roundtrout

Great summary and don't worry about being new to the forums!

John, After reading Phil's recommendation, I tried them. I bought two pair that are also No Line Progressives. I'm happy with them but it appears that the only way they polarize them is with the external lenses (clip ons?). As I wanted sunglasses specifically, I was hoping that they would come polarized without using clip ons. I'm still happy with them and I even bought my daughter a pair after finding that out. Their prices are great and there's a good selection. You need to have all your prescription information, including the interocular(?) distance, the distance between your pupils. I would agree with Phil, its a great find. Bob

Larry, I know the gas prices are affecting my plans. I was hoping to get out for a couple of quick weekend trips this spring, maybe even some out and back the same day. I'm having a hard time justifying those trips these days. Hopefully, I'll be able to put together a couple of multi-day trips this summer. Bob

Redbird, I've only been to Hickory once, last year. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the parks. The action was slower, but I really enjoyed it and am looking to go back soon. If you've got a couple of days, Capps and Crane aren't too far to combine a trip. I think its worth the trip, but the recent flooding may have made it unfishable for a while. There was a clean-up effort after last year's flooding and it may need it again. You may want to start from the park and work your way downstream. That's my plan, anyway, the next time I get the chance to run down there. I've been wanting to work my way down to the Spring River confluence. Good luck and post a report if you go any time soon! Bob

Ollie, I hope everyone's alright down there. Looks like the stream may need another big clean-up effort this year!

Ditto to Britts and a photo would be nice too!

Look forward to the report Tony!

Ranger, Always great to get new people. You might want to get into the forums and post your question in the Bass Forum. There's already a Tournaments topic, so it would fit right in! Bob

Mark, Glad to hear you got down to Crane. I've only been once and also was skunked. Sounds like some of us KC guys need to get organized and share some travel costs. That is, if work allows me the time to go. I only got out twice last year, once to BSSP and once to Hickory/Capps/Taney.

I bought one of these about a year ago. Haven't had it out on the stream yet, but I'm itching to! http://www.adventure1trucktent.com/

What are the dimensions on these things and about how much do they cost to build?

I have subcontractors in South America and customers in the middle east that I use to stay in touch with on Skype. Amazed at the clarity of the calls! I can hear the folks on the other end rustling papers at their desk while we're talking. Haven't used the video feed either, though.

David I've had that one for a while and like it too! I keep waiting for the updated version of "Fishing the Missouri Trout Parks" to come out. Its been out of print and being updated for some time. No confidence in the update for the expected re-release date. I also try to get the trout stream maps from the MDC every year. They are a great source of information. Bob

Ditto, Al! I'm reading Nick Lyons' Confessions of a Fly Fishing Addict and its much more entertaining.

Its not so much about fishing in the Cowboy days, although that is part of it, but a treatise on the history and tradition of western fly fishing, specifically, Montana fly fishing. As you'd probably expect, the stonefly is a large part of it. The perspective is that western fly fishing is perceived as having no history by the current practitioners whereas eastern fly fishing has a definite tradition. The author claims that is not accurate, that there is actually a long tradition of western fly fishing and significant contributions. It reads more like a textbook than anything else, I think that it is intended to be used as such.

I just finished reading Cowboy Trout by Paul Schullery and was wondering what you all thought about it. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to do much fishing this summer, so I've been living vicariously through literature. "Cowboy Trout" almost seems like an attempt at a specialized history book to me. I'm glad I read it, but its not the stuff of Traver, Lyons, Gierach, etc. Has it been used in any history courses you know? It claims to be a history of western fly fishing, but is really more of a history of Montana fly fishing. I was disappointed it didn't discuss other areas in the west such as Colorado (though maybe too much has been written about that) or southern Missouri/northern Arkansas (then again, maybe I wouldn't appreciate new found popularity on these streams). What do you think?

Oops! Sorry about the duplication.

Thought some pictures of last Thursday, 16 March 2006, might be of interest. The weather was near perfect and fishing was better!

Where are they playing and is it televised?

KR, The minijigs are really small jigs in a variety of weights. I wasn't familiar with them either until a professed "lunker hunter" gave me a white one and told me to fish it as close to the bottom as possible. Right off the vegetation. I think beadheads are just about the same thing as the minijigs, except you don't have to thread the bead on the hook or tie a couple of wraps to keep it up near the eye. They come in a wide variety and can be found in the fly selection at the lodge where you buy your tag at Bennett. I think Weavers also carries them, in fact, I'm sure they do because that's where I usually get my "undressed" jigs. I think the white thread minijig is a fair representation of a beadhead scud. The weight on the jig gets it down pretty quickly and with an indicator you can fish it just about anywhere you want in the water column. You'll spot the "John Deere" the first time you see it due to the coloration, green with a yellow eye. Another common patter is a bit of white, pink or green marabou tied in just past the weight. I've seen beadheads at other locations, but the minijigs are most common at Bennett and Roaring River. I've not been to the other parks so I can't really say. I've had luck with them outside the parks too, on the Niangua and at Taneycomo in particular. As I indicated, I like them for all the patterns I would use a beadhead because I end up dropping beads on the floor and making a mess. I don't have one of those bead tweezers so, I end up doing it the old fashioned way. Give them a try and lets hear about it! Bob

Bob A, Thanks for your comments too! They are right on target. I've avoided opening day at Bennett and have learned to deal with the crowds during the rest of the season. On a stream that short and pretty, its always going to be difficult finding a stretch to yourself. About the only time I've ever experienced it at Bennett was during the end of a thunderstorm that passed over. Most everyone left when it started and I was just getting there. I rode it out and pretty soon had Zone 1 all to myself for about an hour or more. The sun came back out and so did the crowds. Even when there are a bunch of folks there, most are really helpful. I think Bennett trains fisherfolk to deal with crowds without losing sight of the reason we're all there. That's a good thing. I also think you're right about the regular folks fishing Bennett. Most are "salt of the earth" folks. I too hope that our Ozarks streams don't become more popular. That's probably politically incorrect for the guides, fly shops and resorts, but its my hope. Numbers will likely increase with the regional population increase and that's more than enough. At any rate, I'll keep going to Bennett for the fishing, the peacefulness of the park and the comaraderie! With any luck, good manners will rub off.

I've always liked topwater, cork popping bugs. Bumble Bee (yellow and black) with a black maribou tail or red and white with a red tail. Guess those are kind of classic, or should I say boring? But I still like them and they produce. That purple bug is great looking and I may have to tie up something like it myself. Is it hard to get down without the lead? Does it tend to stick in the surface tension?

With all the discussion in the Taneycomo forum on manners and in particular, shuffling, I got a belly-chuckle from the picture posted on Weaver's Fishing Report for Opening Day at Bennett, see http://www.missouritrout.com/weavers/report.html. Anyone who's fished Bennett, especially on a summer weekend, should very much appreciate the relative solitude found on Taneycomo (even on a busy day). Good manners are one of the few discriminators between us and apes and IMHO, becoming more rare every day. Crowds like Bennett regularly get drive that point home to me and, I hope, most anglers. I've experienced just about every kind of rude behaviour there as well as some of the most kind and helpful response from complete strangers. I do prefer solitude, but I've also found that I'm able to find something akin to it even in the crowds at Bennett. It also challenges me to show and improve my own manners. Just thought some of you might like a little different perspective on stream-side behaviour.

My son and I fished Barclay before opening day with similar results, though only one brown. Water was down, but not "super low". Good for us as we were on foot. Absolutely zero canoe traffic and a bit chilly, but a nice way to start the new year!