ness

Wilkommen, Joe. Don't know exactly what it is about St. James, but I've always liked it. Quaint little town, coupla good home style restaurants I like. And, like Brian, love the wine at St. James Winery, especially their Riesling and Norton. Made the mistake of coming down to fish one weekend years ago - - turned out to be opening day of deer season. Lead was flying everywhere.

I'd agree - Tim's is a must if you're at Roaring River, or even close. It's an excellent fly shop, with just about everything you'd need for fly fishing, fly tying and spin fishing too. Tim's always eager to help you, but it's not in the way so many of the big-time fly shops do it: based on how much you spend, or how much you look like you can spend. He's got good information - - and the business sense to know that purchases aren't a prerequisite of good service, they're a byproduct of it. I'll always remember the two pairs of forceps Tim gave to my boys, just because they were interested in them. I know they remember it too. We're always down there in October, and I try to restock when I'm there - - even though I've always got access to the web and a Cabela's 15 minutes from home. I'd much rather patronize a place like Tim's.

Like others have said, it's not too difficult to do. But I'd add that doing it *well* takes some practice. You can get by without a rod wrapper by cutting a couple v's in either side of a box, setting the blank in. Drop the spool of wrapping thread in a glass behind the box, run it through the pages of a heavy book and up onto your rod. (I don't know if you understand what I just wrote ...) I did a couple like that, then built a wrapper out of scrap oak and a few wing-nuts, screws, springs, etc. The guide wraps are fairly straight-forward. First file down the tips so they taper nicely to the blank. Start the wrap by looping the thread around the blank, then secure the tag end by wrapping over it. As you near the end, place a separate loop of thread down (loop out), put on 3-4 more wraps then cut it off. Put the tag-end in the loop and pull it back up under the wraps. If you screw it up, cut it off and start over. The key to epoxy is to resist the urge to put on too much too fast. Warm it to thin it, and do multiple thin coats. Your patience will be rewarded. Place the rod back into the v's between each coat (thin, remember?) and rotate the rod 1/4 turn every few minutes until it sets up. This prevents the wet epoxy from sagging and creating a thick spot. I've never jacked with turning my own handles. I just buy the preformed ones. Use a round rasp to expand the hole so your blank fits through. Build up the circumference where needed with rings of masking tape. Reel seats run the gamut from aluminum/plastic cheapies to nickle silver beauties with burled-wood inserts. It's a really rewarding hobby. And, like you said, you can get a quality blank and the hardware for a fraction of the retail cost of the rod. Many of the top-end manufacturers give lifetime warranties on blanks as well as their rods. Bamboo blanks are becoming easier to find too. I did one a few years back and really like the rod. It's got pretty sexy hardware: nickle-silver sliding-band reel seat with a burled ash insert; n.s. ferrules, silk wraps, agate stripping guide. Rod Building Forum is a great resource with tutorials, photos, helpful folks. Angler's Workshop is a good source for stuff.

Looks like fun. Thanks for the report.

Phil, There are pros and cons for individual forums IMO. If you want specific info, they're nice. Maybe some of the less popular /slower forums ones could be grouped into an 'other' category and the good descriptive info pinned at the top of the forum. The new additions are fine, but maybe get lumped into a non-Ozark category or something like that. You're right - - it's hard to keep everybody happy. I appreciate the effort you put into this, and I'm sure a lot of others do to.

Good perspective Al. It's always easiest to pick a bad guy and blame the whole thing on him. I suppose a guy with a pond ravaged by otters has options besides killing all the otters and stocking more fish. Which, by the way, sounds like a way to go both crazy and broke.

Big water. Big lures.

Sure is easy to blame the MDC and their otters for everything. Consider these tidbits: More and more people are fishing. We've had several years of drought. There's more and more information readily available on where to fish. There'd be significantly fewer trout in MO but for MDC stocking. Man's been tinkering with his environment, and permanently altering things, for centuries. The scat I've seen has had more crawfish parts than scales in it. It's easy to complain. It's easier to blame. There wouldn't be any trout left if it's as bad as some say. I'm not thrilled about the otters, but then again, I'm not thrilled about all you humans out in my spots either. . But that's the way it is, and I'm not gonna bust a vessel over it. A couple years ago I fished a small creek for wild trout and while I was standing there 3-4 otters came bobbing and weaving downstream towards me. I just stood there and watched until they realized I was there. They were actually right on the edge of my comfort zone when they bolted. I didn't have any luck for about 200 yards upstream, but caught fish above that. And have many times since then. I'm sympathetic to folks who stock a pond and have an otter move in and mess it up. And I'm sympathetic to folks who have bad luck fishing. But the crying and moaning is over the top sometimes.

Kyle, Ditto Okie's comments. But to add: those pheasant tail feathers are the main ingredient on a pheasant tail nymph, which is a great dark mayfly nymph pattern, and a really good one to tie if you're spreading your wings a little.

Assuming you're talking about something to keep you dry, I agree the Cabela's Dry Plus is good. Breathable (I hate plastic) and small enough to roll into a small ball so it's easy to stuff in a vest or pack. Mine's a mushroom color, not the two-tone one in the link above. I like to keep the colors pretty muted.

I'm curious if you guys went downstream from the park area, or concentrated on that part. I don't recognize the section in the picture for sure, but it looks like just down from the bridge. The most I've done is about 1/4 mile down from the old bridge, but I understand others fish below that.

