KRflyfisher

Thanks for the information, great posts.

Hey thanks! Great resource! I still have a few questions though. It appears that the designation has more to do with management than anything else. Does it have anything to do with number of trout per mile or the average size of trout of the stream?

I need some education, will someone please enlighten me? What makes a stream a blue, red, or white ribbon trout stream?

I have been fishing my whole life and enjoy all aspects of it. I have caught fish on limb lines, hardware, stink bait, live bait, synthetics, and spoons and enjoy doing it all. But put simply, I feel fly fishing connects me more with the fish, the stream, and the outdoors in general. I tie flies using feathers and fur I have collected on my own if possible. I like the feel of wading with water flowing through my legs. And I like the mechanics of casting. For me even if I am not catching fish, I can practice precision casting and retreval, and still have a decent day (although I do love to catch fish!). I also like it because it is slower much of the time. As a Christian outdoorsman fishing and hunting are almost like devotional times as well. It helps me to feel connected to something bigger than me. For me flyfishing is cleaner and perhaps more intimate than other methods. This is also the reason I prefer to bow hunt. I am no snob, I spent the summer teaching my son and daughter to dunk worms and crawdads for sunfish and smallies and had a blast doing it. But what I love is to catch a fish on a fly tied by my own hands, from my own mind, caught in my fishing hole. This is like a dream come to life. Who was it Thoreau that said "Some men fish thier whole live without reaizing it is not the fish they are after."

Sounds to me like I just need to try it out for myself and see. I don't really have much kayak experience, and the only sit on top was really not made for a man my size, so it wasn't a great experience. I never thought about a solo canoe, and it seems they might be the best option. I cast well out of a conoe and they offer better visibility in my opinion. Thanks for the discussion!

You guys are killin' me! I doubt I'll get a chance to get out this year (school!!!) But it's good to see that other folks are out there having success! I love turkey hunting and have only scored a multi beared bird one time in my life, they are truely special birds. Congrats to all those who are getting out, and "Well Done, when's dinner?" to those who score!

Nicely put, I fully agree. In all truth closing accesses is more of a penalty to law abiders than to anyone else. The "doofuses" out there will find another place to play, and eventualy be run out of. But where else can law abiding citezens get access to that particular stretch of water? LET THE LAW WORK IN THE FAVOR OF THOSE WHO FOLLOW IT!

If there are resources and man power enough to keep people from trespassing, then it stands to reason that there would also be man power enough to keep people from trashing the accesses. I would like to see more effort put in those directions, which improve the quality of the resource and its management, rather than just closing sections off. As a family guy I know that I recently spent time fishing with my 2 year old son and my 78 year old grandfather. Cutting off access points only inhibits our ability to enjoy the outdoors together. If access is then cut off I wonder if the remaining accesses will improve in quality as well, or if due to increased traffic, they will also suffer? If so it makes everything harder. At 28, I am in fairly good shape; I can and do hike back to fish places. I cannot do that however with my son or grandfather, and would hate to miss entire stretched of river/lake just because of that fact. I say better access and better management, that's a real answer. That's my line- KR

Well, I am proud. Hope to get him out again real soon! That was my grandpa's pond, and with the drought it is almost dried up from what it used to be. All of the grandkids have caught good bass there, I was just hoping to get a fat bluegill for my son, but a fat bass did us one better! A memory I will never forget.

Been prayin', any new updates?

Well I hate to be this way but I like my waders just fine. The biggest reason is that I bought them for $35 at a Wal-mart closeout sale. No they are not big name, but they keep me dry and warm when trout fishing and duck hunting. They are tough, and they flatter my round figure (okay that is a joke .) I can’t yet justify spending that kind of money for waders just yet, maybe someday. Until then my Wal-mart specials will do me right each and every time.

Any father's greatest desire is the joy of their children. Well guys I am one proud papa. Last Friday I shared some great joy with my two and a half year old son. I hooked the fish in the picture but he reeled it in all by himself, it was all he could do to turn the crank on his Scooby Doo pole! The bass jumped in front of him and his eyes got huge and a smile filled his face as he realized what was going on. Best part is that his Grandpa, my dad, got to see the whole thing! He has been asking me to take him to catch the big fish everyday since, I will be happy to oblige!

