Flysmallie

Thanks! Waders we were all over the place with. Jeff works at Bass Pro so he went with one of their waders with a zipper. They seem nice. Aaron went with Simms Freestones with a zipper. He's happy with those. I almost went with Simms. Last two pairs have been Simms. But my last pair of Freestones sucked. I think they were made wrong. But I'm a big guy with meaty legs. After calling guys that see a lot of different waders I decided on Grunden Vectors. Nicest pair of waders I have ever had. And that includes the Simms G3s I had in the past. Very comfortable. Even have knee pads. I didn't get the zipper version but I'm very happy with these waders. On boots we all went with Korkers, just different styles. One with Greenbacks (laces), one with Darkhorse (BOA), and I went with River Ops (laces). I would say that I had the hardest time on deciding on boots. Two of us had Simms Freestones previously. Both pairs came apart. It was really weird, but I would stay away from those. One day my boots were in great shape and in one short trip they both came apart. But I had 4 different pairs of boots at my house at one time. I searched for places to try them all but that place doesn't exist so I bought the two I wanted to try in a couple of different sizes. I liked the Darkhorse but it's only available in the BOA system and that works great, but I have a bad ankle and I just couldn't get them adjusted correctly. The River Ops are amazing boots, but they are pricey. We covered 3.5 miles yesterday and they were very comfortable.

We have some big things lined up for 2026 that has required us to upgrade our gear. The three of us had recently bought new waders and boots and were anxious to get on the water and see how things performed. We also have added a bunch of new flies to our arsenal and wanted to see how they did as well. But as usual, all of that was just an excuse to get together and fish. The getting together was great. The fishing? Not so much. We started at Barclay and covered a bunch of water. Then we went to the Gravel Bar to see how our waders and boots performd in a restaurant. And then we spent a couple hours in the park. Not a bunch of fish, but it was a bunch of fun.

Sorry to hear that Pepe. I’m not the guy to make that purchase but I do wish you well.

That's the best idea yet.

I think it’s personal preference and what you plan on casting with it. . I have an 8 that I fish a lot. And I mean A LOT. I love that freaking rod. But I’m also currently in the market for a 6 wt streamer rod. But I’m not fishing big water or big flies.

😆 Just tell them you are in a death metal band and like to have it on stage with you. Please video their response.

Beautiful fish.

Or just start with that. Spent some time in Mexico chasing those green fish, during which I fell in love with flour tortillas. They come with everything down there.

I pulled my small electronics off mine a couple of years ago just so I wouldn’t be associated with that crowd. This year I have just about quit using it all together and part of that is so I’m not part of that group.

They are good but very fragile. Nice to see them coming back.

3X please

You dorks know I was just joking right? That meat was already over half way to pulling temp before it ever hit the grill! You live a great life Marty.

Not at all. Good conversation. My fishing skills were honed standing on the trolling motor of a bass boat firing off casts with a half ounce spinner bait. That’s my patience level. Mostly self taught fly fisherman, though I have learned a ton by fishing with real fly fisherman. My soft hackle swing is going to be really small. I’m going to put it where I think a fish is. I have no patience for a big cast, long drift, on flat water. Hit the head, hit the tail, hit the seams, move on.

So much for letting meat age I guess. Great job Marty!!

Then I must not do it right because there is no patience needed. I don’t swing in big open water unless it’s a tailwater. And I rarely fish those.

This is another version that I posted in the Photos section last week. Same size but tied with pheasant instead of partridge.

I fish them mostly with a traditional down and across swing. But I have caught a bunch of fish dead drifting them. Especially at Roaring River. Those fish seem to love them like that. Not sure on the tails. Guess I never really paid attention. I seem to catch them on both but I will admit that most of my soft hackles do not have tails. I don’t consider the Monkey Faced Louise a soft hackle. Yes it’s basically just a large version but I will fish it more like a wooly bugger.

And that is why it made the list. I love soft hackles and this reminded me of one.

You answered that better than I would have.

If I was still at home I could show you. Basically a black background and a bunch of light. And that light cannot spill over on the background. There is a an Ott light over the top of the fly. It’s within 3 or 4 inches of the fly. That light is a tiny bit behind the fly and is tilted forward. Making sure that none of that light is on the background. Directly to the right of the fly is an LED panel that floods the fly. Barn doors adjusted to keep light off the background. It’s all in the lighting. Once you have the lighting right you can remove the background if the room is large enough and no other lights are visible behind it.

I saw pics of ones like that. There doesn’t seem to be much consistency.

Thanks Marty. That’s a size 8.

Monkey Faced Louise is the original name for a popular fly now widely known as the Carey Special The fly pattern was developed in the early 1920s by Dr. Lloyd A. Day and Colonel (Tom) Carey in British Columbia, Canada. The original name, "Monkey Faced Louise", has an unknown origin, although one rumor suggests it was named for the creator's girlfriend. The fly was later renamed the Carey Special in honor of Colonel Carey, who popularized its use among local anglers. I ran across this fly a few years ago and saved it in my list of flies to tie someday. And then, like most of the flies on that list, I totally forgot about it. Recently while trying to decide on a list of flies for an upcoming adventure I ran across it again. This time I put it on the list of flies to take on this trip. It's a long ways off but I've been having a fun time playing with this one and it will see some Missouri action soon. The patterns listed for both patterns varies wildly. This is what I came up with.

Both of you are fishing royalty. Pat too. We know she’s calling all the shots anyway.