Greg

Phil I think 2 of their fly lines are OK. The 444 is pretty good and a classic. And the 333 isn't a bad lower priced line. But a while back I test cast their newest most expensive line - the 555? Anyway I just didn't like it at all compared to SA and Rio lines. It seemed overly stiff and didn't want to "shoot" well for me. Cortland rods and reels? I've never cast or even seen their better quality rods and reels. The only ones I've seen have been the low priced stuff which seemed OK. But please take my opinion with a grain of salt. I have some experience with their fly lines but almost 0 with their other stuff. The Cortland brand might be worth carrying for you though just because so few shops and retailers in this area carry their stuff. Greg

My opinion is that Simms are the best value in waders even though they are a little more expensive. I have a pair of the old Simms lightweights - the predecessor to the L2's and they are great. I've used them hard for 2 years now with no problems. Prior to that I wore out a pair of $100 waders every year. Greg

Dano - it is .006 clear mono. It's on a small spool and was prefabbed for fly tying - not regular mono line although they are probably the same. I do generally whip finish it at the head - but it doesn't hold. Luke I may try what you said regarding flattening it. That may scuff it up enough that it holds. I think it is the slickness of the material causing it to not hold. Greg

Lately I've been experimenting with different scud patterns, dubbing, etc. And I've been having pretty fair results fishing them. But I'm having a problem with the ribbing. Specifically when I use mono for the ribbing - it always seems to come loose at the head after catching 3 or 4 fish. It's not coming loose at the point at which I anchor it down - but at the head. I try to secure it tightly with 4 to 5 + wraps but it doesn't seem to help. Anyone else have this problem or a solution to this problem? I assume it's because the mono is kind of "slippery". I sometimes use xsmall copper wire and it usually stays put. But I prefer the mono for most of the scuds I tie. Maybe I should try thread for the ribbing? thanks for any help, Greg

Nice report John. Thanks. I'd like to make the trip down this weekend or next. Greg

Let us know how it goes. Greg

Thanks Luke, Greg

The rusty midge is a deadly one. I always carry a few. Greg

For those of you that use ostrich herl - do you use several colors? Or just the natural gray? And do you trim the herl off at the top? As for how I fish them - I typically fish them as close to bottom as I can under a small indicator. I usually cast slightly upstream and mend as needed. Here lately at times I've been fishing a scud and a zebra midge in tandem. Sizes - for my scuds 16 to 20. I've tied them in larger sizes but haven't done as well with them. Rolan you are right in that all the myriad different ways of doing things are what makes this whole fly fishing thing fascinating. Fishing a scud is only one small part of the sport - but there could literally be hundreds of different ways to do it. Greg

Morgan Regarding scissors: Definitely go with good quality but I don't think it's necessary to break the bank. I've got a couple of pair of high dollar Dr. Slick's and they are great. But I've also got a $5 pair that I got from Netcraft (or maybe Bass Pro) years ago and they are pretty darned good too. I've never dropped a pair of scissors but I did ruin a pair of Dr. Slicks by mistakenly attempting to cut the hook instead of the thread! If you live by any good fly shops - you might see if they offer classes. I kind of went it alone when I was learning but that's probably not the easiest or best way. Even now whenever I'm having trouble with something I'll stop by BCO in Spfld (Michael and Jim)or River Run in Branson - and those guys are always willing to help me out. Greg

CC - I've always been impressed with guys that can tie a whip finish without the tool. I've tried a few times but just can't quite pick up the knack. But oh well the matarelli tool just costs a few bucks and works very well. The next time I'm in radio shack I'll have to look to look at the wire clips you spoke of. I've got several pairs of hackle pliers (they are all cheap) but all of them have some failing at times - slip, cut the hackle, etc. But they still work better for me than my fingers - mine are just too big especially if I'm tying something small. thanks, Greg

Thanks for all the great replies. I've never met Rolan but I've heard of his peppy scud. Dano - Scuds were not that productive for me until recently. I figured out I just wasn't weighting them enough. Once I started using a lead underwrap and/or a bead head - they started working much better for me. For some reason I just don't ever do very well when I use an unweighted fly and a shot (weight) above it. Plus I hate casting a rig with lead shot or even the soft sticky weight above the fly. Duckdoty - I tie mine on the fat side too. Greg

I'm just wondering what others favorite type and color of dubbing is for one of the best flies to use in the ozarks - scuds? Probably the 2 most popular types are awesome possum (australian possum) and sow-scud. I go back and forth. They both work but currently I think I like the sow scud a little better. Which do you prefer? Or another type/brand? Colors? I probably go with tan the most, then brown, then green. Just wondering what others use? thanks, Greg

Regarding power consumption and water releases: First off I'm far, far from an expert regarding this. But I have fished Taney for close to 30 years. While I'm sure power needs are the #1 factor in generation - I think lake levels do play a part. I've noticed that during drought years they run water/generate far less than non-drought times/years. 2006 being a prime example. During the summer of 2006 when the drought was so bad they just didn't run water that often even during the dog days of the summer. It was the same in other really dry years. Greg

