Bill Butts

Brian, Thanks for your reply. I've enjoyed reading your posts, too. I didn't get in on the whites below TRock, but a buddy of mine did C&R a 30" Walleye at night during that time frame. Keep in touch. BB

Steve, I ditto Phil's sentiment. The Lower Illinois tailwater is haunted at times by lots of Stripers and Hybrids. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on whether trout or stripers are closer to your heart, one of the incentives for those big predators is the presence of the trout. Do you fish for the big boys, too? There is a new Forum category on Phil's site dedicated to The Striper Family. You have lots of awesome water for those powerful fish in OK. BB

sms_alum~ I'm an SMS alum, too, Class of 77. You? Have you caught some of those great Hybrids or Stripers (sorry I just can't call them Wipers)? Anyway, I would be curious to know who you heard from that mentioned January on LOZ. There are some potential opportunities then, but lots of critical variables that affect. The tailwater below Truman and Bagnell Dams are potential hot spots 365 days a year. Underwater springs in the Ha Ha Tonka area (Big Niangua arm) attrack stripers/hybrids all year. And, there is always the chance those big boys could come to the surface pushing and busting shad even in very cold weather. What you need to do is get connected with some guys that regularly fish that area and talk/email with them regularly to keep up with the current "patterns" of activity. Fishing success for these fish is more hunting than fishing. Find them and they are not usually difficult to catch. Hopefully this forum will facilitate your interest. If you scroll down further on the Forum page you will find a new category of topics called The Striper Family. Phil is getting the word out to guides and individuals in your area and others of this new forum. Thanks for your interest.

After fishing extensively for all 3 of the Striper family members for many years, I'm convinced you need more than one outfit to be properly prepared. I carry three; a six weight, a seven weight and an eight weight. Right now, all 3 are Sage XP's in 9 and 9.5 foot 4-piece models. However, if I was forced to carry only a single outfit it would be a seven weight, and that is what I fish most often. The following tackle suggestions might help someone considering an outfit(s): 6 Weight Outfit……for smaller streams (eg…..Beaver, Sac, and Pomme De Terre Rivers and War Eagle Creek) with primarily White Bass of 1 to 3#. I suggest a 9 ft. fast taper, but I have fished a lot with 8.5' rods on the smaller streams especially if they are lined with low-hanging trees. The fly reel should balance the rod properly and contain 75-100 yards of 20# backing. In this line weight I find a weight forward 15' - type 3 sink-tip fly line the best all around choice. In most smaller streams, you won't need a faster sinking rate than this. 7 Weight Outfit……for medium size rivers (eg……James, Upper White above Beaver Lake and Spring River in OK) with White Bass and Hybrids up to 10#. I suggest a 9 to 9.5' fast taper, and nothing any shorter. The choice of fly reels becomes more critical as you consider tackle for Hybrids. Your choice should have a quality, fully adjustable drag system and contain at least 100-150 yards of 20# backing. To be reasonably well prepared, your reel should have a weight forward 15'-type 3 sink tip line and an extra reel spool with a 15'-type 5 sink tip line. I've used and still carry some other lines, too, like a floating or intermediate sink line (ideal if you fish for surface feeding fish), a full-sink type-3 line, and some 25 to 30' sinking tip lines that are measured in grains, from 175 to 300 grains. Each certainly is great in specific (though very infrequent) situations that occur while fishing. The 15' sink tips are easy to cast with larger and heavier flies, and even roll cast especially well. 8 Weight Outfit……for medium and large size rivers (eg…..many tailwaters with heavy currents) for large Hybrids and Stripers over 10#. Nine to 10 foot fast taper rods are ideal, and quality reels with quality drag systems and 150 to 250 yards of 20# backing are essential for these larger, very powerful fish. The same general guidelines outlined for 7 weights, above, apply to this size rod, too. Some of the fly line manufacturers offer a "quad-tip" line with 4 interchangeable 15' sink tips, from floating or intermediate-sink to medium, fast and extra-fast sink rates. This is a good way to equip yourself with multiple sink rate lines without incurring the cost of multiple extra spools. Leaders/Tippets for Sink-tip lines……I almost always use a two-piece leader with sinking lines, a level butt section and a tippet. This is not rocket science and it is not critical casting presentation like trout fishing. Depending on the line weight and water clarity I suggest using a 4' leader with an 18" (length after all knots are tied) butt section of 20-25# mono by attaching it to the fly line tip with a needle-nail knot and tying a perfection loop (about 1.5" long) in the opposite end. To that, attach a 30" tippet section (after the knot is completed) of 6# up to 12# mono or fluorocarbon using a double surgeon's loop (again, about 1.5" long) and join the two loops together. Flies………the most popular and productive fly patterns are the Clouser Deep Minnows or similar variations of baitfish imitating patterns. Small jig patterns are effective and popular with many fly fishers, but I rarely use them for these species due to the lack of hook quality and strength. You must have a good strong and sharp hook in any fly you cast for these fish. In the Ozark region, the vast majority of forage for all 3 Striper Family species is either threadfin or gizzard shad. Shad are basically white with some gray (almost black) on their backs. The two most productive colors I've found over the past 3 decades is chartreuse over white and gray over white. There are lots of other productive colors, but generally I use a brighter colored pattern in murky water and more neutral colored patterns in clear to slightly off-colored water. The other good colors include olive, orange, red, blue, black, purple and tan. I usually combine one or more of them with white, as described above, but for very murky water or night fishing a more fully tied solid color is best for visibility. With the exception of night fishing, it is good to have lots of flash material in your striper patterns, too.

