Greg

Definitely a positive article. The article discussed the history of the norfork tailwater and of trout fishing in Arkansas in general. Also the author went fishing with a guide - John Wilson I think it was? Nothing mentioned about the Overlook issues at all. I had kind of forgotten about that. I wonder if the situation has gotten better? I've only been to the Norfork once (last year). I really enjoyed it. Greg

There's a nice article on the norfork tailwater in the Jan/Feb edition of Eastern Flyfishing. That's not a magazine I normally read but this article was pretty well done so I picked it up. Greg

I'm not a huge football fan (basketball is my thing) but both games were great. It was nice to take a break from tree trimming and clean up. The 2nd game was just awesome. I kind of like Peyton Manning and I was glad to see him get the monkey off his back regarding poor performances in the playoffs. The superbowl should be good. Defense vs offense. Greg

Michael the seminar sounds great. Count me in. I'm sorry about your home power situation. Tina and I are in the same boat. No power since Sat. Friends and family have been gracious though so we are warm and OK. I hope you and your family are too. Greg

If you are counting - I would be in for one as well. Greg

Thanks Rolan. Will look forward to it. Greg

I agree completely with jdmidwest. It is a circus, zoo, whatever. I can appreciate the tradition but its just not my cup of tea. When I was a teen (70's) I went with a couple of buddies every year. It was crowded then but nothing like now. It seemed like every year it got a little worse to the point where it just wasn't fun anymore and I dropped out. It does thin out a little as the day goes on but not much. A few years ago I took my younger son on opening day and we drove around for an hour just looking for a place to park. Have not been since then. That being said though if I had never been - I would probably want to go at least once. It's part of the MO trout fishing scene for sure. If you do go one tip: You'll probably want to lose the fly rod. There just isn't much room to cast. I saw one guy almost get lynched when he was using a fly rod the last opening day I went to. Greg

I'm sorry I missed it too. Sounds like a neat class and I've heard about the peppy scud for years. We're just trying to stay warm and dry currently in Spfld. 90% power outage in the area. Currently my mom is the only one in the family with power. Not looking forward to the cleanup either. Greg

When I first started fly fishing in my teens many years ago - I retrieved with my right hand (I'm left handed). I did it that way because I read somewhere that this was the correct way. I think I read that from Lefty Kreh. When I took the sport back up about 5 years ago I went to a left hand retrieve and it seems much more natural to me. I never liked switching hands after the hookup. Greg

Sorry I'm from Springfield and with the ice storm I just could not make it down for either the rod building or fly tying classes I signed up for. I was looking forward to both and hope they are both rescheduled at some point. Hope everyone is well and safe. Personally I have a ton of work to do - big limbs down all over my yard. What a mess. At least they did not hit the house though. Greg

I've used several lines over the years from the top manufacturers: Cortland, Scientific Anglers, and Rio. They've all been good and I could not tell a lot of difference between them. If you're looking to save some $$'s - Bass Pro sells their CV2 line for $19. I can't tell any difference between it and the top lines from the main manufacturers. The one I've got on my favorite trout rod is going into its third year and still going strong. One thing I'm interested in is the newer lines that say they have a super high floating tip - that keeps floating. That's one thing that has alway annoyed me from even the best lines is that eventually the first foot or so of the line starts sinking. Anyone tried one of these lines? Cortland makes the "dyna tip" and I think SA makes one too. thanks, Greg

I've never really had a bad day (as far as numbers caught) at Bennett either. One of the best days I ever had was in a downpour a couple of years ago. I was at Bennett yesterday and there were very few people and the fishing was pretty good. Greg

SM Don't let that experience sour you on trying Montauk. It is a wonderful place to fish year around. It's my and my families favorite place to fish in the state and that's saying a lot. I think Reeds cabins may be open in the winter and its a nice place to stay as well. The park store is OK but I've often wished for a dedicated fly shop in the area as well as a few more restaurants. That's one of the drawbacks to the area is that it is pretty remote with limited lodging and restaurant options. But of course that is also its charm. One note: forget about cell phone service in the area. When you fish in the park don't forget to try the catch and release section. It's a pretty unique stretch of water and generally always has some very large fish. The fishing outside the park has always been kind of hit and miss for me. But I enjoy it nonetheless. Good luck, Greg

