RSBreth

I'll be really interested in how the Spot/Smallmouth ratio works out over time up there. Hopefully it's like the James and Finley, where high water years bring more Spots upstream, but less and less as the year goes on. I guess we'll see. Love your reports on streams I don't usually see.

I finally posted the Smallmouth Flyfishing article at my site: http://ozarkoutdoorjournal.blogspot.com/20...-for-ozark.html I still don't know what to do with this blog, and to be honest, the amount of traffic showing up at my blogspot blog has me thinking about an actual .com domain, but I barely have time to fish these days, let alone write much about it. Who knew working and taking care of a 2-year old would take up so much time? Oh yeah, everyone. I really need to buy a cheap digital video camera, and start making my own outdoor show, you don't even need public access or any of that anymore, just post on YouTube or using a host like Photobucket. If the day had 30 hours in it...

I was fishing from H.L. Kerr to Galena. Put in way before anyone else, about 5:45 A.M. I was on a quest for a monster Smallie that I didn't see today. The fog was awesome. Caught lots of green fish, some nice Smallies, but didn't see any MDC or any other "official" folks. That's too bad, I could have handed out several tickets myself, thankfully none for keeping illegal fish- just for being drunk and stupid. Galena was a madhouse this afternoon, good luck anyone who goes down to launch this evening, I've seen biker keg parties that were more well-mannered. Kudos to MDC on checking that part of the river where you floated, it's bad there too these days. Just sorry it screwed up your fishing. I whiffed on the hookset when a nice Smallie finally hit, and it's all my fault.

Dudley Murphy is a professor at Drury who has written several books on old and collectable lures, and I think he edits a quarterly newsletter about the same thing. Anyway- I don't know him personally, but he'll probably respond to a kind email with pictures like you posted here. dmurphy@drury.edu

Nice report. It's always nice to have a spot close by to fish.

Awesome. Did it get released?

I would love a picture of me casting a fly with a bright shiny (and wet) Suburban in the background. But I don't have the time to go down there right now. Somebody PLEASE shoot some pictures of this. Oh, you know what, I just realized it might be stolen. That would suck.

Yeah, my early week sucked, I had/have some flu-like crap that started Sunday night, got worse Monday, through Tuesday, and really didn't let up this afternoon. But I can type. Anyway, I fished early Sunday from Delaware to Shelvin, and did really well. Missed one nice fish in the same spot I missed a nice fish two weeks ago. Same fish? Don't know. What I do know is I can't seem to get the fish going on the topwater bite, which is a little depressing. There's nothing I like more that casting a popper I tied on the flyrod for Smallies, but they aren't on it for me this year. Usual stuff was working, soft plastic jerks, Senkos', and spinnerbaits near wood cover. I had to wait for a group of the Ozark Mountain Manatee (LARGE women) launching at Shelvin to move for me to even get near the shore and drag my canoe back to the truck. I just backpaddled for about 15 minutes as they sorted out, well, everything. No one knows how to launch, even at a spot on the river bank. One man w/2 kids in a johnboat warned me urgently about "a big snake" over by the shore. I said "whoooooeeooo" or something in a manner that seemed obvious to me, but he responded with a breathless "that's what I said!" I then had to inform him that I was being sarcastic. Sorry, dude. Finally, I got the canoe loaded up and realized I felt a little "off" as I drove home.

I was thinking about length vs. weight of some fish I've caught, and this guys claims, and then I realized, maybe he did catch a couple that big. I mean, little kids crappie fishing with minnows catch 7-pound Largemouths every spring, and that's by accident. I'm just not familiar with those rivers enough to make a call. The James or Finley, yeah, I'd call bull@&$%. But then again, you never know. I've caught some real nice Largemouths in odd places, I just don't go around telling everyone about them. They won't believe you, or worse they will, and you'll see your little spot overran by the Mongols. I just re-read that and realized, I do go around telling people about bigger fish I catch, and even shoot video of it. But I won't tell exactly where, how's that?

This is the portable model with the castable little remote sensor. Not one of the tiny rod mount models, but the one with a 100' range, and you could even buy two different remotes, as it has an "A" and "B" channel. I have bought 2 replacement remotes, one of which I learned the lesson of keeping them dry when not in use, the remote uses a wet switch to turn on. If your boat is set up for Humminbird you can plug this model in and play around with it there, too. The only trouble I have had is when the batteries get low you'll see weird things, (shadows, stutters) and the unit has a hard time starting. Just change the batteries. It uses 8 AA, batteries, I bought rechargeables, you would be wise to do the same. It is used and there are some dings, so it's priced accordingly.

Wow, nice. I haven't been down there in about 2 years, but it's a spot that can be tough. I didn't know you knew Brigman.

