fishinwrench

Kyle, Can I get the chords to Madison Brown ? I wanna pick it but I can't find the chord sheet to it anywhere.....and I'm not good enough to figure it out on my own. Thanks, Wrench

I can pop all over the internet at lightspeed but lately (for the last couple of days) when I click on OAF it's like the old dial-up days, and sometimes even crashes my system. I thought it might be a problem on my end but I've done scans and virus checks (all ok), dumped the files and cookies and rebooted but still having trouble loading the content here and moving about the OA site. Anyone else ? Thanks, Wrench

Had to test run a customers boat this afternoon so I threw in tools and a jerkbait rod with a deep suspending Rogue...just in case ya know After determining that the motor was performing as it was supposed to I ran up to a little piece of channel bank in the upper Gravois that I have always used as sort of a "guage" (if I can't catch one there it's gonna be a tough day). Started by sitting out deeper and working the water from 5ft out to 15ft., made a complete pass without a bite and then moved in to cast right up to the bank and work out to 10ft. or so....3rd cast=solid keeper at about 4ft., two cast later a dink and then missed a bite right off the bank less than 3ft. Made another pass and caught a couple of shorts. Left there and went to another spot that produced a 3lber right away and another solid keeper (FAT), both hit right off the bank in less than 4ft. Took a run to Cedar creek, it was getting some pressure (4 other boats in there) but nobody was on what I consider the best bank in the cove so I pulled in and made a pass that produced 3 shorts. Lit outa there and went to the back end of Bogue bay to the channel bank and picked up another solid 3lber, another short fish, and about a 6lb Drum LOL Needed to get back but I didn't want to end the day with a nasty ol'purple fish so I hit the channel bank across from Coconuts and picked up 2 more dinks before heading back to the trailer. 4 nice fat keepers out of 14 bites, in less than 3 hours, all within 10 feet of the bank, during the middle of the day....I'd say the bite is pretty darn good and I'm pretty sure if I'd had a partner throwing a Wiggle Wart or a grub he would have caught several also. I never turned the LCR or the temp guage on so I don't know how the shad were situated along the areas I fished, or what the surface temp was. Although I did see where the racoons had ate a few shad along the bank. It's been awhile since I've done any bass fishing on the lake and it felt good to get that outa my system kinda...now back to Trout and Smallmouth fishing in the rivers.

Awesome Brown ! I'm studying the lay of the land...what I can see of it. Is that ABOVE the Falls....or below at Soap and Tallow ? If he ran him clear through Jacks that was an amazing fight. Congratulations !

One fly for all three species ... or best picks for each? I'd go topwater for Lake Smallmouth and Pike in June (poppers and/or Dahlbergs divers) No clue on the Walleye.....A clouser maybe. LOL

It is great. But it's hard to stick with it when the bites are coming slow and you KNOW a worm and spinning gear will hammer'em. Especially bad when your partner is throwing tubes or something, and catching 10 to your 1.

I'll unload what I consider useful info regarding Smallies on flies. It is probably only worth what you are paying for it though, so all I ask is if you learn something to the contrary of what I'm about to tell ya'....Please set me straight ASAP I'm not gonna bore you with where to fish for them....pretty sure you already got a grip on that. First off, realize that you'll hardly ever catch as many Smallies with hair, feathers, and fly gear as you are used to catching with soft plastics and spinning gear, unless you get on a good topwater bite. If your buddy fishes spinning gear while you are flyfishing...you're probably gonna get spanked. I do pretty good with #2 - 4 marabou muddlers in spots where I could kill'em with jerbaits. I tie them weighted, and in bright colors so I can see them...and fish them FAST. What you're looking for are reaction bites, if the fish has time to look it over good they will turn away more times than not. You'll see alot of fish but won't hook many unless that muddler is going somewhere quick. Clousers get a ton of press, everyone talks about them and no magazine article fails to recommend them as the #1 smallie fly, but honestly they do nothing but frustrate me with repeated missed bites....the ol' suck and spit, if you happen to be tight to the fly when they bite it you MIGHT get him stuck...for a second or two. If you need to fish a "jig" put down the flyrod and pick up the spinning gear. Pine Squirrel is the best material I've found for Smallies when they are deep. Slumpbusters and the like are deadly....find a size and weight that you like and stick with it in all types of water. (don't switch from light to heavy ones or vice-versa) you'll understannd why after you fish them a bit. Fish'em on a controlled swing, Somedays fast, other days slow. And don't get too "jiggy" with it, just play whatever current is there. Or fish it with slow and steady strips in stillwater areas. Instead of going heavier to get deeper, go to a longer or lighter tippet. Once the fish start showing up shallow go to hair strip muddlers (4" rabbit strip with a muddler head), they fish just like a Zoom Fluke and will catch fish sitting still.....marabou muddlers won't. I continue to experiment and play with a bunch of patterns, but those three (Marabou muddler, Slumpbuster, Fur strip muddler) are the only flies I fish subsurface when I'm serious about catching Smallies on the fly. If you can get a topwater bite going that's where the flyrod really excels for smallmouth....but it'll be awhile (usually May) before stream smallies start hitting topwater bugs very consistently....and they usually aren't too picky. Gavin might pitch in and tell us both how he pulls it off with Coffey's Sparkle Minnows.....I can tie good ones, but I don't get bit on them like I know several other guys do. Possibly it is the rivers I frequent....as every stream seems to have it's favorite fly, when it comes to Smallmouth.

