Bill Butts

Brian, First of all, what specific line are you using? Second, was the knot a simple nail knot, or a needle-nail knot piercing the side of the line? If either, did you apply any type of coating or sealer to the knot? Or, was the connection something entirely different? Will try to help you. BB

Phil, Proper names are as follows: Weaver's Tackle Store Jim Rogers' School of Fly Fishing (Concessionaire at Bennett and Roaring) Larry's Sporting Goods Sand Springs Resort Gaston's Tackle Shop Reading's Fly Shop and also, Springview Fly Shop I can give you the website url (and/or addresses) for the ones that have them, if you want. BB

This is a terrific suggestion. Gartside's website has lots of great patterns for the freshwater critters of our region. Smallmouth, largemouth and the Striper Family species. Many of his patterns are not difficult, the proper materials are the key. Thanks, Steve, for the link. BB

The cute litte Kermit-looking one is an STP Frog. BB

All this is very good and solid info. When it comes to accurate detailed info on fishing locations, it is difficult to relate exact directions. The input you're getting is very good. I will add to their comments regarding a distinct possibility for 2006. With TR Lake being over 11 feet below powerpool, currently, it is a strong possiblity this coming spring will be another very low water year like we had 4-5 years ago. If that is the case, there will be wadable water down in the McCord's Bend area again. This is extremely rare, but it does occur some years and it creates some great additional opportunities. Also, don't forget about Flat Creek and the opportunities for white bass in that area, too, mostly in the very lowest reaches of the creek. You will find Whites in the river sometimes well into May, but certainly thru April. Many years ago, a local down on Beaver Creek told me that the peak of the spawning run didn't occur until the dogwood trees were in full bloom. My first thought was, right. But, over the years I've found this to be right on the money. This doesn't mean they all spawn at the same time, but you will find that this is a surprisingly good indicator. Why? I've since learned that the timing of the spawn of whites is heavily dependent on 2 things, water temp and daylight hours. Once the nights start to remain warm consistently, I prefer to fish the mornings to avoid the crowds. Hope you find this helpful.

Thanks for the excellent info. It sounds like you concentrate on lower Truman and upper LOZ. Do you spend time, or have fishing buddies that do, fishing up in the tributaries above Truman like the Sac, Osage, Deepwater Creek, Marais Des Cygnes, Grand, Pomme De Terre or others? If you do, or others you know do, I'm sure there are Forum readers that would appreciate knowing which are the best for Hybrids and/or Stripers. Obviously, all of them get runs of Whites. I've heard stories of Hybrids being caught many many miles above Truman in even some very small muddy little creeks. They are amazing fish, but locating them is the most challenging part of catching them. Thanks for any additional info you can share.

Jay, Take I-44 all the way into Tulsa ($3.50 each way on the OK turnpike). If you want to go straight to the river access, stay on 44 and take the Riverside Dr. exit. (If you pass over the river, you've gone too far.) You will turn right onto Riverside, and go just several blocks to the stoplight at 31st St. Turn right onto to 31st and immediately (50 ft.) left into a parking lot. Go to the end of the parking area to park. There are almost always people parking there and walking, biking, rollerblading along the paved public trails. You will need to walk over the street on the catwalk if there is a lot of traffic (sometimes there isn't too much traffic, but it is safest to cross over the top), then walk downstream of the huge flagpole about 100 ft and then down to the river below the Zink Dam (about 8 ft high). This gets you to the right area on the river. The tricky part that is very difficult to advise you accurately on is the current water flow. You can access the water flow data via the internet, but it still doesn't tell you exactly what the flow at Zink Dam is because it is about 15 miles above Keystone Dam where the releases occur. I have fished it when the water was all the way from 200 to about 800+ cfs and honestly it doesn't look a lot different. That 4x difference is very misleading, because you will see more change is current speed than in depth (remember the river basin is about 400-500 yards wide). This will all more a lot more sense to you once you've seen it. Here is the web link for the AR River at Tulsa (measured some miles below the Dam, but not sure where): http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=07164500 I am asking that Okieflyfisher53 also provide some input for you as far as interpreting the water levels. It would be best for me to talk directly with you about the specific primary areas we fish before you head down there. This is not intending to hide any info from the Forum readers, it's just too hard to accurately describe in text because much of it is so non-typical of what you would expect to see. I'm willing to help anyone with the info they need. Please heed my suggestions (from my report) about wearing studded-sole wading boots and using a wading staff. You will feel and be much safer with them. I've waded and fished tailwaters for 35 years and I will NEVER go to that one without the above. That tailwater has its own uniqueness of terrain. Also, tote your cell phone in case the worst scenario would occur and you get stranded (unlikely but not impossible). I would highly suggest you get in touch with Butch or Rex at D&B Fly Shop in Tulsa. They can help advise you about water levels, too. (918) 492-1866 If you go by there first, take I-44 to I-244 to Hwy 169(south) to 61st exit. Turn right (west) onto 61st, go several lights to Sheridan, turn right onto Sheridan and almost immediately into the strip shopping center on the left. (hours are 10 to 6, but not sure about weekends). Nice folks. By the way, you can obtain your OK fishing licenses online at www.wildlifedepartment.com I would be glad to hook up with you by phone prior to your trip. Hope this lengthiness is helpful.

