BilletHead

They are fun to catch I agree and I also hope it doesn't mess with the big spot population. I would still like to get an answer to exactly why this was changed.

Interesting Jeff. You are pretty intimate with your home waters. Has this management messed up Beaver? How many years have you fished there. I follow your reports and you are still catching some really nice spotted bass. Bill said the fishing will mess up things in three years, ozarksfishin says two years. Jeff, have you seen any changes at Beaver problem with people over the years keeping spots? Big lakes are nothing but a big pond and need managed. You don't just release everything you catch back you harvest a few from year classes to keep it healthy. Same as deer management. Another thing. There was a remark about how a kid could put a worm under a bobber with a zebco 33 and catch a limit of spotted bass. I would like to remind folks by asking a question. Just how did you start fishing? I'm betting most of not all of you started out just like that. I know I did. None of us were born fishing out of a bass boat with a high dollar rod and reel. Revisit this in two to three years maybe. Seems to be a lot of doom and gloom about this. Has anyone actually personally talked to someone at MDC and actually listened to why they are doing this? I know many of you don't like MDC and bash them, but we have it pretty good in this state. There is something for everyone in the outdoors not just one particular group. First thing we learned in kindergarten was to share.

I knew he had a spelling problem. 😃

I'm going to steal that one.

See there we are more alike than you think. "Whatever you want to do dear"

We are good Pete. I just want to warn you Pat reads most of the posts now on here. She doesn't have the filter I do. We do argue but quickly forgive and sleep in a full-sized bed together. 🤣

Please explain exactly what you meant. Take it to a PM to me if you don't want to share with everyone.

Bravo!

I will help you a bit. Common B10s hook or equivalent. Do you have any Mustad 3366? It's really like the ones I use. Not a slotted bead. Not what I use but can get by with a standard fly brass bead. It's funny that you brought this up. Although this is a fly jig hook and a standard brass bead head I was just messing around and tried a rabbit zonker a couple hours ago.

Geeze I hope it's not a 12 plus inch spotted bass.

Whut Jeff you have never tied this? Are you kidding us? Very airy. 😆

This is the first complete Hockey game I have ever watched. How fun and they won gold.

Don't you know it doesn't pay to argue with your wife? You and most of us have been around the block a few times. Just do what I do and give her a goofy look which is easy for me and say, " whatever you say dear". Works here and I get a goofy look back. 🤪

The dubbing does almost look synthetic. I made a dubbing blender that uses compressed air to really fluff it up big time. In these updated versions I wanted some flash. Some I used for this batch are straight commercial dubbing. Some I wanted toned down so I mixed some pine squirrel mixed in to complement the basic choice of pine squirrel zonker strips used. The reference to the UV pine squirrel does glow under my UV curing light does glow so the chartreuse dye made it that way. None of the other dyed pine squirrel does that. The grinch who stole Christmas is still popular with kids young and old. My friend who gave this the named it has grandchildren who watch it over and over again during the holidays.

Travis you are not going to find this out there anywhere at the moment buddy. This is my pattern. There is a key to what makes this different from other patterns that incorporate zonked pine squirrel. The hook and type of bead. Like I told @fishinwrench it has evolved into this one I posted short clips of video wise. So, the answer to your question is zonked pine squirrel. I will try to get you updated on a PM later.

Just enough to become visible between head flares. On the strip flash practically disappears. On the pause or at rest it begins to show. This is ongoing evolution of this grinch bug. I think I am about done.

VID_20260221_125729.mp4 VID_20260221_125722.mp4 VID_20260221_125718.mp4 VID_20260221_125706.mp4

I'm very impressed with the view you and @Ham have from that bluff. Not so much with the northerly winds you guys must put up with. Thanks for sharing.

Sunrise in SW Missouri. From one extreme to another. VID_20260220_070439449.mp4

Medium there.

Gray!

XL please, I want to know if I would be kicked in the shin for being your friend 😆.

I found this kinda appropriate to this post. I don't think this is the whole story. Years ago, when I was writing regularly for Field & Stream magazine and Anthony Licata was my editor, we hatched an idea for a story on “ethics in fly fishing” and we jokingly called it, “The River Dick.” You know, how not to be the “dick” on the river who does all the wrong things. We never quite pulled that story off and I’m not sure why. I guess Field & Stream might not have been ready to use “dick” in a story, and I might not have been comfortable pointing fingers, having been a dick myself had anyone called me on any of it. But I think there’s still some value in pointing out where the ethical boundaries are between just fly fishing, and being a total dick as you go about your business on the water and interacting with others. After all, most newbies who commit party fouls don’t realize they’re being dicks at all. If there’s no blatant intent, is there a foul? Of course not. But they’re still perceived as being dicks, even if all they really wanted to do, at the end of the day, was get out there and catch a fish or two.

I think I am still on the list from before. No ads for myself. Mrs BilletHead asks can you fix hers please.