Terry Beeson

I just thought you were like me... I LIKE a LOT of breakfast myself....

Most state G&F, DNR, or DCs put them in a category by themselves and require a "big game" license to hunt them. However, they still do fall under the category "upland bird" since they are a bird, don't migrate, and live out of the water... in the "upland".... Maybe Ben Franklin wasn't so dumb after all...

OK.. I'll chime in. For what it's worth... and that ain't much But... fly lines are a lot like rods, reels, hooks, waders, and other equipment. You ask 10 different people and you'll get 11 different answers. That's why Rio, SA, and others can stay in business. Fly line is just one piece of the puzzle here. There is also the rod, the fly, and the arm that is doing the casting. So, long story short, it depends on several factors. First you have to ask yourself what it is you want from a fly line. Looking at the post here, you can see different reasons for different lines just from the standpoint of fishing styles. Nymphing vs. streamers. Long casts vs. short. Cold vs. hot. Specific vs. general use. The next thing is to take in consideration your casting style and your rod. That is actually more of a sub-category of what you want from a fly line. You can also see here that one guy will tell you brand X is the best thing since sliced bread and he wouldn't use brand Y to tie Christmas packages with. Then the next guy will tell you brand Y is the only brand he will use and brand X isn't worth the time it takes to flush it down the toilet. This is not to say that the advice posted here is not valuable. I'm just saying you have to take it all in, study it with what you perceive to be what you want and need in a fly line, then make the best educated purchase you can based on it. That said, I can't vouch for Wulff, but have also heard it is good line. But from experience, I don't think you will go totally wrong with Rio or SA. Both are very well represented on the stream as are Orvis and Cortland. Now... what do I use? Well, I have 7 reels/8 spools and I probably have some SA, and Orvis, a RIO or two, and one Cortland. But I'm still looking for what I really like.....

Once you see the fly you get from me, you'll see there were no apologies needed... toward me anyway....

You sure that didn't assist you in "finishing your business?" Wayne, Amarillo rhymes with Armadillo... but Gary P Nunn has that one wrapped up...

Signed up and already posted... Looks good so far.

You're right, Phil... the ones I saw were not running... they were swimming.... (Sorry... couldn't resist....)

I think I'd be more worried about the claws than the leprosy... Most human leprosy contracted from 'dillos came by eating undercooked 'dillo meat... Anyone for a little 'possum on the half-shell?

You betcha, Dano...

Thanks FB... May just have to make a trip over there and check out the availability of wadable sections...

Turkey? I guess so. If this is for the hunting forum, I would think Turkey would deserve a "special" place, though... Pheasant Hungarian partridge Chukar Ruffed Grouse Spruce Grouse Sage Grouse Bobwhite Quail California Quail Mountain Quail Mourning Dove Scaled Quail Woodcock All upland game birds...

Russ... not the same Spring River... note the mention of Joplin, Aurora, etc... all in MO... West of Springfield The Spring River you are talking about starts at Mammoth Spring, AR an ends as it connects to the Black River at Black Rock, AR. It does not run in MO at all and is 120 miles east of Springfield. Not close to Hwy 60. It does shadow US Hwy 63 though. I know the upper part of THAT Spring River very well. Lived on the river for a while. Fished it daily. Of course, it may have changed a bit over the weekend with the 8-12 feet over flood that occurred...

Wayne, They seem to be able to gradually adapt. Their territory has gradually expanded north and east from Texas. Years ago, you MIGHT see one in the southwest corner of Arkansas. Now they are everywhere in the state. (This is the one part of so-called "evolution" I do believe in - the adaptation to conditions part.) It is said that they will move even farther north and will gradually adapt to colder conditions. 'Dillos in 2 feet of snow... Man what a target!! I think the colder it gets in an area, the deeper they dig their dens. So they can take some pretty cold temps... and some pretty hot ones as well...

What is that thing hanging out of the fish's mouth? (besides your finger...) That looks from here to be a woven pink SJW?

A bit of advice from a long time dillo hunter... If you kill one or find a dead one in your yard... GET IT FAR FAR AWAY! They absolutely stink the worst stink when decaying... Another tip... get yourself an "'dillo dog"... I had a Lab years back that hated them more than I did and they did not hang around the yard... or if they did, they met their waterloo.... And yes... they like rooting in soft ground and will absolutely destroy your yard quicker than a hundred moles... Good to know there's open season on them... Might have to do a little 'dillo huntin' in the near future...

Ok... I'm confused... is this in OK or MO? And just where is this Spring River? Help a newbie to the area out here!!!....

I swear I didn't mean to bring 'em up here with me from Arkansas... Those of you not familiar, you will learn to HATE these things... MDC should open a season on them just to get rid of 'em... Possums on the half-shell in MO

Boxing Horse Racing NHRA - drag racing Curling - hey... winter will be here soon...