Jay, directions will be simple no matter where you're coming from. but, i forget where you live. let me know and i'll provide you the info. thanks.

Jay, I've never done any trolling (dragged a fly behind a bellyboat for a few minutes, only) for Stripers or anything else. Hopefully, Steve from the Beaver Dam Store or the guys from McLellans will offer their advice. My only suggestion would be to research the specs on Rio's Deep Sea fly lines. They are available from 200 to 800 grain densities (in 100 gr increments). I found an interesting story about saltwater flyfishing with these lines trolled down to 25-30 feet by doing a Google search for "trolling with fly lines". You will need some very large flies that will track well without twisting your line. Sounds like you're getting very serious about Big Stripers. Good Luck!

That shot looks like it could be on the San Juan. ??? BB

Jay, I am still learning the river (its huge and long) but all my experiences have been right below Zink Dam. Keystone Dam is about 15 miles above Zink, so water takes an average of 8 hours to reach Zink once it is released at Keystone (the variable is how much water is released.....the more water volume the faster it travels). I was told access close to Keystone is not very good, but I haven't personally checked it out. I have learned about a few other access points downstream from Zink, but haven't fished any of them yet. I believe Okie has been fishing just below Zink, recently. Isn't that right, Okie?

On Thursday and Friday, I returned to the AR River in Tulsa with my fishing buddy for over 30 years, John Smallwood. After a great day of action the preceding Monday by myself, John's anticipation was high and so was my anxiety to either repeat the experience or improve the size factor with fewer numbers. The only way to describe our preparation status would be "thoroughly-prepared". Many rods, reels, lines, flies, clothing and peripheral equipment like wading staffs, Boga grips and digital camera. Weather and water are factors you can only respond to, not control. The AR River is a huge river basin of at least 400 yards width in the area below Zink Dam (small, 8 feet high) where it is well known to hold lots of hungry stripers. However, the actual flow through this stretch of river is very small currently with the lakes being low and a warm winter creating very low power demands at Keystone Dam about 15 miles upriver. Thursday was a warm day, up to near 70, but windy windy windy. The water flow was stronger and a little higher than my experience on Monday so it was different to wade and fish. We were excited about the prospects of two additional well-known runs within walking distance of where I'd fished previously. Every area we fished dilligently gave up some fish but they were few and far between, very small and very hard-earned considering the wind. We shared the river with only one other fisherman, Eric Davis, a pilot and fellow-flyfisher that now resides in Tulsa who we spent considerable time with and learned he had spent some collegiate years in Fayetteville and knows our friends Todd and Mike at McLellans Fly Shop. He had apparently heard about my success from the local shop, D&B Outfitters, so I was disappointed we couldn't put him right on some fish since it was his first experience with AR River Stripers. On Friday, after a storm blew quickly thru Eastern OK the preceding night and then turned sharply colder, the ferocious wind turned very bitter with morning temps in the 30's though the high was predicted to be about 50. We agreed our only prayer for success would probably be to have lower water flow. To our surprise and delight, we found the river to be about the same level as I fished on Monday. Not another fisherman on the river. Anticipation was running high, though not as high as the wind which averaged a consistent 25-30 mph with stronger gusts on a regular basis. All the prime holding water looked even better with less water flowing through them. I really thought it was just a matter of time until we hit a run with some really nice fish, or at least a substantial number of smaller fish. We never really found either though we caught more total fish on this day than the previous. Our approximate totals for both of us for 1.5 days of fishing were 30 Stripers, 30 White Bass and 12 Spotted Bass. Not impressive, and the size made that even less impressive. John finally caught a Striper between 2-3#, the largest of the trip. We fished the best water in the half mile below Zink Dam very hard and I am sure if there had been lots of fish we would have caught many more. For some unknown reason, there just weren't that many fish in there. This can change the very next time the water flow is considerably higher which causes the resident fish to move up and down the river. It was a fun trip with just enough fish to make it interesting, with a great fishing buddy. Note: There are just a few things I want to mention that I firmly believe to be essential to safety on this river. Metal cleats on felt or rubber soled waders, a wading staff and a cell phone. I wouldn't even consider wading that river without all of these items.

