Buzz

I decided to save my own life today and stayed home from work. Since I'm not used to being home during the week I decided it was a good time to attempt a couple of Balsa flies. I've watched a couple of videos so I had a slight understanding of how to build one. My first fly is the Frog popper. I couldn't find anything I liked for the legs ( I need more stuff ) so I cut the legs out of craft foam. I'm sure the first fish that gives either side a yank will pull them right off, but it works until I can get more stuff. The second fly I tied up is the bait fish. Since I'm not the best artist I went with an old style white and red pattern with a white marabou tail. I'm not sure if either will catch bass, but it's always cool when they do.

I have an SLV on my 5 wt Okuma Cascade rod and it's been great. I've had it for 5 or 6 years now and it has never failed me. Next time I'm in Academy I'll check out the Sierra. Okuma is hard to beat for quality and price.

    I understand the tradition Laker. I've never tried it before, but it sounds like you're going to have a bunch of great guys to meet up with. I know you'll have a good time.

The only opening day at Roaring River I do is for C&R. Have fun you all.

Is there really that much difference between a 5 wt and a 6wt? I would think that the speed of the rod would be the defining factor. If I'm wrong, please enlighten me. I have a 3 wt that is pretty slow and a 5 wt that I would say is medium fast.I also overline my 5 wt to a 6 wt line. I'm actually thinking about a 7 wt or even an 8 wt for bass. If you got a great deal on the rod I say great enjoy it. I'd probably buy it too.

Me too, but I feel a little like a red headed step child. Here's the definition of organized, organized, organised [ˈɔːgəˌnaɪzd] adj 1. planned and controlled on a large scale and involving many people (ie organized crime) 2. orderly and efficient a highly organized campaign 3. (Business / Industrial Relations & HR Terms) (of the workers in a factory or office) belonging to a trade union organized labour I am not saying that the MSA is an organized crime family at all. How many other organizations are there that target smallmouth in Missouri? Really, I want to know this!!!! Other than the tourney guys and giggers, they are somewhat organized, I don't know any others that fit the definition.

Nice way to end the day.

Wayne, In about 3 weeks there won't be anything but suckers left in Hickory. LOL

Thanks guys. Gavin the bigger fish probably was bigger than 21". I was in such a hurry to get it back into the water I didn't measure it exactly straight and the fishes mouth wasn't closed either, the tail was fully intact but the pic doesn't show it well. I don't know how long it took to land it, but I didn't want to take too long measuring and photographing it. I caught both of these fish on my 3wt rod, so they were both good fights and both fish survived.I love the 3wt, but it does scare me a little fighting bigger fish longer than I would have to with the 5wt. Todays fish took what seemed like 10 minutes to land.

Pretty fish.

I've been fishing Hickory Creek as often as I possibly could this season for good reason. There have been some really nice fish stocked this time and at least two relly nice lunkers. My first lunker was caught 12/30/12. I had seen him the first time I fished the creek in November, but couldn't seem to interest him in anything until that day. He measured 21". The second lunker, I have also been stalking for quite a while. I had this one on for a quick release a couple of weeks ago, but this time the hook stuck good. He measured 20". Just a little under a month and C&R ends. I've enjoyed it this year. Somehow the pics loaded in reverse order. The fish on the left I caught today and the fish on the right was caught 12/30/12.

You do have a way of catching those invasive species. LOL Good for you. I managed 2 decent browns yesterday and jumped off a nice rainbow all in 2 hours. It is tough fishing for sure.

Good to hear there are some fish up at the dam.

Thanks for the proof Burninworm. LOL

Great photo Ronnie.

Funny how that happens, HUH ?

It was a nice day. The fishing could have been better, but it is what it is. It was good seeing Burninworm again. It's been a while. I'm glad you made it down from K.C. Up until the last 10 minutes and several flies and countless casts I finally hooked up with the first rainbow of the morning. Ollie, not to be outdone, found a way to hook up and tie the competition with only 45 secs. to go. Nicely done sir. On our way out we found a spot that was holding several fish that we couldn't pass up. Ollie made a few casts and decided he needed to head out. Burninworm and I moved around to get a better casting position. After several misses and a couple LDR's I decided to change flies. I put on a pheasant tail (frenchie), one of my favorite flies, and hooked up on the second drift, a nice 13 or 14 inch brown. I ended up catching one more brown and another rainbow before I decided to call it quits. The last hour saved the day. I had a good time. That's what it's really all about. I'm looking forward to next year.

I hope you can make it Burninworm.

That's alright Ollie. It's all for fun anyway. More water to fish too.

That made me laugh. Good one KC.

Here's the main reason it didn't pass.http://www.gallup.com/poll/150779/Smoking-Rates-Remain-Highest-Kentucky-Lowest-Utah.aspx#2 That's a lot of people. Don't forget about, I believe, a 15% tax hike on smokeless tobacco too.

There are extremists in all things good and bad. Casinos can be a fun night out that wouldn't cost much more than a nice dinner and a movie.You just have to set a limit and stick with it. That's how I look at it. For those who go all of the time and spend too much, well that's on them. They should call the number and get some help. In some respect, you see the same types spending $20 or $30 twice a week on lottery tickets. That I don't do. Call me silly. Picking numbers or scratching tickets just isn't enjoyable to me.

Jack, Downstream is an awesome casino in every way. The concerts they had this year alone was over the top. My wife and I saw Boston last month. Man what a show. I can't even remember all of the classic rock bands that were there, not to mention the country artists. Downstream is still giving portions of the concert revenue to help Joplin's tornado recovery efforts. Buffalo Run in Miami OK is another really nice casino that has a lot of shows throughout the year.These establishments are top notch as far as I'm concerned and have helped the surrounding area immensley. BTW. One of the biggest reason the casino was voted down in the Branson area was the fear of the crime that would follow it.

I'm really interested in the crime you guys are talking about........ I live within 25 miles of 2 Indian casinos and there are more than I can count within 45 miles from us. I have never heard of any crimes committed that have been traced back to the casinos. If you haven't seen or been to any of the Oklahoma casinos you would probably think they would be nothing more than metal barns. Not any more. These casinos are on par with some of the casinos you might find in downtown Las Vegas. The entertainment that they bring in is something that we have never had and I'm thankful for it. So next time you are heading down I-44 into Oklahoma stop in and see for yourself. These are some classy establishments. They contribute a bunch of money to the surrounding communities and supply good paying jobs with great benefits. They don't get much of my money, but they are a welcome getaway if I decide to have an evening out with my wife and blow a few bucks. 47%??? Really JD?

Ok, I'm in. I'll have a new killer fly to use this year. LOL