Kyle, that fish's tail is as wide as your hat. Who caught who ? Give us a story...that fish is becoming a legend. Rolfie, the king of the Falls. Somebody should write a song LOL

They are really good scaled and scored if you're doing a big mess in a deep outdoor fryer. But for skillet business I fillet'em and cook them like I do Crappie. Dip them in egg/milk and roll them in a 50/50 mix of crushed Ritz crackers and cornmeal. WHY ? are you catchin'em already ?

Now that's how it's done. How many fish have you caught on that ant since then ? I'm bettin' plenty. Ants ROCK ! Fur balls with hackle....or something foam ? Oh yeah, and I had deer loins TONITE !

28 ! Gawdalmighty ! At the Falls no less, I get my butt handed to me at the falls e-v-e-r-y time. I can get dialed-in at Jack's tho. What is it about that river and rubberlegs ? that fly is worthless to me everywhere else.

Used to work for a guy just like "the boss".

Thanks Laker ! Yep, that's the one...it worked even though it was almost 2 sizes too big. Next time I hit the Current I'll have some smaller ones and hopefully decrease the number of refusals some. Of course, next time there won't even be a decent hatch...I know the drill

Dear Boss, Since you openly acknowledge that although I don't "mentally" check in until noon, if it's ok with you and as long as the profit margin remains in the green, I'll start donating the first 3-4 hours of each day to a better cause outside of the corporation where my time will be of more value to someone. I'm sorry that you had trouble finding dates and enjoyable hobbies when you were younger, and I understand that claiming it was a chosen sacrifice helps to ease the dis-satisfaction of a life ill spent because of your obvious personality disorders and unbearable halitosis. Maybe if you had went ahead and married the fat chick from college that you really liked but were ashamed to be seen with she could have inspired you to eat better and not be so afraid of occaisional risks. We all know that the only reason you drove that old car until the wheels fell off was because you were too much of a sissy to attempt a clutch replacement and do a little body work. And by the way...it wasn't a Toyota Corolla, it was a Mazda that your Dad bought for you and even paid your insurance premiums. Seems like I remember that Daddy also paid the rent for that studio apartment just to keep you from moving back home. Maybe you could hire someone to run this business for half of what you net per year, pocket the rest, buy a secluded 2 bedroom home in the country somewhere and become a fictional writer. Signed, Your "valued" empoyee.

Beginning last Fall I started playing with split wing design for caddis, and I'm pretty convinced that they float better, and appear more realistic from below. It may just be zen mental but nevertheless it has somehow increased the number of risers...for Me. It is a spinoff of a Harrop hairwing dun, looks like this...

Ug ! Smallies on a stringer Pass the baloney please...

jdmidwest has made 3 times more posts than I have since 2006, so he is 75% more likely to know a good caddis when he sees one. If the percentages were a tad closer I'd challenge both the floatation advantages of CDC, and the proportionate wing length

It is a shame that Roubidoux spring isn't managed a little differently. I have fished it 7 times since 1998 and never seen, much less caught a trout in it. Obviously a result of bad timing. It does get a decent run of Smallies during winter high water events, but the fish don't seem to stay in it very long once the Gasconade clears back up. I've always expected questionable water quality, but I could be way off base (pun intended). The upper Roubidoux around hwy.17 looks worth exploring however. It supposably sinks somewhere between there and Waynesville. I never hear anyone talk about fishing it. Maybe a sleeper.

Awesome, just goes to show it ain't what ya know but who.... Now for the impossible task: to get the asian carp under control, and clean it up !

it's right here http://mdc.mo.gov/fish/sport/trout/angling.htm it's a bit confusing, but rubber legs and foam are not considered "soft plastic bait" ....they fall in the "any material" catagory. At least that is the way I enterpret it.

Spoken like a true WFT'er Gavin Winter camping does take some preparation and specialized gear to enjoy. I know how to do it right...but It's not my bag. Motels are plenty affordable when night time temps are in the 20's or below.

During the big "fly definition" change a few years ago, rubber or synthetic legs and shellbacks, foam, and pieces of animal hide or chamois created lots of discussion. but they ARE legal components of a "fly" now.

The back hook is simply a "dropper". Should be legal everywhere a dropper fly is permitted. Aside from "barbless water" where wouldn't it be legal ? You could alway mash the barbs or tie on barbless hooks....or even snip either the rear or front hook point off.

Yeah you have to have the "ULTRA chenille", regular chenille won't work for SJW's. (get Medium for bigger ones, and Micro for the little guys).

Nice Andy ! You can have that Winter camping though...it takes alot of either coffee or whiskey, and those 2AM trips to pee are a MF