Brian, Russ was just giving you a hard time for misspelling "Stripers". I've seen many folks do it accidentally and my way of kidding them is to suggest they Google search both "stripers" and "strippers". Do you live anywhere near Norfork Lake? Norfork Lake contains all three of the great Striper species, including Hybrid Stripers and Whites. You will consistently find more of the Stripers and Hybrids in the lower, main lake area most of the year. Most area guides fish very deep with live shad and catch large fish. A few guides, like Darrell Binkley of Bink's Guide Service, offer exclusively artificial and fly fishing. Any or all of the 3 species will push shad to the surface to feed which creates awesome opportunities for surface action. The Stripers are known for surface feeding in the winter months, too, usually in the main lake area. In the spring, all 3 species can be found at slightly differing times in the lake's primary tributary (the North Fork on the MO side of the lake), but several other tributaries also receive spawning runs of Whites, however I am not sure about the other two species. My best suggestion if you are serious about learning the lake and its tributaries related to the Striper Family is to talk with everyone you can possibly meet, on this Forum, in tackle shops, on the lake and streams and don't forget one of the best resources, area game wardens (MO calls them Conservation Agents). They are an awesome source for current info because they are watching the local waters and know where and when fish are being caught. I've never talked with one that wasn't helpful and courteous. Catching these great fish in the lake or in streams is more about finding them. They aren't usually very difficult to catch if you know right where they are. There are exceptions to this, of course. If you'd like more info on fly tackle, please look at the Striper Family category in this Forum for some guidelines and suggestions. I hope you will share your successes and frustrations with the Forum, over a period of time. Good luck and I hope you will find some of this helpful.

KC, I don't know the exact stretches of the lower river to explain to you but I am quite sure you would need to go further downstream to get back into some warmer water for the best smallmouth water. Perhaps other Forum folks will have some specifics to share with us. My suggestion would be to begin exploring the 20 mile stretch beginning at the MDC Prosperine Access (about 10 miles below Bennett) which leaves you about 20 miles of river before reaching Niangua Lake. Also, there are 30 miles of floatable river above Bennett up to Hwy. 32. There is great fishing even above that but not good public access and the river is small. There are 4 resources I highly recommend fishermen acquire that are interested in trout and smallmouth river fishing and floating in MO. 1. Missouri Ozark Waterways by Oz Hawksley. Available thru the MDC. This is THE resource for floaters in MO. Originally published in 1965, but revised and reprinted multiple times, it is still a must resource. 2. Missouri Conservation Atlas compiled by the MDC. They utilized the MO county road maps developed by MODOT (MO Dept of Transportation) and added all the MDC owned public access sites. It is a sizable format of 11 x 17" spiral-bound. Just the road maps, which contain every little gravel road, jeep trail and low water bridge is worth the price especially for someone hunting for some great smallmouth water. 3. FlyFishing for Trout in MO by Chuck/Sharon Tryon. Was the first of its kind for MO and still a great resource with practical advice based on many years of experience. 4. 200 Missouri Smallmouth Adventures by Chuck Tryon. Back to the Niangua......if you are curious about Lake Niangua and Tunnel Dam, which are very old and interesting, do a Google search of "tunnel dam in MO" and read the interesting history of the river, lake and dam on the Show-Me Power website (it should be listed as the first result of the search). If you take the opportunity to drive (off Hwy 54) up the ridge road overlooking Lake Niangua it is one of the prettiest vistas in the Ozarks. You will find some largemouth bass in many parts of the river, but I doubt you will find the spotted bass that has really challenged the smallmouth for territory in lower stretches of many fine smallmouth rivers by coming up out of adjoining lakes. The little earthen dam on the Niangua should have kept the spotted bass in Lake of the Ozarks from moving any farther up than that point (about 11 miles). Additionally, the lowest river section from LOZ up to Tunnel Dam receives a nice spring run of White Bass, Hybrids and Stripers. Many Stripers/Hybrids are known to maintain residence near the large underwater springs at HaHaTonka State Park, which is near the mouth of the Niangua. Hope you find some of this helpful.

