and fish OYO, if you want a guide day or two while the wife and kiddo's do something else, you can book a trip through any of the fly shops in Bozeman, Livinston, Gardiner, West Y. Stone, Cody, or Ennis. Cheers.

Replace the molded seats with a replacement seat...use the old seat as template for the holes on the new replacement. Not a big deal to make your own, but replacements are relatively inexpensive. See below. Cheers. http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/2,131.html

I add 3' section of heavy mono to the end of my fly line with an albright knot, then I tie leaders to the mono butt section with a blood knot for tapered leaders, or an albright for untapered sections of 8-12lb mono or flouro for streamer and nymph fishing. The Whitlock no-knot superglue line to leader connection is probably the slickest connection out there, but I've never invested in the gizmo's to do that. Cheers.

Its a nice store for crankbaits and camping gear, but I dont buy any fly tackle there. Same applies to BPS. Its really hard to top Hargrove's or Feather-craft if you want service and selection. Cheers.