jOrOb

I had to buy my 11 year old a trout stamp just so he could fish Taney!! What's up with that???? jOrOb

We fished today. Caught some better fish, but not great numbers. Only about a dozen fish each. Ryne had one over 3 LBS though. She was fat and well colored. jOrOb

We were having lunch at Olive Garden about 430. It got pretty nasty for a few minutes. Hard winds, rain, and hail. But when we left the sun was shining. Of course it took forever to get out of town because all of the traffic lights were out. jOrOb

I am with the Captain on this one. I was born in '73, so I didn't take up any fishing till almost '75. Then it was almost 30 years of warm water for me. I discovered fly fishing in 2002 as well. Early spring 2001, my neighbor took me over to the White to bait fish and we caught a lot of fish. So I started taking my then 7 year old son over there since he could catch fish pretty easily and consistently. It didn't take long to get bored with chunking bait and start looking. So, like the Captain, I bought a SA from Wally world and started waving. Dano taught me how to cast (as well as most of what I know about fishing), and you guys did the rest. Taney has always been better for me than the White. There is too much water on the White to sort out.

Joe, I would think an 8ft 5 would be fine. However, if you are interested in something lighter and shorter, this might be your chance. TFO has a new 7'9" finesse series that is supposed to be fabulous.

I picked up a pretty heavy thread, and it is really too big for the small patterns. It produced a pretty fat little bug. It worked great in 12 and 14 though. I chose a pretty heavy blend (I think it was button thread). The color I chose was a dark tan, which gets darker when you apply Sally Hansons.

Check this out: http://shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archi...etails/1291.htm The Yong Special I was using was tied on a #18 Curved hook. jOrOb

Table Rock slow in March? That's crazy talk!!! Nice Catch Phil. jOrOb

I recently have found success combining patterns that immitate both (at least to me). Last week, I had pretty good success using a #18 yong special. I have always thought it had more of a scud profile than a midge, so I recently tied a few in #12. Fishing them along the bottom produced similar results as with other scud patterns. So last week, I experimented with the #18. Fished near the bottom, it caught fish (more like a scud). Fished near the surface it caught fish (more like a midge). Unfortunately, I caught fish on midge and scud patterns that day, so I cannot say what the trout were thinking when they took. But, it did lend to my theory that fish key in on silouette more than anything, making presentation much more important than pattern. What do you guys think??? jOrOb

I was over at Mtn River Fly Shop last week and saw a variant of the Tungsten V-Rib that is supposed to be tearing them up. It was just a v-rib with a turn or two of peacock herl under the bead. Interesting enough, the color that they were supposed to be on was a dun grey color. I have never personally had success on that color, but that don't really mean anything. Anyone else? jOrOb

I have tied them both ways. It doesn't affect how the fish take it as far as I can tell. They are easier to tie this way though. The original had the whip finish in the rear (at least that is how I was told to do it). Thin design with vertical line at back is what you are shooting for. It is the profile that catches fish. jOrOb

I recently bought my stuff at this place: http://www.schneidersrods.com/ They are located in Mtn Home, so I just walked in and started shopping. Really nice people with the stuff I needed at a good price. I am really excited! I am gonna build me a 3 wt so I won't snap those *%^# 7x fluoro tippets so often! Thanks to everyone. jOrOb

Side poll, Does anybody honestly think a sign (or multiple signs) will stop shufflers? How many really believe that education is the issue. Look at all of the ex kickers that are here. The education that stopped them from shuffling was just part of their development into fly fishermen (or fisherwomen of course). My opinion is that most kickers are really new or have already decided that they were going to kick regardless. Most of the new guys will learn pretty quickly and stop, especially with great forums and willing teachers like we have here. I wish I had a better answer, because I don't like shuffling, but I don't. I don't think it is enforceable, and therefore a waste of time to outlaw it. More laws on the books that we cannot (or will not) enforce is not a solution. I don't think changing stocking will help either. You can have lots of fish or big fish. That is the way of the world. Most people would prefer lots of fish to big fish. That is my take anyway. jOrOb

