Rolan Duffield

Nice article Chuck. Enjoyed reading it. Have you seen any large trout lately in the Lookout area? I'm the fisherman who has the Ranger Cherokee. Rolan

I learned to tie flies back in the late 50's. Still have a box of the original patterns. Our favorites were generally woolies, yarn nymphs, maribou tied on standard fly hooks and some drys. We did use a variety of nymph patterns. Back in those days no one used floats, we learned to watch the belly in the line to detect a strike when using nymphs. My first fly rod was a bamboo rod. A few years later we had the fiberglass rods equipped with chrome snake guides. I often had to replace the guides twice a year as they abraded easily and would ruin a fly line The above comments are interesting and show how Trout fishing has evolved over the years.

Want to get rid of them, then try this. find a small gas engine. (An old mower works great for this). Attach a flexible metal hose to the exhaust, replacing the muffler. (Use an old natural gas line for this such as used to hook up a gas drier or range. Find a recent tunnel where they are working. Stick the end of the tube into the hole made by those varmits and pack some dirt around the tube at the entrance to blow the gas fumes into the burrow. Start the engine and let it run for about an hour. You may want to try more than one location to insure you get the gas fumes (carbon dioxide) throughout the tunnels. WARNING: Don't touch that tube when the engine is running and keep kids and pets away. That tube will be very hot and burn you quickly.

I'm envious. Great catch Phil. Rolan

I'm just 81 and glad to say I can still enjoy my fly fishing and golf. Don't have the energy for long outings though I'm walking and exercising daily and im still upright. That's a must do if you want to stay active. I believe your a lot happier and healthier when your doing something you really enjoy. Sometimes our bodies tell us we're not able to do as much as we used to though we can still enjoy life, friendships and our sports. Rolan

I had the privledge of fishing with Vince several times. He was an excellent fisherman and a very congenial and friendly person to be with. He was a master at sensing a strike when fishing for crappie or white bass with the spinning rod as well as Trout fishing with the fly rod. In August, Phil and I took Vince fly fishing up in the Trophy area. Phil had warned me that Vince probably wouldn't want to fish more than an hour or so because he tired very easily. He still had the golden touch to see strikes and catch fish. After about 3 and 1/2 hours of fishing Phil finally asked him if he was ready to go back. He obviously was having a great time and we were enjoying his company. I will always remember the good experiences with this gentleman and really great fisherman. -- Rolan

And a very Happy Birthday to a great friend, Mr. Phil.

Phil: This is an excellent report about current Lake conditions. It will take some time to learn about the changes. If your going above Lilleys Landing, be very careful as there are many new obstructions and changes as Phil has reported. Trees in the lake and even a log just under the surface on the North side about half way to the curve above Lilleys dock. I Hit it unexpeditly. The area above Fall Creek is totally changed and there are some very shallow sections that may require raising the prop to go through.