Yep - I think it's an example of the marketing guys writing the copy. 'Fast action' is what they think folks want to hear, but it's not fast.

You forgot about the "at times" part. Longer rod allows more line in the air and the ability to cast farther, all things being equal. I fish warm water from a tube or canoe much of the time, and it's a help there too. A shorter rod is more suited to tight surroundings or short casts. But - both are generalizations. I thought his description of fishing Taney and warm water warranted a longer rod. I'd venture a guess that there are far, far more who are not 'trout snobs' and will fish for warm water fish. You might be running with the wrong crowd.

I bought a Traditional II for my son last summer. First, I was really impressed with the fit and finish for a rod at that price point. And, it's a very nice casting rod - a moderate action, which is what I prefer (and therefore, so shall he ). The Prestige Plus reel is pretty nice too. I like that it's aluminum rather than composite. You should be able to get setup with a rod, reel and line for under $200.

I think I'd focus on the rod. No significant difference between 8-1/2 and 9, all else being the same. If you plan on fishing bigger water, like Taneycomo, or bank fishing for panfish, the longer rods will help and a shorter rod (say, 7-1/2 foot) would be a hindrance at times. A good, generic rod for what you're describing is an 8-1/2 foot 4 or 5 weight, and I'd probably go for the 4. You don't mention what your budget is, but you probably already know rods are priced all over the board. The guys at Cabela's in KCK are usually quite helpful. They stock everything from rod/reel combos at around $100 to the high-end stuff from Sage, with a lot in between.

LL Bean has a lot of fly fishing stuff that folks don't seem to know about. They've got a modular chest pack, waist pack thing that looks promising, and is prices pretty good. There stuff is always good quality, and everything they sell has a lifetime, unlimited, no questions asked, warranty.

I tie a nail knot with a surgeon's loop on the end of the fly line. Attach leaders with a surgeon's loop. I've got a knot tying tool to help with the nail knots. Can't remember what it's called, but I still see them in tackle shops.

I've only broken one rod. Lost my balance and slapped the tip on the ground in front of me. But, something that I've done more times than I'd like to admit: leave a rod on top of, or leaning against the car. Lost one completely (including reel, line, leader and fly, Roaring River); banged up one pretty bad when it slid off onto the road (Baptist Camp); ran over one, destroying the reel: I realized I'd left it on top of the car, stopped and it wasn't there, turned around to go back and ran over it in the parking lot (local lake). Couple other close calls. I just don't put them on the car anymore. Pretty smart, huh?

Ditto on the Battenkills. And, as is getting discussed in another thread, Orvis will stand behind it and fix, repair or replace it if you need. They've been making them for years, and you can buy extra spools, etc. I replaced a spool on one last year that was about 10 years old.

That's one of the good things about Orvis. They stand behind their stuff, and treat you good when you have an issue. That's what you get for their premium pricing. I dropped a Battenkill and broke off the knob several years back. I took it into a local shop, explained what happened, and they gave me a new spool.

I'm too cheap to buy one at that level. I can tell you that I have the Renzetti Traveler, and it's extremely well-made. I've got the pedestal version, and it's plenty heavy plus it has a sticky foam bottom that helps keep it put. Mine's about 10-years old, and I've got no plans to retire it yet, but when I do Renzetti will get a hard look.

Terraserver has them. I'm a map junkie, and I have purchased several from My Topo. They print them on a Tyvek-like material that's tough, tear-resistant and waterproof. The use the USGS data, and look like their topo maps, but you can customize the coverage, and avoid having to purchase multiple maps.

Actually, I've plumped up a bit for the winter, but thanks. Yes, it does work good as a solo. Not so hot as a tandem. It did work great when my babies were smaller: me in the middle one in front and one in back.

Al, Great post. I love the ingenuity and use of battery box, etc to accomplish something other than what it was designed for. Woodman: Al's info is very good re: the keel. I'll just add that 'tracking' is generally not an issue with a well-designed canoe. The front-to-back curve or 'rocker' of a canoe coupled with the curve side-to-side a well-designed craft will strike the right balance between the canoe going the direction you want it to and allowing you to change directions when you want too. Keels are generally added to provide rigidity, especially in very wide, flat-bottomed canoes. They also add material to provide protection from rocks, gravel or reduce wear when the canoe is dragged over stuff. Of course, the wider, flat boats have a lot of initial stability, and give a sense of comfort and allow you to stand up if you want. But, put one of those past the tipping point, and there's no turning back. A rounder-bottomed canoe may feel less stable, but the point of no return is farther up the side. Grizwilson: You and Al have hit on what I think is one of the major advantages of a canoe: the ability to hold multiple fully-rigged rods. Kayaks have their plusses, and you see more and more of them out on the water these days. They're more maneuverable, so if you're the type that zig-zags across streams, or changes your mind frequently requiring frequent u-turns , a kayak may be best. And, like you suggest - getting out of one of those is a tad more challenging the older I get. For me, the storage capacity, comfort and versatility of a solo canoe are ideal for stream fishing.

I hear you on that. For now, I just continuously hike the dang thing up. I figure in about 20 years I'll get to that stage where I just don't give a rat's arse how I look, and my kids will have grown up enough that they're not embarrassed by things, and I'll throw on some suspenders. Big red ones!