Matt Tucker

Sweet boat.

Mr. Spencer sir, i may have a "face for radio" but i have #$&&s for the Movies. Again, there is a market for everyone..... Well done Wise. Well done sir. --Tucker

You really can't make a comparison from fisherman to fisherman; by number of fish caught. My guess at fish numbers is pretty much a guess (I guessed a dozen, but it could have been 7 or 18 I really don't remember); I quit really counting a few years ago (I used to be a guy that would carry a "clicker" down on the White) and started judging trips by the quality of the outing and not the quantity. Brian is spot on about the hero or zero game. Before Craig caught the last fish (the bigger one) he was trying to sit down in the bow because he was beat and I only had about 5 minutes more of rowing to get to the takeout. He put in the extra effort and at that moment the fish god's made it happen. We went to specifically target big fish; because of the water level and talking with Brian. I have made numerous trips to the White River tailwater in AR the past two years with the same commitment to streamers and haven't been rewarded with fish that size yet. The fish gods were appeased that day, and that is all we could ask. Looks like i will be back down the for at least 2 weekends in January, say hello if you are on the river. --Matt Tucker

Yes Mr. Wise......you have converted me. However, the appropriate phrase would be "bazinga". Now if the 11pt only had brown trout. That being said, the NFOW may be the marrying river, but the tailwaters are where you go to get your stink on, sort to speak. --Matt Tucker

Two weeks ago, Craig Peterson and I headed down to the North Fork of the White River for the maiden voyage of my new drift boat (I traded in my Hyde highside, for a Hyde LowPro XL). The trip was one of those trips you don't think you are going to have it, until you do. Below are a few photos. We threw streamers the entire trip when fishing from the boat, and nymph rigs when we got out and wade fished. Photo # 1 Craig Peterson with a nice North Fork of the White River brown trout. This was the first fish, caught on the first cast, of the first drift with my new boat. Not a bad way to start off the maiden voyage of the new boat. Photo # 2 The heads on the NFOW fish are pretty impressive. Photo # 3 A look at the layout of the new boat, as we stopped to wade on our float. Photo # 4 We nymphed a bit, when we got out and wade fished. Photo # 5 Craig with his biggest brown trout to date, this was caught within site of the take-out on a last cast. Yes the fish gods were smiling upon him. Photo # 6 All fish caught were released. Photo # 7 I got in on the action on Sunday morning, with my first fish out of the new boat. All in all it was a great trip. We floated solo on Saturday, and Brian joined us on Sunday for a quick float. Lots of good times to be had in the future for sure. Who needs a tailwater...... --Matt Tucker

Brian can't fish to redds.....because he is always behind the lens when I am fishing them..... the videos have to be edited to music though because the entire time he is nagging me to stop fishing the redds. Using your logic about a fish being caught that is "colored up" must be on a redd (not post spawn or pre-spawn but specifically caught on a redd); we can assert that the President must be a slave because he is black.....how ridiculous does that sound?

Thanks for the reply. I am thinking we will have to check it out very soon. --Matt Tucker

Have been thinking of dropping my drift boat in there and floating that section a couple of times; but could never get any info on the river before I did it. Assume you floated in a canoe or kayak? Were there any areas you had to portage or walk your craft through. Any input would be appreciated. --Matt Tucker

A quick search turned this up......http://www.brewerandshipley.com/Bios&Liners/Bios_Tom_Bio.htm You might recognize one of his songs....."One Toke over the Line"

That map is uber cool. Think about framing it and hanging it on a wall.

