Gavin

Replacing a seat isnt a big deal, but its not something you want to do all the time. If want to improve the seating in one of your existing boats, I'd go with some flat canoe seats (either cane or web) and a removable seat back like a Sit Backer.Sit backers are very comfortable and they snap in an out in seconds. Cheers.

It depends...I usually tip 15-20%, but adjust for the level of service I recieve..If a fellow really works hard to meet my expectations, put me on fish, teaches me about the fishery, and treats me well.... he deserves a decent tip regardless of the numbers or sizes of fish that land in the boat. You also want to make sure that your guide has an understaning of those objectives before you book the trip. Cheers.

Charlie Waterman has a good short on floating the Ozarks...cant remember where I read it though. Think Huzz001 has some pics of some old time Current river style jons that he's posted to this forum before..migh do a search and contact him to see if you can use them. Cheers.

If your a big dude...you might like the Wenonah Solo Plus, it works pretty well for Ness..Think he's in the 220lb class as opposed to my 180. Bought my Vagabond from Mike Shelby. Guess he's around 6'4" or so, and a big bear of a man. The Vagabond wasnt a good match for him. Cheers.

Griz, you might want to check out the Wenonah Vagabond.(14.5' long and approx 45lbs in Royalex)..Al floats one, so do I...I like it a lot better than my former solo (an OT Pack)..works well with a 230-240cm yak paddle when going upstream..but I use a single blade for fishing and downstream travel.

Want it to sell...lower the price.

You can find biots on the leading edges of the primary wing feathers. No big deal to harvest them, but they will only be in their natural shade. Guess you could die them with some RIT if you wanted other colors, but its probably cheaper to buy them at retail. Cheers.

There are some on Alibris for $212 a copy...Ed Engle is a pretty good writer but what is so special about that book? Does he reveal some secret method of fishing a zebra midge under a small bobber or something?

I'd agree with Flysmallie...start a stream team and do a cleanup, and invite a reporter from the local paper to come out and write a story about it. Cheers.

Chalk it up to the never ending search for better gizmos! More Gizmo's please!

Thanks Ham, didnt try a black buzzbait that at all that day, but I'll try one next time I'm out during a summer downpour...It was overcast and spitting a bit when I put on, and a white buzzer was very, very good to me in the AM...Then it rained buckets for 15 minutes. I spent that time off the water because of lightning. After that it turned out to be an 80 degree, blue bird day...Fishing went to heck after that maybe 3-4 fish per hour between floating and wading but it was still fun... Cheers.

Depends on what you want to do....Remote trout fishing is kinda hard to find in MO...Guess you could hike in and camp on the Current for a couple days. You could also hike to trout water along the 11pt section of the Ozark Trail, but most others MO/ARK trout waters dont offer a remote hiking or camping experience... What I'd really recommend is a mid-week float trip on the Jack's Fork, Current, or 11pt in Missouri, or a float on the Buffalo in Arkansas..Particulary, the Upper Jack's or Upper Buffalo. No trout there, but there are smallmouth to catch while enjoying some of the most beautiful scenery the Ozark's has to offer. Float & fish a bit, set up camp and fish a bit, hike around a bit, take pic's, whatever. Go midweek, to avoid the party flotillas. Cheers.

Nice looking boat...I like the built in seat back. Here's a pic of mine.

Depends on how cold it is..but I wear lots of layers Socks-2 pair Wicking Liner Socks Wool of Fleece Socks over that Long Johns-Wicking Fleece Pants, Lt or Hvy depending on conditions Wicking T Shirt Long John Top or Turtleneck Fleece Top or Patagonia Puff Gore Tex Rain Jacket Breathable Waders On Top Hat or Baclava (most important piece of gear to keep you warm) Neck Gaiter or Scarf.only when its really cold Gloves-2 pair and rotate Fingerless Fleece to fish in Gore Tex Ski Gloves for when I'm paddling or walking from spot to spot Towel to dry hands in between glove changes Here's a pic from a February float on the Current a couple years ago..temp was around 5 degrees and it was windy. I was pretty comfy considering. Cheers

