jdmidwest

Dan, great shot of a great river. Unfortunately in the last few years it has been polluted by in stream cattle operations from Hwy 8 to Terre du Lac. We floated that section last summer and the water quality was horrible. Reported it to MDC and DNR to no avail. Above the gravel pit at Hwy 8 is great in a kayak. Here is a shot from the irondale bridge.

http://www.killroys.com/knots/looploop.htm

Keep it light, we have to be serious at work.

You cut them from the tanned side with a single edge razor or xacto knife. I usually cut them on a self healing cutting mat I picked up at an art supply store. Comb the fur and cut in strips with the grain of the hair for zonkers, cross cut the strips for winding them on carcass type flies or leeches. There was a jig I saw a few years back with several blades in a board that you could draw the skin over and cut it up pretty fast.

With the cost of a whole tanned tame rabbit hide in various colors running $4 at Hobby Lobby, it is hardly worth the effort. I assume you are talking about cottontail rabbits. You could skin out the heads and ears to dry out and use for dubbing. They can be dyed fairly easy and have a mixture of spikey fur for dubbing purposes. Other wise, the time and effort to skin the rabbit whole, wash and debug the hide, then tan it could involve several hours of labor for a hide that will still be cottontail colored. There are not many uses for a cottontail colored zonker strip.

Greg, the wrist problem may be a sign of something else, Carpal tunnel or repetitive motion problem. Try a simple wrist brace or wrist band. I use one all of the time and it has eliminated the pain, numbness, and tingling . My right wrist is crap due to hipower pistol loads, too much mouse, and fly fishing. Watch the elbow too, I have seen tennis elbow type problems also. In addition to Steve's suggestions, use the right rod for the right fishing situation. A 3 or 4 wt for dry flies, a 6 or 7 wt for size 6 streamers or muddlers. Shorter rods for narrow streams and longer rods for better line control in wider streams. Not using the right rod will cause you to work more while casting. I usually carry several and several different spools of line for the reels to match the situation. I have went back to the truck several times in a day as the fishing changes. Also, the right leader, tippet length combination can affect the cast considerably. Longer lighter leaders and tippets for dries, shorter heavier for streamers.

I think that is why I took up fly tying to relieve the winter boredom, less painful. Good thing he did not buy her a pistol for self defense.....................

Well, first for the legal part now that you have posted the first part on the world wide web for all to see. The mallard is a federal bird, the person who gave it to you should have also included his name, address, conservation id number, and date of kill. This will allow you to legally possess this bird if someone comes knocking on you door. Feathers purchased from commercial buyers do not need this, only whole birds and mounts privately killed. That said, if you are going to eat it, hopefully the entrails have been removed before freezing. Gut bacteria tends to get funky before the bird freezes completely. If it is frozen, it will need to thaw. If you are going to eat it, it is best to pluck the bird, leaving the fat and skin on it to help keep moist while roasting. If you are going to eat other ways, just skin it, its quicker. The barred feathers on the flanks under the wings are the most used feathers, the wings and tail feathers are important too. Don't forget the CDC feathers by the oil glands on top in front of the tail. http://www.hidetanning.net/DuckTaxidermy.html

Finally got to fish the local city lake here in Jackson, MO. this afternoon for about 30 minutes. Trout were rising all over and the lake was glassed over. Caught one trout on a beadhead snail pattern before it was too dark to see. Talked to others and they were having the same luck. Just felt good to get a rod back in hand after duck season. Water quality was poor, nasty scum on the water. Too many local geese, counted 40 or better in the middle. They flew out after shooting hours.

Eggs are pretty tough, and you are using a double whip finish so you should not have any problems there. Try the tougher thread, 3/0 or A if you can't find the gel spun. Thanks for the primrose and pearl tip, I'll tie a few for him to try along with the eggs.

Ducky, have you tried Gel spun thread or Kevlar thread yet. A little tougher thread may hold up better. Depends on how the fly is falling apart. What colors are working now? I have a friend who is going to Branson this weekend and we are going to tie some flies tonight.

Absolutely nothing but natural background noise. I deal with the public at work and have to listen to BS from customers all day. When I fish, I don't want to hear "Fish on", or "Heh this guys catchin them on black". Bubbling steams and a fish slurp, woodies whistling or a turkey gobble, deer snort or coyote howl are all good. I am annoyed by the squak of a heron, dam fish wasting bird, they are getting too thick again, need to bring back DDT. Don't even go there with a cell phone unless the wife's in labor or you are fishing by yourself and use one to call out if you get in trouble. Then keep the conversation low enough that no one else can hear what you are saying, because, really we don't care about your phone conversations. On a really good day, in the middle of nowhere, stretch out on a log and just listen to the natural world. Save the radio for the trip back home.