An empty tomb gave me a full life! He is risen indeed!

I believe the "black panters" people report are one of two things: 1. An escaped, or liberated pet, 2. or simply a mental projection that comes out of someone's fear. It is unfortunate but exotic pets like big cats are fairly easily aquired, and just as easily dumped. Here is a link to a story about the issue here in the US. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/20...6_EXPLcats.html I have seen cougars on 2 occasions while hunting for coons with hounds. It is both an awesome and frightful experience, especially for a child. The way they move with such ease and grace was amazing. I understand the fear that exists if these cats are studied and managed. Obviously management is not an issue if study hasn't occured first. The benefits of understanding these animals and the roles they now play could be great. Those that live in the KC area know that an increasing number of sightings (and one kill that I am aware of) have happened in suburban settings. I know that a few years ago a few elementary schools in Olathe were shut down because of a sighting in the area. Study would start to provide answers for why these reclusive cats are being seen more often, though still very infrequently as of late. The cats that have been killed and have been confirmed to be cougars have been young animals. If these are pets that owners can no longer manage which may well be the case, what can or needs to be done to further regulate this kind of thing to prevent it from happening? Or maybe this issue really isn't that big yet. If these are not pet cats, then why are the cats back? Good point about the coyotes and thier impact on the deer herd, but once upon a time they did have a role to fill my question is are they filling it now? Who knows?

Mt. Lions are in MO and KS. I have a cousin who watched a lion attack one of his calves from the cab of his tractor, he lives near Atchison, KS. That year he reported losing 6 calves to predators, he has never lost that many to predators before or since. I have seen them as a kid in NW MO and my father who coon hunts, says he has seen the tracks, and heard the screams in several areas around the Lake of the Ozarks. Mt. Lions in our state parks are a reality. In the summer of 2002 some friends, my wife and I arrived very late to a public campsite near Truman lake and set up camp in the dark. At about midnight a ranger came up to our campfire and asked us why we thought we were alone in such a prime area. Turns out that the site we picked was frequented by a particualar cat. The pine trees directly behind our tent showed evidence of that as they were scratched to shreds like every other scratching post I have ever seen a cat scratch on and I have the pictures to prove it. The game officer pointed those out to us as he urged us to move our camp. The proof is there, they have everything they need to become a thriving predator again, I feel that the state should study and manage them like any other game animal rather than denying, or explaining away they problem as being enormous bobcats or whatever other explantation people want to concoct. Obviously there is a reason why they are coming back, and a purpose for it as well. Study and mangagment could only serve to strengthen our knowledge and perhaps even provide a meager financial boost as well. KR

Well a few days ago I was walking my dog by some rental property close to our townhome. Apperantly someone had moved out of one of the duplexes for rent because there was a huge pile of trash sitting next to the curb. Well I saw some little tykes plastic toys (bball goal, chairs, desk etc.) and since I am not above digging in the trash I was going to pull them out and pick them up later since I was about a mile from home. Well in the process of getting the toys I moved a box and found a baseball with writing all over it. I looked it over and discovered that it was signed by the 1957 Chicago White Sox entire team including Hall of Fame member Nelson "Nellie" Fox! I took it to a few card shops around here and one quoted the value of the ball to be around $500-$600! Pretty cool find if you ask me, and since I'm not a White Sox fan I am planning to put the ball up on ebay sometime soon. Not a fishing story, but pretty cool anyway! That's my line- KR

Anyone started catching smallmouth yet? I hope to escape to the Osage or Niangua pretty soon to try it out. Would love a report on the rivers if anyone has one. KR

