exiledguide

It's been probably 30 years but you might check out the old strip mine area north of columbia. I think it may be a state conservation area. Remember strip MINES not strip CLUBS which also were north of colombia 30 years ago, at least that's what I heard...

Thanks everyone I think I will get Orvis hopefully it will help me eliminate my old friend Art Ritis

I remember buying those at Central Hardware in St Louis in 19long time ago along with my favorite all time night topwater bait the black Jitterbug.

Is there more fun in the outdoors than wading and fishing a smallmouth stream? I have for the last 50 years fished for and caught about every fish that swims in lakes and streams from southern Arkansas north to Nothwest Ontario and I've truly enjoyed all of diferent fish I have caught and all the people I have been met and been able to fish with but I really believe that heaven is the first day of summer waist deep in an Ozark stream and something has just thumped my worm or jig.

Beware! It may be top secret...

I have not fished all over this country but on all the trips that I have taken I always stop at local bait/fly/tackle shops. From Turbyfills in Benton AR to Hank's in Waterloo IA on up to Bratland's in Vemillion Bay Ontario, I've always got good info that helped make our trips a lot more fun.

You have been using the same fly line for 8 years? I think I would seriously think of replacing it with the same brand you have now, but I'm pretty frugal when it comes to wasting money on tackle that I really don't need. I still use a late 70's St Croix 6'6" glass Birch Bark 5/6 wt fly rod with a 6wt double taper floating line and an Eagle Claw reel that I've had longer than the rod. Still catches fish. I actualy have tried to replace it 3 times with a Fenwick and 2 SA rods up to 9' long, but for bedding bluegills and small streams this is my favorite outfit. But I have never got 8 years out of a fly line.

on my Tracker and have had no trouble with it. Senior Moment

I've been using "non portable" finders for quite a while on my Coleman Crawdad when I fished it on small ponds and strip mines and floated the Saline and Ouchata rivers in Arkansas and on rental aluminum boats in Ontario and I never had a problem using the suction cup transducer mount. About 10 years ago I bought a Cabelas sealed 8 ampere hour battery which comes with a charger and sells for around $25.00. It has never run down during a days fishing ,charges over night and now I use it to power my cuda mounted on my trolling motor on my and have had no trouble with it.

Does anyone use a sling pack instead of vest when wading streams fishing for smallmouth. Old age and my fishing buddy Art Ritis has made fishing with a vest a pain in the shoulder. I am pretty sure it will work carrying flies for Trout but I wonder if I can fit very much in the way of Jigs, Grubs Worms etc. that I use on the river for Smallmouth, into a sling pack. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome.

green bitsy tube (pinch the barb). So there's two of us fishing barbless on the James?

Great fish, I know you are having a great time. The only trouble with a trip up North this time of year is that you eventualy have to come home.

Worst defense ever in a Cardinal team since the fifties. Still in first place,probably having more having fun this year watching baseball. Did any one else manage to stay awake last night and watch the Pirates get screwed?

Good luck. My wife, friends and prayer helped me beat colon cancer in 1997-'98. I think that my wife was most important she never allowed me to give up your wife is lucky to have you and her friends on her side.God blees you.

No youre wrong even I'm not as cheap as you. But then I'm not cheap I'm thrifty....

I know very little about this , but on Tuesday August 9 at BPS in Springfield at 7:00 PM a rep from Hummingbird will give a presentation on the new technology available. I have been thinking about down imaging for crappie and walleye fishing so I will be there it is part of Fishing with the Pros series at BPS. The presentation usualy are by BPS pros and pretty much concern lake fishing in the ozark area. It's free and there are attendance prizes.

I agree, great report. I fished Indian creek during the flood in May with my bride, had one great day fishing, blown off the lake the other 3 days. Hope to spend time on the James arm come October.

I've been using 6lb hi vis Trilene XL for a long time on a Bionic Blade 5' 6" light action spinning rod. I've tried Fly fishing Bait casting but for me spinning has worked best. I only wade fish any more in streams but way in the past when I floated I never used Bait caster very much used flyrod for my second rod. I do carry a few hardbaits in my vest and a couple of 1/8 or 3/16 oz spiner and buzzbaits but i throw soft plastics about 90% of the time. I guess over the last 5 years I've caught most of my smallmouth on a Texas rigged Zoom finnesse worm although here of late I've been cathing a lot of fish on a Gulp Alive 3" Chartruse Shad Minnow in the James River. I broke my rod last so I'm looking at either a St Croix 5'6" or Falcon5'9" light action rod. Does anyone have any opinion on either of these rods?

Great looking bugs. where did you get yours and what size did did you use? I checked Bream Bugs web site looks great,a warm water fly shop. I'll probably be leaving more money than I care to admit there. Haven't done much fly fishing in the last couple of years, but I've been thinking about getting after it again.

Talked to Maureen Mcclusky at the Paralyzed Veterns Association. If you are fishing COE lakes like Table Rock the Public marinas should have access for wheelchair boat access because it's contract is with the COE. Because it's on a COE lake it's not covered by ADA but covered by The United States Access Board. There number is 800 872 2253. She is going to look for more info and said she would e mail it to me next week if you want to send me your e mail ,I will be happy to send it to you.

Slanderous allegations? I thought this site was "as pure as Ceasers Wife" do you mean somone would actualy post something less than truthful here? This may drive me to drink.

Even though I use a hemostat and a nipper when fishing, guided by rule #6,fishing subsection of how to stay married for 49 years, the overpriced Leatherman stays on my boat deck at all times because it was given to me by my wife.

Leaving Hemmingways today at BPS I saw a young fella in a wheel chair get into truck cab and load his chair into the bed of his pick up with a with an electrical arm that first lifted the bed cover and then lifted the chair into the bed of the truck. I ask him who did the work modifying his truck and he told me United Access in Springfield. They also have offices in St Louis and ,I believe in Columbia K.C. Toll free number 877 503 9399. He said he was quite pleased with the work they had done. Hope this helps.

"set your own depth" sorry old eyes

Google usgs real time water data. It will give you info on all the streams in the country. Water depth, flow etc. Some give more info than others, water temp and rainfall at the gauge on the stream. Hope this helps Jack. I havebeen using this for better than ten years both hear and in Arkansas when I lived there. I found that if the gauge at Boaz is below 3 foot it makes wading at Shelvin Rock or Delaware Town fairly easy for me, but I'm alot older than most every one I see on the river so you need to set your own deoyh and flow so you can safely wade.