Brian K. Shaffer

I finally got out to catch some trout today. It had been about 2 weeks since I had even held a rod in my hand. Sometimes you just need a break from fishing if your a trout bum, thats how I figure it. So about today... the fishing was kind of slow this morning where I started at the horn hole above the Shep boat ramp. I caught a few at first on a CrackleBack sz 16. A couple of fish took it dry, but most ate it from just under the surface which is just as fun too. I switched to big green wooly sz 10 and had a single fish eat it before I changed to soft hackle. I must have released 15 fish (nothing of any size.. though walking around I saw a couple nice ones) before nature finally had my attention so I had to move out. I ended up next fishing up above chute 2 where I call tree hole. You know that great big huge tree at the left of the parking lot above the chutes spill. It measures like 18 feet around.. next time you fish.. go look at it. Anyways, I walked down the little path slow and looked around a little. Saw a guy who was further up towards the dam than I and a bunch of people pillaging the chute. Looked toward the water and saw the fish playing around ( not spawners ) and ripped out a little line. First cast with a CrackleBack dry and fish on! It was kind of fun to step out barely with the water over my boot tops and nail one. I caught 3 or 4 more as the dry version before I sunk it under. Caught a few more.. and then I went into a slump. The guy who was above me was catching them.. but I wasnt. He was also getting closer to me. I wonder sometimes if someone gradually wading close to me sort of psych's me out a bit. I am kind of used to fishing alone.. So the guy finally is just about straight across from me when I finally cleared my throat to give him the message. He got it.. but he took his sweet time. I dont know.. maybe I am ranting, but if you start moving into water that you were not fishing 1 minute ago and I am currently fishing that water, I'll clear my throat as a warning sign for you to re-think what your about to do. OK so the guy eventually really does get out of the way.. and I notice the water kind of pushing a little here and there.. sort of cold bursts of speed. The trout liked these little bursts.. cause after I switched to a scud / midge rig and I started nailing them. Catching them close in.. far out.. it was a blast! Someone up above me caught a nice fish today.. maybe 20-22 inches. He had like 3 people come over seperately and congratulate him. I would have as well but when I went to ask him about what he caught it on.. he was gone. So not soon after - so was I. Fished about 4 hours.. maybe casted kinda a little sloppy today I guess, but the day was a 10 anyway. best fishes - Brian

Well - I was skeptical enough to try it, and it works - beautiflly! Take a couple of just caught trout, fillet them out, but a pat of butter in a 16 inch square of aluminum foil. Add some of your favorite herbs, spices veggies.. then fold it up nice and secure. Throw it in the dishwasher on a regular cycle (no soap!) Voila :-) Now enjoy! You might think I am kidding, but no way. Heck -- ask Phil about MICROWAVING trout! best fishes - Brian

but we are laying down the glue that becomes a good board.. lots of subjects.. lots to look into take it easy if you must, but do not ever lay to low off this great idea - brian

I am Brian Shaffer. I fished quite a bit over the last decade, having a job that allowed me to be pretty much a trout bum since I moved here to Branson. I had regular jobs, sure.. but I always go back to a job that has something to do with my love for fishing. But I digress... let me start from scratch.... I moved here to Branson in late 1994 and started first into bait fishing. I was pretty good at it too, as I had the guts to pull the guts becuase I didnt have a care for a trout in the world. After a few months of hearing about bigger fish.. I went up to fish the dam. I saw these guys catching tons of fish on a fly rod.. a fly fishing rod.. and I was floored! Floored so much so that I got caught into the throngs of kicking. Yep, you read right.. I was a shuffler.. tried and true from my very beginnings, and I kicked with some of the best of 'em if you ask me. I was even kind of proud of myself a few times.. but then an older feller noticed me - and stopped me dead in my tracks. He asked me, "Son, do you know how to cast your fly rod ?" I said "No"... and about sluffed (or shluffled) it off.. then he said - "Would you like to learn how to fool trout ?". I was all: I fool trout all day! What do I need to learn.. huh.. the nerve of this guy.. trying to tell me how I could catch more (and better) fish by 'casting' my fly rod, MY fly rod... sheeesh. Then he proceeded to show me what makes this sport so much fun. He took me up onto the upper grass at Chute 2 by the pond and taught me the basic fundamentals of the fly rod cast. It truly sparked an interest in me, especially when he said - You could have had a cane pole or a broom stick in your hands and do just as well as you do now.. as there is no sport to what you are doing. - That stardled/caught me.. I was dumbfounded. So after a few weeks of practice, I sort-of learned how to cast. BUT I learned so much from this man in the first ever fly casting how-to session I ever received than I will ever be able to give. I hate to type that, but it's possibly true. Now - 11 years later - I just love to be outdoors and to wave my long fly rod around in the air in the hopes to fool a trout on a drift with a fur or feathered bug that I tied. Thats who I am. best fishes all - Brian Shaffer

