jdmidwest

Fleece then wool on the really cold days. I paddle the yak with neoprene, but when fishing my hands sweat with neoprene then get cold. Fleece and wool wick the moisture away retaining the warmth. Beware of cotton rag type gloves that look like wool. Cotton soaks up water like a sponge and you might as well just keep you hands in the water. Thermax is good if you can find them also. Silk wicks moisture also.

Although camping is great in the spring, summer, and fall, I prefer to camp at a local cheap motel in the winter. The trouble with most campgrounds in the winter is the shower house is closed. I use a tent or a popup camper without that luxury. I usually drive to the destination on Sat morning, fish all day, then go to a cheap motel for the night with a nice hot shower and a warm bed. I don't have to hassle with the camp gear and extra fuel costs, and spend more time on the water. With off season rates split between 2 people, it is almost as cheap as camping. I even take a single burner stove for cooking the evening meal if there is no restaurants close.

Looks like it will work. I use the little craft balls that look like mini eggs for the head from Walmart. Push them on first, use chenille or estaz for the body and a saddle hackle, them marabou for the tail. The work great, especially in murky water. Tie in a piece of krystal flash in the tail for a little more flash.

Gavin, it probably was not luck. MDC are stocking the area below Cedar Grove 12 months a year now instead of 8. They stock the same amount of fish divided by 12 as they used to stock March thru Oct. I met with the new Hatchery manager last fall and he filled me in on all of the new management procedures. A couple of years ago they started a Dec. stocking on the 11 point river also. I stumbled upon it by accident below Whitten and was catching fish like crazy which was unusual for that time of year. We would always catch several, but that day it was every other cast. Little things like this will keep our sport interesting all year round. Most of the locals have not caught on to the later stockings yet.

Why don't you check out Walmart or Ebay. You should be able to find waders for less than $100. Walmart carries a pair of goretex stockingfoot for around $100. Rubber or neoprene should be less, although I have not shopped for waders in the last 5 or 6 years. I bought a pair of Orvis breathables and I can't seem to wear them out. They are tough as nails.

Where did you find the diamond braid? I have not seen it in years, I tied a mean woolly with a peacock color diamond braid.

Any light or Ultra Light action Graphite rod in 5' to 6'6" range. St Croix, Loomis, and Bass Pro make some good rods for trout. You will be using lures less than 1/2 ounce for the most part, the rods will have a rating for the ounce size recommended on them. Any spinning reel, I prefer Shimano with the trigger bails. Once again, the reel should be for the 2 to 6 lb. test range. Spin fishing up near the dam in low water would be tough. You will probably need to go down to deeper water or try it during generation.

Rabbit looks great in the water, flows like marabou. The guys at Feather Craft in STL also use mink strips for smaller zonker style flys. You can buy whole rabbit pelts at Hobby Lobby and cut strips any direction you want with an xacto knife, just cut along the back of the pelt. I found a ginger pelt before I went to Alaska last time that made great Flesh Flies.

There is an address to Joel Stewart and a list of what they need on the website. Or you could add to the selection of flies to give them some variety. The Red Cross or a local Army recruiter could help direct you with how to ship care packages. Those guys love anything from back home.

Crosscut is for winding the rabbit strip on similiar to hackle. Classic example would be the Flesh Fly. Straight cut is for a zonker type fly. A little of the strip is left off the back as a tail and the rest is tied in along the top of the hook.

Just run across this site on another forum and thought it needs to be shown here also. Just goes to show you, no matter where we are, we fish. And you think fishing in Taney is tough sometimes.. http://www.baghdadflyfishing.com./ Now all we need is a site to tie the Saddam Noose Knot java script:emoticon('', 'smid_19')

Does any one know the address to John Wilson's site?

Wearing felt on the upper Taney lets you sneak up on the fish. Since most of the water is less than knee deep, you will be doing alot of wading unless the generators come on.

We have winter stockers here in Jackson. Small olive woolies or nymphs have worked here. A different kind of fishing, kinda like Taneycomo in low water. Later on in the winter the fishin gets better. We have had a problem with construction sediment for the last year. Darker colors in the chocolate milk water. It helps to kill and hour or 2 after work during the week but its really not trout fishin to me....

Thats a Red Ear. Catch them every spring in Wappapello on flooded roadbeds and at Council Bluff in the rocks.

