Steve Smith

Can't add much to these excellent suggestions other than don't camp on a hole and concentrate on runs or feeding lanes. Runs are active feeding fish usually in the main current flows or very near it. There will be fish scattered several places in a hole, but they are usually domant. That doesn't mean these inactive fish won't hit, but you will have a much better chance of finding aggressive fish in the runs where there is competition for food flowing through the hole. IMO, this is the main difference between fishing a stream and tailwater [other than outlets]. Only do this with a fishing buddy when they catch a fish. When landing a fish, there will be a horde of aggresive fish swarming the hooked trout. A lot of times, you can thrown just about anything in the swarm, and they'll jump on it. Ive caught my biggest fish using this technique. Again, don't do this with a stranger. About camping... and I am the worse in the world on this habit. This is sitting on a hole forever. There is a lot of river and feeding fish so keep moving hole to hole. Finally pay attention to people catching fish and try to figure out what they are using, type of water they are fishing, presentation, etc. If you can't figure it out, ask. I've learned so much through the years by simply asking folks like Tim Homesley and Jeremy. Best of luck

I don’t want no stinking New Zealand possums Tim. I just want some of those possum leeches all tied up for Roaring River and some purple San Juan worm stock too. Free of course in recognition for all the years I’ve already been paying double at your shop. I can just see you getting dead possums through U.S. customs… Lord, you’ll be lucky if the agents let your hide across the border let alone a sack of dead possums. Oh yea, if you can figure out a way to email me your pictures, I’ll post them for you. Enjoy my friend and stay safe.

Terry; as it is, Tim only works 9 hours a week now, less lunch and coffee break time. So basically, the "boss" is always gone, even when he's there. We're also going to have to give Tim a lesson in computer skills. Did you notice he posted this NZ trip under Jack's Fork River forum? Good thing he can catch fish, because a computer whiz he ain't.

Hey Tim; any truth to the rumor that everythings half off in your store while you are away? Just kidding! I'll take some possum hair if you'll go ahead and tie up your famous possum leeches while your at it. Have a blast man

Ollie; I looked for you over the weekend, but we probably just missed each other. The fishing has been tough for the past three or four weekends in Roaring River. Ultra clear water and well educated fish I imagine is the cause. Even on a spinning rod, nothing heavier than three to four pound test is called for, and keep changing colors and sizes until you find something they haven't seen casted a thousand times. I had good luck with dry flys [furnace cracklebacks], but had to move a lot and keep the fly in the runs.

I'm not the Steve your asking, but I'd take 60 west out of Springfield to Monett. Turn right or south on 37 to the Arkansas border and then take 62 east to Hwy 187. The Dam and Steve's shop are on 187. The main be shorter routes, but this one is straight for at least 90% of the way.

Amen John Berry. I always smash the barb before I tie the fly. Period. That dropper will snag me everytime, and I too believe the hook "sets" easier.

Zack; just google "Bonaire Fly Fishing" and you'll get more information than you will ever need. Some will be guide services and won't tell you much. As far as salt pans, they are natural or man-made swallow ponds or swamps designed for the production of salt by evaporation

Crushed Kellogg’s Corn Flakes is another coating we like. You can buy a box of the crushed cereal in most grocery stores usually on the aisle where other food coatings are stored. Soak the fillets in 7-UP or other lemon-lime drinks, and mix the flakes half and half with standard flour. Dip them once in just flour, then egg wash, and then in the flakes and flour mixture. Watch your fillets in the hot oil as there is enough sugar in the flakes to burn easily.

We'll see if this works

I literally soak my furled leader threads in floatant so only the tippet would sink with an unweighted fly. I guess if the leader wasn't treated it might do fine. To be honest, I never tried it. That's not to say I don't fish a wooly with my furled leader... it's jusy not going to drift any deeper than the tippet length because the treated leader acts like a float. If I am fishing Taneycomo, I use a mono leader unless I'm dry fly fishing. I use a loop to loop connection line to leader, so switching between the furled and Mono only takes a few seconds.

