Terry Beeson

Do you guys deliver?... I gotta get me a dutch oven and start cookin' like that... Have any of you gone through Dennis Slane's dutch oven cooking "class?"

Do it with NO rod... just with your hand/arm... Hey Rusty... I had my EC 6-6 with 6wt line at the mini-conclave Saturday. We shoulda had a contest with it... (Bet Dave W woulda won, tho... ) Several guys did put their paws on it and try it out and were impressed with that li'l ol' $15 rod... I thought Don was gonna sneak it out to his truck! Zach, I'm impressed! 86 feet is nothin' to sneeze at for sure!! Are you wanting to compete for cash and prizes only or "just for fun" and maybe a trophy? For sure, you should get in on the casting games at Conclave in October. BTW... how do you like that BP 270?

Rusty... keep your dumb unfounded comments to... OH... wait... you said DON'T start a fight.... My bad... But I will add that I tend to start my fishing time with Tippet's method... Stand on the bank and observe before diving in...

Well, that's one point for you, GF... I would bet about any fish mixed with crackers, eggs, onion, and some seasoning then fried in a patty would taste pretty good... especially after a few brewskies... I grew up on salmon, mackerel, tuna, bluegill, bass, and even a bit of white bass cooked up that way...

Well, I'm certainly no pro, but I do tend to stay in a spot if I'm picking up fish. I will move if I don't get a take after a few casts and that might be a bit upstream, downstream, or just cast behind me. If there are no takers in an area (say outlet 1) then I'll move down to another section. I will also say that it depends some on the "crowd" at the time. Labor Day was pretty crowded, so I camped out in one spot and moved very little during the day. But if there were very few people on the section, I tend to move more. I guess it's "sight fishing" vs. "site fishing."...

Never had the chance...

Boil 'em in vinegar... then put 'em in a jar... you've got "pickled pickerel"... Seriously, tho, I've never eaten one, but they are edible... I've heard about pan frying the fillets...

OK... another bit of fodder for debate... Armadillos... native to Missouri?

Dried corn husks... Pulled 'em out of the bed matress... Click here for an interesting story on carp... Carp, it seems, is one of the most eaten fish in the world. Smoked carp is good if done right. I've had both good and bad in the past. I prefer the good.. If done right, it will remind you a bit of smoked salmon.

I tried smokin' a big head carp back in my teens... but couldn't keep the dang end lit!!!

I was just trying to shield him from your biased unfounded and ridiculous opinions... (GAWD I can't help myself... Inside joke, Bradley... GF is a good guy... really...) Lord (and GF) forgive me and be with the Pygmies down there in New Guinea, amen...

Yeah, GF, I know you haven't said that, but couldn't resist using that statement... One reason is because you do seem to like these discussions. The "MTM" I refer to is MoTroutbuM... who I suppose I should refer to as MTB instead... So, MTB, in the fish ecology class discussion, was there a theory or proven way secluded watersheds are propagated with fish? I say the bird theory (not necessarily heron legs) had validity due to the possibility of short distance propagation by a bird flying from one watershed to another. Using L&C was a reference example. No, they did not record every species, but the recording of species (flora and fauna) found was part of their mission. And those species they did identify were assumed to be native to that region. Go to www.mongabay.com and look at the "new species" discovered in New Guinea's Foja Mountains. Let's take the green frog that looks very much to me like a tree frog that is found here. That species will now be known as native to that region due to this discovery. But how did it get there? When I say the means of migration is not of importance, I meant from the historical accounts standpoint. Say, for instance, by some means a Native American back in 1000 AD introduced Brooke Trout into a cold water stream that before that had no Brookies. Would we consider them native since there is no record of that event? That's my point about the means of migration - PRE European discovery of the America's. Sunday depends on a few factors this weekend. Cindy is working, but that leaves me in charge of Amanda. So it's pretty dicy if I will be there...

AMEN, BRUDDA!!! I caught one several years ago by "accident" while bass fishing from the dam in a small lake that I did not know had picks... Caught him on a Blue Fox in-line. If not for the fact this ol' farm boy happened to have a pair of needle nose pliers in the toolbox of my truck, I think that fish would have had a trophy to take home with him... But they are fun to catch for sure...

We had a pond on the farm built years ago that had the same results. My dad claimed fish eggs could spread by rainfall... but I don't see any scientific proof of that... However, the bird theory (Heron or other) does have some validity. Sort of like bees and pollen... But for GF... It was aliens, man.... ALIENS!! I swear!!

I was in a fish market years ago buying some catfish for a fish fry. The lady behind the counter was chopping up a fish with a clever. I asked her what she was doing, and she told me "making buffalo ribs..." She had some Buffalo her hubby had caught along with the catfish out of the Arkansas River. The ribs, much like what Rob described, looked good and she gave me a few to try at the fish fry. MMMMMmmmmm.... surprisingly VERY good...!!!

