ness

Somebody blow out the "candle in the darkness", please. I would recommend everyone discount any post made by Dallas after approximately 6 PM on a weeknight, 10 AM Saturday or Sunday.

There's always chatter about this place or that. Chatter makes traffic and the traffic makes more chatter. Thing is, the chatter is not necessarily accurate. And, the lack of chatter doesn't mean a place has nothing to offer. A lot of the fun in all this, for me, is figuring out the spots that are off the radar. And, when I do find a spot...well, you guess the rest. Al -- I enjoyed your other post a lot. Good descriptions of techniques, fish locations, tackle, time of day, etc. That's the kind of stuff that should be soaked up by a fisherman. Throw a stream name in there and that good stuff becomes secondary.

Sadly, there's nothing in my vice right now. It's packed away and hasn't seen the light of day for months. The good news is that the myriad of other things going on, and the clutter they have produced in my tying area, have slowed down. The table has been cleaned off, somewhat, in anticipation of fall fishing. There will likely be a mohair leech in there first thing, because I know I'm low on those. (And just to the left will be the rod-building station with a Winston WT blank I've been sitting on for a while).

I don't have time to read all 6 pages. But let me guess what's been said: Some folks want more specific info in the reports people post here. Others argue it's not always a good idea -- for obvious reasons. Nobody's changing their mind. Am I close? Please let me know. Thanks in advance.

Holy smokes, Dallas! We need to get you back into therapy, and quick!

LOL.

Now that is some interesting stuff, Coldspring! Thanks for posting that.

OTF -- good on you for bringing this up. You know, fellers, he's right. Eric -- Mill's not getting stocked. I don't think Spring is either. Little Piney gets some, but it's hardly a trout park. Those little fellers are sure not liking the heat, but the water volume may make it more tolerable for them. Best of all, my lack of fishing plans now has a reason -- I'm giving the little streams a rest, fer the good of the fish.

Same here. I finally had to get bifocals a couple years back. But, when I tie or read I'm sporting a sweet $9 pair of 1.5x reading glasses I picked up at the grocery store.

The saving money aspect is how you sell the idea to your wife but, there's a good chance you'll lose money. If you're frugal and don't buy a ton of expensive materials or tools, you can tie flies for a reasonable cost and come out ahead. I think Dano's is right -- the tool kit will get you started, and your investment is small. If you take to it, you can upgrade over time. If you don't, not a lot wasted. I started on a kit with an inexpensive Thompson A, and it was fine. I'd suggest getting the materials for a fly or two that you use a lot -- preferably nymphs as they typically have more straight-forward ties. Pick a fairly simple one (2-3 ingredients) and just get going. You can do that for about a hundred bucks, or the cost of 50 flies. Find somebody to show you how tie, or find a You Tube video and you're off and running.

Hey Coldspring, he's up 10% so he beat the index! Phil -- what's the settlement rule you're referring to?

Sounds like we've got a clue already. But, before any of you guys shoot anybody, you may want to check things out a little.

Very cool mods, Al. That reclining back adjuster thingy is ingenious!

The 'maters made it worth it.

Dang poaching otters got most of 'em. And the drought got the rest. That crazy dairy farmer guy (I think his name's Boo Radley, or something like that) scared the crap outta me last time I was there in 2001.

Cricket -- that there was funny. No offense Eric.

Man, I can't see several of your points with a Tarpon 120: -Where's the bomb-proof storage? Inside somewhere? If so, how do you access it? -I've never had enough water in a canoe to be an issue. Well, maybe after a dump. -I can't see how a kayak would be easier to drag through shallow water. At least with a canoe your bow is higher and there's a handle right there, though I generally use a rope. -The older I get, the harder it is to get in and out of stuff. The height of a canoe seat is a plus -- sitting low on the water would be a negative for me. -It's hard for me to see packing that for an over-nighter. Folks keep mentioning try before you buy, but I don't think the shops here in KC are gonna lend me anything for the weekend so I can run it down to the Ozarks for a test drive. Does somebody know something I don't? I've never fished from a kayak, so I don't really have experience working for me. My choice of a canoe was based, in large part, on being able to take kids along.

"Most of you know me as an expert"...click

Good for you Phil!

LOL Eric & KC

Looks like a lot of fun. Cool to see your boy knocking 'em dead with the big boys. Could someone ID the folks in the pictures? Always nice to put a face on a forum persona.

Yeah, I ran into Idaho Rainbow Trout at a fancy restaurant one time. I questioned a chef there, just to see what he said. He wanted to argue, I wanted to eat. If I remember correctly, I had scallops and lobster bisque. Good restaurant, but I don't expect them to get the names right. I love marketing hype.

Hey Eric, Welcome to the forum. As to the value of your opinion -- I'd place it pretty high as you're a guide, and have some real facts and figures to add to the discussion. $225 x 120 = $27,000 gross. Some folks get it in their head that $225 for a day is a lot of dough, maybe more than they make in a day, and stop thinking there. But I know it's not gonna make anybody rich, and it's hard work. The way I look at whole thing is this: I work my tail off 49 weeks a year, and most of the other three weeks are spent doing non-fun stuff, so my time off is precious. Hiring a guide can be a great investment, even though at the end of the day I don't own anything new. The experience, the memories and the knowledge are what I get out of the deal, and I've never regretted it at all. If a guide busts his hump for me and/or my kids I'm gonna show my appreciation for it with a tip. And there's a lot more than how many fish are caught in my equation. As an example -- last summer we spent a couple days in Smoky Mountains on our way to SC. I hired a guide for my two boys and I for a day, hoping to make the most of the one (freakin) day we were going to get to fish there. It rained big the night before, and a good part of the day we fished. But he busted his hump driving us around the park trying to dodge the storms and find places that weren't blown out. He worked well with the boys, and taught me a thing or two also. During the long periods when we weren't fishing, he kept us entertained with stories about the locals, and the history of the area. I ended the day with 2 or 3 fish. Not only did I feel like I got my money's worth, but I felt he had done the very best he could have under crappy conditions. Ca-ching: he earned a nice tip. And we got a lot ourselves.

Well, I figured you didn't just make that up. I suspect they were describing something different. No doubt there are tax laws that benefit the oil companies though. They were supposedly put into place to encourage them to make capital investments with the intent of getting us to use less oil from the bad guys. But we all know how that stuff works.

I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about that picture, especially without knowing the circumstances. I really don't worry about size and limits, since I always put them back. A couple people have mentioned private ponds -- still subject to limits or not? Also, could be a group of fishermen, not just one. Don't assume I like seeing it, I really don't.