A Latex Caddis was a common pattern in the mid 90's. On a trip to Blue Springs in Crawford County, MO. in search of trophy wild trout on a cold winter day, we stopped in for gas near Bourbon. Whilst relieving myself of some coffee, I invested a few quarters in a new secret material. I passed the new secret along to my co-pilot for the day and he also invested a few quarters. As soon as I returned to the tying bench that night, I came up with the Trojanator. I was a manager of an Orvis Fly Shop at the time owned by a great gal named Barb. I placed a few dozen of the new creations into the fly bin for sale. Needless to say, with a little promotion, they sold like hotcakes. I never told Barb what the fly was made of, but alot of fellows carried around a little protection just for a conversation piece. That fly shop is long gone now. At fly tying classes and club meetings, I have always tied this pattern for some fun and technique demo. I hope you enjoy this fly and catch a few fish on it and remember what we are here for is to have some fun.........Don't forget, IT GLOWS!!!! HOW ABOUT THEM CARDS!!! trojanator.doc

I agree with Jim and Loo10, I think we should let out some of our "Patent Patterns". My patterns have never made me a fortune, but they catch fish. I will start a new thread on the fly recipe portion. Copy away and tye one on.. GO CARDS!!!!!

It had to be Eleven Point, my first trout and the best of times for the best of friendships. True home waters would be the St. Francis, Big River, Castor River, Whitewater River, Little Black, 10 Mile, Crooked Creek, Bear Creek, Cane Creek, Duck Creek, Stanley Creek, and the Saline Creek for warm water smallies, kentuckies, largemouth, goggle eye, pikers, panfish, carp, and gar. They are local and fished the most. A natural, bright, pink sided Rainbow from the 11 pt. is the most beautiful fish in Missouri. The only other place I have seen rainbows like that would be Montana Creek in Alaska.

http://www.charteredwaters.com

Mizzou, 4 piece rods tend to have a little faster, stiffer action than the same rod in a 2 piece rod. Orvis uses a rating for flex, and if you look at the same rod, the 4 pc has the higher flex rating. Probably due to the extra ferrules. For the most part I would stick to a 2 piece rod unless I fly with it alot. I flew a 10' and 2)8'6" 2 piece rods to Alaska in a bazooka tube along with spinning rods in 2000. Not even sure you can carry on a rod nowadays, I have not been on a far trip lately other than business. I had a fly tying kit in my carry on luggage with a couple of sink tip fly lines on the Alaska trip. I had a big stall at the xray machine, I had to pull it all out. Come to find out they thought the line was a fuse. Of course, this was all pre 9/11. Now when I fly, everything is checked but a PDA or a book and a jacket.

Kayak. Sit on top style for fishing. You sit up higher and can see better. You can also get in and out better. You don't have to chase fish around inside of it either. Wilderness system or Ocean Kayak make great ones. 12' to 14' range is perfect. Lots more durable than pontoons, easier to paddle. You can rig an anchor system on a kayak in still water. I have been using my 2 yaks for 3 years floating streams and accessing MDC ponds that you can't get a real boat too. Works great for duck hunting also.

If your old net still has a good wood handle and bow, go to a dollar store and buy a nylon black laundry bag for a buck. Cut the bottom out and weave into your existing bow. Makes a great catch and release net for next to nothing. Otherwise, throw the net away and shake the fish off at your ankles to let him go. Nets just get caught on sawbriars and pop you in the head anyway....

The point is kinda mute, the voter turnout on a non-presidential election is poor. We would be lucky if 1 voter shows up at the polls for every 2 campaign ads that have run in the last few months.... Get out and vote! And remember, "He called her a liar", well nobody has said she wasn't.

Jack's Fork is not the only place. The last few years, they have been riding the paths along the Upper Current river near Baptist Access. They have a new horse camp about a mile away that caters to riders. A standard practice of mine was to fish the river down about a mile and then hit a foot trail back to the parking lot. The foot trail is now a foot deep and full of green apples. It does cross the river in at least one place.

Riverrunner, the best way to choose a rod is to use it. Every rod maker claims the best of everything, but till it gets in my hands, the final decision will be made. Orvis has a 30 day trial period on their rods thru mail order and the best service and product in the business. The best way would be to go fishing on the river, whether it be Norfork, White, or Little Red and spend a little of your time at the local fly shops trying the rods. Or you can buy a TFO based on price and you can always sell it on Ebay if you don't like it.