Brian, That looks to be the Gulley Worm designed by John Gulley in AR. BB

Greg, I thought the same thing years ago when I bought my Simms, after having the attached-gravel-guard-style waders. I would never buy the attached style again. Here's why. The key for gravel guards to work the absolute best is to get them as snug as possible around your lower leg and boot. Therefore, it is important to stretch the neoprene around as tightly as you can. Obviously, everyone's legs and boots are a little different in size. Over a period of time, depending how often you use them, the neoprene gradually loses some of its elasticity and it becomes more and more difficult to get that good snug wrap. At that point it is best to replace them. About $30 for the Simms. My Simms Guideweights are just about to see their 5th anniversary and there is a lot of wear left in them. However, my gravel guards probably should have been replaced this past year, and will be soon. I encourage you to take advantage of the individualized fit benefits vs. the convenience factor. Good Fishin'

Gentlemen, About a year ago I was shopping for a pair of waders for my teenage daughter and found the Orvis inexpensive breathables in ladies size fit her great. Then, before making a final decision on where to buy them, I was told by Bass Pro in Springfield that their warranty is not dependent totally on the manufactuer's standard warranty. The BPS policy (at least it was then, and I'm sure it still is) is a LIFETIME "customer satisfaction" warranty/promise. Therefore, as they explained to me, if for example the warranty for Orvis or Simms waders (they carry both, along with their own private brand) is one or two years it doesn't matter if you are not satisfied with the performance of the product. So, if you have a wader you purchased from BPS that you are not satisfied with you should be able to take them back and exchange, upgrade or get a refund. My opinion (like noses, everyone has one).........there are no waders/boots as good or better than Simms. You just can't go wrong. Hope you find this helpful.

From Springfield it is 180 miles to Tulsa, but it takes 3 hours to get to the Riverside Drive areas we fish. There are public parking accesses at 31st and 41st / Riverside Dr. (right on the river) The AR River is very low and they are rarely generating at Keystone. The river channel is between 400 and 500 yards wide but the flow looks like a trickle. There are not very many good "holes" of holding water so it is not the huge puzzle it sounds like. I wouldn't personally use anything lighter than a 7 wt. rod. I used my 7 yesterday and the wind was so bad at times I wished I'd rigged up the 8 instead. At the low level, a floating line is the best (very rare I fish one unless it is for surfacing fish on a lake). Clouser-type minnow imitations are the ticket, nothing less than a #4 (2 to 2.5"), and #2 (3 to 4.5") and 1/0 (4 to 6") would be advisable to carry. The general rule down there is small flies catch smaller fish and big flies catch fewer but bigger fish. Your choice. Gray/White, Blue/White were all I used (with flash in them), however the eyes should not be heavy (mini or small at the largest) because the water is mostly very shallow. Leaders 8 to 9 foot with heavy tippets of 8 to 10#. Wading definitely, no shoreline fishing. Two important factors I feel strongly about for down there: "cleats" on felt or aqua-stealth soles (I use the aqua soles, but the cleats are the ticket to cutting through any slickness, and a wading staff (even just a solid stick is better than nothing....it's hard to explain that tailwater, it is different than any I've waded. It's not as mossy and slick as the San Juan or some of those treacherous spots in the White it's just different. Lots of very very large flat rocks and even chunks of old concrete). Both of the above are for your safety. You can thank me later. Be sure you have some 4-6" forcepts. Even the little dinks suck the fly down pretty deep quite often. Oh, I didn't have to share the river with another fisherman, yesterday.