Ahhhh... NOT so simple, my good friend... Read the post that brought this subject to light. Brown Trout are NOT necessarily desirable in some waters. The argument for and against them in the Eleven Point was valid on both sides and is a matter of opinion. That's the clear case in the "desirable/undesirable" question. I know there are many people of the opinion that the GBT should have never been introduced to the White River system period! Even though the last two world records came from that system. Some people are against ANY trout in the system. They have their reasons. As for "native/non-native" issue, there are clearly some that are non-native such as the GBT and Asian Carp. But, to me, the question of certain fish being native is not so black and white in some cases. I believe it was MTM who brought out the interpretation from a source that "native" was in reference to species in place during the European expansion into the western hemisphere. So, for purposes of reference, we'll say that any species in certain watersheds during the Lewis and Clark expedition and recorded by them would be considered native. Philosophically and theoretically, any of the species MIGHT have been (although the probability is quite small) introduced by man into these watersheds. However, the means of migration into those watersheds is by no means of any real importance per say. Back to my original question of what makes a species "native," I tend to agree that for all intents and purposes, we really have to say that it is those species that were in place during those early exploration days or have naturally migrated to these watersheds since. Now... This brings up another subject. Take Table Rock Lake for instance. Prior to the time when TRL was formed by the construction of TRD, there were native species of fish in the watershed. After the lake began to fill up, the fish population was "helped" by man by stocking these species. Does this still qualify them as "native?" By the way... before you question the TRL issue, this was common practice in many COE built watersheds, large and small, built during the 50s, 60s, and even the 70s. Flood control watershed lakes were built (including one on my father's farm in the 60s) that were supplemented with a stocking of fish (LMB in particular in our case) that were already present in the system. (Geez, I can't help it... these discussions are good and educational... even if opinions differ... but please - no arguments or intentionally demeaning statements... except when GF says my opinions are really bogus... )

Did not!!!... Well, there WAS that squid that followed me home that time and I put him in Taney 'coz my goldfish bowl was too small for him when he started growin'... and now we all know him as the Taneycomo Giant Man-Eating Killer Squid... But other than that... DID NOT!!! Hey Gavin... I'm curious... Why do you put the spotted bass in the "undesireable" column? Also, what about the Spotted and LMB being "non-native?" I consider both native... (I've been wrong before...)

Ducky... You ARE new to fly/trout fishing, huh? Cotter is, yes, in Arkansas and touts itself as the "Trout Fishing Capital of the World!" We've REALLY got to get you down to the BS and Norfork tail waters... OH... by the way, Steve... Just to keep you up for the next few nights, I ALSO have something brewing on a job in Mountain Home... (Steve after reading this post) ---->

This has been a very good discussion and brought out some very good points. I think one phrase may have summed things up - "splitting hairs." If you think about man's intervention, before we Europeans and WASPS showed up, the native Americans COULD have "fooled" with Mother Nature. But then again, migration through natural waterways is a more believeable scenario. Most of this is cut and dry, but there seem to be a lot of gray areas as well...

Well, according to how you fish. Fly, lure, or bait? There are sections that have bait restrictions, so you have to figure out where and how you want to fish first. My advice would be to bring the "standards" but rely on the fly shop at Lilly's for the "latest and greatest" for your trip. I can tell you white or yellow micro jigs are good. I'm totally against power baits, but pink and yellow seem to be preference by those that use it. Flies - Mohair leeches in black, purple, olive, white, Pine Squirrel Sculpins in olive, gray, or black, size 16 or so scuds in gray or olive, and wooly buggers in black, white, olive... weighted and unweighted. If you want to try something different, get with Leonard who has Taneycomo Nights Guide Service and book a night fly fishing trip. 417-779-8061. There are several other guides on here as well if you would like. Lilly's can set you up with a guide as well.

With that in mind, I would just focus on trout. But be careful... you may be hooked... pun intended!!... There are crappie, bass, walleye, suckers, bluegill, etc. in Taney depending on the area. But, as I said, its draw is definately the trout. There is rarely a time when the trout are NOT hitting something somewhere. Of course, some days and places are better than others, but you can't go wrong spending a few days on Taney for trout. I can tell you the only time I've not had any luck there was a day when they were generating a lot and I just couldn't get what they wanted in front of them... (I wade - no boat.) Right now, there was a draw down of the lake (no political statements here) and that may have put a damper on the fishing. But it will come back soon, I'm sure. Lilly's can fix you up with the latest for your trip...

DD, If you are in the Ava area, yes you are about an hour from BSD. The generation recording is usually pretty accurate, but not 100 percent. PLUS you have to realize that the BSD tailwaters are long and when they turn on, it takes a long time to get to, say, the confluence with the Norfork. As well, when they turn off, the same is true in reverse. I would not recommend wading in more than one unit, but some guys do wade with two depending on where. Then again, those guys are use to the river... and you and I are not. Depending on generation, the dam is a good spot. I prefer the east side access, but some like to access from above the golf course on the west side (steep, rocky trail)... Of course, there is Wildcat and the water around Cotter. If all else fails, call Gary Flippin at Rim Shoals Resort and ask about the water down there. Always a good spot to fish... And Gary can look at the generation graphs and tell you where the water is low and high...

"Up there?" Where are you, Bradley? And welcome to the forum... As for what to expect, what do you want to expect? When are you coming up? Taney is, of course, "famous" as a trout fishery. But I know there are other species in the waters as well, especially downstream of Lilly's. I'll let the "old Taney hands" expound on that part, but I bet you'll enjoy the fishing here... Well, unless you're coming up today... Of course, most of us are living vicariously through Phil and his activities in Alaska (see that thread) and some of us are wishing we were up there with him instead of here in the Ozarks. But Taney is a great way to spend a vacation or weekend for sure...

OK, GF... 50 lashes with a wet noodle then... or maybe with a wet crawfish!! Crawfish not wanted? (City people... sheesh... ) Crawfish and fresh water shrimp is beginning to make a mark joining the catfish aquaculture in the delta. This could turn into a big business. Dang I miss livin' close to Louisiana...

JC... what do you play? Don't count me in yet... but don't count me OUT either...