Greg

LA - I hope you have a great trip. Taneycomo and fishing in general are great for getting your mind off of things. The recession hasn't hurt me too much yet but at times my job is pretty stressful and fishing is always the perfect antidote. Fishing Taney yesterday did wonders for my disposition. Greg

Yes. Snow with underlying ice. Hopefully it will melt in a day or 2 with these warmer temps. Greg

Fished upper Taney today from about 3:30 to 7PM. There seemed to be a pretty good crowd on the upper part of the lake so I drove around to the rocking chair area. Made it down (and back out) OK - but beware that road hasn't been plowed at all and is pretty treacherous especially in my 2 wheel drive truck. The fishing? It was great. Caught several the first hour or so but at roughly 5 PM the action was pretty much non stop. A hit on almost every single cast. I used a ginger scud for a while then switched to a zebra midge. Both did well. As it got dark I changed to a mohair leech and they just continued to hit. Unfortunately I dropped the light my son got me for Christmas into the lake or I would have fished longer. By 7 it was just getting too dark and I called it quits. All rainbows. A lot of stocker size fish, a few dinks, and probably 5 or 6 bigger fish in the 15 to 16" range. First time I had been out this year due to problems at work. But a great way to start the year. Hopefully 2009 will be a great (and drier) year.

Jeremy I own both 8.5 ft and 9ft rods. I greatly prefer the 8.5 ft length. I'm not sure why but they just feel "right" to me. Try to cast both if you can and compare. I haven't cast a cabela's traditional. Probably a good rod though. My first decent fly rod was a cabela's 3 forks. It was a nice smooth rod. A couple of others to consider are the TFO Pro ($150) and the Bass Pro white river rod ($110). Greg

I don't doubt that is true. However just like a nail knot if you do the leader link connection incorrectly (and don't test it first) it is possibly going to fail. For instance if you trim the overhand knots too close they can slip and the end will slip from the connector. I think that is called operator error. I wonder how many people have had a nail knot fail because they tied it incorrectly? I've personally had a nail knot I tied fail - and I'm sure it's because I did it wrong. Cost ?? - I only use one or 2 cast connectors a year - which comes out to about a buck a year. I'm not saying they are for everyone. But they sure work well for me. Greg

Yes that's where I get them. I don't know of anyone else that uses them so I've been afraid they will stop being manufactured - consequently I have a stockpile of them. I've been warned by other fly fisherman that these cast connectors can cut your fly line or leader. But I have yet to have that happen and I've been using them for probably 10 years. I do make a point to change out to a new one every year or so on my favorite 5 wt that I use 90% of the time. I think when these devices were first being manufactured a "harder" plastic was used that tended to cut line and that problem has since been fixed. Greg

I don't think they are very popular but I've used those plastic cast connector/leader links for years. I have yet to have a connection fail. They don't catch on the guides, are cheap, and are easy to use. If you don't know what I'm talking about: http://www.flyfishingdenver.com/nailpage.htm Greg

OTF - please don't think I'm advocating banning bait fishing. That's not my position at all. I'm fine with people bait fishing wherever it is legal. I think it's a great thing in put and take areas. Nothing against bait fishing or people who do so at all. In some areas it is even healthy for the fishery for some fish to be taken out. My only point is I just don't think it works that well for catch and release. Greg

I would have thought it would be a greater difference than that. But still the bait mortality is 4 times that of artificial. Very significant. Thanks for the stat. Greg

Nice report. Thanks for posting it. I almost went on Sunday afternoon but wimped out. I do OK when the air temp is above freezing but below that I just can't ever keep my hands warm. Greg

I agree. I would rather there was a one to 5 year warranty (with a lower price tag) than unconditional lifetime warranty. Greg

You've gotten some great advice. Probably the best is that if you get the opportunity - try before you buy!! There are lots of great vises on the market and a lot of times it just comes down to a matter of taste. For example I know renzetti makes a great vise but I just don't care for them - I don't like the rubber band/o-ring they all seem to have and they seem small and under engineered to me. But I know they work great for many, many people who love them. I own several vises. My current favorite rotary vise is the Peak. Give it a look if you can. I've had mine for 2 years and I have had 0 problems and have yet to have a hook slip. It was also the overall favorite in 2 different vise reviews at it's price point. I have yet to see a bad review on it. See below: http://www.flyfisherman.com/ftb/hwvise/index29.html http://www.flyfishohio.com/Vise%20Review%2...ses_summary.htm Happy tying with whatever you end up with. Greg

