hornyheadchub

Here are some pics of a Central Stoneroller(Campostoma anomalum) of family: Cyprinidae, Minnows or carps, a Northern Studfish (Fundulus catenatus)and a Blackstripe Topminnow (Fundulus notatus) both are types of topminnows. I don't have the heart to harm a topminnow, they are just too good looking and useful in our ecosystems. Stonerollers are VERY tolerant of poor water quality, but most importantly they serve as the nest builders for nearly every other nest spawning fish in the creek/river. Stonerollers actually transport hundreds if not thousands of rocks of similar size to a spot they have chosen to spawn at. If you pay attention in Spring and the first months of summer you'll see places in the riverbed that look as if someone has taken a bucket of similar sized rocks and made a neat little pile (sometimes +24" diameter). This serves as a safe-haven for stoneroller eggs to develop, and subsequently many other fish will use the nest after the Stoneroller has left. Goggle Eye, Smallies, Sunnies, even the myriad of shiners, darters and dace use these nests. So the next time you seine 'minnows' out of the creek, think about the impact you are having on the reproduction of your favorite gamefish and the forage fish that feed them.

Another month has passed and still no new info. Does anyone fish here anymore? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

WD-40 (petroleum distillates) in your local fishing hole = POLLUTION. Just try spraying some in you or your kids aquarium or goldfish bowl and see how long the fish lasts. I can guarantee that if I ever saw someont using this tactic where I fish, there'll be some tanglin' goin' on.

I'd like to see it too. Send me a PM or email.

That's right. As a matter of fact, many healthy, mature fish may spawn several times in a season. One female may drop eggs more than once (they have two gonads afterall), and you can bet that males will fertilize the eggs of several females each year. Although the female may have disappeared, the male is protecting the eggs until they are large enough to swim to cover. If you see a particularly large fish guarding a nest, and you then yank it off with a hook, the offspring that carry the genetics of that specimen are lost, end of story. Furthermore, the regulations that are in place to protect black bass from harvest during the spring are there for this exact reason. Picking smallies off their nests is plain chickensh*t fishing. If that is the only way you can catch a fish, then do everyone else who loves to fish a favor and find a new hobby.

Thanks for the report Vince.

Seth, Wiss Thread Clips are hands down the best scissors for the money, just $6-8. You can replace the blades as needed and they cost about as much as the scissors. The best thing about these scissors is that, after a little practice, you never have to put them down while tying because you can wear them on your middle or ring finger. This is a huge time saver and when you get comfortable with them, when closed together the tips are a suitable bodkin. AK Best used to have a signature line of tying tools and these were his scissors, the only difference is that his had a needle embedded in the tip as a bodkin. You can do the same with some epoxy and a large needle. http://www.westchestersewing.com/wiss/shears1.html

Zach, Before you make adjustments to your leader length, go out and cast the flys at the distances you need to be achieving to get to the fish. If you still can't turn the fly over, then either shorten your leader little by little, or go with a heavier constructed leader. There's no sense in chopping your leader to allow a cast if the leader is then too short to get the fly deep enough.

Zach, I think you're missing the point. It is not really the length/size of the fly you are casting as much as its bulk, dry weight and propensity to hold water. If you are using a synthetic material to tie a fly, it may shed water very quickly and therefore when you are casting it will weigh not much more than it does dry. If you are using naturals like wool or bucktail or rabbit fur, it may hold lots of water, effectively doubling its dry weight while casting. If it is super bulky like a mouse or Dahlberg Diver, the wind resistance becomes quite an issue to overcome too. What you need to assess is whether or not your leader/tippet is stout enough to 'turn over' your fly? That is, when you transition from back-cast to forward-cast, is the leader material too long/too soft (not stiff enough), to cause the fly to follow the leader (pardon the pun) in the loop of the cast? If the leader material is too soft/limp like a trout leader, it will lag behind in mid-cast and only frustrate you. If the fly you are casting is heavier than most anything you have casted before, try a bass leader in the 8-10lb test area. Bass leaders are stiffer because they have shorter tapers overall, and are made of a monofilament that is stiffer than that used in trout leaders - which are made to turn over only small delicate flys. Keep a couple of spools of your favorite mono handy in lb. tests of that of the leader and slightly stronger inthe event the leader lacks the length to get the fly down far enough. If all else fails to get the fly deep enough, you may want to have a sinking leader handy an just attach some mono to the end as tippet. Sinking leaders and heavier flies require patience and practice to cast. Remember, the more weight you plan to huck, the slower you need to cast and react to the fly and line/leader whilst it is in the air. Good luck!