Care to divuldge who this secret online informant is ?? I am dying to see it happen that soon on the White! best fishes - Brian

ahh.. getting the boat and trailer back up to par, PRICELESS! best fishes - Brian

The only trial run I have ever seen, Leonard, was the day they ran around 680cfs with MDC guys all over the place and strings and wires up by chute 1. This was like over 2 years ago. ( I did land a sizable rainbow though right across chute one that rings a bell. ) The MDC and CofE guys were sitting in lawn chairs watching the water.. and the strings and whatnot. It was great fishing, but like Phil, I do not see it happening here for possibly 3-5 years. Even worse, Phil said that the one link didnt work.. thats bad news. we'll see - Brian

Good idea in winter.. Leeches! Show the trout a big morsel to eat! Even though they are not found in our water, not from what I can tell anyways, leeches are always gonna take trout -- especially in the dark. I missed Jeremy's class when he tied his version, but here is a version I think will probably hook you up with more fish. Take a sz 8 streamer hook and bend the front half of the hook upwards at a 45 degree angle. Start your thread at the rear. Turn some lead (.20) around the lowest part of the hook shank, as if you are holding the hook in your hands after bending. * Lead goes in and winds up towards the eye, again, starting right at the rear bend where the hook starts to turn down to the point. Do about 6 wraps towards the eye for best weighting. Make a thread dam and close down that wire. Now tie in a piece of copper wire (medium) and then a simple long marabou feather -- but tie it in tip first. Spin the feather a little and wind it up, secure it - then clip it. Now cross wind (going the oppsite direction as you wound the hackle up), cross wind the medium wire and snip it with the back of the scissors. Tie a nice head and gloss coat it. This pattern rides point down / but weight down as well. The stripping or hand twisting motion of retrieval makes the fly always swim EYE UP to the surface, thus creating for a fantastic hook up ratio. Try this out.. it will work for you! best fishes - Brian

What are the hours and times again that one can fish ? How much is it again ? I plan on hitting R/R this weekend if all works out ;-0 best fishes - Brian

Well, I just returned from the White once again.. and again the dries were working well above and below at Rim Shoals. We (Jeremy Hunt and his dad Billy) caught fish above at Jenkins Creek again, but this time it was a Griffiths Gnat that took all my fish on top. Sometimes the fly would get just to wet and I was shaking and skittering it just under the surface and even got strikes that way too :-) I fished the lower Rim area behind the island the 2nd and 3rd day I was there and did well on dries as a big hatch of an upright wing small mayfly (?1?!) was coming off.. something olive in about a 22 or 20. I didnt have anything that matched perfect, but anything that was floating high and dry took fish. I caught another 10 or 12 on dries both days.. without ever putting on anything that was a 'wet' fly. The next coupla' days I mainly fished Wooly Buggers and Coneheads in the fast water right where you walk out. Standing in about the middle of the rapid water, at the top, I landed many fish that were fat chunky VERY stout trout. These fish surprised me quite a bit. Lots of really tough rugged fish. One was 16inches or so, and it fought like a frieght train.. capping off a great day of swinging big streamers. The last day was awful.. way too windy and just way too cold to try. So we goofed off and watched TV. Rim is one great spot on the White River that will spoil you. best fishes all - Brian

I have used them with mixed emotions. I kind of liked the idea at first, but it was a little heavy and it didnt get slide thru the tip top guide real well. Wal -Mart sells them here in Branson, but they do not sell very many of them.. I can tell you that. I hear they are making them slimmer / lighter and with sink tip attatchments now.. cool idea.. but will it catch on with fishermen. ?!?! gimmick or not ? best fishes all - Brian

I have an older brown GLoomis IMX 9 foot 6 inch 5 weight 2 piece blank for sale. It will come with a set of premium snake guides and a St. Croix seat. The preformed XXX cork handle and the epoxy needed to finish the rod are also included. I have fished these IMX blanks for years.. and I liked them so much I bought 5 sets just in case. (Thats just in this 9foot 6inch 2piece 5weight version) Here is one - for you - shipped to you USPS Priority Mail for $140. contact ozrkflyfisher at wmconnect dot com best fishes - Brian

I think I will be hitting this creek pretty soon... anyone else wanna go / meet up there ?? A great bunch of big fish in a tiny area = great pictures ozrkfisher at wm connect dot com best fishes - Brian

Dry flies on Rim ? YES! Big - strange - dry flies! Count me in! Returning from all the stupendous dry fly fishing in NM, I got to fish more dries at Rim Shoals for hours and hours. The San Juan fish were much more careful on nibbling, but the fish on the upper and lower sections of Rim hammered the big ugly dries like nobodys business. I got 30+ in one day... mostly small fish while wading the upper area, Jenkins Creek. Jeremy taught the fly of choice in question this past Tuesday at L/L's fly tying class.. I missed it cause I was getting my truck worked on in SPGFLD. The entire Rim Shoals area is fishing very well. Give it shot anytime. You know I will ;-) I left all the spawning fish alone.. more time to tie flies! best fishes - Brian

