ness

F&F -- I've got an endorsement for items of particular value like you're talking about . For a few more dollars a year I can get them specifically covered for replacement cost. I've got it for guns, photography equipment and jewelry. About 95% of the value of my photography equipment is in a single backpack. Somebody grabs that and I'm out big time. I've got it listed down to filters, cards, cords, batteries, etc. Add all the non-camera stuff in that bag up and it's more than the body. Come to think of it, I should add my tackle box and fly fishing duffel.

Sorry to hear that mic. Prayers and mojo heading your way.

What spot is that, Gavin?

Looks like a Labrador to me.

Man, the road to the Horseshoe is a tough one on it's best day. Glad he got out OK.

As soon as I figure out a way I can get there without a canoe, I'm back in. Who got sick and had to be walked out?

There's kind of a sentiment throughout this thread that the client needs to keep in mind that the guide needs to cover his costs. I guess I see that as little out of place. When you're running a business, it doesn't always work out every single time. But you try to make it work most of the time. And it's not your customer's responsibility. It shouldn't even be brought up. I would think a successful guide would look beyond his cost today. In a situation like flyman describes the guide gets $225 ...one time. Costs covered, he made a profit, all's well, right? But...pretty sure flyman won't be back, and he won't be recommending him to anyone else either. So, how many trips has he forgone? 2 this month? 10 this year? Seems to me a little concession from the guide could go a long way toward offsetting the sting of a zero day by instilling goodwill. Maybe offer the next trip free; or offer to knock off half the price today with a half off the next time. Repeats and recommendations are the backbone of services like this. Anyhoo -- this guy sounds more like a guy offering boat rides and less like a guide. I wonder if he got his wife to OK the boat purchase by telling her he could pay for it by guiding?

Well, that's the way I think it should be. I had a two-day stop in Tennessee a few summers ago (on the way to somewhere else I would have rather passed on) and hired a guide for a day hoping to make the most of it. It rained hard the night before and that morning, and the streams were all blown out. We drove all over GSMNP trying to find a valley that was fishable. All the while, this guy was telling me stuff about the area, history, the locals, fishing, where we were etc. When we did end up fishing, he worked with me on improving my roll cast, and I ended up with a couple fish. But the best part was the rest -- not those fish. Next time I go out there, I'll look him up and do it again. Maybe even take him to dinner. That's the difference between a 'real' guide and all the rest, IMO. He'll get repeat business, and recommendations from those clients for new business. It's a service, not fish purchase.

That wasn't very nice, Jerry. flyman -- You're not guaranteed anything on a guided trip, but from the way you described things, I think you've got a right to be disappointed. I'm not sure what the protocol is in the Ozarks fishing for walleye, bass, whatever, but the half-dozen times I've hired a guide while for trout fishing the guides NEVER fished other than to maybe demonstrate something. Regardless, I think the guide is obligated to do what he can to make your day a good one. Anyone that doesn't see it that way is in the wrong bidness, IMHO. Duck -- do you fish while you're with clients? What do you do if it's a rotten day? A guide I've used a few times, and who has become a friend, told me once the only guarantee was that he'd drag my body to the road if needed.

Me too

Interesting to see how things evolved this season. At first, out defense was incredible -- all sacks, some pick-sixes and stingy on giving up ground yardage. Offense had it's moments, but wasn't winning the games for us. By season's end, that pass rush had sputtered and the sacks were few and far between. I know opponents adjust, and the quick/short game played by Denver, Baltimore and others was cutting the time down, but it still didn't seem like we were even getting close very often. I like the idea of Bowe as a TE also. Heck, a lot of times when he's running a route he looks like he's blocking anyway. We need to get that secondary spruced up.

I just look at this and say 'how the heck did we lose it?' I don't think the injuries tell the story -- would we have scored a couple more touches with Charles, and Avery in there? Or prevented a couple more with Flowers? Maybe, but we did enough on offense: Alex Smith just muscled those points on the board. He was a stud tonight. Our downfall was the porous secondary, particularly against the hurry-up, which has been our Achille's heal this season. Oh, and a great QB in Luck. I've always been the first to jump D Bowe's arse, but he had a pretty dang good game. He turns that right foot in a shade on that last catch and we're likely moving on. But hey, he was off balance and getting a shove. Dang.

eeeewww.