I have a 6-Weight CV2 I picked up at the outlet store-no damage, just a return. 4-piece, so I bought it for my back up travel rod, but now use it more and more. Matter of fact, I will probably be casting hoppers 'n' poppers on the upper Finley later today with it. I can cast weighted flies like Clousers and fight Whites, Smallies, and Hybrids, but I also use it for bigger dries (Wulffs and small hoppers on the North Fork of the White) and I don't feel I'm "overpowering" 12"-14" trout. It works great for indicators and weighted flies, too.

I have been eyeballing that camera, too. Keep us posted how it holds up. Oh, I love my little "grabber" tripod like that. If you see some of my pictures, the only way I can get a self timed shot sometimes is with a little tripod help.

Sorry , I was busy and didn't do anything other than post those links, but long story short- I have my best luck pitching wacky rigged plastics to cover like a root ball of a tree, or beside a large boulder. If it's an eddy so much the better. I also like to use them for a "pitch back" lure to any fish that chases a faster lure but doesn't hit, or misses. I like a weedless hook or jig head, and I usually just let it fall on a slack line, but watch the line closely. Wave Worms "Tiki-Stiks", and Yums "Dingers" are really working for my the past few years. One good, cheap lure that works is the 6" Renegade brand worm you can get at Wal-Mart, I think the are a buck-fifty for 20. Nice. I tear the curly tail part off to make it a straight worm for wacky. Green Pumkin, or the Electric Blue, which is an old school color that works great. That article in the In-Fisherman bass annual I mentioned on my site is the most comprehensive look at wacky rigging I've ever seen. I'd buy the issue for that article alone, but I already have it of course.

http://ozarkanglers.com/forums/index.php?a...p;showentry=149 http://allozarksfishing.blogspot.com/2008/...tackle-tip.html

I would like to see TU or some other body try to buy easement on both sides all the way down to where Cane flows into the James. I've tried to get some interest for this in the past and no one wanted to bite. Too bad, Crane is not only a real peach for us locals, but a gem of trout fishing for the entire country, I mean.... McCloud rainbows man!

It's cool that he finally gets a win after being runner up so many times. Sometimes a gamble pays off, it would have only taken a bad storm one day to stop him from running to or back from the spot he was at. BassFan.com

"... The "F" word is used quite a bit in this song.." Only about 50 times. As Archie (John Cleese) said to Otto (Kevin Kline) in A Fish Called Wanda after one of his "F-bomb" laced rants: "You're a true vulgarian, aren't you?"

Wow, this will start an arguement. "Best" as in numbers, easy access, or big fish? Branson area is good, (Taneycomo for trout, Kings and James for Smallmouth.) Mountain Home, Arkansas is also a good base for flyfishing, Crooked Creek and Buffalo for smallies, the entire White and Norfolk for trout) but probably not on the families chart for "holiday" fun. Unless they're fishing, too.

Nice report, and good job on the "transfer" Bass. I wind up doing that a couple of times a year after floods. I know a couple of guys who will not EVER float fish, even if it means not fishing for a month at a time.They'd rather night fish, or wait in line at the ramps, dodge skiers, all that. Direct quote from one: "If you're not in a bass boat, you ain't bass fishin'" I guess that's their loss.

I would love to see the regs change, but it also hard to enforce the current 12" limit. My litttle sweety, Bull Creek, can't stand the catch and keep people that clean it out every year, let alone the outright poachers. The Finley has the buffer of the two upper lakes to help the fish with wintering, most others don't.

It doesn't have any locks, it does have spots to use a padlock or luggage type lock though. Latches are perfect, I'll send pictures later, but the only "damgage besides some small scuffs is the middle foam was cut to hold two firearms that are in a safe now. But I think shipping over there would kill the price, it might cost 30- or 40-dollars, I'll have to check later today.

I haven't seen Otters on the James, just Mink. Now at the park in Ozark on the Finley, Otters. Big ones. About the size of the neighbors dog. Try the Zoom Flukes or similar soft jerkbaits, worked really fast and erratic. I had three good bass today on the James on the PowerBait Jerkshad. Love them on Beaver and Swan, too. Use superglue to repair them when they rip. For tubes, well, they all rip. I haven't found a good one that doesn't.

Bumping up again, sorry. Lower price now, too. Just trying to sell it here, craigslist think it's a GUN (run screaming)case, instead of a gun case. Commies.

Huh? So.... you aren't interested? I was working on something today and didn't even check the OA until right now. It's a great Turkey/Waterfowl gun, but I have to sell. UPDATE -Some pictures I just took, but I can't get any good close ups until daylight, and I'm going to bed.