Terry Beeson

mmuuhhhhahahahahahahahah (evil laugh) Oh yes... we will be good to him... Welcome to the forum. I'm familiar with the Columbia area. I did some short-term work with a company down in Lewisburg a couple of years back. Nice area down there... Just curious what took you from Omaha to central Tennessee? Again... welcome and you will learn a lot here... and we won't hold being Doug's Tennessee brother against you... yet...

I think either one of ya'll coulda taken 'em all three in a rasslin' match...

One huge problem with all of this for many streams is the fact that the laws that stand on the books are very old and need to be reviewed to see if they are even applicable in today's society. Many of the streams have never been declared navigable or not and you can not just decide if it is or not based on individual thoughts or beliefs. "Commercial purposes" might even include a cow drinking from a stream and then sold for profit, or even a deer drinking from it then being harvested in a "pay to hunt" situation. So the question is, what do the courts consider "commercial purposes?" I'm not positive, but I think that if AGFC or other entity have established accesses to water, it is known to be declared "navigable" and the laws apply to THAT waterway (not necessarily its tributaries.) But if there are no "public" established accesses, it is a coin toss and a prayer. My family owns property on which about 80% of a watershed lake (built in the 60s by COE for flood control) is located. This little lake at one time was a pretty prime fishing hole. BUT it was surrounded by private property. This is how it was explained to my dad. A person on the lake was not tresspassing as long as he attained permission from my dad or the person who owned the property surrounding the other 20% of the lake. A person could be charged with trespassing if they did not have that permission unless they dropped in by helicopter or some other means of getting on the water without crossing the private property. The "idea" was that as long as they were on the water, they were not trespassing, but once they crossed the private land, they were. Now, nobody was ever charged with that and many people enjoyed the fishing there, but it was "handy" if there was any abuse of the property. And, yes, trash, cut fences, and other problems were evident, but for the most part, people did not abuse the privilege. THEN comes the issue of someone who is injured while getting to the lake or even on the lake. I have dreaded the day when my dad, now my mom, and eventually my sister or I get a summons to appear in court in response to a lawsuit suing the property owners for neglect because someone trying to get to the lake stepped in a hole or ran their ATV into a terrace and broke a bone or whatever. If you do not think that is a valid fear, you better read the papers closer. Honestly, there are way too many "smoke and mirrors" in reference to the laws as they stand - local, state, and federal. In a recent court case, some guys (I think it was in Louisiana if not mistaken) took advantage of vast flood waters and motored their boat some 3 or more miles from the Mississippi River channel to get to some exclusive duck hunting property. That case was in the courts over trespassing charges and I don't really remember the outcome or even if there WAS an outcome, but it had many fishermen upset because it might take away boating and wading rights. I disagree because the case seemed very obvious that these guys blatently schemed to get to the remote area of private land using the excuse of being in the waters of the Mississippi River. Remember - they were over 3 MILES from the channel in EXTREME flood waters. To me it would be like me walking into a home with an inch of flood waters and claiming you can't get me for tresspassing because I'm in the river. Horse hockey... But then again, I'm not a judge, and they are the ones with the "final" say-so. My point to all of this is there are two sides to the story. Owning property on the Norfork tail waters and owning land that "No Name" Creek runs through may have very different guidelines when it comes to access to the fishing. In other words, just be careful where you decide you want to fish. If you can find the landowner, you might just find he'll give you access and even tell you where the best fishing is...

Hmmmm... I wonder about the dessicant bags and cylinders you find some bottles of OTC meds...

Hey... I coulda told you high heel shoes, leasure suit, rayon shirt, and a gold necklace.... "Well you can tell by the way I use my walk I'm a woman's man, no need to talk... Ah, ha, ha, ha, Stayin' alive. Stayin' alive. Ah, ha, ha, ha, Stayin' alive."

I recall Tim saying he had them. Many Wally Worlds don't carry much if any fly related items... Just have to "search" for them, I guess...

I hope his bullet was in his shirt pocket... No... you have to give them a bit of slack. Too many laws for them to know every stinkin' one by heart, BUT common sense would tell you it would be OK to egress from a rising river in lieu of drowning. "Riparian rights"... That was the phrase I was trying to think of...

It's warmin' up today, Steve... don't need 'em 'til October... (Got your number in my phone. I'll give you a call later...)

The quick and easy answer is "yes"...

CC is correct, but that seems the case in 99% of any laws when they come before a judge or judges... HOWEVER, according to the latest interpretation in Arkansas that is for the most part considered correct to some degree (dang... I shudda been a lawyer...) If you enter a "navigable" waterway by means of a public access (highway right of way, easement, public owned property) or permission from the landowner (easement or permission) you can navigate any portion of the waterway by foot or watercraft up to and including the "high water level" which has some fuzzy interpretation at best. I think, but am not 100% sure, that Missouri is the same, but don't know about Oklahoma. The problem comes in determining if a certain waterway isconsidered "navigable" and where the "high water" mark is. The next problem is determining if the landowner will use vocal warnings, rocks, 12 gauge, or .30-06.... That's MY understanding, but don't come cryin' to me if it's not 100% correct... (standard self-protecting disclaimer.)

And no long sleeves unless you're one of them young whupper-snappers... A white Sunday-go-to-meetin' shirt is an acceptable substitute for the plaid wool. And "Country Gentleman" in the pipe is an option for the PA.

Good report... Several issues kept me from coming down yesterday, but now I wish I had. I've found Prince Nymphs are one of those flies that should be at least tried once when nothing seems to be working. That reminds me... I need to tie up a few to replentish my box...

LIB MR BUGS 2! At least it ain't a skeeter!!!