Illegal But with reservations, "see comments" jOrOb

The real problem is that the law would focus on intent. If someone intended to stir up the bottom for the purpose of catching fish then it would be illegal. Pretty difficult to determine intent. In our current legal system, issues of intent are usually decided by a jury of 12 peers. Not feasable for this situation. AR doesn't really even handle shuffling well. They outlaw Chumming. Using this method, it has to be pretty obvious what is happening. So where do you draw the line. Is it illegal for me to drift in someones wake as they cross? Can I drift my own feet as long as I walk carefully? Seems to me that the catching of fish from shuffling is not the issue. It seems that the disruption of insect colonies from the gravel bed is. If that is the case, then perhaps we should outlaw wading all together. I do not shuffle anymore. I made an ethical decision not to. But I do feel that it was an ethical decision, not a conservation issue. I will say for the record that I vote "illegal", but I think that the law should focus on environmental degredation, not fishing. jOrOb

Sorry Phil, but I gotta be the lone dissenter. I like the look, but it is a little too busy. Also, the color scheme is a bit dark for my taste. The blue was one end of the spectrum and this is the other. But then I come here for the posts not the format so keep on keepin on! jOrOb

I was at Dorber on Friday and checked out the weaves. They are really beautiful! I didn't get a chance to wave one, but they really look nice. jOrOb

My son and I are going to build ourselves new fly rods. Something else to do I suppose. I am wondering where I could find quality components or kits or ect... Anyone got any suggestions??? jOrOb

That is the best arguement for barbless hooks I have ever seen! That thick gooey liquid that you saw oozing out when they inserted the lens guard is called Vitreous Humor, and it is not replaced naturally. That means that his eyeball will change shape at least a little and cause stigmatism. Also, he ( or she, not assuming) will have some scars on the eye which will always have some effect. Most injuries occur to the eyelid since it reacts much faster than anyone realizes. BTW, was that a bead head hares ear??? jOrOb

I kept a loggerhead for about a year. Pretty boring except for when I would put small minnows in the tank. 35 is pretty small, so I would limit the number of fish. Also, I never had great success keeping crawdads with anything else. They always killed everything. If you are good at woodworking, build a small wooden frame with a simple hinge lid for your tank that will sit up above your plexiglass. That is fuctional because plexi makes a perfect lid, and it isn't too white trash for your wife. jOrOb

I fished SWEPCO one time last year and had a pretty good day. It is big enough to fish from a tube if you like, or from a bass boat easily. Plus the water is WARM all year round. We did well on 4 inch split shot rigged worms tight to cover. The biggest for that trip was about 3 1/2 pounds, but I was told by my fishing buddy that there were a number of bigger fish to be had. It's a neat place to go for a day trip. jOrOb

There is a couple on the front page. Try these: http://ozarkanglers.com/recipes/WD40.php http://ozarkanglers.com/recipes/loopwingwd40.php jOrOb

Bill, I will bet you are using Norton Internet Security (or one of the other Norton Suites). Norton sux up a ton of compute cycles, and it is the big dog, so it eats first. Nothing happens without Norton's permission. I use a pretty crappy DSL and I get the forums at fine speeds. jOrOb

I started to call you Dan, but I decided to go at about 0730 yesterday morning and I figured it was too short notice. Wish I had now. jOrOb The Flouro must have been the ticket, cause I was using 6x mono and I only caught a couple on midges. Saw some other guys doing well on them as well, but I wasn't so I figured it was my tippet. Were you fishing those while the water was on? jOrOb

My favorite bluegill pattern on Bull Shoals is a simple little streamer with some grizzly chickabou tail and palmered peacock herl for a body. I add a glass bead in any color too, but I break them on rocks, and the fly still works fine. The Mackie is pretty awesome too!!! jOrOb