Clay Goforth

That TFO is crazy good! I have to ignore the deal flyer emails or I buy something every time. Good info, Jeff!

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-TLr-Salt-Fly-Rod/1508703.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dsaltwater%2Bfly%2Brod%2B9wt%26x%3D10%26y%3D6%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=saltwater+fly+rod+9wt This is the rod I purchased. I understand wanting to get a nicer rod for the same amount if you go used, for sure. I like the rod a lot but I knew what I was getting it for. I wanted a fairly inexpensive multipurpose rod that I could use at the beach, in Canada, Alaska, or fishing for bass. Since I knew it was going to be drug around, thrown in a truck, flown with in airplanes, etc... I wanted something that I didn't value as a prized rod. This was perfect for that. Casts great, a little heavy on the weight, but overall a great rod. I don't know if you are wanting something to be able to fish with a lot when you come back but if you are just looking for a rod for this trip that will then function well in other capacities from time to time, I think its a nice rod. Componentry is pretty good. Reel seat is tight and locks in the reel nicely. No complaints.

Troutnut basically nailed it. I would add two things: The Norfork Trout Dock, at the convergence of the Norfork and White has great cabins. Talk to Mike. If the Norfork is not generating, you can wade quite a bit right at the mouth and reach some really great fish there too. Or if you want to make it up to the dam, it is a 5 minute car ride. The second thing is that, in higher water, some of the resorts/docks provide a river shuttle service and will run you to an area that is wadeable and safe and then come pick you up. The Blue Heron is a fantastic place to stay too. The owner is an awesome guy and they take really great care of the place. Only issue is that if the Norfork is your primary destination, it is about 30-40 minutes drive time over to the access points.

For $200, I would go to Cabelas and buy a Cabela's brand 9wt with a reel. You should even be able to get into one of the "Saltwater" versions which has a little better components for $200. Not trying to tell you what to do, but I saw that you hadn't had any replies and thought I might offer up an idea. I just bought a this exact setup maybe 8 months ago and got into everything for right at $200.

I love the serious replies to the thread... Good work, Chief.

Brock Dixon, Jeff Trigg, and Davy Wotton. Wotton has been on the river for close to 30 years.

All I want to say is from my experience with a yeti. My family just went on a 9-day tour de Missouri and hit KC, St.Louis, and Branson before coming home. A cooler with snacks and drinks is a must with three under 5 yrs old traveling and two bags of ice was all it took for the 9 day trip.

Wow! Nice color. Those cheeks remind me of some Cutbows I have seen.

Here you go, Phil. Same shot, but one is B&W version, obviously.

No, Phil, none of these are Taney. I do have some that I can share, though. I have to go find them.

Travis, I would think a used trailer would be pretty difficult to come by, unfortunately. In regard to a 20HP motor, it depends on how old and how used. I did a quick search of Craigslist nationwide to scan for 20hp motors and they are ranging from $500 to $3,500. Most seem to be in the 1200 to 1800 range. I know there are some forum guys on here that own boat shops, marinas, etc and they could probably be looking for you a motor if you gave them a price range you were comfortable with.

Thought I would share a few snaps. Hope you guys enjoy. Pretty Rainbow Little, but pretty brown Another Small but beautiful Brown Trout Rainbow on her way to the net Sunset on Table Rock Early morning on the Beaver Tailwater

Thinking I may hit the water, just wading, tomorrow morning for a couple of hours. Anyone else that is up there is welcome to stop by and say hello. Maybe share info about what is working. You will know me. I'll be the one with 5 or 6 knots in my fly line OR you'll see me snap off my fly about every third cast because I'm impatient in my back casting.

Just stick to the designated campgrounds on the white and you are fine. You can't camp on an island or on the bank just anywhere because of the generation but the designated campgrounds I listed are perfectly safe regardless of generation.

Yes, it is totally safe with 1 unit of water. With both units running, there are some areas where I think folks should have life jackets on, regardless of experience, because of the chop on the water. But you can absolutely navigate down into the white. People move between the two rivers seamlessly.

Rusty, Honestly man, you would have a difficult time making the Norfork last three days. The river is not very long. You can motor up or down the entire thing with 1 unit of water running in a matter of 20-30 minutes since the river is only 4 miles long. With no water, there are areas, like "Jaws", that are nearly impassable. With 2 units, the entire thing is a bit treacherous, because of the amount of water, even for experienced boaters. If you really want a great "3 day trout float," I would do something like Cotter to Shipps Ferry or Norfork on the White. Shipps Ferry isn't too far from Buffalo City, but if you wanted to pull off after about a half day on the third day, this would be a good spot. You could float Cotter to Rim Shoals and fish the stretch really hard, and then camp at Rim Shoals cabins and campground. From there, I would float the next day from Rim to Buffalo City and camp at the White Buffalo Campground. This float is going to have the only real "Tough" navigation through Buffalo Shoals if there is no water. YOU WILL HIT ROCKS. With 1 unit (more than minimum flow), you can make it down. The third day would then be your choice of Buffalo City to Shipps or Norfork. If you wanted to go a full, long day on the third day, the Norfork would be the option, and then pull off the water there at the ramp. Shipps would make for a good half day and give you plenty of drive time to get home that evening. The Norfork is a great single day float and you can motor up and down it, but it isn't really a multi day float with camping spots. The White is much better equipped for a multi-day trip. Hope that helps you out and let me know if you have any more questions!

