On The Fly 6

Thanks for the advice guys. Ill pick some up the next time Im out and about.

So I discovered today, the hard way, that I have a leak in my waders. I have a leak in the foot and crotch area of my Caddis Neoprenes. (Note: Discovering the leak in the crotch area of my waders made for a chilly and short lived fishing day!) Any suggestions on what I would need to fix them? Any type of sealant that I could use to re-enforce the seams? If I need to, Ill buy a new pair...but If I can get away with it...Id like to just fix these! Thanks!

Yes indeed, no generation. Didnt look like there had been any generation in a few days because the water was extremely clear! I caught 8 in the short time I was there. I was at the gravel parking area and fished at the tree stumps near the bend of the river for about an hour and produced 4. I then moved up above the big rock pool where a lot of the bait fisherman like to hang out and fished the calmer water. I hooked 4 more...but missed at LEAST a dozen. I watched a guy fishing about 50 yrds from me pull in fish after fish. He said he was using a Clouser most of the time. I had most of my takes on a white bead-head woolly. Would have stayed longer...but I discovered the hard way...that my waders had sprung a leak in the foot and crotch area. If my teeth werent chattering and my feet didnt feel completely numb, I probably could have tricked them there fish and caught more!

So according to the website, the generation schedule for this weekend wasnt posted. Im curious if anyone knows something about their generation plans for tomorrow?(17th) I havent been fishing in a few weeks and im feeling the itch!

Sounds like a good day DaddyO! I plan on making some time to fish the river with this time off Ive got coming up (being a teacher has its benefits ) so Ill probably be down sometime before Christmas!

Good point about the weather Daddy-O, after a certain point, they just quit hitting. I was most productive off an olive mayfly nymph and caught one or two more off a chartreuse jig I tied. I think I landed 10-15 fish between the first powersite pull off and up by the dam. I had twice as many hits and had two break my fly off (cold hands make it difficult to tie a good knot ). After it started raining steadily and my gloves had gotten nice and soaked, I called it a day. I timed it just right, the horn went off as I was headed to the truck! I plan on trying to make it down before Christmas, but who knows. Busy month!

Ill be down there. Blue Xterra with the ARK tag! Ill be the tall dark and handsome guy in the grey vest and black hat

During the Christmas break, Ill be headed to Wyoming and wanted to know if anyone had any idea about how the fishing would be around Big Horn? Ill be in Sheridan and from what I understand, the fly fishing there is amazing! Its going to be really really cold and I wasn't sure if all the waters were going to be covered in ice or the streams coming out of the mountains were still fish-able. Any information would be great!

Tim's shop is a great example of how you COULD run it. With the way the water generation fluctuates though, I would think it would be tough to get a steady flow of customers. Sure, you'd get your regulars, but I'd think it would be tough to turn much of a profit. It would be nice. It sucks not having a fly shop readily available when nothing in your fly box is working and you need some advice or something new to try!

Did she throw in the worm because "it looked pretty?" Anytime I take a girl fishing they always like to throw things that look pretty, thinking that maybe the fish will agree and eat it. Im always amazed at how often it works...haha.

It seems like a good day to go! I was out last Saturday and between my buddies and I we caught at least 40-50 fish. They hit on black woolies and white jigs most of the day. I was really surprised though at the location we caught most of them. The majority of the fish we landed were at the first pull in spot at the dam. (the one with the big gravel parking area and restrooms) I had my uncle with me on his first ever fly fishing expedition and after I got him set up with one of my extra rods, we did a few practice casts in that little pool right by the parking area. Much to our surprise, it was full of trout! My other buddy, Jordan, was already 4-5 fish ahead of me before I even got my fly in the water. We fished that spot for almost an hour and pulled 20+ fish out of it. My uncle caught on pretty quick and was able to catch 3 on his own. After they quit biting, we took a break and headed up towards the dam and fished near the cable and pulled in around 20 more fish. It was definitely a great day on the water. Most of the fish were small, but we caught a few 14-16 inch rainbows. It was a beautiful day and Ive now hooked (no pun intended) someone else on fly fishing! Best of luck!

here.

