Steve Smith

I can remember several years ago when there was a white bass explosion. We would sit near the channel and as soon as the sun dropped below the bluff to shade the channel the whites would explode on top. You could almost set your watch on it. We would "skip" a Kastmaster spoon across the surface and they would swarm it. I always like to keep the small ones and brine them for a day or two before cooking. Certainly not crappy or walleye, but good.

No problem on the extra flys. I appreciate all you folks that have organized a swap. On the CDC EHC, do not grease the CDC. The purpose of the CDC body is to give the dry lifelike movement. Gink like applications will gum up the CDC strands and ruin most attraction to the pattern. After you catch a fish, rinse off the fly the best you can and air dry. If you have to use something, try powdered applications.

Add two more... Mr Ducky and Leonard

Bush's fault then? LOL

Just a little bit. I make an annual trip to Lake of the Woods and tie up gold plated head jigs. Then I tip them with a leech for walleye. I have no idea why the walleye favor the gold dressed jigs. They just do. I used to tie them with marabou, but the synthetic hackle is more durable on those walleye teeth and the occassional pike.

Web; Third from the bottom is the new synthetic hackle. http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/category/1000

Jeff; my CDC EHC are on the way today

Rusty; along with Dano's advice, consider using Kevlar thread. That will allow you to really cinch down your wraps without breaking threads. Also, along with the figure eight, be sure to secure the dumbbells front and back. I don't use superglue on mine at all. I use a good soaking of head cement.

I guess I better get my two cents in here. I’m as clumsy as a drunken bull moose and hard on equipment, so I have to stick with iron clad fly armored equipment. For me, it is the durability that makes a difference. Like many, I started out with no frill free spoolers that with a jerk could unwind a 100 feet of fly line in 6 seconds. It took me a while to figure out I had broke the clicker. When I got to the point that I was truly addicted, I decided to upgrade. I tried Loomis, BPS CV2, standard bar stock Battenkill, and the bar stock Battenkill wide arbor. All four have great drags and have served me well. However, the two bar stock Battenkill models have survived all my normal escapades without even a scratch. I haven’t been that lucky with the Loomis or the CV2. For me personally, if I had to replace a reel, the replacement would be a Battenkill and most likely the wide arbor.

They have some made by I think Spirit River that has no rubber in it. it is available in 1/2" and 1" widths and has a binding thread on both sides. I don't know if I can describe it, but it looks like a thread ladder. You trim off one of the binding threads to the hackle length you want and use it just like a soft hackle. Maybe Pup can fill you in, but it should make a very durable hackle with lots of action. I'm getting ready for my annual trip to Lake of the Woods and plan to tie up some jigs with it. You know me, I gotta try anything new. Timsfly always accuses me of using all the weird stuff.

I hope you are right John on the dry flys. Last night there was a good hatch of caddis [i think] in size 12 and smaller. They were somewhere between a ginger and straw color. The leading edge of the cold front and thunderstorm were rolling through the park about 5:30 and the trout went crazy. I don't know if it was the hatch or the front, but I'd have two and three fish boiling under my fly at a time. Maybe a combination of the two. Good luck and I'll probably see you down there.

It looks to me like some of the new synthetic hackle on the tyer's market right now. A lot of folks are using it for hackle on nymph patterns. It's too soft to float but makes great woolies and jigs. Nice ties Pup.

John; Chub is right on the water and with showers last night and this morning, it will probably stay a little colored. Even at that, I wouldn’t go much above 6X in fluorocarbon tippet. It shouldn’t get murky unless we get a heavy downpour before the weekend that washes out Dry Hollow. Right now, they are forecasting thunderstorms for Friday evening but you know how that can change. I fished last night too in the fly zone, and the evening hatches have been great at turning on the dry fly bite. The size 12 ginger and golden straw hackled crackerbacks were hot – hot, but they wanted them floating high and dry. I caught fish until I was bored with the catching, but it was a real blast. They would come out of nowhere and some even cut a V in the water charging the fly. That is exciting dry fly fishing and tough not to pull the trigger too soon on the set. What was really nice is after 6PM, we pretty much had the fly zone to ourselves. I imagine any light colored caddis pattern would also work well too like a natural EHC. Several of the wet fly folks did very well with dark nymph patterns such as the prince early in the afternoon. Some of them fished with indicators and some not so I don’t really know if it made a difference. The luck I was having with leech patterns has gone stone cold for me the past two weeks. The trout are really healthy and scrapers right now. I had a 15” bow that thought it was a smallmouth, as it must have cleared the water twice by at least two body lengths. It should be a great weekend, but most likely a little crowded if it is pretty weather at all. Tim can probably add his two cents too.

