Greg

What's a yong special? Greg

"but I would rather fish from my boat as would any boat owner and leave the waders in the closet." Packman I completely disagree - I own a boat and waders - but when they are not running water I much prefer the wading. I know many other trout fisherman that feel the same way. Greg

I fish both several times a year. They are just different. I've always done fairly well at both. Bennett is probably more of a "sure thing" if there is such a thing in terms of numbers of fish. But I seem to catch bigger fish at Montauk and I like the more "natural" surroundings there and the variety of water. Montauk is my favorite of the trout parks. It is also generally the least crowded. I'm not an expert but I fished Montauk a couple of times last year when the water was really low and had really good days. Greg

I don't think Michael was saying he wants the upper lake to be a "wading/fly fishing area only" at all. But when the water is off and low as it has been almost all fall and winter - it is very narrow and there is just not enough room for a boat to come up very far and still be respectful of people wading. I would bet that almost all of the fly fisherman on this board don't have a problem with boats in the upper area when the water is on if a respectable distance is kept. To me it just defies logic why a boater would even attempt to come very far upstream when the water is off and the river/lake is full of waders. To me that shows incredibly poor manners and is just not safe. But some do it anyway. Just MHO Greg

I have a Sage FLI - which is similiar. It is a pretty good rod. I actually think the Launch would be more to my liking. I think it is slightly slower. Greg

Thanks for all the stories. I've enjoyed them all. Here is one: This happened to me about 15 years ago. My wife, 2 year old son, and I were traveling with my father and stepmother in his RV from MO to Florida. We were actually on our way to Disney World. On the way down we stopped at an RV park in northern Florida. This particular park was large and had several large lakes/ponds in it. I had brought my spinning rod and proceeded to throw a rapala at around dusk. Didn't get a single hit until it was after dark. This hit was viscious with a lot of splashing. I could not see a thing but from the sound of things I knew I had a large basss. The fight was on for quite some time - maybe 20 minutes. I just knew I had caught the fish of my life! Finally with a lot of luck I worked the fish to the bank. As I got him to the bank and dragged him up closer - all of a sudden this "fish" ran towards me making a "hissing" sound and snapping his jaws. It was then I realized my fish was an alligator. Actually from the outline it was a fair sized alligator. I don't remember a whole lot but I think I screamed like a girl (sorry ladies) and threw down my rod and reel and ran. My wife and father were on their way down to get me and I ran into them in mid-flight. They say I was white as a sheet. I told them the story. They of course thought it was hilarious. I did not at the time. We later went back with a flashlight and found my rod and reel on the bank. Evidently the line finally broke at some point. The next morning we saw the signs posted all over warning of FL alligators in the park. Greg

Illegal

Fox I'm intrigued by the ultraweave rod you mentioned. Do you know is there anywhere that you can cast one? Do you know if blanks are available? I did find the website but it did not say anything about blanks. thanks, Greg

Thanks for posting the article. I wasn't aware of it. I live in Spfld and am a frequent visitor to Michaels shop. I've never fished with him but I've learned a lot just by talking with him. Greg

I went out this afternoon (Sun) for a bit. I only fished for 20 min or so. Just too cold for me. I've fished at least one day a week all winter the last 2 winters and this is the first day that I went out and just couldn't take it. Even wearing gloves I couldn't keep my hands from going numb. I guess everyone has their limits. There were 2 or 3 hardier souls than me out there. Couldn't tell how they were doing. I caught one and missed 4 or 5 strikes in my brief time there. Greg

I think the choice also would depend on the type of "action" you prefer in a fly rod. Some like fast action rods. I don't at all. Obviously for a streamer rod you wouldn't want a slow action or "limp noodle". But is doesn't need to be super fast either. I have a St. Croix rod that is more of a moderate action that will sling a streamer with the best of them. It is truly a pleasure to cast. It is a custom made rod but is built on their SCIII blank - the one used for their avid line. Just MHO Greg

What is GSP thread trumpy? Do you do the rib with it as well? I'm not familiar with the term. Hopefully it is a little easier to work with than the mono. I have a devil of a time tying with mono as thread. Greg

I think it is easy to focus on the negative behaviors of a few people. I feel that overall most of the fisherman at Taneycomo are pretty respectful. And we are all so lucky to to live close to such a wonderful fishery. Greg