There are so many lakes and streams to fish for Stripers, Hybrids and Whites in the Ozarks Region it is mind boggling. Like the old saying goes, "so many fish (and places to fish), so little time." That saying couldn't better fit these awesome fish. This forum can help your learning curve, especially if you're just getting started or want to learn about some new areas. Or, maybe you've fished with conventional tackle for these species and you think you might be interested in trying to catch them with a fly rod. It is not difficult to learn. I'm always looking for new accesses on the rivers I know, and for new opportunities to find some great fishing on lakes or rivers I know little or nothing about. It is a very time consuming process, usually, with lots of trial and error trips. The key is good information to shorten the learning curve. The best source is the internet, in forums like this. You've come to the right place. My home waters for spring White Bass fishing for many years have been Beaver Creek, James River and the Little Sac River. Three distinctly different characters of water. During the summer and fall, the lakes I've spent the most time catching Whites are Stockton and Bull Shoals. I've probably fished about every river in Southern MO that gets any significant spring spawning runs, but I'm sure the above 3 rivers have accounted for more of my fishing success than all the rest combined that I've fished for the past 30 years. My personal list of places I want to learn more about is a long one. Northern Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma have some great fishing for all 3 species, and there are a few fisheries in MO I'm still hungry to learn more about. My personal favorite of the species is the Hybrid Striper because pound for pound it is the hardest hitting, running and fighting. If you have some favorite fisheries you consistently catch 5 to 15# Hybrids, on lakes or in rivers, I would appreciate hearing from you. What lakes and rivers do you consider your "home waters", and/or where would you like to learn more about?

All 3 of these cousins are very special fish, and I have some common reasons and some unique ones for each of the species. I know fishermen that say if these fish were up in the rivers all year, like in the spring when they are in their spawning ritual, they would give up trout fishing. And, I've heard several accounts of bass fishermen that totally gave up black bass for the striper species. These fish are gaining more and more recognition and respect since they strike a bait extremely hard and fight with every ounce of their bodies. Fishermen who have fished for any of these very long know it is about as much hunting as fishing to catch them, whether it is a lake or stream you are fishing. I started catching White Bass about 30 years ago in Southern Missouri on a fly rod and have been absolutely hooked since then. In the late 70's, I lived in California and learned to fish for freshwater and saltwater stripers with some of the pioneers of fly fishing for stripers on the west coast. That was awesome. It was only about 8 years ago that I finally took the time to start learning more about finding and catching Hybrid Stripers, starting with Northwest Arkansas. The Hybrids, in my opinion, are the hardest fighting and running of all 3 species, pound for pound. They are my personal favorite.