That’s a ginger bug pattern that is really just a small wooly bugger. It is tied on a size 14 long dry fly hook with a bead head. Ginger marabou tail, ginger chenille, sized ginger dry fly hackle, and yellow thread. Simple tie that can be very effective on Roaring River.

All three of my grandchildren have been fishing – fishing since they could walk. My granddaughter wanted to learn flyfishing two years ago at the age of ten, and became really good at it. She doesn’t fish much with me now… more interested in boys, IPODS, and computers now. My two grandsons [ages 8 & 11] love to bait fish, but have shown no interest in fly fishing. All three enjoy Kid’s Day at Roaring River. They have a number of programs on fishing and non-fishing subjects. The boys enjoy the wildlife programs on snakes, fish, and bugs, while my granddaughter enjoys fly tying and crafts. I don’t know how the other parks do, but RR has the upper end taped off for the kids, and they stock fresh fish in the pool every hour. Fresh out of the hatchery, those fish will strike anything that hits the water. MDC and local merchants really do it up right for the kids. Here’s a shot of my granddaughter at last year’s event:

My apologies to all the folks setting this up, but now I have to bow out. I just learned this morning that Roaring River will host Kids Fishing Day on the 19th. I've got my three grand kids that would disown me if they missed it.

Kids Fishing Days at Missouri's four trout parks give children age 15 and younger special opportunities to enjoy unstructured time outdoors with friends and family. For information about these and other youth fishing events, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/4164. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) 1. Kids Fishing Day set for May (w/pic) Each of Missouri's four trout parks sponsors a special event to give youngsters a taste of fishing fun. JEFFERSON CITY-Some youngsters would love to fish, but neither they nor their parents know how. Others know how, but have trouble making time for unstructured outdoor fun. Missouri's four trout parks have both these groups in mind in offering Kids Fishing Days in May. BENNETT SPRING STATE PARK On May 5 the Missouri Department of Conservation's Bennett Spring Trout Hatchery will host the annual Kids Fishing Event at Bennett Spring State Park (SP) near Lebanon. The event is open to children 15 years and younger. Free fishing tags will be available from 4 to 8 p.m. May 4 at the hatchery shop building and beginning at 5:30 a.m. May 5 near the special children's fishing zone. Conservation Department workers will stock the zone to ensure success, and volunteers will be on hand to help children with lures and fishing tips. A variety of activities for education and fun will begin at 9 a.m. and run through 2 p.m. The Conservation Department's Mobile Aquarium will be on hand to showcase some of the many species of fish found in Missouri. Prize drawings throughout the day will give kids a chance to win prizes ranging from T-shirts to float trips on the Niangua River. A lunch of hot dogs, chips and drinks will be provided for children 15 years and younger. For more information, call (417) 532-4418 or e-mail Julie Caffey at Julie.Caffey@mdc.mo.gov or Mike Mitchell at Michael.Mitchell@mdc.mo.gov. MONTAUK SP Young anglers will have opportunities to catch fish and learn about fishing during Kids Fishing Day from 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. May 5 at Montauk SP east of Licking. Event sponsors include the Missouri departments of Conservation and Natural Resources, Wal-Mart, and Hooked on Fishing International. Children age 15 and under can pick up free trout tags at the hatchery office from 2 to 8 p.m. May 4 or all day May 5. The spring branch from the CCC Spillway to the Social Hole will be reserved for the youth anglers. Volunteers will be on hand to help kids. Children are encouraged to bring their own fishing equipment. Parents are welcome to help youngsters, but only one pole may be used between the helper and the child. Adults are not allowed to fish by themselves. Event sponsors will provide hamburgers, hotdogs and soft drinks for participating children from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Youngsters also can attend seminars on trout fishing, fly tying, fly casting, and other topics and win attendance prizes throughout the day. Event sponsors need volunteers to help. Fishing experience is not necessary. If you would like to help, call (573) 548-2585 or e-mail Tom.Whelan@mdc.mo.gov. ROARING RIVER SP Young anglers will get to catch fish and learn about fishing during Kids Fishing Day May 19 at Roaring River SP south of Cassville. The event runs from 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. Children age 15 and younger will be able to pick up free trout tags at the hatchery office any time on May 18 or on the day of the event. With their free tags, youths also will receive fish stringers, posters, coloring books and educational material. A portion of the park will be reserved for youths. Children are encouraged to bring their own fishing equipment. Volunteers will be on hand to help out. Adults are welcome to help youngsters, but only one pole may be used between the helper and the child. Adults are not allowed to fish by themselves. Free hotdogs, chips and soda will be available 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Throughout the day, there will be seminars on fish cleaning, fish cooking, knife sharpening, knot, fly and jig tying, fly casting, how to fish at Roaring River, and other subjects. The Conservation Department's mobile shooting range will be on hand. A hatchery tour will show how trout are raised. Other activities will include a live snake program, T-shirt stenciling and critter-stamping head bands. Youngsters who attend at least two classes will receive prizes. Those who attend fly casting classes will be entered in a drawing for one of several complete flyfishing outfits. Prizes also will go to boys and girls who catch the biggest fish and the biggest stringers of fish. A free taxidermy mount will be given to the boy and girl with the biggest fish of the day. Volunteers are needed to help with this event. Fishing experience is not needed. To volunteer, or for more information, call (417) 847-2430 or email Jerry.Dean@mdc.mo.gov. Sponsors of Roaring River's Kids Fishing Day include the Missouri departments of Conservation and Natural Resources, Jim Rogers Concession, Mid-West Flies, Lewis and Clark Outfitters, Mark Jones Taxidermy, Russ Pendergraft Taxidermy, Les Jacobs Ford, MAKO Fly Fishing Club, Wal-Mart, Able 2 Products, Luck-e-Strike, Freedom Bank, Commerce Bank, Security Bank, Tim's Fly Shop, and many other local merchants. MARAMEC SPRING PARK May 19 is the date for Kids Fishing Day sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Maramec Spring Trout Fishermen's Association (MSTFA) and The James Foundation at Maramec Spring Park south of St. James. Kids fish free, and there will be no parking fee on this day for cars with kids 15 and younger inside. The James Foundation sets aside the entire upper half of the spring branch for young anglers, and the Conservation Department stocks rainbow trout throughout the day to help ensure fishing success. MSTFA members and Conservation Department staff will help young anglers. Kids need to bring their own fishing poles. The MSTFA will sponsor fishing contests from 6:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. The winners of a casting contest at 11 a.m. will receive trophies. Throughout the day, youngsters can get free hotdogs and soft drinks and win attendance prizes, including bicycles, fishing rod and reel sets and savings bonds. There will be exhibits, contests, games and activities, such as making fish-print T-shirts, critter stamping and taxidermy displays, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Flyfishing demonstrations and classes will be held on the stream. Youths who want to fish must pick up free fishing tags at the Millfield Shelter next to the fishing area. Included with tags are "goody bags" containing a variety of free items. These will be available the day before Kid's Day and all day Saturday. The first 1,500 children to arrive will receive special Kids Fishing sports bottles. The park will open at 5:30 a.m. with fishing starting at 6:30 a.m. and continuing until 8:15 p.m. For further information, call (573) 265-7801 or email Paul.Spurgeon@mdc.mo.gov The James Foundation, located on Highway 8 approximately 6 miles east of St. James, owns and operates Maramec Spring Park.

