troutchaser

I was recently given a vintage bamboo rod that seems to be in excellent shape. It's a Shakespeare A1305-7-9'. From what limited research I could do, I know it is either a 1929 Manistee or a 1942 Triumph rod, but I can't be sure which. I would also guess that it is a 7-weight rod. First, if I've made a mistake in identification, let me know. Second, is a modern 7-wt. line correct for this rod? I don't know if modern line weights are all that different from 60 - 80 years ago, so any advice would be appreciated.

Hey, MrDucky. Remember me? We spoke right after you caught that beautiful Brown down at Taneycomo. Anyway, about your jigs: I like to tie jigs on 1/64 and 1/80 jig heads. I use gold, silver, and I paint some of my own. I tie 2 ways. The first way is like a Wooly Bugger. I tie in the marabou or rabbit fur and then wrap over it with micro chenille. The second way is to just tie down the marabou with about 6-8 wraps of a matching thread color. Check out this website for some ideas, but beware - he is fishing for steelhead, so the sizes he suggests are too big for here. Stick to the smaller stuff. http://www.geocities.com/steelheader69@prodigy.net/Jigs.html

I would recommend carpooling when it's convenient. I'm in Springfield and I drive a 5-seat SUV, so I'd be willing to drive if anyone needs a lift.

I think September 25th would work for me. I'll put it on the calendar.

I think it's a new diet fad among trout. "Eat Fly-Free and Live Longer" I think I saw it on Oprah. Seriously, though, I believe we have some stressed fish. Higher air temps, higher than average water temps, and fishing pressure are all active factors. I would say we will have one of two things happen before the winter. 1)A major fish kill resulting from the stress, or 2)Some really hard feeding frenzies, spurred by the drop in temps in a couple of months. It would be interesting to note the general health of the fish harvested, though. are they sickly right now?

I don't see it changing any time soon. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I say. I'll probably tie some pink/white flesh flies and go down to bring home some dinner. Hey, a $3.00 trout dinner for four people is a steal!

I'll take any excuse you've got. It CAN'T be my fishin' skills. A friend of mine mentioned that it could be from the number of people stomping around in the water - A.K.A. Fishing Pressure.

I fished from 11:00 am to some time in the evening, I'm not sure what time I quit (when I got hungry, that's when!). Except for one nice rainbow earlier in the day, I really didn't catch anything to brag on. The fish seem to be small right now. They were all 8-10 inches or so. They liked the #16 black/yellow woolly, a foam ant got a few strikes, most of them while stripping in the film. A lot of short strikes, though. Now for my rant: I really wish they would set up a cleaning station away from the water. These fish aren't very interested in a fly when they've got offal (guts) floating all around. It isn't that pleasant to look at, either.

I'll be there! By the way, the hen cape you sold me for soft hackles is working great. Thanks for the tip.

I'll be on the water tomorrow afternoon/evening. You'll be able to spot my goofy brown cowboy hat (Hey! It keeps the sun off of my ears). If you're out there, look me up. I might even talk to you.

Excellent point about the slot limit, WebFreeman. The reason for setting a slot limit instead of just a 20" length limit would be so people would keep some of the smaller ones. As was mentioned earlier, I did buy a trout tag for a reason. I'll be keeping a few more trout this year, me thinks. I'm off to the Recipes Section!

I'd attend an all-day workshop. I'm always up for learning more about my favorite sport.

True, Thom. I guess I can keep them. I've never done it before on Taneycomo. I'm a catch & release proponent, but I guess that really doesn't need to apply to stocked fish. I know I'm hungry for trout, so I'll be down there this weekend. I may even take my 12 year-old son. That would be 8 trout. What a feast!

I s'pose I could tolerate the birds. They are good entertainment, sometimes. It's funny when a fisherman so focused on the fish that he doesn't notice that he's invading a Heron's territory. The bird gets irritated and squawks at the fisherman, scaring the bejeezuz out of him. Now that's funny!

IF?

I followed gonefishin's example and called the KY3 newsroom this afternoon. I don't remember the fellow's name, but he was very interested, asked me several questions about what was happening. I was able to field most of his questions, thanks to the forum and Phil's email. I sure hope we can get some exposure. Maybe if the Corp. realizes that not all citizens are apathetic, wishy-washy do-nothings, they'll pull their heads out of the sand.

I sent an email this morning, but I'm not sure if they will care since I'm not a taxpayer, voter, or resident of Taney County. Hope that doesn't reduce the impact of my message.

WebFreeman, your a lawyer, ain't ya!?!

As for the rocks, well, welcome to Southwest Missouri.

Well . . . alright. If you say so. I might just keep some 12" fish for dinner this Saturday. You'll be able to spot me. I'll be the guy in the ratty cowboy hat trying to hide a stringer of short fish.

I'd recommend the State Park. It's really convenient.

You know, I've caught a lot of fish on the short side of the slot limit, but I've only hooked one that was above the limit. I guess the reason I was asking is because fish under 12" are kinda small to keep, aren't they?.

I've just been compared to a Heron. I'm trying to decide if I should be insulted. Nah! I've DEFINITELY been compared to worse things in my life.

Where's Ho-Hum? Autumn is my favorite season, so if there's a place to enjoy the fall scenery and catch some trout at the same time, you might have found heaven on earth!

I kinda like the water turkey idea. But to sell enough of them to be worth the effort, we'll need a real trendy name for them. Instead of "water turkey," how about "free range organic hydroponic poultry?"