I built rods for a while and never saw them available as blanks either in the store or in the catalog. Why not use a similar length and wt blank though? Either from cabela's or hook and hackle? Just a thought. I've built a couple of rods on bastson forecast blanks and they are very reasonably priced and might be ideal for what you want. Greg

One of those yellow eagle claw fly rods was one of my first fly rods almost 30 years ago. I caught a lot of bluegill and bass with that rod and a $5 Martin reel. I don't know what happened to it. I bought another 7 ft 5wt eagle claw off of ebay several months ago but I never fished it. I more or less bought it to play around with. Reading this discussion though has made me want to give it a workout. I think I'll try it at Taney. Greg

LMW Before you dump the line I would look at it again. If it truly doesn't vary in taper at all then it is a level line. If it is a level line then I would just get rid of it. If you read the article Terry sent - there aren't really any situations that a level line is as good as a tapered line. If it is a double taper line then there is nothing wrong with it. But most anglers I know prefer a WF - including me. I would buy a WF and give it a try. You might find you prefer it. Greg

That's a great article. It does always come down to personal preference but I still enjoy reading comparisons of fly gear. Greg

LMW If your line is truly the same taper front to back then it is a "level" line. And I would suggest you replace it as soon as possible with a tapered line. I started out years ago with a level line and I never could cast it very well. Once I put out the few extra $$ for a tapered WF line - my casting quickly improved. I'm not saying level lines can't work but they will never work as well. Most fly fisherman around here use a WF line although I know a few that use the double taper. Either are a huge improvement over the level line. If you have a level line and go out and get a WF line - I think you'll be shocked at how much easier casting will be for you. You can pick up a good quality WF line at BPS for about $20. As far as rod length. Davy Wotton is an expert on fly fishing. But my experience has been that the longer length rods are tiring to use. I used a 10 ft 5 wt once and it just wasn't as pleasant to use for me. I could see where the longer length would be useful in certain situations though. I agree with the other poster that an 8 1/2 or 9 foot fly rod in a 5 wt is pretty ideal for most trout fishing situations in MO and Arkansas. It is what I have been using for years. Greg

Mr Ducky I agree with Jeremy that Roaring River is a great place to learn fly fishing. The trout are usually cooperative. I've found roaring river to be the best place to fish with dry flies in the state. For some reason there just always seem to be trout looking up at roaring river. If you are not getting hits then my advice is to go smaller with the fly - whether you are fishing with a dry fly or subsurface. Sometimes it takes a #20 or even a #22 to get the fish interested. Bennett Springs and Montauk are also great places to fish. Greg

I voted yes - BUT I hope you don't freeze. I was down late afternoon until dark and I was half frozen by 5:00 PM. That wind was just cutting right through me. The fishing was pretty good though. Greg

Thanks Greg

Hey thanks, Greg

MrD I've got more fly rods and reels than I know what to do with. If you want one I'd be glad to let you have one of them. My wife would be grateful - she's been giving me a hard time lately about all the fly fishing "clutter". I agree with Terry that your shakespeare rig is plenty good enough to start out with but you'll probably soon want something a little better. Just let me know if you are interested. I'm planning on coming down to Taney on Monday if the weather is decent and will bring a rig if you want it. If not - no big deal. Regarding fly tying - I would take a few lessons from a fly shop if possible. That really cuts down on the learning curve. I'm sure you can learn a lot from some of the people on the board that are coming to the gathering on Mon. Same with fly casting. I taught myself years ago but it was pretty hard. My wife and son took lessons a couple of years ago and it was much easier for them. Most fly shops will help you out there. And Bass Pro offers free lessons as well. Welcome to the wonderful world of fly fishing. I hope you have as much fun with it as I have over the years. Greg

Steve Can you tell me the best way to get to the Beaver Tailwater from Springfield MO? Distance from Springfield? I'm off the next week and would like to try somewhere new. Also is your store close to the water? Thanks, Greg

I just started crushing the barbs on my flies recently. I've been pleased. I think I have more hookups and fewer missed fish. Maybe a few more fish throw the hook but I think that's a good exchange. Greg