That was a lot of fish for the # of hours fished, particularly. But, note I said none were over 3#. The majority were one and two year class fish (9-10" and 13-14"). I am not positive about whether they are stocked in that stretch of the AR, but I doubt it. I talked with the fisheries biologist for Kaw Lake (the next and last lake UP-river from Keystone on the AR) and he said the striper fishery on Keystone and the 80 river miles of the AR above Keystone is self-sustaing. That distance of 80 miles is just enough for spawning stripers to succeed in their reproductive efforts. (I'll explain that later). The AR runs quite a distance from Keystone down to the next lake, Webbers Falls, then a short distance into Robert Kerr Lake. All the stripers I caught were beautiful specimens of shape, health, perfect fins and markings so I am quite sure they are naturally reproduced. However, having said all that, I will email the biologist I mentioned and ask for confirmation. Stay tuned.

Spent the entire afternoon on a nice stretch of tailwater in Tulsa, looking for some winter stripers and whites. Very interesting day. Lots and lots of fish caught, but no size to brag about. Caught over 50 stripers, 3 hybrids, 14 whites and 8 spotted bass. (fished 4.5 hours…1230 to 500pm) I’m sure the largest I caught, a striper and a hybrid, would not have exceeded 3#. I stopped by the D&B fly shop and visited with Butch before going to the river. Found out later I didn’t even fish the best water in the stretch I fished (go figure). I’ll try the better stretch when we go back down on Thursday/Friday. Not that I would even want to catch more fish, but I was assured the other area would have yielded some of much better size. To say it was windy would be the understatement of the year! Fun day for January!

jay, White Bass stage at the river mouths then ascend the rivers to spawn in a progressive manner over several weeks. I've always assumed the schools of whites that resided in the upper end of the lake were the earliest and those from the lowest part of the lake (in the area of the Dam) were last. It's logical but I don't know if it's fact. In every fishery I've experienced, the Hybrids begin showing up in the rivers with the Whites near the tail end of the Whites' run. Additionally, about every Striper I've caught in lake tributaries in the spring were mixed in with Hybrids. Keep in mind that you might find any or all 3 of these in the tribs, prior to their spawning ritual or even later in the year, for very short periods of time (hours to a few days) for the sole purpose of feeding. The best thing you can do is keep in close touch with the shops that keep up with daily conditions, reports and fish the rivers themselves. You might find some others, but I would suggest Todd and Michael at McLellans Fly Shop in Fayetteville and Steve at the Beaver Dam Store. From about late February thru at least mid-May the key is to network, network, network!!! Good luck this spring.

Bud, You might inquire about Fellows Lake on the north end of Springfield, closer to home for you. They used to have a very good population of big Redear especially in the lower lake. There are some big Muskies in there now, so they may have reduced the numbers, but I suggest you check it out with the MDC or call the marina on the lake. (lake is owned by the city of Spfld)

Ealy, Welcome to the Forum! Question....what is MWBT and why is there so much arguing going on? I believe you will find enthusiam and respect from the vast majority of participants here.

