DeepDiver75

Trav - there are lots of good fisherman reading and posting on this board. Some local guides and some just folks who happen to be very good fisherman. I can guarantee some of them can top your fish stories but you won't see them "Bragging" on this board because that's not what it's all about. I'm sure you have some good information for folks fishing the lower lake but the way you put it out there seems more like you're trying to satisfy your own ego than help out. Keep throwing out the reports, I'm sure someone is getting good info from them, just quit trying to convince us that you're the best fisherman on the lake, nobody really cares!

jj - I have shopped with these guys before and actually had great service for a mail order company. I purchased a Lamson reel a couple years ago and have purchased misc. items since then when they send me a clearance flyer. Another place I have found good flyfishing gear at clearance prices is sierratradingpost.com. They don't always have anything worth a hoot but once in a while they have some good stuff at great prices.

Thanks to Brian and others who posted advice for my trip. Unfortunately it looks like we'll be postponing it for another (hopefully warmer!) weekend. With temps not supposed to get above freezing on Saturday we decided it might not be the most comfortable day to spend floating from sunrise to sunset. As i sit here at work it's 13 degrees right now and the winds blowing about 15. I think I'm ready for SPRING!!!

What show is this in West Plains Brian and what's the date?? I think that the single handed spey would be really interesting. I've been contemplating buying one of the new switch rod blanks and tying myself one up. I would imagine that I could use some of those spey techniques with that rod. I know it's a little more difficult to demonstrate without moving water but I would think that proper mending techniques is an area where most fisherman(myself included)could use the most guidance. I read of lots of different mending methods which would probably improve my fishing if I only took the time to learn something new.

Sounds Great. Barring bad weather or unseen emergencies we should be there. I'll post later in the week to let you know for sure nothing has changed. Thanks for all the information, it sure is nice to have someone knowledgeable about the area that is so willing to help out. Makes planning a trip like this so much easier!

Thanks for all the info guys. Only looking to fish trout on this trip so we wouldn't want to do the Hammond float for sure. Brian, funny that you posted a pic of that fly cause I was just up at K&K flyshop yesterday and Ned was telling me about their favorite NFOW fly and that's exactly what it was! We plan on floating all day on Saturday, if you're interested in joining us we'd love to have you. It looks like we'll probably camp at Sunburst Friday night and Saturday.I'll be coming from KC but I'm meeting a couple of guys that I met at Conclave this year from the area. I plan on being down about 1:00 Friday afternoon, where would you suggest if I was going to fish from a bank access for a few hours after setting up camp? Is there any good wade fishing around the Sunburst area itself? I appreciate all the good advice, now I've got to go tie a few of those flies up that I don't want to be without!

Thanks for the info guys. I checked out the websites for both ROLF and Sunburst. Sunburst offers a float from Hammonds Mill to their place as a day float, would that be a good float for fishing as well or is it perhaps too long to allow enough quality fishing time? Any advice will help, too long of a float and you don't get to fish the likely spots and too short of a float and your done before you're ready to be! It's looking like maybe next weekend if everyone can get out and the weather cooperates. Any suggestions on flies to tie up before we come? I would assume stones, copper johns, prince nymphs with weight to get down. What sizes of flies would you suggest for this time of year? Sorry for all the questions but knowing how tough this river is I am hoping to improve my odds by gaining a little knowledge, lord knows my fishing skills aren't going to cut it!!

The C&R season is Fri-Mon from 8:00 to 4:00. As far as flies to use I havn't tried anything that didn't work the last few times I've been. My favorites are G-Bugs, small olive scuds, soft hackles and for a dry have something size 22-26 a light cream color. I've been 3 times since Christmas and all 3 days were great fishing although those days were 2 Fridays and 1 Monday so the lack of fisherman definitely improves your odds. Good Luck!

You should try some of his other books also, they are all very good reading. He is one of my favorite authors on the subject of flyfishing.

I am planning a float on the NFOW later this month and was wondering what would be the best section for a single day float with lots of fishing time? I am only interested in the trout water. Not sure how much river is doable in a day float since the gradient here is quite a bit more than most I've floated. Also we'll be looking for somewhere to pitch a camp, any suggestions on places that are open this time of year and might also offer a shuttle if needed? I have fished/floated the river once several years ago and stayed at ROLF but that was more of a float trip with the wife and this is going to be strictly fishing! Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated,thanks.

I personally have had several "good" days at BTW and don't consider myself to be much of a fisherman. Like I said if you're a numbers guy and that's all that's important to you stick with Taney. As was pointed out so clearly by others, all you have to do is look in the phone book at long lists of fishing guides for the other tailwaters to see where the majority of people fish. That tidbit also tells you which parking lots are going to be full all week long! I'm definitely not knocking the White or Norfork, they are incredible waters to fish and I make several trips a year to fish them. I just stated the facts as I see them and in my world quality fishing time is not always determined by the quality of fish.

I second the Chota's. Just got them this year and they are extremely lightweight and comfortable.