I'm enclosing a report that was written to me by my son and was included in this site last year. He describes Ethanol very clearly. I still don't like it though thats what we are facing now and it probably will be with us for many years. Posted 09 February 2010 - 07:42 PM A couple of years ago I was having problems with my 115 Yamaha ideling roughly and hesitating when power was applied. I took it to Sports Boats. The electrical system and cylinders checked O.K. though they did find a lot of orange sediment in both carburetors. I had them clean the system and install a 10 micron water separiting filter on the gas line to prevent the residue from getting into the carbureters. So far this has prevented any recurrence of those problems though I'm always concerned with using Ethanol in my boat and the unknown effects it causes.It's not unusual for four to six months to lapse between use of the boat. I have discussed this Ethanol issue with my son several times. (He is actively involved as a training specialist in automotive diagnostics.) I sent him the above report a couple of weeks ago and just received his reply. He adds some new information to the issue which was very interresting to me. Perhaps this opens up another can of worms though any input we receive may help prevent problems. It's a long report. Dad, Sorry for late reply regarding the ethanol content in the boat. I read the article that was posted on OzarkAnglers.com and I have a few comments on it. For the most part, the statements about ethanol's attraction to moisture and corrosive nature are correct. It is a solvent, possibly dislodging dirt in the fuel system, causing problems. It can attack older rubber lines and seals, causing fuel leaks. Most of the statements about phase separation and water absorption are worst case problems, but would most likely not be an issue during normal operation of boats, unless stored for an excessively long period of time. Most seals, hoses and the plastics used in tanks for the last 20 years or more should be compatible with such a low percentage of ethanol. Best recommendation is to make sure that the fuel stays fresh. When you are done using the boat, try to store it with a low fuel level (not 7/8 full) or empty. Therefore, next time the boat is used the tank will be full of fresh fuel and there is no need to be concerned about these fuel moisture problems. The small amount of fuel that was still remaining in the tank will be diluted so much with the fresh fuel that it should not cause any problems. I still think that fuel stabilizers are a bad idea. If your fuel is fresh, why do you need to stabilize it? Plus, aftermarket fuel additives seem to cause varnish (typically a reddish color) in the fuel system, causing flow restictions and float problems. Stick with good quality fuel (Chevron, Quicktrip, Texaco), they have detergents in them to combat the inherently dirty burning characteristics of unleaded gasoline. Avoid the Costco and Sams Club, discount type fuels. They are cheaper for a reason. They do not have any of the detergents that prevent the formation of carbon build-up in the combustion chambers and fuel systems. These higher quality fuels with detergents will also prevent the build-up of varnish on fuel pumps and fuel level senders. Statement #4 needs some correction. Ethanol does not burn faster, hotter, and make approximately 18% less power than gasoline. Ethanol burns slower and more completely over the length of the power stroke. Ethanol burns cooler than gasoline. It also burns much cleaner than gasoline, reducing emissions output. The statement that E10 fuel makes 18% less power is not accurate. Ethanol will make more power than gasoline because it has a higher octane rating, burns slower and more completely, and cooler. It has better anti-knock properties because of the higher octane. I can only guess that the statement was trying to say that E10 fuel is 18% less efficient (mpg) than gasoline. And yes, the energy content (BTU's) of ethanol (76,000 BTU's) is less than gasoline (116,000 BTU's), and the stichometric mixture is richer because of that. It takes about 1.5 gallons of 100% ethanol to equal the energy of one gallon of gasoline. So, the engine will need to burn a larger quantity of ethanol than straight gasoline to maintain the perfect burn rate. However, with 10% ethanol mixed into the unleaded, this should only effect economy 5-10%. In a modern car there is an oxygen sensor that measure the content of oxygen in the exhaust gases to determine if the air/fuel ratio is correct. The less oxygen there is, the richer the mixture. The more oxygen there is, the leaner the mixture. So, if a modern car switches from straight unleaded gasoline to an E10 fuel, the oxygen sensor will pick on a leaner mixture (5-10%), and then the Engine Control Module (ECM) will increase the duty cycle (open time) of the fuel injectors to provide more fuel for the next cycle. So, we have increased the volume of fuel used, but maintained the air/fuel ratios at the proper mixture. This engine will run properly without damage, while meeting all emissions standards. Now, most boats use a carburetor. A carburetor uses a metered restriction (jet) to tune the air/fuel ratio. The size of this jet was probably determined using straight unleaded gasoline, without any ethanol. Since a carbureted engine does not use a oxygen sensor, the carburetor does not receive any feedback about the accuracy of the air/fuel mixture. Therefore, the typical boat engine will run lean when using an E10 fuel. This can be easily corrected by increasing the jet size in the carb to compensate for the difference in the fuel energy level. I am sure that there is a growing number of marine engines that use fuel injection. However, I would be surprised if they had an oxygen sensor. The ECM just would then use a base calculation of rpm and throttle position (maybe manifold pressure to measure load) to calculate the duty cycle of the fuel injector, but would never know how accurate the mixture was. Until the government tightens the emissions standards on the marine industry, the monitoring of air/fuel ratios will just add more cost to the engines. One concern that is not discussed in the article is ethanol's corrosive nature to aluminum. Modern boat engines are made from aluminum, as are their carburetor's. In time, even the small percentage of ethanol in E10 could destroy a carburetor, eating it from the inside out. Special nickel coatings are used on aluminum parts in automotive fuel system that will come in contact with the ethanol, but I can not comment on what boat manufactures do to combat this issue. This should be main concern of E10 fuels in boats. There are not (fortunatly) any additives that can be added to reduce this characteristic. Ideally, one should close off the fuel line and run the engine out of gas before storing the boat. Or, drain the fuel from the bottom of the float bowls in the carb. Ethanol is the way of the future. It's a renewable resource. It burns much cleaner, reducing emission output and the necessity of some emission control devices needed when burning gasoline. If an engine is built with a higher compression ratio to take advantage of the anti-knock properties, efficiency can get close to that of gasoline. In time, there will be more effective ways to produce ethanol as an energy source. It does not need to come from corn. Since the availability of crude oil is limited, we need to have another source of fuel for the future. Ethanol is more expensive to buy and use than unleaded, but it is better than depleting the oil reserves and polluting the environment even more. Hope this helps.

