boynabubble

You may have been short on luck because the midge was to high up in the water column. You said you caught most of your fish in very shallow water? The thing with midges is although they are an important fish food,they are tiny little insects that are pretty inconspicuous, there are lots of them, and a fish usually won't go out of it's way to hit one. So you need to get the midge as close to the fish as possible. One technique that I have had a lot of luck with on all sorts of streams is fishing a midge as a dropper behind a beadhead attractor nynph such as a #16-18 copper john. You may not get a strike on the nymph, but being more noticeable, it peaks the fish's curiosity and when it comes in for a closer look it often hits the midge. This is also a good way to get the midge on or right above the bottom. You can use a strike indicator, but the weight of the nymph helps in detecting strikes. Give this a try sometime. Hope this helps. Cody

Flyfshn, Somerset is at Lake Cumberland's headwaters, trout fishing starts on the river below the dam (Wolf Creek Dam) and continues to about Burkesville. From Somerset to Burkesville it's about 60 miles. The good news is it's a large river known for very large browns and is fairly easy to fish with both nymphs and streamers. The bad news is two part: First there is a sketchy generation schedule which varies from no out-put and stillwater to a complete wash-out, making wading haphazard. The second part and by far the worst is the state of Wolf Creek Dam. The dam is on the verge of a blowout and the lake levels have been dropped some 30 feet, resulting in warmer water entering the tailwater. Trout die-offs were expected for this summer but I haven't heard any recent reports and when I was last there in June, I didn't notice any change in the fishing. I was told by a biologist from KY F&W to look for springs and creeks coming into the river which will hold fish if the main river gets too warm. It would be worth a trip if you're in the area and have access to a boat, but I would do a search for recent reports on the status of this fishery before planning a big trip. If fishing free flowing streams is you're thing, then you are just West of the Daniel Boone Natl. Forest which holds a few streams with wild populations of browns and brooks, and stocked rainbows. There are several near London, KY but I'm not sure of the locations or names. Don't forget that KY has some of the best Smallie fishing in the South.... Either way it will be a good excuse to go visit your father-in-law. Just kidding. You can use this link for more info. http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/boone/recreation/fishing.shtml Hope this helps. -Cody Dano, Hit me up for Black Hills info anytime you need it. I spent almost everyday on one stream or another when I was out there and have no objections to sharing the knowledge I acquired with a fellow angler. Regards, Cody

Hey guys, I've been on the forum for just a few days but I have to admit that I already love it. Everyone on this site is very helpful and not at all ashamed to answer questions no matter how obvious the answer, unlike some more well known fly fishing forums, but I'm not naming names. I also really appreciate the clean atmosphere of this site. It's refreshing to be on a forum with standards that very few members object. I also think that it's genius to have a Prayer Request forum as well. Anyone who has spent enough time casting a line and has felt the peace and solitude of fishing knows that God plays an important role in it all. All right just a little about me: Originally from Illinois farmland, in my last year at Murray State University, KY with a bachelor's in Fisheries Management, with an emphasis on Stream Management. Always loved to fish but picked up a fly rod 2 years ago and haven't put it down since. I've spent 2 years in the Black Hills of SD, where I cut my trout fishing teeth. I've also been lucky enough to fish the Bighorn River in Montana and the smaller trout streams of SE Minnesota, along with the Cumberland River in KY. I haven't spent much time fishing in the Ozarks, but I plan on fishing the area a lot more this fall. I guess I may be a little bias, but I try to promote the Black Hills trout streams wherever I go. If you plan on making a trip out west to fish the big name rivers, don't pass up the Black Hills. The water is smaller, but the trout are just as big. Wild brookies, browns and rainbows. I've never had an "off" day and on my best 2 day trip I caught 80 fish with, alot of 15" browns and a couple of 20" rainbows thrown into the mix. Plus chances are good that you'll have the entire stream to yourself. If anyone is interested, I'd be happy to share productive patterns, secret holes, and the name of a great guide. Anyway, love the site, and I look forward to sharing information and learning a lot from you guys. Tight loops and tighter lines, -Cody

These are feral goats, as mentioned earlier. Probably escapees from a farm or possibly someones pets. You can tell them apart from native sheep (which are only found in the West) by the un-spiraled horns and the flop-ears. I've heard there are feral pigs and wild horses in MO, so why not goats? -Cody

Great answers! These are all good tips, not just for NFOWR but any trout stream I would imagine. Thanks guys! Cody

If you could tell a NFOWR first timer only ONE thing to improve his success, what would it be? Assume the newbie is a fly fisherman, is fishing above Norfork Lake and has absolutely no prior knowledge of the the river. Should be an interesting question, I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions. Cody