A slightly different twist on the same subject: There have been a couple of times a fellow angler has "yelled" at me for being rude when I was doing everything possible to stay out of his way. Sometimes during the fall on some Sat's it is so crowded it is a challenge to find a place to cross. Others seem to think their "space" extends hundreds of feet. These people need to give others a break! I hate it as much as anyone when someone walks right in on me within a few feet and starts fishing. There are certainly some jerks out there but some are just doing the best they can while trying to catch a few fish. Greg

I plan to give those "toobies" a try as well. I've seen them the last year or so in the stores and catalogs but figured it was a gimmick. Split shot drive me crazy! The soft moldable tungsten works pretty well. But in the winter it tends to turn rock hard and is difficult to use.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give the neoprene a try. Greg

I went out Sun afternoon as well. It was windy and cold as heck but I had a great time. It wasn't crowded at all and the fishing was great. I caught a lot of "slot rainbows" 12 to 15". Just great fun to catch. Only one brown but he was a doozy. He measured out at 24". Plus he was huge around the shoulders. Took them on zebra midges of various colors and a tan scud. That big brown hit a tiny little zebra midge. That's not the first time that has happened but it always kind of amazes me. On a side note - does anyone out there have any advice regarding cold hands? I can keep pretty warm even below freezing except for my hands. I've tried various gloves - But when you are catching fish they get soaked pretty quickly. Sun at one point when I was catching fish my hands got so cold I ALMOST found myself wishing for a break so I could warm up my hands. Greg

I also agree that the teton Tioga is a great reel for the money. I bought one off ebay (same store mentioned above) for my wife last summer. She really likes it and it seems like a great reel especially for the $$. One thing to note though is that I heard that Teton filed partial bankruptcy. I think they are working through it - but if they would go under the lifetime warranties out there would be void. Greg

I wouldn't mind seeing a "bunny leech". The one that uses a strip of rabbit fur. I tried to tie one of those a while back and really messed it up badly. Greg

The Ross Cimmaron is right at the upper end of that price range. I have 2 of them and I really like them both. I had a slight problem with one of them early on and had to send it in for service (they have a lifetime warranty) and they had it back to me in 3 or 4 days. And it was fixed right. No problems since despite heavy usage. For a little less (maybe $80?) the Ross flywater has the same great drag but not a lifetime warranty. But they do offer to always fix the flywater for a flat fee of $25. I don't have one but I'm sure it is a good reel. I also have a fly logic reel that performs really well. It is the optimum model which is somewhat above the price range you stated. But fly logic also has a "premium series" that is well within your price range (I think $80 to $100) with a lifetime warranty. Something you may like about all fly logic reels is that you can adjust the outgoing drag sound to 3 different settings: silent, very quiet, and quiet. I have mine on the quiet setting as I like some sound. As you can probably tell I am something of a "connoisseur" of fly reels - much to my wife's dismay. Good luck! Greg

A soft hackle is one I have difficulty tying. I can't ever get the hackle portion to look right. Beautiful fly. Very well done. Greg

It could also have something to do with the north forks distance from MO population centers and acessibility. I've never fished the North Fork and that is mainly due to the fact that it is so far from Springfield MO. I think many of us are busy with our families and careers - and as such you try to "maximize" your fishing opportunities. Plus it is my understanding that it is not as acessible as other areas. That you need a canoe to fully fish it. Personally even though I have a canoe I prefer not to mess with it because it lessens my fishing time. But I am intrigued by the North Fork and plan to fish there this coming year. I was lucky enough to meet Brian a few months ago and agree he does a great job. Just MHO Greg

For me the hardest part to building a fly rod is the wraps. I can get them to look decent but not almost perfect like most off the rack rod or one built by a custom builder. To me the rest of the build is fairly easy. If I was you I would practice your wraps several times on a piece of graphite or blank before you do it for real. Also when you put the finish or expoxy over the wraps - do a couple of light coats rather than one heavy coat. A heavy coat wants to run. Good luck, Greg

I've built 3. I learned a lot but am far from an expert. Is there something I can help you with? Also there is a wonderful site about all things rod building: www.rodbuilding.org/ Greg

I think most people in MO would be referring to the mohair leech. It's a pretty good pattern. The link is below: http://www.missouritrout.com/mikesmohairleech.htm Greg