Flysmallie

I haven't tried it at Bennett but I have done very well at Roaring River dry fly fishing. My most productive pattern has been a griffiths gnat.

I think it will help just because a good flushing always seems to help. But I don't worry about it too much either, if I get a chance to fish I go, period. Nice waether is for sissies .

Watch out Amp, the Post Patrol is watching.

I have floated the James a bunch in a 169 tandem turned around. Also had it down the Gasconade and Current with no problems. I'm not moving the seat closer to the middle because I kind of like sitting further back. It's not hard to get the weight equaled out with some gear in the front (back) and I'm just a little over that 275 mark. I also have a buddy with a Guide 147 that paddles it solo a lot. He loves it.

Great report. Great pictures. That little creek looks like a wonderful spot. Glad the bugger worked out for you.

I'm thinking about adding some of this to the bottom of my Old Town. Hyrdo Turf A friend has it on his jet ski and it looks pretty tough. I'm not really looking to reduce noise just something to make the bottom a little less slippery. These fish have grown up their entire lives with boat and canoe noise. It's not like they have never seen one. I'm not saying to go down river beating your paddle all around or blasting off an air horn (one of these days I'm going to kill one of these bastages), but I wouldn't be overly concerned about it. Unless of course I'm in a aluminum canoe!! They should have to put a cow bell on those things so you can hear them coming....oh wait you can hear them coming...for about 3 miles. I did see a guy last year in a canoe with some horns on the front of his canoe. You know like the ones you would see on the front of a Caddy in Smokey and the Bandit. Always wanted to do that but I don't think I need horns on the front of my boat hanging on every tree that I pass.

I agree. We used to fish lake Springfield in bass boats and were always told that as long as you took the prop off the outboard we were legal. Of course that was about 20 years ago too.

Fishing begins at 8am and Steve's biscuits and gravy start around 7am. School's overrated anyway.

The James river has some nice spots in it. Especially after all of the high water we have had the past couple of years.

I have a 169 and paddle it a lot solo. It may be a big slow tank but it will carry a ton of stuff or 3 people just fine. It is a little on the heavy side. And yes you are going to want to replace those seats.

The Beatles suck. Why can't we talk about Devo. Now those guys are cool.

Looking good Eric.

I still don't buy the he would be better if they had an o-line theory, but I do wish he was gone. I wish he would have been gone a long time ago instead of everybody kissing his butt to stay. What happened to the days when he would hit the line with no visible hole to run through, then he was somehow just pop out the other side? Or would bounce to the outside and be gone? Now he just runs in there and falls down. I don't think I have ever seen a bigger loser in the NFL. I just wish they would have traded him while he had some value.

Found this shot while looking through some photos from spring.

Thanks Joe, but I think you are giving me too much credit. I do love fly fishing for smallmouth though. It pretty much controls my life.

Those look great.

Very Nice Matt. How do you like that D200? I saw you asking about it over at IA. Was interested in what made you choose it over a D300. I have been thinking about getting a D300 for awhile now. Probably make some kind of purchase in the spring. Keep those pics coming.

We we are going to have to work on that. I tie them like that all the time and the material doesn't flare out like that unless I have it bunched up against something. That something could be the thread wraps underneath. I can take some pics of what I'm talking about but it will be a couple of days.

It looks like the plastic bait may be flaring the hair out. If so the chenille isn't going to help hold it down. The only thing that would work is to tie it in as close to the head as possible and hope for the best. Try running that thing under some hot water with the head pointing up. That will relax the fibers and give you a good idea at how it will look in the water.

That is one of the biggest rookie mistakes. Trying to use too much material. Another thing you can try is to tie the hair in facing forward or over the head. Make as many wraps as you feel necessary to secure it and then fold it back over the hook. Then just a few wraps behind head to hold it back. This is the way that I tie most of my jigs. It gives it a better looking head and is also helpful when using a couple of different colors of hair.

You are off to a good start. I really like the idea and will probably steal it. Now, here are my little nit picky suggestions. -It looks like you tied the hair in and then trimmed it to length. It would be better to even the tips and then tie it in. There is a little item in the fly tying world called a hair stacker that will help get the tips even. This will give it a "softer" look and it will "breathe" a lot better in the water. -Work on tying in the thread as close to the head as possible. I know that this is difficult when first beginning and probably does nothing besides making the bait look better to the fisherman. You have a great idea going. I'm sure that those will catch plenty of fish.

Hey don't get your panties in a wad. I was just giving you a hard time. Yes, some are streamers. Some are poppers, some are a worm patterns. Some are just really weird, but they catch fish. Great thing about smallies is that it doesn't have to look like anything. It just needs to look alive and appear that it's trying to get away.

Just checking to make sure you were awake!! I won't push you in the water. But I might stand right next to you and hog the water.

Now Eric if you knew anything about fly fishing for smallmouths you would know that this statement is not true. That's the perception that exists with smallmouth fly fishing. You can't cast anything big enough to catch a decent fish. Well that's not true. Most of the flies that I throw to smallies are bigger than anything that most would cast on conventional tackle. We are talking flies that are 5 to 6 inches long and bigger. Now these may be a little big for a 4 wt. but I have become a master at chunking them on a 5wt. One other thing, some of the biggest smallies that I have caught on a fly rod have come on some of the smallest flies that I have. I have a little popper that I throw on a 3wt that drives them crazy. Nothing special, but I put it where they live and they love it. Not sure on a location for you around Ft. Smith but heavily weighted wooly buggers in brown and black this time of year are a great place to start. Now if the fish are up off the bottom then an unweighted streamer in a lighter color usually does well.

I bet he thinks we are a couple of idiots before we even get out of the city limits. By the time we reach Aurora he will probably have jumped out of the car. Chris, I still need to call you. Sorry I was going to do it this weekend and things didn't go as planned.