Kyle

Greasy B, I too am a fan of bluegill fishing with my 3wt, but I have never caught a 15+ inch bluegill and sometimes the size is what I'm looking for. (hence my interest in Muskies and Hybrids) Kyle

siusaluki, Again, thanks for the information. I will probably moving there sometime in January, so maybe we could try something in the spring (unless your crazy enough to go out in the cold (like me), then maybe some time in Feb or March). Kyle

Siusaluki, Thanks for the info. Have you ever tried to catch some of those Musky below shelbyville on fly? Maybe we could get together in the spring sometime and you could show me a few places. I am eager to learn the new waters and especially tailwaters and streams. Also, are the access/trespasing laws the same in Illinois and they are in Missouri? Kyle

Hello All, Well to start I am taking a job at Campbell Cameras in southeastern Illinois. I am from the STL area and like having streams (especially trout) with in a couple of hours of home. After looking through the Illinois DNR it seems there are no cold water streams in the state. All that being said: I am a fly-fisherman and I am now looking for other options satisfy my cravings that will be closer to my new home. Cold Water 1. Is there good trout fishing in Indiana? I have found some streams there, but have not found a lot of information on the fishing. 2. I know there is good to excellent trout fishing in Kentucky (Cumberland River). What are the western most trout streams that would be good for fishing? (I'm ok with small streams. I am a big fan of Blue Spring Creek and the Little Piney in MO) Warm Water I am also interested in catching hybrids or musky on the fly. 1. Is there good hybrid fishing behind any of the lakes in Illinois or Kentucky or Indiana? (Rend, Shelbyville, Carlisle, Kentucky Lake, Patoka Lake, Broad Pond (looks like a power plant cooling lake)) 2. Is there any good musky fishing in southern Illinois? 3. Are the lakes clean (like Table Rock) or do they tend to be murky (like LOZ)? Thinking about sight fishing for carp. I am not all that into black bass. They just don't do it for me, but I am aware they are in every pond and lake basically everywhere. If you can answer any part of these questions I would greatly appreciate you knowledge. I love to fly-fish and want like to be able to continue without having to drive 6 hours to Missouri. Thanks for reading and Thanks for your help. Kyle

Nice work, I'm trying to get out this weekend. I have been too busy to scout lately. Kyle

Nortrad, I was the guy you talked to right after you caught the small bow in the picture just below Baptist. Turned out to be a beautiful weekend on the river and the bugs hatching were unreal. Kyle Here is a fish story for everybody: Fished below Baptist on Saturday. I was throwing streamers with my 8wt looking for the big browns, but to no avail. There were massive amounts of tricos coming off the water and some actively feeding fish in a pool. I knew I shouldn't do it, but I put on a 7x tippit and a small mayfly I had. About 2 casts later a fish hit it and I preceded to set the hook too hard (because there is very little give to an 8wt) and snapped the tippit. I wanted to be prepared to for this hatch again today so I went to Reeds Cabin and got some 24 black and white tricos. Fast forward to today. Same hole and fish feeding the same way. I have my 3 wt and put on the trico dry and target a fish that was feeding in exactly the same spot as the one the day before (because it was an easy presentation, not because I planned what happens next). The fish takes on the 2nd or 3rd cast. Once he tires I go to remove the hook and what do I see? My trico and the mayfly from yesterday! I remove both hooks, thank him and send him on his way. Crazy that I hooked the exact same fish in the exact same spot 2 days in a row. (P.S. pulled a 15 1/2 inch rainbow out of the same whole on the trico as well. Wish we had more dry fly action in Missouri. It is great.)

Well, wish I had something good to report, but that is not the case. I fished on my own a couple of mornings and had a barracuda give chase to a clouser minnow, but no hit. Went out with a guide one morning and it rained the whole time. I had never hired a guide before and maybe I was expecting too much, but I was not impressed. I thought guides were supposed to be flexible and have a bag of tricks in case plan A doesn't work. He just kept telling me we needed the rain to clear and sun to come out so we could see, because he knew the fish were there. (we never saw a bonefish all day) Plan B was to blind cast a 9 wt for baby tarpon. (i did manage to hook one in the mangroves, but there was no way to be able to play it.) BTW, I book early and talked to the guide several times about picking the best fishing day because I was flexible on the day. (the day before and after the trip were both sunny days with no rain, apparently we wanted sun) He said we should be fine because it would probably clear up. (shouldn't the guide check the weather forecast?) Anyway, the vacation was great, but the fishing was lacking. Thanks for listening. Kyle

Leaving tomorrow morning. Fishing with Arthur form Arawak Expeditions on Tuesday. They way it sounds the tarpon should be good around the islands right now. I will report back (with pictures) upon our return Friday or maybe over the weekend. I'm also taking the 8 wt and a bunch flies I tied (clousers, baitfish, shrimp, crabs) Kyle

No, they are saying 5or6x tippet CAN land big fish. Catching is a whole other story and there are many factors that go into it. I would say the best way to learn to catch big fish is to fish. Hiring a guide or going with someone who is experienced can also lead to a lot of helpful information.

Al, Do they give you any trouble about having large flies that contain large hooks? They freak out about pliers, wasn't sure about hooks. Kyle

Prove it. We can always use some more fish porn!! Kyle

Hey guys, looking for some advice. I am going to St. John in September and taking my 8wt TFO since we are staying right on the beach. Obviously we are flying. It is a 4 piece rod. Should I check it as luggage or use it as one of my carry on bags? Have never flown with one before and wanted to hear thoughts on the best way. Also, I'm booking a guide to fish for tarpon and bonefish for a day. I have never hired a guide before. If anyone has any general advice on guides please advise. Thanks Kyle

sure thing guys, thanks.

Planning to book the guide next week. If anyone has any input about booking guides, before I send payment please feel free to put in your .02. Kyle

What does not easy entail? Do we have to cary the canoe a mile down hill to the river? or is it just a long drive back there? Also, can you fish the greer spring branch? Are there trout up the branch? Thanks again Kyle