My 9yo daughter Hannah was on me about taking her back to Dry Run Creek (a Kids Only trout stream in Northern Arkansas, near the Norfork River) ever since we got back from our last trip there, but it seems life always finds a way to get in the way. With a free Friday night and Saturday morning, I told her we could make a quick trip down there to fish for a few hours, if she was willing to spend that much time in a car (4 1/2 hrs from St. Louis, one way); and out of the mouth of babes came "I don't care, I will just sleep.". With that a plan was hatched. My buddy Brent McClane tagged along as he enjoys time on Dry Run Creek as much as any of us do, and with that we were on our way. Hannah had a stellar 4 hours or so on the stream on Saturday morning. The fish were eating like crazy, below are just some of the photos from this quick trip. We were back in St. Louis 24hours after we left, all in all, another great trip. Photo # 1 flyfishergirl Photo # 2 The day was filled with alot of this. Photo # 3 And some of this. Photo # 4 Alot of this. Photo # 5 Hannah with a 22" rainbow. Photo # 6 Alot of excitement, after she catches another pig out of the same pool just moments later. Photo # 7 This is what all the excitement was about. Photo # 8 Giving Thanks.

We caught fish on a variety of things. A wiggle stone that we use on the NFOW (yes, that big) and drifted without an indicator (on a 3wt....yes we were asking for trouble....but the water was up higher than we thought it would be), did ok for me most of the day. Small leech patterns did well as well. Walt Fulps was teaching some sort of class that day. I was hoping to meet Walt (I never have), but didn't run into him that I know of -- if i did, i wish he would have said hello. I think he had 7 guys in his class. We pretty much left them alone all day and fished the creek section of the property away from people. Cost I think was $50 or so to fish, didn't really pay attention.

What was supposed to be a weekend down on the White River ripping streamers on sink tips; ended up with St. Louis receiving a late March snow and the wild trout streams being blown out, and me and two friends on one of the private trout waters that Missouri has to offer. Private waters often find a way to spoil you; but in Missouri where crowds are often found during the spring and summer months; a nominal rod fee is an easy way to find some solitude. We showed up with 3wts, and quickly found out we may have been outgunned. Below are some of the photos from our day trip. --Matt Tucker Photo # 01 Evan Muskopf with the first of a handful of nice fish he landed today. Photo # 02 The reason we started carrying bigger nets. Photo # 03 The fly-fishing gods were smiling upon Evan today. Photo # 04 A successful release. Photo # 05 The obligatory fist bump. Photo # 06 Craig wanting in on the action. Photo # 07 Rock Star. Photo # 08 Another Release.

My 9yo daughter, Hannah, and I took another trip down to Dry Run Creek in Arkansas this past weekend. It was a great way to spend a weekend. That stream is a really special place; it is a shame Saturday was filled with adults breaking the rules of the stream (even Hannah pointing them out) and having to confront several adults fishing and adults fishing with live bait in a kid's only stream. The sad thing is if the funding for the Norfork Federal Fish Hatchery is cut and the hatchery closes, the stream will most likely dry up, at least in its current form. Those downer moments aside, the trip was an absolute blast and we are already looking forward to heading back there. You can read the write up on my blog here but here is a little photo essay of sorts: Photo # 1 Hannah in front of the sign at Dry Run Creek, near Norfork, Arkansas. In her words, the sign spells out "The Rules." Photo # 2 Hannah with a cookie-cutter size rainbow out of the stream; this was the average size fish on Saturday (I quit counting at 50 in about 3 hours) Photo # 3 Hannah learning the finer points of releasing a fish for a photo. Photo # 4 Hannah with another colored up rainbow from Dry Run Creek. Photo # 5 Even the ugly fish, bring pure excitement. Photo # 6 Hannah on the net, while I dig the camera out. Photo # 7 Hannah with a snake of a Dry Run Creek rainbow. Photo # 8 The reason you bring a big net to Dry Run Creek. Photo # 9 All smiles, after landing a pig of a rainbow on a fly she tied. Photo # 10 The ubiquitous Dad & Daughter at the Dance shot. Photo # 11 The last fish of the trip, safely back in the water.

Who is Tom Bloodsworth, does he have a site?