Another thought: when I'm fishing with my boys or nephews I usually have rods rigged different ways so we can switch around. One with a dry or dry/dropper, one with a nymph and maybe one with a Wooly Bugger or streamer.

Personally, I don't use a sinking tip. Not that it's a bad idea -- it would be helpful in a lot of situations. If you are fishing bigger water and want to drag streamers through deep holes targeting larger fish, a sink tip will help you get down there. For the most part, I fish smaller water and I want the versatility of the floating-tip line. I can sink a floating line with enough lead if the situation dictates. I need to try out a double taper sometime.

Hey Labguy, Welcome to the forum. I've got twin 18-year olds that are in the 'rather do ANYTHING but hang with dad' phase of life. Enjoy it, plant the seeds, and reap the rewards later on. I didn't see how much fly fishing experience you have, so I'll assume you're all relatively new to it. I'd suggest you go in with a few flies of each type: dry, wet, and nymph. Dry flies can be the most fun and rewarding -- who doesn't love to see a fish take the fly? -- but they can also be the biggest challenge. They generally need to drift just about perfectly with the current -- any unnatural drag will turn off the fish. MO doesn't have the classic by-the-calendar hatches you read about. It's more generalized than that. A few white or tan Elk Hair Caddis in sizes from 16 to 20 and a few Stimulators in 12-16 for fishing mid summer through fall will cover a lot of the bases for dry flies. For wets/streamers: some olive/tan/black beadhead Wooly Buggers in 12-16 are on my 'must have' list. These can be dead drifted under an indicator or stripped. I'll also have generic streamers like Clouser Minnows in the same sizes/colors. For nymphs: a few Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns or Hare's Ear in 16-20 will cover the spectrum pretty well. Drift them under an indicator, or tie smaller sizes on a 12-24 inch piece of tippet connected to the bend of one of those larger Stimulators. For someone starting out, the stripping Wooly Buggers are a pretty easy way to get going. Cast upstream slightly, let it sink some, begin short strips while the current carries them down. Let them stay out a way as they pass, and swing all the way down stream below you then strip in the rest of the way. Do it a few more times at various distances, then move upstream about 10-20 feet and do it again. Keep moving. For the nymphs, get them below an indicator and as close to the bottom as possible using the correct length of tippet and right amount of weight -- adjusting as often as needed. They need to drift with the current, like a dry, and near the bottom. Cover an area and move on. Dries require the most finesse -- you're laying your line/leader/tippet across moving water, so the fly and line can be moving are different speeds, or even directions. Learn to 'mend', which is a little flick of the line up or downstream, leaving the fly in the same spot, for the purpose of canceling out the effect of the conflicting current. You don't need to match the insect down to it's DNA, but get something in the ballpark size and color-wise presented on the surface, moving at exactly the same speed and in the same direction as something NOT tied to your tippet would be. There'll be something on the water to watch: do what it does. Drift that over the likely places, and move on after a few casts Hope this helps

Oh, man. Sorry to hear that. Thankfully there's still the right eye.

Very nice report, BH. You've kinda got me interested in the whole field hunting thing. Less equipment, no special dog -- though my Britts might not mind snuggling up in a layout doing a retrieve or 2.

Wrench: What is that -- Elf on the Shelf there at the bottom?

I hope you have the decency to let them finish boinking before you blast them. I mean, really.

He sends his regards. He wanted me to ask if you followed his advice and kept your betas in separate fish bowls after that??

I'm sitting here at the club with T. Venable Beaumont, DVM, Chief of Canine Opthalmology Emeritus at University of Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA. He says taking sick dogs to the vet is usually the right thing to do.

I like the Onion, but haven't looked at it in a long time. Anchower and Smoov B cracked me up.

I never did like the superhero/sci-fi/fantasy genres. Not in comics or movies. I did like Mad magazine and the old Car Toons though. I liked the spoofs and caricatures in both.

Pat's Rubberlegs. Gotcha. BUBfly - there's one I haven't heard mentioned in a while.