Well last Saturday was my first real trip to Taney and, while the fishing was slow in the morning, it was great that afternoon. I will be returning soon hopefully! I was struck by two things: 1. The number of fish at my feet was astonishing, it seemed like they were bumping my boots just to get me to kick up more scuds! (no I wasn't shuffleing) and 2. I have never in my life seen so many fish with hardware stuck in thier bodies. It felt like I was at a punk rock show. One even looked like it had some sort of small jerk bait stuck in it's back. Thanks to the many helpfull anglers who put us on the right flies and lies! I don't know if everyone has the same experience, but the sportsmanship displayed by the men and women we encountered was awesome, always willing to help, share what's working, and help laugh off the frustrations that come with flyfishing. Best day of the spring for me for sure! That's my Line- KR

I don't think I'ld let my kids swim in that lake what a monster! Phil- I have seen those huge castic baits you talk about and I don't own a rod big enough to fish 'em either. Before the big craze to break George Perry's record started I had always seen them as musky lures, and for the most part they still are, but if you can catch a bass that size on one more power to ya! KR

I will be coming down to Taney this weekend with a friend, what's the weather report? I know I could look it up at weather.com, but that usually fails to tell you things like if it says it will be 40 in Branson then it will be around 30 on the water. Anyone got any thoughts to help me pack?

I cannot make it to the seminar, but am VERY interested in the topic, would it be possible to get a copy of the materials you mentioned or the power point presentation if there is one? I will be down this weekend so I could pick it up and pay for it then. Thanks either way. KR

I have used minijigs quite a bit, and the white is my favorite. I had just never heard the green ones called John Deere, i didn't know for sure if it was the green pattern as described or another version of the very popular black and gold minijigs that I have also had great success with. I moved about 10 years ago from the area and admit to not keeping up with new developments in the park, although I have still tried to fish there and I wondered if this was a new pattern or not. Turns out I have a few in my old boxes! Thanks for clearing this up for me. KR

Yeah I chase smallies with the big stick, and Brian is right you are in some of the best stream smallie fishing in the country right where your at. I have used a 6wt. for most of my fly fishing, I picked up a Cabelas LST 9ft. 9wt. last year to toss some big bugs on a sinking line/leader out fit and never got around to using the sinking part. But to be honest I would think that most Ozark stream smallmouth fishing could be done well with anything in the 4-7wt range. KR

Well since I feel so guilty now, I guess I’ll introduce myself. I just turned 28 and live in Olathe KS, just south of Kansas City. I have been married for 5.5 years and have 2 kids my boy is 2.5 and my girl turns 1 next week. My wife is drop dead gorgeous (I hope she reads this!) and my family is my life. I am a youth and family pastor up here and have been at the same church since September of 2000, and I do some concrete work on the side as well. I will finish a Masters in Counseling this fall and am planning to go on to a doctoral program in 2007. So as you can imagine time is at a premium. I love to hunt and fish any way you can do it, but if I have to get specific I love bow hunting for anything (I shoot compounds, but really love traditional equipment), water fowl, and fly fishing and tying. If I had to lay it all down but one I would keep the fly rod and part with the rest, but that would be a pretty dark day. I particularly enjoy making my own stuff. And while I haven’t yet made my own rod, I do tie my flies, and I have even made a take down recurve bow. I am making my son a kids bow for his next birthday. It is a lot of work but it is a blast to make something that is so doublely beautiful and deadly. You can tell I love bow hunting because I have been doing it pretty hard for the last few years and haven’t killed anything yet! As far as fish I usually catch mostly bass (smallmouth are my favorite fish of all), but love trout and anything that bites, just the same. I consider a bad day fishing to be better than a good day of just about anything else, but still complain about not enough time outdoors. Guys God has blessed us with many gifts, but if you want the best gift of all, one that colors all the rest, I suggest you take some time to get to know Him. I would love to talk to anyone with any questions about spiritual issues, or any of the other things in this post. I’m making my first real trip to Taney in a few weeks, hope to bring back a great report! That’s my line- KR

I grew up 15 min. from Bennet and have fished there all my life, and I have never heard of a John Deere fly or minijig but I have heard about themon this forum. What is it, how do you tie it, and why am I so clueless about it? Maybe I'm too young to be a geezer just yet, but ADD might be the problem. KR