I’m a furled leader fan for fishing dry flys… especially Blue Sky furled leaders. I don’t care for the furled leader for any fly meant to fish wet, but I can grease a furled leader and not slap it on the water’s surface. It just allows me to present a softer landing and float the fly high in the film. However, my biggest problem with the Blue Sky leaders is the tippet loop either spins shut or frays out or both. Blue Sky recommends a short piece of mono tied to the tippet loop for a loop to loop connection for the tippet to protect the fragile loop. That short loop to loop connector works, but it defeats the high floating capabilities of the leader and creates slap on the water’s surface. Feather Craft sells their brand furled leader with a tippet ring already woven in, but I prefer the Blue Sky leader design [Tippet rings are tiny stainless steel rings that can be used to connect a tippet to a leader]. Using the Feather Craft design, I took a length of 6 pound test Fire Line and sewed a tippet ring into place inside the furled leader’s tippet loop. Then I sealed the sewn ring in place with a light coat of Loon’s Knot Sense UV glue. Now, no extra weight, no line slap, and the tippet loop should last as long as the furled leader. One other tip on furled leaders is how to get reverse twist out of the leader after pulling loose from a hang-up. If you get the leader hung, the stretched leader will reverse twist up into a nasty wad. First make sure you don’t have any wind knots formed, then just dry cast the leader a few times. The reverse twist will unwind itself. However, if you have the starting of a wind knot, dry casting will set that knot

Jeremy; I'll try to look you up at noon time. I've got to work Monday, but there is always lunchtime.

Jeremy; I too noticed the fish went a little cold on the eggs, but I still had several takers. Just not as well as in past weekend of fishing. I have been using micro eggs size 22-20, but when I moved up to a size 16, they started taking again... not a clue why. I was thinking the same as you on the elk hair caddis. There was an absolute swarm that hatched Saturday afternoon in the sunshine and warm temperatures. One of the biggest hatches I have ever witnessed at Roaring River. I also noticed that there were tiny dark midges on my hand off a couple of fish in about a size 28 - 32. I am severely colorblind, so I can’t tell you what color, but they were dark and tiny. I tied on the smallest thread midge I had in my box, and they would not touch it. That doesn’t mean I was using the right depth, and they may have not been midging in the holes I fished. Very good report.

Dano; he definitely has the touch for catching some big ones.

LMW; just in case Tim doesn't pick up on this post, his shop is Tim's Fly Shop (417) 847-4956. It located at the north entrance to Roaring River State Park on Hwy. 112. Right now, he's open Friday - Sunday from 10 AM to 1 PM. I know Tim also ships so give him a call or drop him an email at Timsfly@hotmail.com.

Roaring fishing was great this weekend, along with great weather and just a few fishers. Flow is still good from the rains and snow two weeks ago along with water color. Bright colored egg patterns size 22 to 14, burlap scuds, and green woolies did well. Elk Hair Caddis did well on top for dry fly fishermen. Saturday afternoon brought one of the biggest hatches I have ever seen in Roaring River. I am going to try and post a picture of Bob Garrison, Cassville, who caught this 7 ½ pound rainbow on a olive wooly with white hackle.

Terry; you need to write some transcripts that your wife can post while you recoup so we all won't get TB withdrawal symptoms. Maybe the second verse to the Taneycomo Shuffle or the Taney squid??? It is also your responsibility to assign someone to keep Dano under control during your recovery [not me. I give Dan fly patterns and he just catches fish and tears them up every time]. Good luck with your surgery and please leave the nurses alone or mamma is gonna kick your butt. Then you'll need more than just a knee replaced. I wonder if anyone has ever had a butt replaced??

Hey Ron; are those Dan Bailey sunglasses clip ons or slip overs, or just regular sunglasses?

I told Dano this morning that I would try to make it, and bring at least one other with me. That will be our year-end processing period, and maybe processing will be done and maybe not. That's life with computers... they don't take days off unless they break, and I still have to be here. If I make it, I'll bring plenty of food.

This one is going to start a firefight here.

Polock; have you thought about slip over glasses like Cocoons? I got turned off of clip-on glasses because some will scratch your prescription lenses. Most fly shops carry the polarized slip overs along with Wally World too. They give you side glare protection too that clip types don't offer.

Bill's is a nice lodge and so is http://www.happyhollowresort.com/unitrates.html. These folks have full kitchenettes, windowed to the lake, and a very nice quiet place to stay. Clean too with a boat dock and ramp. The great thing for me is it's only 18 minutes from the dam so I can fish the lake and taney.

Thanks Don and Jeremy

Don; how do you ties that gray scud? Palmer the ostrich herl forward and put a back on? Any ribbing?