Bill is right, sometimes they just wanna eat. However, I have found on Taney the simpler the fly the better a lot of the time. Shellback or UV cured scuds just don't seem to work that well. They really are just to appease the angler I think.
Just some tan or grey dubbing on a #12-18 hook with .15 or .20 lead wire (no bead head) seems to be the money ticket.
Bill and Roberta are awesome. They still live in Branson and we keep in touch. I'll have to see if I have it somewhere, but I used to be in their brochure back in the late '90s
Was doing some cleaning today and came across this picture in a manila envelope. I was probably 6-years-old. We used to stay at Briarwood down past the Landing. My family stayed there from 1980s-2005 when they sold it. Nice little trip down memory lane.
And if you want to have pure decadence for breakfast and have duck fat on hand--cook your pancakes in duck fat. It's insane. Add some type of berry to make it "healthy" though!
Creations over the last couple of weeks. Paddlefish chowder, smoked deer queso, and maple glazed Arkansas smoked duck breast. All of it did not suck.
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If you haven't heard The Chieftrains with Jagger covering Lefty Frizzell's "Long Black Veil," take a listen. It's great.
Also, I grew up listening to these guys from my grandma and aunt. I've loved them ever since. Folksy and somewhat corny, but I like em lol.
My buddy drinks and smokes heavily. Said Covid would be bold to infect him. He's had it twice and each time he drank portion of Everclear and smoked a pack and he never had any symptoms..
Lol triggered!
Oh I'm just being difficult. It's no different that traditional nymphing, which I also don't really like. I'd rather watch paint dry opposed to an indicator. I'll do it, don't get me wrong, but meh.
I like throwing streamers 98% of the time. Still haven't perfected it on Taney. Maybe I'll go to the White to gain some confidence.
What makes fly fishing, fly fishing, is the weight of the line casting the bait. Not a reel, weight of the lure, etc. So casting a rooster tail is 100% not fly fishing. Neither is putting on a perdigon (jig) and letting it bounce along the bottom in riffles.
Saw the same situation in the Driftless when I was up there. The browns were eviscerating the brookie and rainbow populations and completely taking over certain streams without being stocked. They wanted you to keep every brown in the 12-14" range you caught.
Why is everybody across the internet so soft these days?
Learn to not take things personally or don't engage. It's not hard. It's a shame people can't have discussions about important issues without somebody getting offended.
I thought it was a good discussion amongst most of us yesterday, disagreements and all.
Name: Hank
AKA: Hankers, Hankyman, Dumb**s
Breed: Lab
Interests: Being a psycho less than 2-year old lab, retrieving ducks and swimming any chance he gets
I still say the one you finally catch @Seth is going to be a doozie. You're feast or famine. Drag those jerkbaits from Mario or Duane on the bottom and you'll get a monster.
I have caught them on a wiggle wart. The smallies tend to get in the way, though. Darn.
Makes sense @Seth and @JestersHK. You definitely know how to fish the tourneys way more than me. Just wonder how much everyone fishing (which won't change) influences the day of the tournament. I know a few of the guides say after those tournaments it takes a day or so for the fish to 'get back to normal.' Pressure definitely plays a role at times on Taney, that I know.
I still see you can't top the 20-inch mark on a brownie lol. If you were playing horseshoes, you'd be unstoppable!