A couple of tips that will help you out teaching any new fly caster : # 1 - Have them hold a rod and wiggle this rod and direct the fly rod into numerous different directions without any fly line onto the rod. This will help them grasp the understanding that this rod is longer and much more difficult to control than anything else they have ever felt. # 2 - While casting, have the student tuck the rod butt end into their own sleeve. This will prevent lots of problems and promote proper casting technique. # 3 - Never take the rod out of the students hands, unless to show a certain cast - but if you are teaching - you should have a rod to and just perform the cast withtout needing 'thier' rod. # 4 - Cast.. CAST.. and cast some more. Teach that learning is fun and that simple casting close in is better. Most of all, teach them all to have fun while casting / learning / making mistakes. best fishes - Brian

As Phil wrote in the beginning of this thread - chute 3 is the major issue area. I attempt to tell every single fisherman or woman or child.. that if they fish above the present lake level that they could receive a ticket. I choose to walk out into this area.. and I expect to see it all fall/winter cause the cable is where it is. Most of the time, they move. Sometimes they buck up and say something out of the ordinary. Perhaps I stared (glared) too long at some people after I talked with them.. and they moved into the river area only to kick fish up cause they cant see them anymore. Sickning... and it makes my blood boil. The idea of shooting fish in a barrel comes to mind, which isnt really new to Taneycomo. BUT this area needs to be closed off during spawn or the MDC will get fish that are way too tired and abused by man to give them what they want - eggs & milt that they gather from the most natural area of spwaning fish on Taney. Sometimes this sport really is saddened by our own, due to under-education. ( or the under educated fisherman who could care less.. and thats even worse ) Brian

Carp, truly one of my favorite fish on the fly rod. I mean really, how rare is anything biting on the end of you're line ??? espesiaically a carp ? I caught several when I was first learning how to use my fly rod in 1996 or so. I was living down near the end of the lower dam area on Hwy T, a spot known as Long Beach. This is on like mile marker 18 or so, about 5 miles from the lower dam.. and this area has ponds that filled up real good every time they ran water for a long period of time. (after the floods, so around 1995 & 98.. and so on) I was into mountain biking pretty big then.. so I rode everywhere. I found a few 'not so legal' spots to ride that were really scenic and full of wildlife and what not, and one day I came upon a brakkish pond created from such overflow water like I mentioned above. I studied the water a little while and figured it fishless of trout (which it could have been) until I saw a few carp taking who knows what off the surface in the middle of the pond. Clear as day they were giving themselves away! ~ After carefully crossing thru a few barbed wire fences to get a better look (and in hingsight, you shouldnt do this at risk of ruining YOUR own equipment) I saw something that just amazed me. Too many big carp going around and around in circles together. Fish in excess of 5lbs were everywhere! I watched and watched these fish.. trying to figure out my best positioning to get to these big huge fish with a fly rod and fly. End of story - I landed 40 carp over 3-5lbs that day. Fish your bugs in right in their nosehairs. Flies ? Just fish anything! Crimp your barbs down or you will be in for more of a struggle. Try everything on carp for flies, so what - who's watching ? Net all of them.. and take pictures! ( but they are slimy! ) This not to mention at all the countless fish over 20lbs I have caught in Golf Course ponds! best fishes - Brian

I cannot figure this out ? Does this work all over the US, or just better in stained water ? Denny Brauer will be on Jock 98.7 next Thursday at 4pm CST, live. best fishes - Brian

Joe's Old Lures If you ever wanted to check out a page full of National Fishing Lure Collectors Club guys showing off and selling a thing or two.. click the link above marked Joe's. Perhaps you are looking to find that special bait you tore them up on and accidentally lost, you can find a replacement here. Even if you just want to see how much the glass eyed 5 hooker minnow is worth hanging in your garage.. Check that link for current and ancient bass baits, you will get lost and have fun. best fishes - Brian

Well the fishing was ok.. low Dissolved Oxygen aint helping things out very much.. thats for sure. I mean.. I saw tons of fish.. and many very big fish, but getting them to take was another story altogether. The bees sting pain ? Well.. I took some (3) 25mg benedryl at 6pm or so and just woke up about 40 minutes ago. The pain is gone.. but so is 4.5 hours. Phil, I missed meeting up with you totally, is tomorrow night open for you ? best fishes - Brian

Is it just me.. or has anyone noticed the large number of bees buzzing about ? Is this just on Taneycomo by the dam ?!?! 'Cause I got stung there today, and I swatted 3 bees away from me while on the water with my hat. The odd thing is.. one of the bees was gobbled up by a trout not 8 feet below me after it hit the water. I didnt think trout would eat bees.. but now I know they do. Anyone got a good remedy to take this painful stinging / burning / itchyness away ?? best fishes - Brian