kjackson

Wow! Great job.

Yeah, it's the fall. If you head south to chase redfish, you want to have that RES in ¾ ounce. It is killer.

I started to think that this might be a fun project to pursue, listing the states I've caught fish in, but after scratching my head for a while, I realized it would be easier to list states were I haven't fished. Basically, I"ve not fished in the northeast, with the exception of New York and Pennsylvania. Add in the Carolinas and Virginias and Hawaii, Arizona and New Mexico, and that's about it. However, I did see a bonefish when I was snorkeling in Hawaii, so I almost want to count it. I did get to fish in Finland, Sweden, Mexico and Canada, but that's it for foreign parts.

I'm open for intel when you decide to make the trip. No. 2 Son currently lives out there about as far west as you can go in the lower 48. While I disparage Washington's Deschutes, I did catch a trout there on the first fly I tied, a "muddler". It wasn't much of a fly-- pheasant quill for wings and some peacock herl trailing as a tail and red chenille wrapped around the head of the fly. I was 10 at the time, so that's the reason for the non-standard pattern. It did catch a trout, and that was important to me.

I'd like to make a correction to your list. For Washington State--there is a Deschutes River, but it is probably not the one you are thinking of--that one is in Oregon and is a fantastic fishery. Washington's Deschutes is a little, low-country river that probably does have searun cutts, but it is not an easy or fun river to fish. Practically every stream on the west side of the state has searun, and some of them are not only fisherman friendly but a beautiful place to fish. I'd look to the Olympic Peninsula streams, or heck, just put on your waders and fish in the salt.

Things have started to settle a bit, and I'm thinking hard about selling my boat and buying one more suited to the way I need to fish. I've been seeing a lot of boats that I like that are out of state, and that means they likely don't have boat, trailer and motor titled. So-- how hard is it to get a Missouri title for a boat/trailer or motor from out of state? When I brought my boat out from Arkansas, the boat and trailer were licensed from our previous home in Washington, but the motor was not. I did get it licensed after I found the original bill of sale. So it looks like relicensing/titling in Missouri is not easy. Is that the case? Thanks for any advice.

I'd offer the Clark Fork above Missoula and Mussigbrod lake for grayling.

I cannot imagine that fight--- and on a 9-weight!

I like the Storm Chug Bug... and the little stretched rattle bait, and the big Bomber.

I just found out that the Expo coincides with the city-wide garage sale. It will be a bit interesting as far as traffic in some of the neighborhoods. You can find a brief description on the paper's website, but it doesn't give addresses.

Can't speak for myself, but an acquaintance said he's been catching crappie all winter and fairly shallow, too.

Thanks, Ness. I have a son who is an avid mushroom hunter but he lives about as far west as you can get in the lower 48. I wish I could tap his expertise, but I have to stay local. I'll look up the morel group.

I made the mistake of telling the editor of the local paper that, yes, I would do an article about mushroom picking/hunting/whatever in the Clinton area. I was really keen about wild mushrooms when I lived back in Washington until I discovered that giant puffballs and wine don't mix for me. Since then, I avoided wild mushrooms like a plague. So I'm looking for advice on where to start digging for info, not to mention help and advice. Thanks in advance!

Been there, done that and am having a dressing changed this afternoon on the third excision. Fortunately, all have been basal cell. I visit the dermatologist every six month, as my father died of bladder cancer, which can be a result of having skin cancer I've read. My first excision was a MOAS procedure, but it wasn't quick. The doc cut, scraped and then sent samples off to be analyzed while I waited. It took three hours and several scrapings before I was released. I realize that I'm going to have to give up the ball caps and wear a broad-brimmed hat and sunscreen.

I'll throw this out there--kind of a rerun from a post on the fly sub-forum-- the difference could be that the natural critter was reflecting ultraviolet rays while the imitation didn't. There isn't a lot known about which fish at what life stage can see UV, but it's a possibility that UV could be an answer. Pacific salmon and trout do see that spectra, and the young feed on aquatic insects that reflect UV. It's thought that walleyes do as well--according to a guy who designs baits for Berkley. It may also be a reason, some scientists postulate, that some natural materials used in fly tying work better than others dyed to match the color of the natural. If the natural reflects and its substitute doesn't, that makes sense. Bill Black, the former owner of Spirit River, gave me a bunch of material on how and why of UV and fish. He believed that UV reflectance was a big deal in fishing success. That's why he developed a line of UV materials for fly tyers. It's not that I really care; I'll fish what I have and hope to find the bait or color that works in that particular situation.

Such a deal I have for you...

Since I'm in a get-rid-of-this mood, I'm hoping someone wants this motor. Pick up in Clinton, and the price is right--a half dozen chocolate chip cookies would be perfect, but if you can't bake, it's free. If no one is interested, I'll be turning this into a transom mount electric.

It goes against the grain, but I have some lead that is free to whoever comes to pick it up. It is the remains of a plumbing refit on our house and has been gathering dust in my garage. It appears to be mostly lead and is relatively soft. It is roughly 43 inches long and a little over four-inches in diameter. The inside seems to be fairly free of crud, and the outside is barely oxidized. At a guess, I'd say it weighs roughly 30 pounds. The kicker is, of course, that you have to come to Clinton to get it. It's possible I might be driving to Lincoln, Warsaw and possibly even Sedalia.

Glad to hear it proved useful. I envy you the stripers...and some of your adventures.

This winter seems like we might as well be in Wisconsin. My SIL lives in Ripon, and the temps there have been very close to those in Clinton. In fact, this morning it was warmer in southern Wisconsin than it was here. That was common during the recent polar outbreak. I wish the folks in North Dakota and Wisconsin would learn to keep the door closed.

Caught just one of the buggers when I lived in Washington, and that's surprising as I pretty much lived on a lake where they were found. As I recall--this was like 30 years ago-- it was not a species I would pursue specifically. The one I landed was about eight pounds or so, somewhat slimy and not as good as walleye in the pan; I caught it on a jigging spoon. If I bothered to take a photo of it, the slide is buried in 20 years of other slides. The WA state record for burbot is 17.37 pounds.

It is raining, sort of, here, but looking out my office window to the roof, I see it is still covered with a thin coat of the slick stuff. I'm thinking I'll work on some crappie flies today and maybe bake something fattening.

Haven't tried this fly out here, but it was a killer in Washington: wrap the shank in lead wire, follow with three or four strands of peacock herl and then counter wrap with red wire. Use black thread as a base and tie the head a bit on the large side; then tie off. I liked to start the body back on the curve a bit. It is a simple fly but deadly.

Thanks for that--like I can remember what I had for breakfast two days ago...but I appreciate the link. And the original info. I'll have to check on what hooks I do have. I probably have the B10S, but with my luck, it will be in #12 or 1/0. However, there are other options. I do have a lot of Atlantic salmon hooks, which albeit not super-sharpened, are pretty darn shop right out of the box. I also have the 34007, which Wrench once recommended. And a bunch of the new Mustad varieties. I've not caught a white bass on a fly (because I haven't tried), so that will be my fishing goal this year. I'll just have to put down the crank bait rod or the A-rig.

Since the next few days are not going to see me leave the house, I was thinking of a fly-tying binge. I've yet to catch a white bass on a fly, and I would like to know what size is appropriate. I see mention of #8 and #6 a lot, but then I've caught quite a few white bass on a #7 Shad Rap. That makes me think that a larger fly may work, and since I have a ton of larger streamer hooks...