DaddyO

"I caught my first smallie on a topwater fly (a beetle from the Fly Swap! Which one of you fellers do I thank? I can't remember who made it." Cricket, I think that the Big Beetle looking fly is the one that Jeremy Hunt submitted.

I can catch fish all day on a spin cast. I've, recently, given up all my spin cast stuff in favor of the fly rods. Not because I'm being snobbish. I just enjoy catching fish on the fly rod more than I do with the spin cast. I, very rarely, keep fish. I, mostly, fish for the pleasure and relaxation and stress relief. It's a choice.

It's not a bad thing except for the water temps. I'm concerned that if it gets much warmer, we may lose the trout and I'm sure the Striper are enjoying the feast.

That looks like a Predator with Krystal Flash wings. That's a great idea and an easy tie! I'm gonna have to try it. Thanks for sharing.

I've fished Crane, once with my Dad. I want to take him again and go to the Current, also.

Jesse, It's good to see another fly fishing enthusiast in the area. Chance has given you some good info and you should hook up with him as soon as possible. I have the heavy rod ready, but I haven't had the opportunity to land a striper on it yet. Unfortunately, we're having another one of those "Wet" years where our favorite fishing rivers are blown out. As Chance mentioned, the Lower Illinois (when the water level drops) will be a good river for you to visit that is only about an hour away. It's mostly fishing for Rainbows and small Browns (all stockers) and sometimes you'll get the opportunity to fish for Whites and Striper. Until the water gets right, don't rule out tying up some small poppers and foam bugs and buggers to do a little pond hopping chasing the Bluegill and Bass. You might find yourself having hours of fun, some evening, in some of the neighborhood and city ponds around Tulsa. I live in Owasso and have been having a blast, at the pond by Home Depot, catching BlueGill, Bass and other sunfish. Once the water gets right on TaneyCoMo, you really need to get up there and try some night fishing for the Big Rainbows and Browns. Your 6wt may be too small. I've never fished the Current, but Chance has and he can tell you all about that as well as Crane Creek and Roaring River. Not to mention, in Oklahoma, we also have the Lower Mountain Fork river for another trout fix. Good Luck and Tight Lines, Phil

I wonder if the heavy water below the Lower Illinois is keeping them down there?

I don't know about other states, however, in Oklahoma you are allowed to keep the eggs for personal consumption. You are not allowed to sell them, unless authorized by the state to do so.

Chance, Nice Boat!! Are you still Chasing the Dream? Looks, to me, like you're Living the Dream! Congrats.

I've still got two more weekends of VolleyBall tournaments before I can get out to fish. Has anyone gotten the opportunity to put any of these flies in the water? If so, what were your results?

As OB mentioned, the Rubber Legged Red Fox Squirrel nymph in a #10 or #12 worked well for me this time of the year last year. Suspend it under an indicator. If you're going to do it in warmer weather, I've used a #12 Elk hair caddis and had a lot of fun watching the blue gill tear it up.

How about everyone posting a Fly Recipe for those sweet flies that you tied. I'll start with mine. Fly: Hair & Copper Hook: #14 Scud Hook Bead: Copper Tungsten Bead to match Hook Size Thread: Brown 6/0 Tail: Pheasant Tail Fibers Rib: Copper Wire Body: Mix of Brown Dubbing made from Yarn and Blood Red Leech Sparkle Dubbing (60/40 mix). Instructions: Put the materials on in the order listed above and use a dubbing loop for the body. The buggier this fly looks, the better it fishes. Fishing Method: I use an indicator, when fishing this fly, in all types of water. The Tungsten Bead will make this fly drop through the water column very quickly. Make sure your indicator is big enough to support this fly. I have caught fish on this fly in Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas. I plan on trying it in Colorado later this year. Let me know how it works for you.

It depends. I'll let it sit still for about 10 or 15 seconds, if it lasts that long before getting hit, then give it some movement.

I have a lot of fun with Elk Hair Caddis flies catching Bluegill on the local ponds. It's like the seal shark attacks when they jump up out of the water and crash down on the Caddis.

Nice report and pics, Chance. Thanks for sharing.

I found a pretty good Cajun place in Downtown Denver. Their BBQ Shrimp was excellent! Here's a link to Bayou Bob's

Cole, If you decide to go this weekend, I would sure like to tag along. I've been wanting to do that style of fishing and can never catch the water/fish/my time in the right conditions. PM me if you're interested. Thanks!

Flies are going in the mail today. Nothing like pushing it to the wire.

The Washington Post The Arctic ocean is warming up, icebergs are growing scarcer and in some places the seals are finding the water too hot, according to a report to the Commerce Department yesterday from Consulafft, at Bergen, Norway. Reports from fishermen, seal hunters and explorers all point to a radical change in climate conditions and hitherto unheard-of temperatures in the Arctic zone. Exploration expeditions report that scarcely any ice has been met as far north as 81 degrees 29 minutes. Soundings to a depth of 3,100 meters showed the gulf stream still very warm. Great masses of ice have been replaced by moraines of earth and stones, the report continued, while at many points well known glaciers have entirely disappeared. Very few seals and no white fish are found in the eastern Arctic, while vast shoals of herring and smelts which have never before ventured so far north, are being encountered in the old seal fishing grounds. Within a few years it is predicted that due to the ice melt the sea will rise and make most coastal cities uninhabitable. ____________________________________________________ Oops! Never mind. This report was from November 2, 1922, as reported by the Associated Press and published in the Washington Post - 88 years ago! To Verify, Click Here:

Pampered Chef has a chopper that looks identical to the Slap Chop. We actually wore out the first one and bought a second one. The Power Trainer Pro works as advertised. Or, I guess I should say, you can work as they advertise.

Thanks for sharing that. It was a good read. I've often wondered what could have been, also.

I voted for your topic. It is strongly in first place. Here is a link directly to the site for those of you interested in voting.Click Here

Nice! I like it!

They closed shop last year. I asked them if Bass Pro ran them out of business. They said "No, we're just tired of doing it." They were only a mile away from my office. I'm already missing them.