BilletHead

Looks like a great trip and good fishing report despite the weather conditions. Thanks for sharing.

I have done well on those for whites, hybrids and those stinkin big green sunfish called bass.

Thanks John!

I have numbers but addresses not yet until the share sheet gets mailed out. Thanks John

We live in one of the cheapest areas here in the Midwest cost of living wise. And even at that everything is getting higher priced. Glen if you would go out of your 50-mile radius to other states to the west or east the cost of living is super high. In California minimum wage I think now is 20 bucks an hour and it still isn't enough. I have no doubt it is costing your bride and daughter so much in turn costing you so much. It eventually trickle down to us here and go up even more there. All I can say is hold on we are all going to take a ride we don't want to.

First of all again Pat and I want to say thanks again for those of you that bought raffle tickets to help this happen. Also to the readers of these posts and those that pass it on. This was Monday through Wednesday of last week. Same place Westover farms. We had ten participants. Aged from 21 to 80. Some in remission, some in treatment and I think a couple terminal. Great bunch of guys from all over the state. There was signing of the vests. VID_20240423_093500828.mp4 The ten participants, Pat and I fished with three of the guys each. This is the whole crew with all of us river buddies. Time to fish a guy named Earnest found Pat and I, said I want to go with Pat this morning and you Marty this afternoon. Alrighty then that was easy. Normally we have to find and ask one of the guys. Pretty standoffish first but not Earnest. This guy was a hoot! So for the morning I found Mike to go to the stream with. Only a couple of the ten had fly fished and at that minimal experience. So Mike and I took off. We had scouted and not many fish in the spring creek but back on dry creek I found a bunch. All the casting needed at this place was a roll cast or pick up,swing and drop. After a quick tutorial with a half dozen flys in overhead tree limbs we were kinda off and running. Mike missed many and contacted a few landing three. Great fellow and fun to be around. So story of Earnest and Pat for the morning. They landed one and lost three on the line. Earnest is a meat eater and even doing the catch and release deal he holds the reel and or line with a death grip so two of those fish snapped off with light tipped. He finally got that figured out. After lunch the ten participants had a meeting and courageous conversations. This set of conversations. Let these guys talk amongst each other knowing that there are others in the same situations as they are. I hear it starts off pretty quiet with the first one and by the last one some really good sharing goes on. From what the participants share with their river buddies it is a good deal for all . So back on the stream we went. Pat with big George. Big guy as name states. They fished for awhile and George says let's walk and talk which they did. Pat didn't share but said it was a productive visit. We know it's about what those guys want. This program is for them. We a a listener first and foremost. Sorry no pics of George. May get some later. Now to my afternoon with Earnest. Again a hoot to be around. The guy will smile and grin and laugh but not in pictures. He clams up. I think because four bottom teeth are missing. What a guy. Between Pat and I and another couple people we could share some funny things that happened. Like I said he is a hoot.we landed three and many flys and indicators into the same limbs from the morning. So many missed fish. Slow on reacting to the hit. Funny, funny guy and great to be around. Actually probably an hour or less from BilletHeadVille. Hope our paths cross again. Last morning breakfast and fishing until 10:45. I asked the youngest of the bunch Jack if he wanted to fish. Yes he did. Here is another one who especially touched my heart and reminded me how lucky most of us are. Jack is 21 and has his whole life ahead of him but cancer is doing it's best to deny it. Bone marrow transplant and the meds have taken a toll on his body. After recovery he will need a shoulder and hip replacement. This young man is smart, very smart. Quiet. I visited with one of my River buddy friends who took him the day before. He gave me the scoop about how Jack got around. Good balance but slow. I asked Jack if he was up for a walk and a bit of brush busting. Yes he said and we were off to dry creek like where I took the other two guys. I told him what we would be trying and said I talked to his first outing and what he had learned. He had the basic roll cast about masterd as well as the drift. He could see and understand the run and the lay and fish feeding lane. He could make it about half way to the spot but got better and better. He listened and soaked things up like a sponge. Executed things with a precision eye. I was amazed. He caught a couple. I asked him if he could see the fish reaction to the fly under the float. He could. I then took off the indicator. Told him what to watch for. The turn of the head, flaring gills and the take. Said to anticipate the bite and react by setting the hook with a low side sweep. The kid was crazy quick, quicker than all the participants in all the years past I have went with. He hooked quite a few and landed a couple more. He kept a tight line and when the fish jumped he had perfect contact during the battle. No real father figure in his life. Raised by his mother which we met. Jack has my number on a contact list. I told him anytime he has questions about flyfishing or want to visit to feel free. Pat took out Mike that morning who I took out first morning. They fished and had a couple fish on. No landing for them or most of the others that morning. It was tough and the fish had been beat to death. The last day and early afternoon was about the come to an end. The participants had a visit and a talk in the circle of strength. The buddies stayed back and soon called over. We encircled them and put our hands on their shoulders. With a one two three we are cried be well fish on! Hands in the air. Ate a bite and said our goodbyes. Earnest wanted one more picture. Pat and I with Bonnie a retired oncologist nurse helping out. Then good Old Earnest who later dressed in his best left saying he was going catting around before heading to a new fishing spot. 😆. Thanks for letting Pat and I share this with you all. We say to you "Be well fish on!"