http://www.flyfishingarkansas.com/

John; put a "whale's Tail" on your engine and it will take that roll and bounce out of it. It did on my Lowe's 50 horse. I can't remember what they are called, but it bolts on.

Chatter? Lord Tim, with you no one can get a word in edgewise! Dano; Tim don't need no stinking net to land those suckers he catches, but it's good to have him back [even though he's a genuine pain in the butt]. Work has kept me away from the water, but there are a bunch of fish in the river so I guess I'll have to stop by this afternoon. Seemed like last weekend a lot of patterns were working. My fishing co-hort Bob Garrison was wearing them out on a purple 'bou leech home tied pattern. Yes, I said purple. He did well on a prince nymph stripping through the seams. See ya there

http://www.magellangps.com/ Dutch. These folks are who I purchased my chips from. Find out exactly what you want then Google for the best price. I preferred the chip in lieu of the downloaded software install.

They are dredging the weeds out of the river this week, so expect the fishing to be a bit finicky for a while. I fished last night and it's a real challenge dodging the floating weeds and moss.

Ronnie; now you know why I enjoy sitting in the truck so much. Trout fishing can be a dangerous sport, and really hard on jeans. I got to fish some on all three days Friday through Sunday. They put some really nice fish in the river, and they are healthy too. I spent a lot of time warming up, but the fishing was worth the iced fingers and rod eyes. I had some action on dry fly patterns, but the fish would only nudge the fly and not take. I did get a few to take a yellow beetle. The best patterns were dun and yellow CDC leeches. I would think any leech or jig pattern would do well on the river right now. They seemed to want something moving just under the surface.

That pattern does well as a bead head woolie too.

Don't worry Tim. We got a two for one sale going at your fly shop. Glad to hear you're doing okay