I'm certainly not a master but I was in the same place you are about 5 years ago. I wanted to get back into tying after about a 20 year interlude. Like you I still had my old vise (Thompson A) but no tools or materials. I ended up doing what troutchaser said and buying a kit from cabela's. It was OK and served the purpose but if I had it to do over I'd buy them individually - better quality. You really just need a good bobbin (ceramic or flared ends), bodkin, scissors, whip finisher, and hackle pliers. You can probably get all of that for less than $20. Netcraft (online store) is a great source for high quality low cost tools. http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/ As far as materials - have you seen those tie a fly kits? They have everything you need to tie one certain fly including a completed fly as a guide. So you could get a kit for say a wooly bugger. These kits are 20 bucks and work very well. An olive wooly bugger is about as good as it gets for an all around trout fly. Then you could add other materials for other patterns as needed or buy another pattern kit. http://www.tie-a-fly.com/index.htm Good luck, Greg

Caddis Did you mean to use ostrich herl at the front in place of a feather (starling or partridge) hackle? That's kind of a neat idea. Has that worked for you? Greg

Dano I appreciate the link too. I have an older digital camera that I think I'll purchase this for. thanks again, Greg

On some days when they are generating I have some decent results even when wading. The key for me is to get the fly down to the bottom quickly and find areas where the current is not quite as strong. I'll sometimes use a 2 fly setup. The first fly being a bigger 10 or 12 weighted fly and the 2nd a much smaller weighted fly. Sometimes I'll crimp a split shot above the 1st fly or between them. And a big enough indicator to float the whole thing. The problem is that the above rig is not much fun to cast. In fact it's a lot of work and tangles are sometimes frequent. I never do as well as when the water is off either - but it's still worth trying. Good luck, Greg

Those look great. I've found soft hackles to be problematic. You're doing a great job with the hackle which is always the hardest part for me. I just can't get the partridge to look right for the most part. But starling works great for me. I agree with CC that most soft hackles I've seen have a slim body/profile. But I'll bet your flies will fish just fine. Greg

Hate to disagree but actually I can go without that rod for a period of time or even the same day that I would happen to break it. I always carry a backup and so do most other fly fisherman that I know. That's what a backup is for. As far as the manufacturer not treating you right when you have a breakage - I can only speak for one experience with breaking a guaranteed rod and in that instance they treated me right. I'm sure what you are talking about may happen but I hope that is not the case particularly with Sage. But (and maybe I'm jinxing myself here) for me it's kind of a moot point. In 30+ years of fly fishing I've only broken 2 rods. And both were quite some time ago. One was actually a glass rod and the other was a high end graphite back when graphite was fairly new and having "growing pains". I just don't think breakage is that common - especially breakage while fishing. Others experiences may be different. Just my .02 for whatever it is worth. Greg

Brian I agree with you and I'll also add that personally I'll fish my more expensive rods (I don't own many at all) harder because all of them have a lifetime guarantee. One of my favorite rods is a custom built graphite rod. I really love the rod and it really didn't cost much but because it was custom made only the blank (not the rod itself) has a guarantee. If I break it the manufacturer will replace the blank - but I have to pay to have it rebuilt or try to do it myself. I only own one really expensive rod (the Sage SLT) and it was purchased at a deep discount. But I'm really not that afraid of breaking it because I know if I do Sage will replace it for a really modest fee. And I do know this lifetime warranty is built into the price but that's another issue entirely...... Greg

Thanks for the review. I have seen those at BCO before. They sound like a good deal. My problem is I use a loop to loop connection and those don't have the loop built in. And I'm just not good at tying those danged perfection loops. Greg

Nice photos. Glad you had a good trip and thanks for sharing. It's amazing how well some of our MO patterns work elsewhere. I've also had good luck out of state with scuds, zebras, cracklebacks, and mohair leeches. Can I ask about access to that area? Did you float through the canyon or is it a wading access? Thanks again, Greg

CC you are absolutely right. A top of the line rod won't catch any more fish than a rod costing a tenth as much. Even my beloved Sage. Is it truly worth the $$ in any practical sense? Probably not. I have several much less expensive rods that perform equally well in most ways. But I just get a lot of enjoyment out of it (the slt). I've yet to cast a smoother more versatile rod (IMHO). So by that measure it justifies the price to me. And sometimes a certain fly rod will just fit you like a glove. Can you really put a price on that? Greg

Just like so many things "affordable" is very subjective and depends on the individual person's perceptions, income, lifestyle, etc, etc. For years I thought all top of the line fly rods were bogus. Just not worth the price at all. Then I made the mistake of casting a Sage SLT and had to have one..... Thanks for the info Brian, Greg