Terry Beeson

Howdy, Conehead... Welcome to the forum. As Ducky said... bring your flashlight. The fishing here is GREAT!! As for the shirt sleeves... it still gets hotter'n hell here... even in the 55 deg water... But I'm gettin' older and more prone to gettin' chilly. But as soon as I get over this knee surgery and Leonard and Ducky and Dano put me on a big ol' brown, I'll let my sleeves out and take another picture...

A comment on tires on new vehicles... They ALL SUCK!! Most of the automakers put tires on that are the lowest cost they can. I'm not saying these are seconds or anything, but most new trucks will have "basketballs" for tires when they come off the lot. I had a new '97 Dodge that bounced all over the highway (was travelling a lot at that time) until I went to my tire dealer... He convinced me to put the SAME tires on the truck... I did... and the difference was amazing!! Same brand, model, size, everything... I will also say that my experiences with Michelins have all been good ones. But I've also had good Bridgestone, Kelly-Springfield, and Goodyear.

What size sculpin on what weight rod? Sounds like you were "over fly-ed" or "under rod-ded"....

I asked Cindy and she said "Nope... you've got laundry to do." I told her I was NOT going to do any laundry and she should just get over it... So, I've got some time here after getting the first load going in the washer, so I thought I'd post this...

The "Triumph"...

Too late...

Yeah, but that's the overall fishing guide. I'm looking for the specific "trout" book which has more specific info on trout waters.

Nope. Not yet. Still "unsure" of myself without the cane and can't stand up for very long, but getting better!

Just to clarify, I didn't expect Phil to pay for them - especially personalized. I have one from "another forum" with my screen name embroidaried on the back... I THINK it's my screen name... could be my real name... But we paid for those... In fact.... Dano... I think maybe you coordinated that order? If anyone has the inside track on a cap embroidary place and could coordinate an order, I bet we could get together a pretty good order. Did I say "order" enough in this post?

What Dano said... The V-rib down the back of the Trout Crack (the "stripe") can be key. Yes, standard scuds will work, but something about that V-rib and sectioning makes it that much more appealing to the trout. According to John, it mimmicks more than just a scud, so that makes it a little more effective than a standard scud. SJWs work best in higher water, but will work in shallow water as well. I got a tip from a guy a couple of years ago that made the SJW more appealing. Find some plastic egg colored beads and slip one up the tippet, hold it in place with a toothpick about 4-8 inches up from the SJW. Seems to attract more fish to the fly. Jimmy T at "Wishes & Fishes" in the town of Bull Shoals (just across the dam) may have Y2Ks, but I KNOW Mountain River Fly Shop in Cotter will have some or will tie you a few if they don't have them in stock. Also, if you tie SJWs, try taking the chenille and a colored Sharpie marker, and make a contrasting stripe down the "back" of the worm before tying it on the hook. As well, tie the chenille with a loop or three on the hook will give it a more "natural" aquatic worm look. I've caught fish over 22 inches with a #24 hook. I've seen a couple of 24 and better fish caught on 24s. Those little hooks are tougher than they look. I have a friend who says he caught a big trout (don't remember the size, but over 24 inches) on a size 28 midge. However, with all that said, I fish a lot of 18s and do just fine. One more tip... Pick up some size 18 Copper Johns. Under the right conditions, they can be deadly...

I've slept since then, so... I don't remember... (OTD... Old Timer's Disease...) OH... WAIT... I DO remember... I asked if the new 2007 AGFC Trout Guideline booklets were out yet...

THAT'S why Michael was eating lunch at 2pm, Monday... He told me I just missed you guys. I came by for a bit of BS and tying materials... Mostly the BS... It's a lot cheaper... Ducky, I've found in the six years that I have been fly fishing (wow... almost 7 now) that it is very much a "pay it forward" bunch of guys that fly fish. More so than "conventional" fishermen, even though there is some in that group as well. What I have learned from others, I pass it on to someone I hope will someday pass on to someone else, etc., etc., etc... OAF is a real testiment to that for sure...

hmmmmm... Dano.... good idea! Like the Orvis ones with "ORVIS" branded into the felt... But ONLY if we can get them in XXL... (You guys KNEW I had the "big head", didn't you?)

LMW, Yes. As I said in my post, be sure to check out the bulletin board at every access you go to. AGFC is pretty good about posting any special regs at the sites/accesses. Of course, I've seen people who apparently can't read at those places... tippett, Arkansas has a "one single barb hook" regulation in most C&R areas and other regs, so even C&R fishermen need to read the book.

GREAT idea, Leonard...

What Michael said.... The "urban legand" about the game warden writing tickets on "mashed barbs" has not been "proven" true to me. Maybe I should check snopes.com... However, if I got a citation for that, I'd take it to court anyway. Any warden worth a hoot will honor the fact that you can't get them all "perfect" all the time. I mash the barb on all my hooks just before I put them in the vise. Dano is right... you can't find barbless hooks in every style. But you can make them barbless. I've had a few that seemed to "snag" a bit after I got the fly tied. I simply take a bodkin, whip finisher, or anything that will work and burnish the "hang nail" smooth. That or a hook sharpener run along the side to knock it off... What "new" reg are you talking about in Arkansas? Are the '07 books out yet, Dano? The website still has the '06 Trout guide.

From www.agfc.com "Daily limit: Anglers may keep up to five trout (rainbow, brown, cutthroat, brook and lake) in one day. Of these: No more than two brown trout or two cutthroat trout (at least 16 inches long) may be retained; No more than two brook trout at least 14 inches long may be retained. Fish cannot be retained in a catch-and-release area." That is from the 2006 trout book. AGFC has not posted the new 2007 Trout guide book on the web. When you get to the area, the first thing you should do is pick up the AGFC Fishing Guidelines and Trout Guidelines booklets at most any store that sells tackle or license. There was a rumor of some slot changes, but not sure. Most of the time, the AGFC posts special regs at the major accesses, so be sure to read that bulletin board before you step in the water...

Phil, Have you guys ever done caps? OAF logo on the front, member name on the back...

ONLY if he was wearin' bermuda shorts...... and a tee shirt... Yep... good job on the fish CPR...

AMEN FS.... Amen... And KEEP them on, Leonard...

KEWL!

Fishing season? BAH! HUMBUG! Never Heared of it... (Makes me appreciate Missouri and Arkansas a little more... )

Twisting dubbing on will make a more "sleek" looking fly body. A dubbing loop will make the body more "spikey" and "buggy." Gordon McKenzie uses a dubbing loop with squirrel tail to make hackle for many of his flies. As for weight, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Depends on how I want to fish a scud. I was advised by a guide one time NOT to weight a scud - to use a split shot to get it down. He indicated a weighted scud will not give a really "natural" presentation. I'm not convinced of that, but using a split shot with an unweighted scud certainly works...

Trout Crack is a "must try" fly for me on the White system... YES it works... John Wilson gives a good online forum lesson on how to fish the trout crack on his forum. It can be very productive...

Yep.... try several weight lines. Thanks for the report on Sylk, Gaven... I was hoping someone had used it and would comment. Now I know...