rollcaster

Joe, you just need to read the previous posts. Basically its numbers of fish, or the lack thereof.

I guess my question is...why is Bssp deteriorating? Is the hatchery broke? Do they not have sufficient funds to pay the folks that stock the stream? Maybe they should increse the fee for daily tags, after all it's been only $3 for as long as I can remember. Anyone know who we should contact to address these concerns. Ultimately, if we don't fix it, businesses will leave and the park will either close or be sold off to a private entity.

I fished Bennett on Tuesday this week and there was a marked reduction in numbers of fisherman as well as fish in the stream. We did manage to catch a few really nice ones in Zone 2 but fishing was slow. Fished Zone 1 above Holland Dam in the afternoon and basically wasted our time. The stream is very thin on numbers of fish. I've been fishing Bennett for over 40 years and never seen it this bad.

always lurking..seldom posting!

Just checked the USGS chart for Bennett. Unless there's been a gage malfunction it appears that a major flood is underway.

I tie almost exclusively with Mustad hooks. Never had a problem with quality or availability and you can't beat the price. Las time I checked Mustad didn't make a scud hook so for these I prefer Daiichi, Dai-Riki, and TMC in that order. I buy in quantities of 100 and generally buy online from Feathercraft or Hook & Hackle.

Plain old 4" orange handled Fiskars. Both straight and curved. Been using them for years. And yes, they work great on glo ball yarn and McFly foam.

Nope, no tail. If it had a marabou tail it would be a crappie jig.

Sorry I don't have an image of these, I'm just not set up to do pics of flies. I have, however, tied many a bedspread jig. They are the simpliest of all flies to tie. Nothing more than medium chenille wraped around a 1/80th or 1/100th oz jig hook. After laying down a thread base, wrap the chenille from the bend of the hook to the head. I secure mine at the head with a drop of super glue. That's it. The original bedspread jig, as promoted at Weaver's Tackle near Bennett, is a cream or pale yellow color with a painted head the same color. I tie them in many other color combinations but the most successful fish catchers have been original beadspread, white, chartruese, and red.

Dano, sorry to hear of your trouble. My reel doesn't look anything like yours. Mine is a Model 111-D with no identifying marks to indicate the manufacturer or where it was made. Incidently, when I converted the retrieve from right hand to left hand there were no springs or other parts that came flying out. Just flipped over the clutch gear and reinstalled the spool. Simple as that. Hope you find all the parts.

I too have an Orvis Madison reel complete with the original instructions. The instructions for changing the retrieve are: "To change to right hand wind, simply remove the spool from the frame, remove the clutch gear on the spindle of the reel, flip it over, replace it on the spindle and replace the spool." Hope this helps.

I've had several pair of Cabelas Dry Plus breathables and they are excellent waders for the price. I just finished my third season on the current pair.

Hodgman makes a size 15 wading boot with felt soles. My son has a pair.

The socks on the stockingfoot waders are definately thicker than normal socks. I was always told to go 2 sizes larger that your regular boot size to accomodate the thicker socks. My boots are size 14. I normally wear size 12. When trying on waders in the store, either take your boots with you or use a store pair of boots to check the fit.

I’ve been visiting this site over the past several months and just decided to join. I like the rules here and the manner in which the site is administered to prohibit all the sniping and bickering that goes on so many other sites. I’ve been a fly fisher for over 45 years and have been tying flies off and on for about 25 years. I live in the Kansas City area (actually Leawood, KS) and nearly all of my fishing has been in the Missouri trout parks, especially Bennett and Roaring River. I am anxious to learn more about fishing Taneycomo and the White River, and feeding my obsession, fly tying. This looks like a great place to learn.