Time to start perfecting your double haul. BTW, if you are using a trout leader, you need to switch to something w/ a bit more stiffness like a bass leader to turn the fly over.

A link to the auction would be nice.

KC, MO area here.

The photo you are referring to is actually that of a Mottled Sculpin eating a smaller Mottled Sculpin which has eaten a shiner (likely a Duskystripe). This is apparent because the primarey prey in this photo lacks an Adipose fin, which all trout and salmon have.

Trout Flies, Barbless. Period. Way better hook sets, the Tiemco 206BL is perhaps my favorite and one of the most versatile hooks there is for scuds, soft-hackle, glo-bugs, san juans, etc. These hooks are sharp, very sharp, and very strong. Plus with barbless you don't even have to touch the fish when you get good at sliding your hand down the tippet to release the fly.

I was one of those hypersensitive kids when I was young. Several trips to the ER, repeated rounds of steroids, gallons of benadryl and calamine. I would develop a rash if the wind blew it at me. Brian brings up a great point. I had a friend who was not allergic for more than 30 years and often bragged about it until one day he decided to rub it on his arms to show off a bit. He ended up in the ER. Not so high and mighty anymore. This is simply the way allergies, all allergies, work- one day you aren't, the next day you are. You can still buy the Urushoil extract(www.oralivy.com)at many natural foods stores, but don't do it all at once. Instead it is reccomended that you add a drop to a glass of water each day, increasing to two drops the next day, and then three drops, and so on until you are at something like 10 drops/glass/day. I've never done it, but then I tend to avoid the stuff these days by knowing what Im looking for. Another rookie mistake is to use warm or hot water when tryng to wash it off of your skin. This opens your pores and puts you at risk for a severe case of PI. Cold water is best, even if you are at the pond/creek/lake use the nearest water, if there is fine gravel or sand you can use as an abraisive, use it. Using Bleach and Lye soap on someone with sensitive skin is not smart. Both chemicals are highly basic and will dissolve your skin, and severe chemical burns may result. Many people may still believe that a bleach bath is the best way to get rid of the rash, but in reality, you are burning the affected (as well as the uneffected) skin off, not drying out the rash (and if you still believe that bleach is the best, I'd bet you are still convinced that a Daddy Long legs is the most venomous spider there is, except it's fangs aren't long enough to penetrate the skin, right?). We will all agree that when the rash is dried out, it is less itchy and seems to be on the mend. After years of battling this misery every spring, summer, and fall, try this: 1)Learn what it looks like, all of it, Oak, Ivy, Sumac. Note that the appearance of the plants can vary wildly based in the soil chemistry they are found in. Some will get viny and climb, some will form a large bush or shrub, and some will stay low and hug the ground. Colors and leaf nubers are 'rules of thumb' and should be recognized as such and are subject to exceptions. 2)Keep it clean- wash yourself immediately, or as soon as possible after known or suspected exposure. Remember, no warm or hot water, soap helps to break the oil down. Now wash your clothes and don't forget your shoelaces, that's right- one of the most insidious places that will harbor the oil is your shoelaces (personl experience). 3) If you develop a rash, keep it clean. Lot's of peroxide (helps with the drying out too), a topical ointment and be sure to re-apply, re-apply, re-apply. I have tried them all, but the two I like best are Rhuli Gel (now made by Band-Aide http://www.bandaid.com/treatment_products.shtml) and Tecnu (http://www.teclabsinc.com/). After the itching phase wanes a bit, use copious amounts of Aloe Vera, straight from the plant is far better than anything you can buy. 4)Protect yourself. Tecnu and a few other companies now make lotions that act as barriers for your skin. Put it n before you get exposed to the stuff and you won't get it. Or just wear long sleeves/pats.

