Justin Spencer

Looks like KY3 is having a story on this tonight and they will talk to the owner, looks like they are trying to alleviate concerns.

Yep they move up a little later than the whites to spawn, and no they are stocked.

Had a chance to get out last week one evening to pursue a few hybrids and ending up having a nice evening. Check out my blog for the long version and a few pics. http://justinsfishingpage.blogspot.com/2013/05/if-that-aint-country.html

Jeff do you ever take your pontoon and paddle around, or would that upset your fishing buddy?

Looks like you'll have to catch one to get some believers.

Holy sh%t!

If you've never fished with Kyle out of his longboat you owe it to yourself to do so. He will give you much more than a fishing trip, he will teach you about the ecosystem and you will eat like a king. Anyone with a kid that wants to get the most out of an overnight float trip this is the only way to go, memories to cherish for a lifetime, you can't put a price on that.

ouch, at least you broke even on that trip!

Good to hear, I guess JD can rest easy knowing his beloved titmouse will have a place to nest for years to come.

Tornado much different than building in a "risky spot", the single home that gets hit by a tornado is the guy that really gets screwed. If he has no insurance no one cares because it is not a big natural disaster. I think most of us sympathize with these people, but they are naïve when they build back just hoping it won't happen again. Everytime I clean up my campground and campstore, riverhouse, bathhouse, etc. after a flood, I hope it won't happen again, but it will. I don't ask (or receive) govt. help and no one feels too bad for me because I live in a beautiful place where floods are expected to happen. This doesn't make it easier on me, but at least I understand the reality of the situation and am prepared to deal with it. Weather is changing and these events will become more and more common, we will have to use some tax money to deal with infrastructure improvements following these disasters, but at some point it is up to the individuals to take responsibility, and I'm sure the vast majority do.

Agreed Eric. I want as much as anyone to call those from Joisey whiners, but I think things out there are pretty bad. That being said, I think the government coming in and helping people rebuild in the same areas that were flooded is like hitting their heads against a wall. I don't know enough about the insurance industry to speak intelligently, but seems like if they take premiums from people for coverage, they (not the govt.) should be the ones responsible for rebuilding. I'm all for the govt. getting the sand out of the streets and making things safe, but beyond that it should be up to the individuals to either rebuild, or move to higher ground!

Before logging began fire kept much of the forest in a more savannah type state. Glades were not choked with cedars and while there was probably some thick forest on the less desirable soils much of it was interspersed with grasses. Timber Stand improvement practices that are now being encouraged call for thinning of trees which allows them to grow quicker, while allowing sunlight to the ground increasing ground cover for the benefit of all types of wildlife. Trees were still straight with less branches, but not nearly as crowded as they are today.

What threatened songbirds currently nest at Peck Ranch? I think JD is just stirring the pot.

Shouldn't be a problem here, it said lower snowfalls related to climate change has the elk migrating differently, since climate change is a myth should be no problem. :-)

I bet your head didn't hurt like mine did though!

Looks good to me!

Great blog, great weekend! Educated Lots of fish that weekend. And killed a few brain cells. Looking forward to next year.

From my experience those with big online sales have crappy customer service. I may be old fashioned but I like to try things on and check out the quality before I buy things. If it's a strange item I might purchase online, but try to check with local businesses first.

Awesome, great boat!

Plateau fly shop in Springfield. Sloss on 11 point, me on NFoW, Reeds fly shop on Current, I assume all the trout parks have a shop, so you can find them if you look. Smallmouth rivers may be a different story.

They placed a wreath upon his door, and soon they'll carry him away. who's gonna fill their shoes?

Another thread on the current state of fly fishing got me thinking about how people get started in the sport. I'll share my own uninteresting story to get the ball rolling. During high school I had a fishing buddy who had a fly rod and hit local ponds and lakes as well as Roaring river and Bennett. One day hit a small local lake with him and he was fly fishing with a popper for bluegill that were on their beds. Wading the shoreline he was catching tons of hand sized fish as well as the occasional largemouth, and I decided I needed in on the action. Went to wally world and bought the cheapest combo I could find and that started my addiction. To this day that combo probably caught more fish and led to more fish frys than any other I have owned. Couldn't wait for the weekends when the bluegill were spawning to hit the pond and catch as many big bluegill as I cared to. For several years all I would fish with were poppers which led to some nice largemouth as well. I would occasionally tag along to a trout park, but was never a big fan. Moved to Florida at the end of 1999 and bought a 9 wt. for saltwater fish. My wife got me a fly tying lesson at John's flyshop in Stuart, and not long after I had a vise and was tying on my own. Enjoyed all kinds of saltwater flyfishing for about 4 years and then the rude awakening of the NFoW made me realize I knew nothing about real fly fishing for trout. Ten years later I am an okay trout fishermen, but am blessed to have new people here all the time from which to learn. Look forward to your stories.

Don't really know about the growth of flyfishing, but it is going strong in the Ozarks I believe. We have quite a few young fly fishermen many just out of, or finishing college, as well as the older generations. The passion in these younger fishermen is encouraging, and most with children are already teaching them the sport. The internet has certainly had a negative effect on the brick and mortar fly shop, so if you appreciate the advice they give you spend a few extra bucks and buy as much as you can at these stores or your free fishing info could be a thing of the past.

Eleven Point?

Great pictures, thanks for all your blogs.