Greg

I have not fished the finley in several years. But used to fish it often. I used to have a lot of fun by wading downstream fishing for bass with a rapala and then when fishing back upstream switching to a dough type bait (BJ). The bass fishing was hit and miss but I used to catch some cats every trip. Some up to 6 or 7 lbs. I would even occasionally catch one on the rapala. I would assume there are still a lot of channel cats in the river. Greg

Interesting thoughts Trav. Being primarily a fly fisherman I know very little about the lower bigger part of the lake. Greg

What a beautiful brown. People who say stocked trout are poor fighters obviously haven't caught a Taney brown of that size. I've had several run me right up to the backing too. Greg

I've owned a lot of different boxes in my time. Currently I like the ones with the "slit foam" design the best by far. They just hold more flies in a more organized fashion. I have a couple from C&F and one from Flambeau. Both work great. Greg

Sorry Greg

Very sad. I think all the high water has hurt a lot of the fly shops in other areas of Arkansas and MO too. Mike - is there another fly shop around Heber Springs? Greg

I've been out west a few times and fished - most recently to Colorado and the RMNP. I love it and we are planning another trip out West somewhere this coming summer. BUT that said I like the fishing here best. My favorite destinations here are Taneycomo, the Arkansas tailwaters, and the upper Current. Those are just hard to beat in my opinion. Greg

I have fished all of these rivers/streams but a couple of them just barely. Here's my take for what it's worth: Current NFOW 11-point Niangua Meramac I'm probably biased towards the current because I've fished it the most. But it's just a great trout stream with a wide range of water and some good dry fly fishing at times. Greg

I've got an older machined fly logic reel. I don't care for mine too much. It's certainly not a bad reel I just have others I like better. In the winter (in really cold weather) the drag tightens up some and isn't as smooth as it is in warmer weather. Also once when I took the spool off a leaf spring on the drag went flying and I never could find it. The company did send another free of charge. Mine is a pretty thing though. It's kind of a marbled green and black color with a green wood handle. Anyway maybe they've improved them. I hope you enjoy yours. Greg

I like it so far. It's a cleaner and more modern look in my opinion. I did have to shorten my "interests" somewhat since it shows up with each post. I tend to be too wordy anyway though. Greg

Thanks Terry and Tim. Going to try to stop by. Greg

You are on the right track. Wearing fleece under the breathables is the key. When it is really cold I wear breathable long underwear (polypro) and fleece pants under my breathables. I've fished in extremely cold weather and been pretty warm with that setup. I think that setup is warmer and definitely more comfortable than neoprene. Greg

I saw on the news this morning that due to declining sales tax revenues and budget cuts - that roaring river state park is losing 4 or 5 employees. I think the report said that there will now only be 13 employees in the entire park. That's certainly sad for those people. I wonder how that will affect the day to day operation of the park? Greg

3:30 PM until what time? thanks, Greg

Thanks Mike. Greg

Very nice. I've built a couple of rods and can appreciate the effort that went into that rebuild. Greg

Anyone have a TFO Finesse? I really prefer a medium action rod and it looks (and feels) like a good rod in that category. Greg

I've gotta say I'm in awe of the depth of knowledge some of you (like Al Agnew) have on this subject. One can only hope that MDC employees are so well informed. The only thing I'll add is that I don't know why oftentimes when smallmouth management is brought up - that MO trout fishing/stocking is bashed? I just don't get that? Both are important and fill different niches. I enjoy both although I do spend more time chasing trout. But if trout stocking were suddenly stopped has it ever been considered what the consequences would be to our warmwater fisheries in terms of fishing pressure? I guarantee at least some of those thousands of anglers that frequent Taney and the trout parks would be spending time chasing smallmouth. I don't think it would be a good thing at all. Greg

I disagree with that statement too. This has been a lively and informative thread. We are just not always going to agree. Brian I'd love to hear that story sometime. And I agree with your assessment of the NFOW. It is a jewel. I've been skunked there once recently (despite a lot of sage advice from you) but it didn't make me like the river less. If anything it made me appreciate it more. Greg

If you can believe what the MDC and other sources cite then the NFOW holds about 1000 wild trout per mile. Now personally I've never seen that many!! (LOL). I'm not an expert either. Greg

Brian Wise most definitely qualifies as an expert on wild trout spawning on the NFOW. If he says they are spawning you can believe it. Greg

If by the "NorFork" you are meaning the North Fork of the White as mentioned in Brian's post - then you are completely wrong. All of the thousands of rainbows in that stream are wild. http://family-outdoors.com/north_fork_of_the_white_river.htm Wild trout are not a "pipe dream" on the NFOW. Greg

I'm not an expert on this but I've noticed almost exactly the same thing. In really cold waters where trout thrive - smallmouth generally don't seem to. But Taney is a pretty big lake and I'm sure there are areas of the lake where they could do pretty well. But Taneycomo is first and foremost a trout lake (thank goodness IMHO). MO has literally hundreds of miles of streams and acres of lake habitat where smallmouth will do well. But comparatively speaking much fewer areas where trout can live. IMHO those few areas that trout can thrive should be managed for trout. Even if the trout are not "self sustaining". Greg

We've discussed this here before. I don't think there's any doubt that there are a few smallmouth in Taneycomo. But it's just not managed as a smallmouth lake. Greg

I've got a pair of the Sims Blackfoot waders. I haven't used them a great deal. They are my backups. Last year my 6 year old sims lightweight waders developed a small leak in the foot. Michael at BCO sent them in for me. They came back good as new but it took about a month. I bought the Blackfoot waders in the meantime. They seem like good waders. But I've never had a bad experience with a sims product. Greg