I think Lane is closed off for the winter..At least the gate was closed on top of the hill last time I pulled in there during the winter months..You can camp downstream at the Forest Service Fire Ring on the way to Mill Dam Hollow, but its a popular local party spot...usually lots of trash there. Might try camping over near Mill Creek..plenty of Forest Service land over in that area and the traffic isnt as bad..Not sure if camping is allowed on Bohigian Conservation Area. Call the USFS in Rolla and ask about camping on their land, and check out the local CA's on google earth. Montauk is around a 45 minute drive from Lane Spring...Hotels in Rolla are about 15 minutes from Lane. Cheers.

Congrats on the new boat...I use a 240cm kayak paddle for going upstream with my solo, but I use a single bladed paddle while heading downstream and when I'm fishing. Used to have an OT Pack it was a good boat, but it always felt a bit wobbly to me....If I still had it, I'd lower the seat, and move it forward just a bit. Guess I'm lazy, but I rarely paddle/wade up and float down..I usually ask someone to go along and we run our own shuttle, or I go someplace were I can arrange for one. I have some friends who do the the bike thing on occasion, but they pick their spots.They look for really short shuttles and a longer floats. Sometimes a big bend in the river and the local roads line up just right. Cheers.

Spent Labor Day on the Grand River near Fergus Ontario a couple years ago......Had a blast chasing brown trout on the Grand, and chased smallies and musky on the fly on the Saugeen..The evening Hex on the Saugeen made the trip...Gotta love catching chunky northern smallmouth on dry flies. Cheers.

To be honest...Vida slab provides a fish barrier at low water but its not uncommon to see several feet of water flowing over the top of that bridge when it floods... But its not worth arguing about. Any trout over 12" is a bonus, and one over 15" or so makes for a great day on any of those creeks. Cheers.

Mohair leaches under and indicator, glo balls, san juan worms...

Fishing was good last weekend..Lots of caddis due to the warm weather and fish were rising..Its probably to cold to expect much surface activity this week, but you should be able to pound a few up with nymphs, streamers, or crankbaits, roostertails, jigs. Good Luck.

http://www.ozarkflyfishers.org/education/stlouiscounty.html Might check out the intermediate fly casting class this spring, or any others that interest you. Cheers.

I'd agree with Wayne..toons work pretty well on the 11pt, NFoW, and the Tailwaters, but they wouldnt be my choice for most of the streams I float...There just to darn wide, and they dont hold enough gear & beer. A 10' solo will spin on a dime, but it wont go straight, or fast for that matter..I'd go with a longer boat...At least 13' in a solo canoe...though 14-15' would be better. Cheers.

As Ness said, it just depends on what you want.. Brown trout in a freeflowing stream, great scenery, fun floating, great free camping ops...Current River Rainbow trout (mostly stocked, but some wild) in free flowing water, great scenery, fun float, fair free camping ops..11pt Best chance at a wild rainbow over 12" or so, stocked brown trout, fair scenery (too many cabins), fun float, pay to camp, lots o people..NFoW Pint sized wild rainbow creeks... Take your pick...they are all about the same. Fun diversions, but the fish are rarely bigger than 12", those that are, are few and far between. After an hour or so you feel kinda bad about punishing the little things.

I have a Wenonah Vagabond solo that I like a lot. Its to wobbly to stand and fly cast out of, but its been great for park & wade fishing on most ozark streams. Its almost as fast as a kayak, lighter, and holds more gear..Less stable though and probably not a boat for a big guy...Works for me, but I'm only 5'11" 175. Used to have an OT Pack Solo...glad I got rid of for the Vagabond. Cheers.

Sure, the Forest Service maintains a trail to the spring head..its about a 3/4 mile walk and slippery in places but its well worth the hike. There is a marked trail head off of Hwy 19 about a mile south of the Greer Access.