Nortrad

You are too modest with the big 'bow and brown on your blog. Those are top-notch fish. The brown was super fat. Also, nice black streamer tie. Your blog report was a great story. So that was your guys' camp there at Eagles. I noticed the fancy wader drying tripod thing when I was heading home on Sunday. Can't wait to camp down on the Current this Fall.

True that on streamers, black/olive buggers, had some luck w. black squirrel Slump Buster. Ran into a guy last Fall who nailed a 20"+ brown w. a white bunny leach. Yellow works also for streamer color. I would agree w. the delegate from OK, evening and early AM are better for streamers. Tie a loop knot for better action.

Here's the Hopper Juan.

Nice! What's the recipe?

I dig it. Your son is good on the stick and the sticks.

I'd go with Gavin and Chance's tips: Foamulator, Clodhopper, foam beetles, the Hopper Juan is an easy pattern to tie. Drop a midge or small nymph off to double your chances.

Excellent...

I hear that, got some nice bright dubbing for the thorax just waiting...never tied a Stimi variation before.

Thanks for the beetle recipe. Tied some last year but didn't have enough confidence in them I guess. This year, turning up the surface fly action.

Way to go Michael. How do you fish the topwater, just like mice etc.? By 'feel' instinct?

Double terrestrials, who would have thunk it...double midges and caddis flies forever, duh... Tied some versions of Vince Wilcox's Herbie's. No love for them Sunday, nice little attractor foam fly. It has potential. Oops, giving away the new patterns...go ahead lurkers...

You talking Charlie Craven's version of Foamulator, or another one? There's a lot of variations. I'll just tie the one I like the best.

"I see, young Grasshopper. When you can snatch the pebble from my hand, it will be time for you to leave...(and go fish the Current with a Clodhopper...)"

Thanks man. This time it's foam flies for me. It took some convincing, but your guys' trip last Sept. and this year's cicadas sealed it. Thanks for the tying tips. Started tying a modified chernobyl to reflect cicada characteristics, might get some holdover's who remember the protein bug.

Sorry Phil, trying to keep the levity up..

Here's one of the rainbows that hit the foam bug. Too bad the brown checked too closely and refused.

So, it's these or these? Just checking, when you say, "Keep 'em all..."

Musky flies, ho hum, what about N. Fork striper flies, them's the ones, yeah baby!

The bigger, thicker patterns didn't float well Sunday, too top heavy. Learning a lot about foam tying, trying to balance the fly and tying the foam evenly. The thinner, orange rubber legs only worked for the smaller flies, ran out of round black/orange legs. Hooked 4 and landed two on top. It was big-time cool to watch a rainbow come up from 3' down to hit the foam fly. Time to tie hoppers, beetles, ants, and some chernobyl-style attractors.

Thanks man. The old saying, 'you can't go the well three times' or something like that, held for me yesterday. Great 'light show' driving east from Springfield, lightning all across the sky. Only 4 rainbows all morning, lost a couple. PM downstream from Baptist was fun,rainbows checking out various cicada floaters, hooked 4 but only landed two. One big brown rose, turned, then turned away. I hate that tease! Caught a nice fighter on a SJW/zebra tandem, he hit the zebra midge of course. Watched two knuckleheads flip their canoe, twice, in 5 minutes, sorry guys, if you read this. Some of th bigger foam flies did not ride well. Still learning about foam, will continue to tie some hoppers, beetles, ants, and attractor/chernobyl flies. It's awesome to see them come up to slam the foam fly.

None taken, it's just a simple conversion, length x girth squared divided by 800. 20" length x 15" girth squared, divided by 800 = 5.6 lbs. http://www.trailstotrout.com/calculator.html

It's up in the air whether the big black bugs will be keying on trout this weekend, most likely not, or maybe. It was a blast fishing foam patterns this early and hopefully some of these will work in the summer. Just goofing on the 'mutant' pattern.

I'm switching back to my felt soles just in case I have to stumble to follow a fish. Been very near a tumble the last few times with my rubber soles. Trying a new foam terrestrial this time also. Good luck at Bennett.

Thanks Kurt. I tweaked the style and tied another batch, more conventional ties with orange underneath. I'll post them tonight, time's running out on the cicadas. My co-worker who lives south of Rolla sez they're quieter at his house out in the country. Hopefully some fish will still be interested.

Please excuse the disposable cam pics, tried to fix them as best I could. Had to move where there were less fishermen and hopefully some fish. Two nymph set-ups and two canoes later a strong hit, sinking the indicator. The scoring set-up was a #8 olive/rust rubber legs w. my new attractor nymph trailing. She hit the attractor. Great bulldogging fight from this female brown, the Battenkill sang and she tried to change directions on me a couple of times. The pics don't do her justice, she was a fat, buxom beauty. My humble guestimation: 20", 15" girth = 5.6 lbs. She felt super heavy lifting out of the net. Too excited to really take a good pic of her. Caught two and lost one, all 'bows, on different cicadas. They're worth another try soon. Also landed a piggy park fish just up from the parking lot at Tan Vat, spots, but no color. Once again, what a river, and thanks to all who post, and thanks for all your hints and info.