One hour from the dam at taney to Beaver tailwaters. While I would agree that the fish are not of the same quality as the other White River tailwaters the fishing is a different story. Each of the tailwaters has there good points and bad, that being said, for numbers and quality of fish I'll take Taney anyday. If you're like me it's not always about numbers or size and Beaver offers some beautiful scenic shorelines with far less pressure than the other tailwaters as a general rule. Generation here is also slightly more predictable than Taney in my opinion. If you find generation at Taney and want to try something different you might check generation at Beaver. While you might not set the world on fire you will enjoy the slower pace and scenic beauty of the river. If you go I would recommend light flouro (7x) and small midges 18-20 drifted under the smallest indicator you can get by with. Good place to start anyway.

They are available through Chartered Waters although he doesn't show them on his website. An egg pattern Brett developed that has been working extremely well this year and will probably get better with the rainbow spawn on the way. This pattern is something a little different than most eggs and seems to get more looks than the typical yarn egg.

I don't own Simms waders but I do know that the quality of their waders is second to none (neither is the price though). Many folks will tell you they are the only brand to buy and I can't argue with their reasoning. Now I do presently wear a pair of Cabela's Guide-Tech waders and am very happy with them. This is about my 3rd set of waders from Cabela's in 10 years( I fish often and fairly hard so my waders see quite a bit of use all year long) and the thing that keeps me going back is that if I ever had a problem I simply took them back and they replaced them for me free of charge no questions asked. I guess I'd have to say that they are both good products, so make your decision based on what you have to spend and what suits your needs best. Hope this helps with your decision.

Looks like a beautiful river! After fighting the crowds on the tailwaters it makes me want to hop on the pontoon and float something like that! Thanks for the pics.

Must not have been you Steve. He said it was a tail loop knot and also that it was tied using a blood knot tool? The fellow who showed him the knot said that it was his favorite knot because of ease to tie and strength. Next time I fish with him I guess I'll have to have him show me. Thanks for the reply.

Has anyone used this knot before and know how to tie it. A friend was shown this knot while we were at Conclave by someone in the Mountain River Fly shop. My guess is it was Steve but I wasn't there so I don't know. I didn't get a chance to have him show me that weekend and I have not been able to find this knot anywhere on-line. Just curious as to it's best uses and how to tie it.

I really like the way they have added mid-stream structure to the Beaver tailwater. I'm sure some of the boaters would not be crazy about this but it creates new holding areas therefore spreading people out more. From the numbers and quality of fish I see in Taney I don't think it needs too much improvement on the fish's behalf. I just hope that we can maintain this great fishery for years to come. The best thing you could do for this fishery in my eyes is make shuffling and outlet fishing illegal. I would not be against closing down the trophy area for a period during the spawn if it was determined that the pressure was limiting the natural reproduction. Although being such a short tailwater I know this could be detrimental to local businesses which rely on fisherman to make their living. Limiting fishing around the outlets at least during the spawn would be a simpler fix.Just my two cents.

Had a great time at Conclave. The weather was good, the fishing was great and I ended up with some great company to spend the weekend with. Camped at HisPlace Resort with a couple other OAF folks and some of their friends who were kind enough to invite me to stay with them. Enjoyed meeting some of you for the first time at Conclave, lots of really nice people (and some exceptional tiers!) made for a great event. My only problem was splitting my time between the great fishing and the event (the fishing won out I'm sorry to say) so I didn't participate in as much as I had hoped. All in all a wonderful weekend and best of all I made some new friends to share this wonderful sport with.

Beautiful fish!! In most parts of the country that would be the fish of a lifetime, on a dry fly no less. Congrats! (Now I think I'll go tye me up some hoppers .)

I've already taken the Friday and Saturday off work and plan on being there for sure. It sounds like a good time and a great place to meet other folks like me who love to flyfish. I just didn't want to show up and find out that everything had to be pre-registered for and not get to see anything. I'm actually thinking about trying to pre-register for John Wilsons advanced nymphing techniques on Friday. Havn't met John personally but have heard good things about his fishing ability and lord knows I could use some teaching . Look forward to possibly seeing some of you there or on the river (which is where I plan to spend most of my time if SWPA cooperates that weekend!). Thanks for the info, it's appreciated.

Got my flies today . Thanks to everyone who participated , the flies all look great, and especially to John for hosting the swap. I really enjoy these swaps and will be looking forward to the next one.

I was interested in going down this year but am not a member of FFF. Besides costing a couple extra bucks at the door will not being a member restrict me from attending workshops or classes? Also wondered if you had to register for everything ahead of time or will they have demonstrations available for the general public. Has anyone tried to camp at Quarry park that weekend or will it be full with the event going on? Thanks for help with these questions.

Anyone who doesn't believe a fishing report like Leonard's possible hasn't figured out Taney yet. There is definitely no shortage of quality fish available to be caught by someone who knows what they are doing. Judging from the one time I fished with Leonard and what I've read on this forum I wouldn't question his report at all. One of the reasons that I hesitate to post reports too often is due to the fact that the guy who reports catching fish most of the time often recieves some grief from others who were not so lucky. Taney is an unbelievable fishery and on an average day it would be tougher to get skunked than it would be to catch 100 trout. And this from someone who is not doing it professionally as Leonard is. Instead of questioning his reports we'd all be better off asking him for some advice it seems to me. Just my opinion