So would it be worth the trip to try and wade fish Saturday morning near Cotter?

Thanks for the input fellas, I really appreciate it! I am right handed, but I reel left handed and I followed the instructions in the package to adjust it accordingly. It is a cheaper reel and I guess I got what I paid for! I can use it as a back-up and work with it whenever Im just out goofing off catching perch. I have a pair of gloves, but I normally use them in cold weather..but It would make sense to give them a try and adjust the way I pull my line out, I guess im just spoiled on the reel I have on my 3-4 wt rod! Thanks again for the feed back!

There is an adjustable drag knob on the reel, but it has no effect on the rate of speed the line comes out whenever I start stripping it out to make my casts. I dont think I got any grease or lube anywhere it wasnt suppose to go. Grr...its aggravating!

So, I recently purchased a St. Croix CLA 456 model reel to go on my 5 wt' rod. I like the reel itself...but Im having trouble adjusting the darn thing to keep from spitting so much line out at me whenever I start stripping it out to make my casts. Ive taken the thing apart and tried adjusting the problem but no luck so far. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Thank you sir! Ill try and find it tomorrow!

Where is the Watts area? Ive never been there but hear a lot of people mention it on this forum. How would I find it if im coming from the Vian area?

I went out yesterday and would probably make it out today if I didnt have a wedding I was obligated to go to! Water was high yesterday, but still wadable. I caught 5 up by the dam...but they didnt seem as active as they normally are. Good luck to you today!

Headed below the dam this morning hoping to catch a few rainbows and maybe a few browns! According to the site link you guys provided me (thanks for that) they wont be generating until 2pm, which gives me plenty of time to catch some fish! Ill let you know how the day goes!

I got to fish for about 3 hours before they started generating at noon today! I was a little upset because I drove all the way from Fayetteville (originally from OK, so the lower Illinois kinda feels like my "home water".) I was up near the dam where the other creek feeds into the Illinois and caught about 8 in 30-45 minutes. I even managed to catch a little brown! I caught several of them on a copper john and a few on a chartreuse bead head I had tied. Water felt great and I was able to fish near some shade so I didnt get baked in the sun! Im hoping to go back sometime this week to fish some more, but I wanted some info on generation schedules and what not. Is there a number to call or website I can visit? I usually check the USGS website, but if it has the daily schedule times for generation...I hadnt found it. Martin, I dont know many people on this forum either (actually no one) and am always looking for a fishing buddy. (Ill fish anywhere in Northwest Arkansas, Southern Missouri, and most of Eastern Oklahoma...just need a date and time)

Hopefully thats what I catch while im out there today, (the fat rainbows that is....) though a striper would probably tickle me pink!

I have an 8'6" 5 wt TFO that I got for just under $100 and I love it! Ive caught everything from Pan fish to largemouth on it. Ive been using it for about 5-6 years and Its versatile enough to cast just about every fly I put on there. When I eventually break down and get another rod, it will more than likely be another TFO.

So I made it to Cotter with little problems and went in at the Cotter access. Within 45 mins I had already caught a Brown, Rainbow, and Cutthroat. I didnt get the Brook...so no grand slam . After those 3 (back to back believe it or not) I didnt hook one for a while, but they were hitting. There was a hatch of Caddis (or so it appeared) and there were fish jumping all over the place!! It was definitely a sight to see! The strange thing was, I couldnt get them to consistently hit my Elk Hair imitation. I kept changing flies to try and find something they would consistently hit and finally tried a Copper John. It was hit after hit...fish after fish. I am definitely hooked on the White now! It was definitely worth the 2hr drive! Ill be back soon! Thanks for the info!

Theres an access spot on the way to Wedington AR, (coming from Fayetteville) Its not private property.