Greg

I still remember the first time I posted a fishing report on this board probably close to 2 years ago. I gave a glowing report about what a wonderful day I had including an approx # of fish caught. Phil replied to my report something like: "nice report but where were you fishing and what fly were you using?". I remember thinking to myself "duh - why would anyone even want to read my report if I leave out vital info like that?" And I did add that info. I still feel that way. I don't even finish reading a report or thread on this or any other board if it mentions a "secret fly". What's the point? Greg

I wonder if Tim from the fly shop near RR has any thoughts on this? Greg

That's interesting Steve. Thanks, Greg

I'll have to give pink a try. Thanks for the tip. I did try the green/olive color Sunday/yesterday and it worked very well. Greg

Beadhead Scud Hook: any scud hook size 16 to 20 Body: ginger/tan sowscud dubbing (green or gray probably works too) Ribbing: x-small copper, black, or gold wire Head: tungsten bead 5/64 in black, gold or copper Back: Ice blue pearl tinsel flashback Instructions: Slide tungsten bead onto hook. tie in ribbing wire and tinsel back towards the back of the hook. Dub the sowscud dubbing onto the thread and wind toward the bead. Fold the tinsel over the dubbing tightly and tie down behind the bead. Wind the wire ribbing forward (2 or 3 wraps evenly spaced) and tie in behind the bead. Whip finish just behind the bead. Pick out "legs" on the underside of the fly and then trim the leg evenly. In the past I never had much luck on scuds until I added a tungsten bead. I just thought I might share this pattern that I've been having really good luck with lately. I've been using mostly tan dubbing but I'm going to experiment with green and gray as well. Sorry the pic isn't very good. My digital camera doesn't do closeups of small objects well. Greg

Has anyone tried furled leaders on our sometimes overly selective MO trout? Specifically Taneycomo? A couple of years ago I bought a couple of them off of ebay. I tried them at Taney and it seemed like I was getting far fewer strikes. And then I somehow developed a horrible tangle and had to cut it off. When I put on a regular knotless tapered mono leader - I immediately started getting into fish. Coincidence? Maybe - I just don't know? But with a furled leader - you attach a mono or fluoro tippet to the end of it and it seems as if the furled portion of the leader would be more visible to the trout than a clear mono or fluoro leader. But my experience was just a one time thing. I may be way off base. I would be interested in others experiences though. Greg

I looked on Weaver's tackle website reports section - it's a good source for all things regarding Bennett Spring - but the reports are currently suspended due to the owners health. But I can't imagine a major problem like that and no media coverage? Greg

I just found that phone # (generation schedule) John posted a few months ago. I've found it to be fairly reliable both for Taney and for the White and Norfork. I have tried to call a few times though and the line is out of order. But when you can get through it's a great tool for planning your fishing. Greg

I agree. I'm pretty sure the drawdown is over. They have been running water pretty much every day and the lake level seems stable. Greg

The Fli is sold!! My thanks to Phil Lilly for putting this section on the site. Much cheaper than ebay. Greg

I was really worried about the effects of the draw down too. But personally I haven't seen any problems yet. During my weekly visits I've caught plenty of fish and like you - the fish I've caught have been fat and healthy. Personally I've noted the fishing to be much better so far in 2007 as opposed to 2006 which was a little bit of a down year for me. My only possible negative is that I haven't caught near the # of browns that I have in past years? Go figure! On that other thread about the draw down Phil Lilly or someone else noted that we might not see negative effects for several months though. But hopefully things will stay status quo. Greg

My wife and I made our annual Arkansas trip this past weekend. We are from MO. We were disappointed that the White was running water pretty much non stop from our arrival to our departure. So we didn't get to fish there at all. But luckily the Norfork was not running water in the mornings until 3 or 4 in the afternoon both days. The fishing was just OK. We caught plenty of fish but a lot of them were pretty small. I'm talking a LOT of 8 to 10" fish. We both caught mainly rainbows and browns with a few very small cuts mixed in. No brookies. We did have a good time but were a little disappointed in the size of the fish. The last time we were down (Spring 2006) that wasn't the case at all. We both caught a lot of fish and they were good sized. Maybe it was just the time of year? We fished both the dam access and at the handicapped access. Today (Sunday) I did manage one pretty nice brown in the afternoon (about 16"). I also lost one rainbow about the same size an hour later. We caught most of our fish on small bead head nymphs. I did try some larger flies to try to "stir up" the larger fish - but didn't get a hit on the bigger flies. One thing we found out is how fast the water comes up when they start generating. WOW!! We were down at the handicapped access on Sat and they turned on 2 generators and in what seemed like just a few seconds the river was impassable. Luckily I was on my way out or I might have been trapped on the wrong side. One guy wasn't so lucky. We saw him "running" back and then start to try to cross then come to his senses. Thanks to John Berry for all his advice/reports on the White and Norfork. I'm a faithful reader. Maybe next time we'll get to fish the White too. All in all a good trip just not as good as 2006.