Now you are catching on, different flies for different fishing situations. If you are in a trout park where the water is only 2-3 foot deep, the fly only needs to run 2-3 foot deep. If the run you are fishing is not very long, the fly has to sink fast to get to the right depth. If you are fishing a big river, you are going to need a fly that will sink to the right depth but not be too heavy to cast with the rod you have chosen for the river. On and on and on.... That is why we tie.... At least woolies are a quick tie.

Funny, I hardly ever have a problem with breakoffs and light tippets. I use Orvis Braided leaders and Orvis Super Strong mono tippet in 6x 90 percent of the time while fishing for trout. The main failures I have are due to knot failure and not tippet strength. I know the braided leaders are a little more forgiving than the tapered mono ones because of the construction. I actually loose more to the hook pulling out than anything else, screwing around and playing a fish too hard and not letting him run out. Shock tippets are nothing new, they have been used in saltwater fly fishing for years. Feathercraft in STL used to sell a shock tippet for freshwater also, I can't remember what it was called. Does anyone use flourocarbon tippets anymore?

I tie most of my woolies with a bead head, not for the weight but for the extra flash the bead gives. I always weight the hooks also, I want them to go deep. The only exception would be the egg sucking leechs that have an egg head and I tie them to float higher in the current.

Save the money for the stamp and put on a snagging hook for spoonbills below the dam.

I think that is the way it has always been during C&R in all of the parks. They blow the horn at 8 am and 4 pm. You get to sleep late and get home for supper! signs are usually few and far between. Back in the day when you had to get a tag to fish it was posted on the building where you got the tag. Since you don't have to get a daily tag now, I have not noticed the signs at Montauk.

Chest packs all the way. I used a Bucks Bag chest pack for 11 years and just traded for an Orvis pack last summer. For quick trips I use a fanny pack type. I have a regular vest with a self inflate built into it when I am out in the winter by myself on swift water with waders. You never know what will sweep your feet out from under you and I float like a rock. No matter what I use, I carry more than I need and forget something that I do.......

Lilley, it may be the popup blocker or the way it is handling a redirected site. Check that first.

I switched over to aluminum boxes last summer. I bought several Okuma boxes on Ebay, half compartments with hinged lids and half foam. I bought a few of both sizes and so far I like them. You can pack alot of flies in them. The compartments are nice too, keeps flies separate and secure. I also use the lightweight, all foam ones for larger bass flies or streamers. It has been my experience that there is no perfect fly box. The aluminum ones are a little heavier than some I have used in the past. The wood ones are pretty for display but I can't see carrying them around all day in a vest.

John you won't be sorry you switched. There are still some websites that are designed to be viewed in IE only, Firefox has an IE extension that covers it. At work, we can't upgrade to IE 7 due to a conflict with Quickbooks. IE just has to many security problems and is a memory hog. I even download Microsoft updates through Firefox just to get Bill steaming. You can even download a portable Firefox that runs off a usb memory stick. Then you can take your own personal browser to other computers with your settings and favorites.

Dano, it easy. Here are some sites. http://www.tweakguides.com/Firefox_1.html http://www.tweakfactor.com/articles/tweaks/firefoxtweak/ http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/firefox/ http://kb.mozillazine.org/Firefox_:_FAQs_:...:config_Entries Don't forget all the addons and extensions also. https://addons.mozilla.org/?application=firefox

Firefox is the best, been using it since the first version came out. Never really liked Netscape and have tried Opera. Opera is still free and a definite second to Firefox. I like the add-ons and tabs in Firefox, I use the Pdf manager and flash/ad blockers the most. I only have a dialup in the country, so blocking all the crap ads increases page load times. IE7 tried to copy Firefox features, but still did not do them right. Dano, the reason IE loads pics quicker is a setting that compresses them to a smaller size. I am sure there is a tweak for Firefox too. You would have to edit the about:config file I think. There are several good websites on tweaking firefox to make it do just about anything. Great thing about open source,,

I have not been since 1993. It is a circus, not a fishing trip. It is fun if you are a part of the circus. It is elbow to elbow at first with some in back of you waiting for a hole. Then it thins down to a crowd. I have only fished Montauk on an opener so I don't know about the rest. Most catch a limit, change clothes and come back for more! I have never had a fly rod in hand on an opening day, not enough room for a backcast. If you are not expecting a quality fishing experience, just a good time with friends, go. If not, do what I do and celebrate opening day somewhere other than a trout park.

Its narrow and not very wide in most places. But if you are sneaky enough, you'll find a trout or 2.