Thanks Terry. Greg

Terry where is the photography forum? Greg

I am a dedicated fly fisherman and have been for a long time. However I don't look down on bait fishermen at all and most of the fly fishermen that I know don't either. But I have to agree with the others that bait fishing is just not conducive with catch and release in my experience. When my kids were little I used to take them bait fishing on taneycomo. Probably 75% or more of these fish were hooked very deep making catch and release almost impossible. But in 30 years of fly fishing I can only remember a handful that were hooked deep - probably a fraction of 1%!! That doesn't make fly fishing better or fly fisherman superior - except at catch and release. I've never been to the 11 point but I'd sure like to make it down this coming year. Greg

I didn't know they were building a new shop at RR? I have to admit to being a little saddened by that. That old building is really cool and has a lot of history. It has changed very little from my first trip there in 1976 (16 years of age for me). I sure hope they keep it going and open to the public in some fashion. Greg

I have a pair of Simms lightweight model waders (now the L2) that my wife purchased for me almost 5 years ago that I really like. I think they were just a bit over $200 (at least then). Greg

Glad to see you caught some browns. I haven't seen many these past 6 months or so. Greg

I'm jealous. Wish I could have come down that day. I did think about it but just couldn't with family obligations. Greg

Those are awesome. Greg

I chose Taneycomo first. Partially because it is closest to me (45 min) but I think I would pick it 1st regardless. I just really like tailwaters. A lot of that has to do with the abundance of fish but I also like the very real chances of catching a 20" plus trout on any given trip. Some run down the trout parks. But I like them. No I don't like the crowds but if you are familiar with each park that can be kept to a tolerable level with a little effort. I do also enjoy the wild areas and the red and white ribbon areas too but I don't get to them as often as I would like due to the distance and time factor. Greg

BobW - in my opinion name brand waders do make a difference. Yes they all do eventually leak. But the better brands last much longer before they leak in my experience. I like Simms. I went through a cheap $100 pair of breathables 3 years in a row. Now I have a pair of Sims Lightweights ($200 from Michael at BCO) and they are going into their 5th year with no leaks. Greg

Drop shot? Is that something you can tell us more about Jeremy? Greg

Nice topic Zach. For me what makes fly fishing so enjoyable is being able to switch among the different methods of fishing (dry, nymph, etc). If I had to pick one as my favorite it would probably be light line nymphing under a very small indicator. I love how our MO fish insist on an absolute dead drift most of the time. And when you get the drift just right the anticipation of watching the indicator go under or twitch and then setting the hook. My typical setup is a very small indicator (either football style or the smallest thingamabobber) a few feet from the end of the tapered leader. In normal flows I use very small zebra midges or a lightly weighted scud or really any small bead head nymph. Sometimes just one fly but sometimes I use a dropper. I've caught many fish this way including a fairly large # of 20" + fish on these small flies. When the water is high I use a bigger indicator, bigger flies, and split shot. Fun but not nearly as enjoyable as "light line nymphing". But running a close 2nd and 3rd are fishing dries and slinging streamers. I do both of these as well. Michael Kyle introduced me to the joys of slinging streamers several years ago as well as showing me how to tie his mohair leeches. I've used and like soft hackles too. It's all good!! Greg

Ok I'll bite. I've always wanted to to Alaska - 30+ years anyway. But even though I make what I consider a very good living and the recession has not affected me much (yet) I also have a son in college. And my wife and I are trying to pay off our house before our 2nd son starts college in 4 years. For me $2500 for 2 (possibly 3000) would be what I could afford. Probably not a realistic # I know. That's about what we'll have available for a planned drive in trip out west this summer. Regardless I know I'll get there someday. Once our house is paid off in a few short years we'll be in much better shape for such things. Greg