I've got too many 5 wt fly rods and desperately need to thin some out. A rod I really like but that I just don't use much anymore : Sage Fli 8.5 foot 5 wt. 2 piece. Nice rod used maybe 10 times total. I just like my Sage SLT a little better. Lifetime warranty not available - I sent the card in. But does come with the Sage case. Retail $255. Sell for $150 You could pick the rod up here (I live just south of Springfield MO) or I'll ship it for actual UPS charges - probably $15 or so. Heres a link to the Sage site: http://www.sageflyfish.com/default.asp?p=29 If interested drop me a line. I will be out of town until Sun Aug 5 (fishing trip) so please feel free to email or PM and I'll get back to you on the 5th thanks, Greg

Steve I think we are actually both right. The Tioga if bought at retail price costs roughly $120 to $180 depending on the size. But there is a dealer that sells them on ebay (new or blems) with a full factory warranty for way under retail. I have a Tioga 6 large arbor and a #4 regular arbor and I paid less than $100 each time. Sometimes you will see a blem (slight color mismatch) for $80!!! She even engraved my initials on my 6 LA for just a few extra bucks. They are great reels at any price. Tough as nails and with a super smooth drag to boot. I'm not knocking the sage reel at all. I'm sure its a good reel and a good value. But I think in most instances a machined reel will hold up better. Greg

I'm glad you and your grandson are having a good trip. I hope you catch some tonight. I'm headed to Branson with my family tomorrow for a few days. I hope to get in a few hours of fishing at some point. Greg

3 wt No offense taken at all. I've been a little frustrated on unfamiliar waters myself several times. All streams are different to varying degrees. It wouldn't be much fun otherwise would it? Greg

3 wt I appreciate what you're saying about Taney but in its defense I'm not sure if it's a whole lot different than other tailwaters I've been to like the White and Norfork in Arkansas. But I may be prejudiced seeing as I fish Taney 2 or 3 times per month and I consider it my homewaters. I don't agree that the trout don't act "normal". To me I find them (the fish) in the same areas I do when trout fishing elsewhere. Tailwaters are definitely different than other streams though. I think that's due to the wildly fluctuating water flows. The main difference is the way they (the trout) sometimes gather at your feet to feed on what we stir up. That is unusual. But I've heard the same thing occurs in the San Juan in New Mexico. I'm not sure anyone knows for sure why this occurs. I'll also give you the fact that there are some poor casters and fisherman that are kind of loud. But those are the same ones that I note only catch a fish very occasionally while the more polished casters with a more subtle approach catch many more fish in general. Just my .02 Greg

VanVen I'm not 100% sure but I think that sage reel is a cast aluminum reel. I think maybe for the price of that reel you could maybe get a machined aluminum reel. I think cast reels are fine - BUT if you drop one they are sometimes toast (they bend). Machined reels are generally stronger and have less tendency to wobble. Just something to think about. Sage just doesn't make bad products though so I'm sure this is a good reel. There are several fine machined fly reels at less expensive prices. The Teton Tioga is one. Great choices on the rods. Greg

The pics aren't coming through for me Thom. Greg

Thanks again John. I appreciate you taking the time to help us novices out. Greg

Thanks for the report John. It's encouraging too regarding wadable water. My wife and I are headed down there a week from tomorrow for 3 days. We'll be at both the White and norfork or whichever is not generating. Greg

John even though my wife and I only make it down to the White/norfork once or twice a year - I really enjoy your reports. Greg

You were married to a woman that likes to fish and you let her get away???!!! Just kidding you. Greg

You're kidding right??? I think just about any fly will work on Taney trout given the right conditions. Or almost any trout stream for that matter. Granted some flies work better than others - but they ALL work. Greg

John thanks for the info. And I do appreciate your reports and information as well. Greg