There are plenty of day floats on the White River. The toughest part of fishing the White out of a drift boat is finding a shuttle. But it is getting more and more common. My favorite day float is Dam to Wild Cat Shoals. I have done the Dam to Cotter in a day float, when they were generating quite a bit. It was actually alot faster than you think it would be. Call Mountain River Fly Shop in Gassville and talk o Steve Dally regarding shuttle service and he will hook you up with contacts. --Matt Tucker

I wasn't sure I would play much again on this.....because if it is a rule, i will comply....but for logic's sake, let's replace "Felt" and "diddymo" with "guns" and "criminals". So using OB's logic, it would be like this: Using the same logic then we could say: Criminals use firearms to commit crimes. Remove the firearms and you remove one way for the criminals to commit the crimes. Using the same logic then, we could say: Even ignoring all that, it seems silly to make the argument that, since we can't control one way crime may be committed, we shouldn't bother controlling one way crime is definitely committed. We can't control the impact criminals have on our society, but we CAN control the impact guns have in the crimes committed by criminals. And if we can, why shouldn't we? Using the same logic, then we could say: Absolutely no one is saying that banning firearms will eliminate crime, just that it will greatly alleviate a way in which crime is committed. Further more we could go on to say that just like the vibram soles to replace felt, we have other means to replace firearms (we could use knives, spears, or bows). All are deadly and have at one time been used as protection and hunting devices and should sufficiently do the job; they just might not work as well as firearms and may require a little bit more careful use). To me, the argument because we know something is bad, we should get rid of it, doesn't make sense. --Matt Tucker

I spent Friday / Saturday with my 8yo daughter on Dry Run Creek off of the Norfork River and the Diddymo is definitely present on this little kid's only hatchery outlet, as well as in the river below. Not one place did I see a single sign about angler education on the topic. Perhaps rather than rushing to ban felt, states should first look to educate the anglers. Sure, I got home and gave both sets of wading boots a bleach bath and they are laid out in the garage to dry, before we head back down there again); but what about the 8 other cars that I saw down there....it has to start with angler education. I truly do hope that this is what the MDC meetings are about. I may be outnumbered on the topic, but I don't really agree with the "ban felt soles" logic. What is going to stop the algae from adhering to all the nooks and crannies that are in our wading shoes, or our waders around our gravel guards, or our nets; or even our watercraft (whether is be a drift boat, jon boat, canoe, or kayak). Lets also not forget about all the incidental transfer from wildlife. The issue isn’t as simple as banning felt bottoms and the problem goes away. The issue is angler education (how to avoid incidental transfer on all the other items us fisherman take to the water with us) and most importantly how to rid a system of didymo once it is present. Remember the zebra mussel issue..... I won't attend any of the MDC meetings, because they just aren't convenient to me (much like another poster above). If the meetings are more educational in nature, than I would think the MDC would want to contact the various fly-fishing and smallmouth alliance clubs through-out the state in an effort to do going workshops on the topic. All that being said, I did just order a pair of Korker Redside boots, my old simm's L2 have finally bit the dust. I went with the kling-on rubber and kling-on rubber w/ studs....but i did order the studded felt, just in case. --Matt Tucker

Small rod isn't necessary on this creek (lots of back casting room in the section I have seen / fished), the longer reach of a 9ft rod actually will help you with line control. Watch shadows, use long leaders, and get after it. --Matt Tucker