The Striper Family contains a complete size range of tackle-straining cousins from 1# White Bass to the mid-size Hybrid Stripers to monster 40# plus Striped Bass. Fish scientists call them the Temperate Basses, and the family includes white bass, white perch, yellow bass, hybrid striped bass and the striped bass. They all reside in freshwater, though the striper originated in saltwater (and are anadromous, which means they spawn in freshwater like salmon). Stripers in their native saltwater environment of course still widely inhabit the waters of both East and West Coasts. Virtually all the manmade major lakes in the Ozarks Region have White Bass, but some have 2 or all 3 species. Lake of the Ozarks (MO), Norfork, Beaver (both in AR), Grand (OK), are examples. For those fishermen who have caught enough of these species to understand just what awesome fish they are, you know it gets in your heart and develops into a passion. White Bass are so common they don't get the recognition they deserve. Yes, they can be very easy to catch at times. I've always said the key to successfully catching these fish is successfully hunting and locating them, whether on a lake or river. Stripers and Hybrid Stripers are very much the same. They are just not quite as common or numerous as their smaller cousins. However, hook a 5 to 15# Striper or Hybrid (they both get much bigger) and you will instantly know their strength and power. I'll never forget the first Hybrid I hooked in a tributary of Beaver Lake. I had caught numerous Whites, and for the first two seconds after another hook set I thought it was another White. But, to my surprise the hooked fish bolted downstream about 30 to 40 yards instantly, and then proceeded to pull with every ounce of its 5# deep Hybrid body. It was my first Hybrid caught and released on a fly rod. I am continually amazed and impressed with how incredibly powerful all 3 of these species are. In my book, the Striper Family is the royal fish family of the Midwest region. This forum can become a very valuable tool of education and timely information for those who passionately seek or want to learn about these fish in this region. The worlds of Trout, Black Bass, and even Crappie fishing have countless volumes of magazines, books and websites to help fisherman. This is not the case with the Striper Family in this region. We now have the opportunity to share our knowledge with each other for the collective enjoyment of all forum participants. Please encourage your web surfing fishing buddies to join in the fun.

Greetings! My name is Bill Butts and I live in Springfield MO with my wife of 28 years, two children and the Boss (our Silky Terrier). I acquired my first fly rod 37 years ago after using one of my dad's old oversized and overweight outfits for bass and panfish at our neighborhood lakes. I remember how heavy it was and how old the line was, but there was just something mesmerizing about the casting that grabbed my attention and has never ceased to hold my enthusiasm. Today, I have a number of fly rods, but don't own a single spinning or casting outfit. Besides the lakes in my neighborhood, I probably spent more time fishing at Bennett Spring the first several years than any other place. As my dad got back into fly fishing, we ventured to Montauk, the White River, and of course Taneycomo. I very clearly recall the first fall we fished at Taneycomo below the dam. It was 1971 and that was during the "glory days" of Taneycomo. It was all rainbows at that time, and it was unbelievable how many large specimens congregated in the upper river in the fall each year. Our interests broadened and we traveled to Yellowstone, Montana and Idaho seeking the fish we read about in many fishing magazines. When I was 17 and just out of high school, Dave Whitlock (with whom I'd become friends through a mutual friend) helped me get a summer job at a fly shop on the Henry's Fork in Idaho. The summers spent in the West provided many new friends and acquaintances from all over the country for this hillbilly. Upon college graduation at SMSU, and getting married the following week, I took a job managing a great fly shop in San Jose CA. Those years provided my introduction to fresh and saltwater Stripers and Salmon, and a lot more fly fishing friendships. After moving back to the Ozarks, I worked for Bass Pro Shops and helped them establish their first fly fishing tackle selection. It was very small. There were about two pages of fly tackle and they also added 3 pages of camo clothing that year. My, how things have changed and grown. They didn't even have a retail store at that time. I've been out of the professional realm of the industry since then and moved on to other pursuits, but still enjoy keeping in touch with many friends that allows me to keep kind of a pulse on the industry. It has been enjoyable to begin seeing so many personal introductions on this forum. Like many others have stated, Phil is doing a great job facilitating this for the good of the group. He and I have been friends for about 20 years, originally through the rebirth of the Friends of Taneycomo conservation group in the Branson area. I've enjoyed and valued from his efforts for several years to keep informed with fishing reports, fishery news and events in his area. Though Taneycomo is one of my favorite year-round home waters, I have become infatuated with hunting and catching members of the Striper Family (Stripers, Hybrids and Whites) for 30 years. It is because of this passion that I've become involved in this Forum. Phil and I began discussing the addition of Striper Family forum topics some time back, so I've agreed to moderate them to at least get it started. It is my hope to share helpful and timely information and encourage many Forum participants to do the same to expand the popularity, understanding and respect for these great fish. Fish On!!!