Rio makes Shock Gum, and it works great. Probably a godsend for many guides when thay are fishing with newbies. I used it for the first year I fly fished for trout, and I still keep some around. It sure makes landing fish on 7X a heck of a lot less stressful

Anyone? I've fished on and off there this winter and with only one exception, it was poor every time. I was there with a buddy three weekends ago and we worked our butts off for only one white bass each, despite being told by the local shop that the walleye bite was on.

I really appreciate all the help fellas. However, I have a room full of materials, boxes of hooks, and would prefer to tie rather than buy. Anyone care to post some photos for comparisons?

From Quarry Park to Handicap access would be a sweet little float filled with great water to fish

I'm looking for photos the jig used frequently on the White during high water. Specifically: overall length, color of marabou, chenille body or not, color of chenille, etc. I've had a few friends who have had some good days there with these jigs but all of them are w/o power in the Springfield area so none can email any photos. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks all. I guess the bedspread is different than the fly I'm trying to tie. I'm really after the jig used frequently on the White during high water. Specifically overall length, color of marabou, chenille body or not, color of chenille, etc. I've had a few friends who have had some good days there with these jigs but all of them are w/o power in the Springfield area.

So there is no marabou tail?

I've been looking for an image of the 'bedspread jig'. Seems that lots of folks use them, they all seem to differ a bit in verbal description, but are essentially the same. However I can't find a photo of one anywhere. I'd really appreciate it if some folks would share what this pattern looks like and the sizes/weight they like to tie. Thanks!

There sure is a 'reverse recipe site' check out: http://www.flytyingworld.com/search.htm I'd sure appreciate it if someone would be so kind as to post a phot of a 'bedspread jig'. I've searched for two days now and have come up empty handed.

No doubt there are dozens, if not hundreds, of miles of stream and creek in the Ozarks that hold trout (many of them with naturally reproducing populations) and I spent the better part of five years exploring many of them while I was in school at SMSU. But only my best fishing buddy would I ever breathe a mention of them to. If you find a nice little creek that is spring fed, and holds even a few trout, do yourself a favor and keep it to yourself. The magic of the kind of stream you are asking people to divulge the location of only exist because they are 'unknown'. As soon as you advertise it here or in your local fly shop, !poof!, it'll be gone. One way I narrowed down the search is to realize that in order for a creek to hold trout year-round there must be a few criteria met. First and foremost is that it, or at least significant stretches of the creek must hold water year around- even in late August when everything is dry. Next is that there must be a spring or at least spring seeps in the river bottom. This is only determined in the warmer months and only by wet wading. Another cue is to look for signs of old hatcheries, private, state, fed, whatever. And don't hesitate to bug your local Conservation Agent, afterall, they are paid by our tax revenue. Winter time, with leaf-off is a great time to explore- no bugs or snakes, no stinging nettle, and clear water. Best of all is that there's no competition. There is at least one good spot I know of near you, but I found it the hard way and so must you. Remember that the streams that you already fish may be fed by other tributaries that are spring fed (hint), and also dump into other rivers (hint: where does Capps creek go?) You should never expect to find huge wild trout, but rather revel in the exploration of new water, be ecstatic when you catch a palm sized, stream born rainbow with all of its parr marks, and keep a journal to remind yourself of places you can escape to when everyone else is bumping elbows at a state park of or shuffling at Taney. Good luck and happy hunting.