November 19 and 20th I found myself on the North Fork of the White River with a couple of fishing buddies (Brian Wise; head guide at River of Life Farm and Evan Muskopff of Feather-Craft), in an attempt to get some relaxation in before the thanksgiving holiday. After a late night around a campfire, we hit the sack around 1:00am or so, to rise at 5:30am for breakfast at a Gainesville, Missouri staple: Skeeter's Cafe. We had sunny and clear conditions, albeit cold, but much of the day was spent in weather like this: We caught plenty yearlings like this on stonefly / dropper rigs I even managed to hook up with a couple that were a little bigger, and fight harder than an arkansas tailwater rainbow by a longshot. After a long day on the river, we enjoyed the evening at another Gainesville, Missouri staple...."The Antler Bar" which now has Blue Moon on tap. It was another late night, but we got to catch up with Kyle Kosovich and Randy Hanner, who were going to float with us on Saturday. Needless to say it was another late night, ending around a fire in Brian's backyard. We launched the drift boat the next morning with heavy cloud cover and fog. Much of the day looked like this, with more wind than Friday. Evan managed to coax a nice rainbow to chase about 15ft on a Sex Dungeon and was rewarded with this nice rainbow. After which, he quickly assumed the conqueror position: We did manage a couple of Brown trout on the trip as well, including this one caught by Evan on a stone/dropper rig. I managed to hook-up with a nice brown at the end of the trip and was rewarded with my biggest brown to date out of the NFOW. We ran out of beer at that point, so we finished the float out in a hurry, but Evan was rewarded with one more fish on a pattern that was submitted to Feather-Craft's Fly Tying Contest site; the pattern did quite well actually. It was a great trip, as usual, anytime I fish with Brian or Evan. For those that have never fished the North Fork of the White River, you might do yourself a favor and check it out if you are ever on the White River tailwaters (White River or Norfork) and generation has got you down. From the dam, we were an easy hour drive and didn't have to worry about generation schedules all day. There is a longer write-up and more photos from the trip on my blog as well; by clicking here. --Matt Tucker

I am wanting to drop my drift boat in at Hwy 8 and float to Scotts Ford. I had heard that some hunters had been cutting out some of the log jams to run their jet boats up during deer season. I am curious if anyone has floated this section recently and if it is blocked off by any jams. Thanks in advance for the comments. --Matt Tucker

Paola Cat: It was nice running into you on the stream yesterday. We found the "Dairy Farm" access later that day (it is off of Swinging Bridge Road and is the lower Wire Road Access). Was surprised at the number of people fishing yesterday in the upper section and at the City Park. Did run in to "Ray from Crane" that afternoon and he showed us alot of the lower section of river. Didn't shoot a ton of photos, but did snap a couple that will be posted to my site later today. I do have the GPS coordinates for you now though, so if you shoot me an email I can email them to you. --matt tucker

Wow. Didn't think that many people paid attention to the blog.... Opinions are like buttholes....everyone has one. Me liking Hickory Creek is kind of like loving your ugly kid. It is your kid, so you have to love it. As a stream that is about 4 hours or so from St. Louis, I just didn't see the appeal and didn't really feel like saying...."oh it was a pretty little trout stream with likely fish habitat". Think of the gas money i saved a few people. I reminded me of a couple of Lake Michigan tributaries in Wisconsin in terms of size and trash. Would you guys have rather I put that? To be rather blunt, I am starting to feel that way too about Lake Taneycomo; the crowds are ridiculous (even at night now) and compared to just 5 years ago it has the feel of a big trout park (at least near the dam). Every trout stream in the state though serves a purpose. As far as putting much weight in my critique of any stream, yeah...I don't know that i would do that either. As graybeard quite elegantly put....consider the source (just a guy with a site that has really only spent about 3hrs there over two years.....but i do know what else is out there having spent time on all of them except for StoneMill). Those are just words, if you really want to get out and form your own opinion on the stream I sure encourage you guys to do that. I am pretty certain that if you drive over an hour to get there (Hickory Creek) you will be sadly disappointed considering that Crane and Capps are within and easy drive and offer a lot more in terms of fish and scenery. Unless of course the hatchery truck just pulled in and dumped a bunch of dinks there and that is your thing, then you may have a blast. Just get out and fish. All in all, it wasn't my intent on offending anyone, just recanting my first and second impression with one of the twenty trout streams i saw over 4 days. That is all. --Matt Tucker

Westover Farms is definitely still in operation as of about a week ago at least. --Matt Tucker

The North Fork of the White gets my vote.....if you are excluding tailwaters in Arkansas. I haven't caught any pigs there.....but i know they are there.