Thom, Vince and Gonefishin (Bud)~ Your comments and thoughts are appreciated. I'll address the main ones: Thom: To answer your question, a No Kill Zone would not allow the take of any size trout for any reason in a specified area. I believe you are totally correct about the enforcement of the current regulations. I've seen every violation you detailed and it is frustrating. There are only 2 courses of action we can take: (1) to very nicely try to educate folks when they are breaking the law, as Phil described, and it is possible because I've had people thank me for nicely pointing out what they apparently didn't know, and/or (2) report the violations to MDC Agents or at the hatchery (they will get ahold of the agent). Anglers fishing above the current lake/river level are at risk, too, of being cited for a violation. Again, you have to determine whether to seek #1 or 2 above, or do nothing. Our world unfortunately is full of "do-nothings" isn't it? Vince~ If regulations drastically reduced the "take" from the river/lake, the obvious factor becomes less demand for the MDC Hatchery to produce and stock fish. Fisheries Biologists are skilled at determining the ideal trout population the river is capable of feeding and growing by monitoring growth rates and some other factors. Your idea of a regulation allowing the take of only trout under 12" is potentially a very valid one. Then, the mortality rate of larger trout becomes mostly 2 factors: old age/disease, and angler-induced injury (mis-handling). I believe this approach could be a good one for part of the upper river/lake, though it would never fly for the entire 21 miles. Bud~ How do you define a trout of "trophy potential"? Are you suggesting that trout have a genetic pre-disposition to be smaller or larger as adult fish? Maybe, but I seriously doubt it. In 30+ years of discussing fisheries issues with our outstanding MDC fisheries staff, I've never once heard them talk about fish from certain parents being more likely to grow larger than those from smaller parents. I am sure fisheries folks would tell you that if a trout in Taneycomo is given the time (avoiding being caught and kept, disease and angler abuse if released) to feed and grow in the river/lake it will grow to trophy proportions. Taney is so rich in forage for trout (freshwater shrimp, sowbugs, midges, and much more) it can grow trout very quickly given the time. I haven't heard the average Taney trout growth rate for a while, but at one time it was .75 to 1 inch per month up until it attained considerable size, then of course it continued to add girth and weight as it kept growing. Regarding mortality from playing fish, I disagree that just because a fish is larger the risk of mortality from playing and releasing it is greater. There are many other important factors. I think most Taney anglers that understand the proper methods for handling and releasing trout would agree that the single largest factor in trout mortality is "mis-handling". This encompasses multiple factors including improperly removing the hook, improperly holding the fish, sometimes playing a fish too long and not giving it proper revival time to recover, and others. I am concerned about the many fish that are caught and released in the fall when the DO (dissolved oxygen) rate gets very low. Low DO is kind of like if we tried to survive breathing on just one lung or part of one. Also, when DO is below 5-6 ppm (parts per million) trout in Taney don't digest at the normal rate and therefore feed less frequently and don't grow at the usual rate either. More and more anglers (including self at times) are using 7X tippets to induce more hook-ups and catch more fish. 7X works, period. The issue becomes that it usually takes longer with lighter tippet to land them. Therefore, the risk of mortality does increase, because the low DO rate already has the fish stressed, oxygen deprived. However, if an angler takes the proper steps to revive the fish it is probably OK most of the time. Just be patient and don't rush the process. Your idea for changing the slot regulation to 12 to 24" might be a very good one, too. I haven't kept up with the most recent philosophies of management of this great fishery by our MDC, but hopefully Phil Lilley will weigh-in on this since he has followed it more closely.

Steve, Enjoyed your post and comments. The suggestions I posted regarding sizes and types of tackle (not brands) are really intended for those who are considering tackle for these fish but don't have a lot of experience or knowledge. The huge array of available tackle gets confusing for people trying to learn what's best for their specific needs. It's so important for us to ask lots of questions to address an individual's needs and only make the final decision (when possible) after having them actually cast the rod. Even then, it's still hard for them to know how a rod will cast once they get a sinking line and heavy fly rigged up. Obviously, they must develop some faith and confidence in the help they get from a tackle dealer. I have some full-sink lines and they are very good specialty lines (not for everyday use) for rivers. However, for a beginning to intermediate flyfisher I firmly believe some type of sink-tip line is more advisable. With sink-tip lines today available from 10 to 30' tips/heads I think many of them will perform as good or better than a full-sink for river fishing where most anglers are wading. The issue of having line sinking around your feet is a factor most guys don't need until they develop considerably more skill and confidence onstream. Regarding fast taper vs. medium fast rods. For most of my trout and smallmouth fishing, I have always preferred medium, full-flexing rods. They are certainly more enjoyable and forgiving to cast and fish. However, after years of trying to use these type rods while fishing with sink-tip and full-sink lines with larger and heavier flies I became frustrated that I couldn't get the distance and accuracy I desired. I gradually moved to faster and faster rods. There are lots of them out there and I wouldn't give you a nickel for one to trout fish with. But, they solved all my previous disappointments while using the necessary lines and flies. Another approach I like to take with very fast rods, sometimes, is to over-line them one size. Lefty told me years ago that when it comes to casting large and/or bulky flies on fast taper rods he simply goes to a straight weight forward one size larger. The topic of using multiple line weights on a single rod is a discussion for another day. I will look forward to meeting you sometime this spring at your shop. We make several trips when conditions get right on the upper White. What a special fishery! I've always wanted to time a trip properly when there are some Hybrids below Beaver, too. Todd told me last fall the AR Fisheries boys shocked up some of them and gave them to fishermen along the river, to keep them from dining on their more-highly-prized trout. (also a discussion for a later date) Thanks for your contributions to the Forum.