Looks to me like Grand Falls near Joplin.

I stayed fairly small Glen. Something easy to throw on a lighter fly line and can catch some big bluegill and still some bigger fish.

Floating line in less than five feet of still water if you want to hop it on the bottom watch the floating like an indicator. Stripping in still water too shallow. Sinking line in moving stuff. That is just me. No weight needed.

J. Stockard jig sizing on their brand of hooks seem to be off some. I don't have another brand of 12 hook to compare with but here is a #14 fulling mill and a dime for comparison.

Let's see if this makes sense, Materials: fly jig hook with bead to match. This a #12 J. Stockard hook. I used tungsten but this is just a quick guidance tie so adjust for what you want to use. For dubbing I really like Wapsi crawdub. Pine squirrel strips and again do the color you like. I am using 6/0 thread red in this case. Bead on hook start thread and work to the back of hook. Approximately above where the barb of the hook wrap a little dubbing ball. This will allow the pine squirrel pincers to open up. Prep a couple sections of your squirrel strips. An inch or so on this size hook. Again and do what you like for length. Strip off about a sixteenth of the hair off the strip and tie just in front of the dubbing ball. Wrap thread back tight against the ball and claws will begin to splay out. Take your thread and create a dubbing loop long enough to make a five-inch place to put dubbing. You might not need all of this but better to have plenty. Take pinches of the dubbing and add to the loop spreading it down the thread. I wax my loop thread for this step. Now spin it up, its going to look like crap but we take a dubbing brush I use Velcro on a popsicle or tongue depressor to brush all the trapped fibers. No this is not uniform and pretty but trust me it will turn out just fine. Wrap that messy twisted loop of fibers forward to the bead as you go each turn sweep the fibers to one side of the thread as you wrap forward. Ugly, isn't it? Whip finish behind the bead. Take your dubbing brush and fluff that mess up, down, all around frontwards, backwards and try to get the trapped fibers free. Don't sweat all those loose disconnecting fibers in the velcro. Pull them out and retain for the next one you make. Now with brush or fingers sweep what you have backwards toward the tail. Looking better by now don't you think? Pretty easy. Two materials are all you need. Add flash and feelers if you wish or crystal flash for your feelers . Drop this in the water and fish it. Long strips, short strips, hop it on the bottom.

NOPE on that! 😁

I think it does. We will see next weekend how this batch worked.

I actually did on one of the trial ties as well as trimming the back and making a hardshell with UV resin.

A couple more swarms captured VID_20240418_121324120~2.mp4 VID_20240418_121438724.mp4 at BilletHeadVille last week.

Do you process and eat your waterfowl? Are you concerned about bird flu crossing over to humans?

Hummmmm? After seeing this makes me wonder who you will be voting for? This is ment to be 🤣 funny.

Definitely test it if you want. Mine from opening weekend of firearms season was tested. Since it was in a CWD management zone it's was required. Barton county below me has had positive deer. I am not really close to where it's showing up. Mine came back negative. Have you seen how they test for it? Cut the throat and go way in and take a sample. I did not pay too much attention because a person was having me put on map where in the county it was taken. Contact info conservation number, phone number etc. I got a number and could check results after a period of time. Cannot remember how long that was. Do you know what the voluntary process is for just checking? No way Man I was gigging you about checking especially if there are positives in your hunting area. If it shows up close I would test for sure. I have a friend who lives in hickory county and there has been positives in his county. Sharpshooters if you want to call them that right next to his house dumping corn piles. Those guys do nothing but kill, kill,kill. They are all supposed to be tested. The meat is not consumed but wasted. Three or four years in a row now. He now dislikes the MDC. He doesn't see the deer like he used to. I'm really not sure what the answer is to beating or staying ahead of this thing.

Whut Woe, Are you going to have your Basil tested before you eat it? Salmonella Outbreak Sparks Recall Expansion Amid Threat-to-Life Warning (msn.com) Like I said I will not worry right now. We are one county away from a hot zone. If it gets closer my venison will get tested.

Been really tough. Lack of birds where we can hunt.

It was great Ronnie. Would of been neat to see you.

Winner winner chicken dinner!

What's pickling? Smoked hardboiled eggs in BilletHeadVille today. A week wait now.