Rusty, Honestly man, you would have a difficult time making the Norfork last three days. The river is not very long. You can motor up or down the entire thing with 1 unit of water running in a matter of 20-30 minutes since the river is only 4 miles long. With no water, there are areas, like "Jaws", that are nearly impassable. With 2 units, the entire thing is a bit treacherous, because of the amount of water, even for experienced boaters. If you really want a great "3 day trout float," I would do something like Cotter to Shipps Ferry or Norfork on the White. Shipps Ferry isn't too far from Buffalo City, but if you wanted to pull off after about a half day on the third day, this would be a good spot. You could float Cotter to Rim Shoals and fish the stretch really hard, and then camp at Rim Shoals cabins and campground. From there, I would float the next day from Rim to Buffalo City and camp at the White Buffalo Campground. This float is going to have the only real "Tough" navigation through Buffalo Shoals if there is no water. YOU WILL HIT ROCKS. With 1 unit (more than minimum flow), you can make it down. The third day would then be your choice of Buffalo City to Shipps or Norfork. If you wanted to go a full, long day on the third day, the Norfork would be the option, and then pull off the water there at the ramp. Shipps would make for a good half day and give you plenty of drive time to get home that evening. The Norfork is a great single day float and you can motor up and down it, but it isn't really a multi day float with camping spots. The White is much better equipped for a multi-day trip. Hope that helps you out and let me know if you have any more questions!

Thanks for sharing this! Finally a reason for me to get excited about taking the wife to an art museum.

I totally understand your concerns, as you just listed all things that I thought and worked through. I understand that we will lose people at the C&R part. Bottom line, the system is what the system is. There are certain rules set in place and we want to promote catch and release, fully understanding that there are a lot of catch and eat fishermen. I am one of them on certain species on this list. If I caught a 28" walleye, for example, the joy I would get out of eating that fish vs the joy I would get out of releasing it and submitting it to the Guild would heavily favor the "eat." I understand that people will cheat the system. My standpoint on the cheating is that they have to live with knowing that they didn't truly follow the rules. I am a firm believer that people will get what is due them, in time. There will always be people that want to cheat the system and I can't stop that. The one point you made that I really wrestle with are those that want to release the fish but just can't get it to come back after a long fight...I think we have to just make a stand and stick to it, though. All great points and thank you for the feedback. Richy, you are correct, bump boards or hog troughs are probably best, but we just need a reference point for review of the submission. A measuring device of some kind, i.e. a tape, is what is required for sure-enough approval however, as I said in a post earlier, we will understand that some folks will want to submit fish they caught before they knew the requirements and we need some point of reference for determining the validity of their catch. In the example above, we used experience in catching pinks as well as the length of the streamer in the mouth to determine that the fish was, in fact, very very close to 25". We want to approve submissions for people but if there is something "fishy" (bad pun) going on, we will deny the submission. Have you seen me...you pretty much nailed it... All great feedback, guys! Please keep it coming. And I really do get it that we can't make everyone happy but we want to hit the 80/20 rule, at least.

This is fun... Great thread! What I have caught this year: - White Bass - Walleye - Bluegill - Black Crappie - White Crappie - Largemouth - Kentucky - Rainbow Trout - Brown Trout - Cutthroat Trout At one point I counted up all the species I have caught in my lifetime so far... I was surprised. If I remember correctly, I was up past 120 different species. Fun exercise, nonetheless.

Hey John, While we prefer to have a picture of a fish on a tape, we understand that people have caught fish in the past that they might want to include before they knew the parameters. We work a lot on the honor system and use our experience in fishing (and taking fishing pictures) over the years to determine the legitimacy of submissions. If we feel like the fish is questionable or that someone is trying to "swindle" their way in, we will deny the submission but we feel like most people are good honest folks. For example, and this is not because I don't trust your measurement, I know that streamer is probably 1.5 - 2 inches. I pulled that picture into Photoshop, measured the fly, then measured the length of the fish by the fly. If the assumption about the fly length is correct, then that fish was 24 - 26 inches. So, 25 in the middle is absolutely believable. I would say, T.A.G. that fish, my friend!

Thank you, Terrierman! Here is a link, for ease of use.... http://www.trophyanglersguild.com/blog/the-fish-that-started-it/

You can tell a true fisherman by his response to a miss... It doesn't matter how many fish you have caught on a trip or in your lifetime, for a true fisherman, every miss is haunting... What if it was "the one."

Thank you for posting this, Phil. We are excited to be working with Lilley's Landing on this venture and new recognition organization for fishermen. If anyone has any questions about the program, how it started, our vision, or anything, please ask. I know that when anything new is launched targeting fishermen, we are a very scrupulous and weary group. The plan of this organization is to be about the fish and the anglers that catch them. Our vision is to have a nationally recognized trophy fish organization that doesn't require you to have set or broken a record to be included, just to have caught a fish that meets a certain standard. I know that people view certain fish as trophies for reasons other than size and this is not meant to take away from that. First fish, personal bests, memorable fights and so on are all respectable "trophies" in their own right. We are trying to serve one niche of Catch and Release anglers and would love to have the support of our local fishing community to launch from. I would love for everyone to visit our website, follow us on social media channels (Facebook and Instagram), check up on the blog, share the vision with your friends and fishing buddies around the country and be a part of our growth from the start. We think we could have something really special here and want as many people to be a part of it as we can. Again, please ask questions, give feedback, submit fish, share social media posts, and just generally engage with us. Here are some general links/information of other places to find us. www.facebook.com/trophyanglersguild www.trophyanglersguild.com Instagram: trophyanglersguild Hashtags to Use: #trophyanglersguild #TAGyourFish Thank you all for your support and engagement.

Feathers, I still have some left. If you would like to meet up I can drop some off with you.