I have an old 8 wt 'boo I want to refurbish and start fishing as well as my late father in law's glass fly rod that would be fun to put back in action. I do love that Pfleuger reel I recently purchased and wouldn't mind to purchase a couple more of them. You know you have to wear high wasted khaki pants with suspenders and gum rubber waders when you fish those old rods... and no baseball caps... Stetsons only...

Why? This is more fun... Steve - I decided over the weekend I'm gonna have to get you to get me a set of that fleece stuff in "big boys" size. I'm gettin' too dang old for this cold and windy fishin'... I also got ta thinkin'... and that can be a dangerous thing... For the price of some of those higher end rods, I can buy 30-40 of the Eagle Claws... A fish breaks one, I just pull out another and keep on fishin'.... As for the Echo, I've not owned, fished, or even cast one. But I've heard they are good rods.

Boy, Steve... you missed it... It was 75% off everything in the store when I stopped in... JUST KIDDIN' TIM.... It was only 3 for 1... (OK... actually, I haven't been in...) Glad you're doing OK. Quick recovery and return to the shop and the water to you...

It's certainly my "go to" fly for sure. Of course, if I was spin fishing, I'd have to have a few of those jigs. Must be somethin' 'bout that grizzly hackle...

Be sure to include the North Fork of the White. Check out Brian Wise's postings and consider Brian to guide you on this jewel... It's a "must do" for the trip you're planning. Also, if you are considering dropping "south of the border," keep the Spring River in Mammoth Spring, AR and, of course, the Norfork and Bull Shoals tailwaters as well as Beaver tailwaters after Taney.

I've GOT to quit keeping valuables in my truck... Sad that you have to do that, but I'm almost afraid to leave my house to go to work for fear of a break in... sheesh....

Yep... Our friend from Oz did hit the nail on the head for sure... One thing I forgot to mention also was fighting style. Be it a cane pole from your back yard or a high end graphite, fiberglass, 'boo, or whatever material, if the rod is put in a certain "position"... it can snap in half. Again, just the nature of the beast. When I was a teenager, I took a very very cheap ultralight plastic rod from WalMart fishing for bluegill in a creek in the middle of summer. There were a bunch of gar swimming in the hole I was fishing, and one of the gar decided he wanted the worm I was fishing with. My dad and a friend were behind me talking and noticed I was into a pretty big fish (estimated 10-12 lb gar) and told me I was going to break the rod, to just straighten it out and let the fish break the 6 lb line. Well, I didn't, and I got that fish to my feet. Then, I realized I didn't want to mess with those teeth in his snout. While figuring out what to do, I stepped on the line and the fish did break the line and give me a shower... with my plastic handle rod still in tact... But no matter... you put enough bend in a rod and it's gonna break... Steve... careful... you fish with that rod of Dano's and you're gonna have to have one!!!...

John, Yes, you are right. I've played original music solo in front of close to that number in my church back in Jonesboro. And it is an experience for sure. Of course, I also ran the sound board at that church, so was very much behind the scenes and one of those who rarely got notice for a job well done... at least from the human element... But that's not the reason to do it and not the reason I did it. I think any fisherman can relate to the "fisher of men" phrase from the Bible. If you haven't figured it out by now, ponder it the next time you cast your fly, plug, minnow, or even powerbait into the water...

Dang... there goes any attempt or chance I had at fame... Nope Phil... NOT ESPN... Versus... formally OLN...

This rather small "obsession" with the Eagle Claw rods was instigated by Dano who brought one to the "get together" we had New Year's Day. The purchase of these rods is a "novelty" purchase for most if not all of us. I had a spin/cast rod built on the same blank as a kid and have another one I used for crappie tight lining a few years ago. None of us expect these rods to be the same as a G Loomis Stream Dance GLX or one of Harry's bamboo rods. But as a novelty, I would love to post a picture here of a nice fish with that $30 rig (the 6' 6" Featherlight coupled with a Pfleugar reel made in the 1960s) draped across my arms. As for "high dollar" rods not suppose to break during a fight, I'm willing to bet there were some contributing factors to the breaking of that rod other than just the fish and the rod being a TFO. ANY graphite rod is prone to breakage if certain contributing factors come into play. The engineering your friend referred to has a lot to do with how the graphite fibers are arranged and "woven" into the rod blank. The differences in TODAY'S graphite rods and those made in the 70s is pretty vast, regardles of price. However, just as "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch" if only a few of these fibers are damaged, it can be detrimental to the rod in a short period of time of use no matter how much you paid for it. That's just the nature of graphite. That's why you hear a lot about doing your best to keep your fly from hitting your rod during the cast. That's why we store them in almost armor plated containers. I worked on plastics for some 20 years with a quality and engineering background. I can tell you that as far as the difference in the blank's molecular structure and patterns in a "cheapie" TFO and a Sage XP is not all that great. Yes there are differences, but not big vast differences. Under the same circumstances, the TFO and maybe even the cheapest WalMart Shakespeare you can buy, would have held up just as well as the Sage in a given fight with a fish... Granted there are several differences in a $100 rod and a $600 rod. Reel seats, guides, grips, and even spine alignment can make a difference. Also, guides who have rods that will spend 365 days a year in use will be looking for a rod that has the reliability needed for that kind of use. Are there reasons to buy a "high dollar" rod? Yes... but I just don't think the twice a month or even twice a year fly fisherman should feel like he's being short changed because he has a "cheap" TFO. He's not...

I thought "Swamp Music" would have been a better tune... But hey... what the heck do I know? "When the hound dog starts barkin' Sound like ol' Son House singin' de blues! Singin' that swamp swamp swamp swamp music Swamp swamp swamp SWAMP music Well, Id rather live with the hounddogs For the rest of my natural born life"

There is an OAF "get together" planned for May 19th on Taney, so you might want to keep that in mind when planning this one...