Welcome to the forum. I’m no “expert” by any means, but let me put my ½ cents worth in answer to your questions… Q1 - Does anyone have any suggestions for backing, leaders, or tippets? I often am stuck between using lighter line for more bites and heavier line for a better chance to get larger fish in. My Opinion (MO) – First – backing – I assume you are talking fly line here since backing is what goes on the reel before the fly line. If you don’t have backing on your reel, you can still cast and fish, but if you get hold of a large fish that strips your line, you may lose him when you run out of fly line. Most guys have 100 to 200 yards of backing behind the 70 or so feet of fly line. The fly line should be matched to the rod and reel – mostly the rod. And the type of line depends on your fishing and casting styles. I would venture a guess that a WF-5wt line is on 4 out of every 5 fly rods on Taney and other trout waters in the area, but you’ll find guys that like a double taper, a 2wt, 3wt, 4wt, 6wt, 8wt, and others. Leaders – I haven’t gotten into making my own leaders, but more on that later. I like a furled leader myself, but also use a 9 ft knotless. Sometimes I’ll drop to a 7 ½ ft knotless, but 9 ft is better for most of my fishing. Tippet - You’ll find as many opinions on this as you’ll find fishermen on the water. I use a standard tippet in a 4X to 6X myself. There can sometimes be a very fine line (no pun intended) here. You may be using a 6X tippet and missing takes due to the fish detecting the line. You could switch to 7X and start picking up strikes, but, if a “biggun” hits your fly, you will have a harder time landing him on the smaller tippet – of course. However, many a trout has been landed on very small tippet and the best advice is, whatever size tippet you use, keep it nick free and change it after landing several larger fish. Q2 - What are the pros and cons about building your own leader or purchasing one? MO – The pros – you build what you want designed to your specifications on length, size, taper, etc. And the cost can be much lower. The cons – you have to tie them yourself… LOL… And your knots may not be as strong as you need. Tying leaders is a bit of an “art” and can be done wrong. Q3 - Does anyone have a good system for keeping leader lengths consistent, when you build your own? MO – Tie two sections together, then trim the ends to your desired length. Get or build a leader tying station to help keep the knot tying lengths consistent. Q4 - I was down last weekend and saw an older gentleman pull in a 25" and a 23" brown in the same day. I'm thinking is it possible to land an 8lb Brown with less than a 2lb tippet? MO – Yes, very possible. Look at the world and state record books. Talk to guys on this and other forums. You’ll break some off, but the one out of 10 you land will be worth it… Q5 - Any help or suggestions would be appreciated as I am a beginner in fly fishing. I'm going down to Branson again for a longer stay in a couple of weeks, and I'd like to make some changes to my fly rod. MO – If you are talking about a new fly rod, get with Michael at Backcountry Outfitters on this forum. If something else, give us more detail on what you want to change.

I have to relate this story in lieu of what Phil said... I was fishing Sunday with a few 12-13 inch 'Bows stacked up just below me, a couple in front of me, and one 15-16 incher kissing my boots... literally... Just before I had to leave, I noticed a couple of big suckers cruising up to me. Both of these were in the 12 inch range and I'm sure were not alone. The 'Bows never winced... They just kept hangin' in there and feeding at my feet. I'm like Phil... I don't think they affect the trout that much. Maybe that's what brings the big Browns in... SUCKER SNACKS!!!

RR, Welcome to the nut house... I mean forum... I just moved from "MosquitoLand" to Nixa, MO a couple of months ago. I lived in Jonesboro for six years and still have a house there (for sale if you know anyone looking...) There is a really good fly fishing club in Jonesboro. The NorthEast Arkansas Fly Fishers meet at the Nature Center (for now - they might have to move - something about staffing.) You should contact Dennis "Bear" Reed (most of the guys on here know Bear... He chairs the fly tying at the Conclave. Bear can put you on the email list for the club and keep you informed on meetings and events. His email is WildBearFlies at netscape dot net or WildBearFlies at myway dot com Tell him I sent you...

She currently has her resume at Cox and St John's. She has not received any response from them except when she called HR at SJ and they said "if they wanted to interview you, they would have called you..." We just moved to Nixa and her MO license is just now activated (she had it active until she moved down to Jonesboro with me and put it inactive... Now has to re-activate) I'm sorry... but an RN with 15 years experience in ER, Oncology, home health, post op, pre op, and various other posts, PALS, ACLS, and other certs, excellent record, good Press/Gainy (sic) scores, with excellent diagnostic skills... and there's a nursing shortage? Give me a break! Just my opinion, but both hospitals should be bidding on who gets to hire her... She starts with NurseFinders next week if nothing comes up.

Hey Greg... My wife is an RN... Looking for a job... Hint hint... Yeah, I quit for a long time before and felt much better. The stress of unemployment and other factors - I slipped back in. I will quit... Just limiting myself to a couple a day right now. I gotta start making time to do the walking thing.

I just moved to Nixa (from Jonesboro, by the way...) and found out Nixa has a "Sucker Days" festival every spring. The big thing is the meal of sucker and the fixin's... I plan to find out just how fit they are to eat next spring for sure. I know my late father-in-law was noted as one of the best sucker grabbers in north Arkansas and there are still several homemade grabbin' hooks at his house. Cindy can't remember eating them, but she remembers going with her dad to take them to all the folks that lived in the area around them. By the way, Jamie... I don't know about Missouri, but you're in Arkansas where dynamite would be the fishing gear of choice closely followed by a crank telephone..... Terry (Arkie on top secret undercover covert operations in the MO Ozarks...)

Good fishing with you yesterday, Dano... Of course it would have been better to say good CATCHING with you... Yeah, we both struck out pretty bad. I had a nice 16 inch 'bow sniffing my boots the whole time and then noticed a couple of suckers... the fish kind, not the human kind... moving in. There was this one Brown that flashed his side at me from about 6 feet away and the one that jumped out of the water and flipped me the bird... I threw almost every kind of fly I had in my box in the short time I got to fish and not even a look-see from my buddy swimmin' under my feet. Maybe I should have pulled out that "Power Bait" fly I keep hidden in my back pocket... Oh well... at least none of the other 50 guys flippin' bugs seemed to be doing any better...