CLoyd

Good rainbows!

You're right! There tend to be so many fish schooled up in that area, it can be hard not to snag one sometimes if you fish there. There's nothing wrong with accidentally foul hooking a fish, as long as you do the right thing and let it go. Intentionally trying to snag one though is another story. Laker hit on a good point with the story in his earlier post, unfortunately sometimes people's morals go right out the window when they see a big fish. Keeping a big fish to begin with kind of rubs me the wrong way anyways, that's another discussion though

I got out Friday and Saturday night under dam. Lot's of people out there around outlet 1 because of the browns starting to move up. I fished downstream. The rainbows continue to grow. I had several both nights in the 18"-20" range, plus a couple bigger. I caught several small browns, 14" or less. I also lost a big brown that was in the upper 20 inches Friday night when I was trying to net it. It was foul hooked though so I'm trying not to get too upset about it. Another big one swam right up to my legs Saturday night in the moonlight, so they're around. I've upped the size of my streamers to a #6 Hibernator tied with rabbit zonkers instead of pine squirrel.

It was probably a good 10 minute fight. I had quite a bit of line out when I hooked it and it ran me into the backing. It always surprises me how strong these fish are when they get over 20". It made numerous hard runs with me gaining little ground. I eventually backed it into shallower water where I could follow it downstream and get it in before exhausting it. The fish was very healthy though and didn't seem tired at all. My video experiment seems to be the way to go too. I'm usually by myself so it's difficult to get good pictures of fish. There's definitely a good little group of guys fishing at night! I've made several new friends.

No fog and overcast. Good conditions

Caught this little monster first thing Saturday night and was able to take some video of it. 21"-22" and full of fight. It made a run into the backing immediately after hooking up. Good thing I took an 8wt rod and a better reel that night!

Nice job! That will certainly catch a fish.

I use the following for my simple thread midges: -Lightening Strike SE3 Scud Hooks -2mm Tungsten bead (for size 18) - If you don't use tungsten you might have problems getting it down there. Copper is the most common color I use. Sometimes I use black. You can also use gold or silver but I don't have as much luck with those colors. -Wire to match the bead, size Small -70 Denier UTC thread - Lot's of colors to choose from but I like Rusty Brown, Black, Olive, and Rusty Dun That's really all there is too it with this pattern. Feel free to experiment with different color combinations. Once you get this one down you could try some midge patterns that use some extra materials, like the Primrose & Pearl and the Ruby 2.

Are you meaning a midge that's coated in epoxy after it's tied, or the type with a bead of epoxy for the head? Either way I prefer a standard tied version with a tungsten head so it gets down there. I don't even use head cement sometimes, like Flysmallie. Coating them in epoxy will just make them more durable, but I can usually catch several fish on one before the thread get's frayed and it unravels. I would recommend learning to tie them! It's a wonderfully simple pattern to start with, just thread and wire and a bead. I can turn out several dozen in an hour. It would be hard to do that with epoxy.

Also not a fan of the full sinking line. I definitely wouldn't want to try and use it wading. I generally use floating line with versileaders or a regular leader and a weighted fly. I have been thinking about getting a sink tip though to use in a boat working the banks. The Rio Streamer Tip F/I grabbed my eye, it wouldn't be a very accurate casting line though. I'd like to hear some feedback on it. I'm also interested in the Rio Big Nasty Sink Tip. I have the floating version of it on my 8wt. It's nice because it's not truly a shooting taper and you can cast it a little more accurately.

Beautiful fish! Congrats

I replaced my 10 year old Orvis Silver Sonics with a new pair of Orvis's Encounter waders earlier this summer and am very happy with them so far. My old Silver Sonics were good waders, but even the entry level Encounter is light years ahead of it. I was holding out for the new Silver Sonic (now called the Ultralight Convertible), but they were back ordered in my size for months at the time. I can't report on the longevity yet. https://www.orvis.com/p/mens-encounter-waders/0h1r

Yep, I have noticed the same thing at different times throughout the night. No idea what they're feeding on.

You might consider a few lessons with a professional casting instructor starting out. I learned like many of you did, watching the old Cortland video and practicing in the yard. It led to many years of bad habits. +1 on an 8.5' or 9' rod

It can definitely be hit and miss. Most nights seem to have a lot of cold and hot spells.

Well it's a pretty safe bet I'll be out there again this weekend, I think you'll find my hairline disappointing though

I have been fly fishing exclusively. I did take a friend last month ago who out-fished me with a 3" Rebel Tracdown though. I sort of made it a personal goal this year to make it out at least one night a week from the first of June through the fall. I was out of town one weekend, but I'm mostly pulling it off. I guess we'll see if I can maintain the momentum, and lack of sleep

I was short on time this weekend, but made a quick 2-hour pass Friday night over the same stretch of water under the dam I have been fishing since June. It was a pretty typical night with one big exception, I caught 3 browns. None of them were big. They were all 12"-14" and caught on a #8 Hibernator pattern. I have only been catching a brown trout about once every 4 nights out all summer, so catching 3 in one night is exciting. I'm optimistic about the coming weeks. Hopefully this is the beginning of a good fall season! This post has been promoted to an article

I buy most of my stuff at River Run Outfitters and Lilley's Landing, if you're ever around Branson. The Bass Pro in Springfield also has some decent stuff, it just depends on what you're needing. I like to look at materials before buying because looks and color can vary from different manufacturers, and even batch to batch from the same manufacturer.

I throw single midge rigs all the time, particularly when the water is off. I like the size 18 ruby 2, rusty brown & copper, black & copper, and primrose & pearl. I tie them with a tungsten bead so they don't need extra weight. If the water is running you could try a 2 midge dropper rig with a size 16 and size 18. I also like soft hackles. I keep them in the same colors as my favorite midge patterns. If I'm fishing from a boat and they're running water I am usually throwing a weighted wooly-bugger.

Nice brown! Thanks for the report. I might have to get the boat out since they are running water at night now sometimes. What size mega worm were you using?

They've changed up the generation pattern over the last week. Some nights they aren't turning it off. I haven't fished during the daylight hours in a while , but I can give you an after dark report. I usually start at about 9:00 when the water is off and fish from Outlet 2 down to the rebar hole. There are usually several people up at the cable and outlet 1, so I don't go up that far. #8 Hibernators in black, brown, purple, or olive have worked well for me over the last month and a half. You can get them at Lilley's in the fly shop. I am fishing them on a 7 1/2' 3x leader with a 6 wt rod. I threw some bigger stuff last Saturday night trying to locate some browns, but had no success. If you're just going to fish for a couple hours I would start just below outlet 2. Wade out about knee deep, cast as far as you can towards the opposite bank, and let it swing. Even on slow nights I can manage a few fish in this area. Mostly rainbows up to 18" and sometimes a white bass.

You bet! I’m usually out there Friday and Saturday nights.

I've been getting out under the dam a couple nights a week over the last month. Not a lot has changed. The night time fishing is pretty good. #8 Hibernator patterns on a 7 1/2' 3X leader are working well. I always start with black and will change to brown, purple, or olive if it slows down. Lot's of fish in the 16"-18" range. White bass are common too and are frequently 16" or bigger. I took a friend last night and he did very well with spinning gear and a 3" Rebel Tracdown.