I've used the Pfluger Medalist #1495 for many years. They're a very good reel for the price, though may be hard to find today. Cabelas may still have them. Should sell for about $35.00

Phil and Bill: Sounds like another wonderful Trip to Alaska. I'm envious as i'm remembering our great trips there several years ago.I hope you will tempt us with many pictures of your adventures there. Is this a trip to another section of uncharted waters? Be safe and wishing you a very successful trip. Rolan

It appears that the Thompson Pro vise is the same as i'm using. Here's a couple of sources. Tackle-craft.com 41.28 flyfishingflyshop.com 44.95

Look for a Thompson Model A vise. I've been using one for over 50 years and its still good. Should be in the range of $35.00

I saw that too. Thought Phil was looking for squirrels.

Phil: this is a great article and pictures describing the current conditions at Taney and informing us about the changes. Thanks for posting this. Rolan

I saw an ad in the newspaper recently that offered 3 feathers for $18.00 I'll gladly sell several thousand feathers for half that price.

Cory: You can catch Trout in Taney with the water running on either the fly rod or a spinning rod. The important part is to keep the lure on the bottom with the high waters we are experiencing. My preference is always the fly rod. There are many articles and contributors to this site that will give you good advice. As far as who is a good guide. Any of the guides registered at Lilleys are good. The one I personally know is Bill Babler. He's a very good fisherman and i'm sure he will be glad to teach you how to fish the lake.

If you cast the lure slightly downstream in heavy current, it will go to the bottom quickly. This technique doesn't require a lot of weight to get it down. Note: You're fishing a tight line (no float) watching the bow in the line for a strike. If you balance the weight correctly to the speed of the current, the lure should remain slightly downstream and travel somewhat near the speed of the boat, keeping the lure below the weight and the leader. I agree that short casts are more effective than long casts as the line isn't as affected by drag of the current and it's easier to detect a strike. Rolan

Bill was featured in a very nice article fishing Table Rock in the Kansas City Star -- Sunday May 29,2011. Bill I'm sending you a copy Rolan

One thing I forgot to mention is that you need to cut the fir, etc. into pieces no longer than 1/2" before starting to blend it. Rolan

Get an old blender such as used in the kitchen for making milkshakes. Put a very small amount of the fur, etc. you want to blend in the blender. Select the fastest speed and turn on the blender for 3 or 4 seconds. Continue doing this in small amounts with the rest of the material to be blended. Now take the complete mix and pull it apart with your fingers to mix it in this way. Repeat the above steps 4 or 5 times until your satisfied with the eveness of the blending for the entire batch. The secret to this is to blend using small amounts and using a fast speed with the blender. It only takes a few seconds to achieve good blending this way. If you try to use large amounts, you will not achieve good results. Rolan

These type problems have been around for many, many years. Back in the old days when fishing Bennett you could generally find good water to fish any day. Even so, some people just want to horn in if you're catching fish. Some of the old timers had a solution for that. They carried a weighted wooley with the curve of the hook sharpened to a sharp edge. Whenever someone tried to invade them they just tied on this wooley and proceeded to cut the line of the intruder when they made a cast in the spot they were fishing. The invaders soon learned to keep their distance.

I agree with BredMan that Phil at Lilleys landing has some very nice rods in 6' and 6.5' lengths at a fair price. Check with him.

I have a light box I made many years ago. Build a box that is about 6" deep and install 4 18" fluorescent lamps. Then about 3" over the lamps install a sheet of "opal" glass. The opal glass will diffuse the light and even out the distrubtion of light. Problem is that I don't know where you can get opal glass anymore. Might try a glass supplier.

I'm adding a monkey wrench to this conversation. My favorite fly rod for most situations is an 8.5 foot medium action rod for most Trout fishing in Taneycomo. However, I believe the primary need is to know the type of rod action or simply how stiff is the tip action. Are you using a fast tip where there is very little bend to the rod. Is it a medium action rod where the upper 1/3 of the rod bends or is it a soft tip where the rod bends about 1/2 the length of the rod. With a fast tip action of 6 weight or heavier fly rod the rod should handle large flies easily though would likely cause you to break off easily if using light tippets because of the stiffness. Some of this could be overcome by using a heavier fly line though that might make casting more difficult. A medium action rod in a 5 or 6 weight rod is a good all round choice because the slightly slower tip takes up most of the shock of setting the hook. This type rod is well suited to somewhat larger flies as well as with the light leaders and the small midges and scuds used in Taney. Phil always teases me when i'm complaining about breaking off 7x tippet to say "you haven't see Rolan set a hook". Referring that I'm not normally gentle with that. The soft tip rods are good for very small flies and leaders though I believe this type rod is too slow for good trout fishing where a fast response in setting the hook is necessary most of the time. Rod length is primarily a choice for how far you think you need to cast and how big the flies are. For most applications in Taney wou shouldn't need to cast more than 25 to 40 feet. It's harder to set a hook effictively when making long casts. Make certain you consider tip action when selecting your fly rod.