Kansas Fly Fisher

Welcome aboard! Sounds like you've got a great gang going. Hope to see ya on the waters. John

I'm in for a hat also. I'd be more than happy to prepay. Does anyone have connections to a hat place? John

Great video! So, just how bad was the hand after sockeye had his way? John

Hey jOrOb, how do you make your egg patterns with a dubbing loop? That sounds interesting and would be interested in learning this technique. Thanks, John

Excellent video! Can't wait to see them myself. John

Welcome! Hope to see you on the water some day. John

Looks good to me. I'd maybe add a crackleback and the big ugly for dry's. I've had some luck with both, especially the crackleback letting it drift dry and then stripping back once it nears the end of the drift. John

We made it to the water about 10a after a series of comical errors on our part. We HAD wanted to be there by 8a when the horn blew. We fished until the ending horn at 4p with only a short "snack" break about noon. The wind didn't cooperate with us at all. John, being a beginner, fought the wind alot today. He's been working on his roll cast and has gotten pretty good at it. We were going to work on the pick up and lay down today but stuck to the roll cast cause of the wind. We fished mainly with an egg pattern in peach/white. This produced the best all day. We switched to a zebra midge when we went to the fly only zone and picked up a couple more but they turned off as fast as they turned on to it. The final two hours were spent "hawg hunting" with John Jr. He hooked into two really nice bows. One went 24+ easily and the second was a bit smaller. Unfornately, he lost both! Overal, the day rates a B+. John

Tyson, Great meeting you and your dad today. My son, John, ended up hooking the big female in the pool above the road where we were fishing most of the day. He fought her hard, but she broke off! How'd you guys do in the wading area? John

Would love to come down and fish but I work the 24th and won't get off until the morning of the 25th. Maybe next time. John

Are you including dry's?

Sounds great. My son and I are headed down as soon as I get off here. I'll let you know of the streak continues. John

WAY TO GO! Glad to hear that all is well and wish you and your family all the best. John

I thought about losing some weight for the new year, but that would mean I'd have to quit eating the food I like and my mom told me to never be a quiter. Problem solved John

Welcome to the wonderful world of fly fishing! I agree with everything that's been said so far. Especially staying out of the fly shops. But go ahead and give that idea up. I think there's a big magnet in the shops that attract you to them regardless. Sorry I missed you on NYD but hope to meet up on the river and swap some stories. I've only been flyfishing for 4 years now and haven't picked up another type of rod since. I have truly found my new love and I'm sure you're on your way there also. John

Welcome aboard! You're right about the knowledge. If you have a question put it out and I'm sure you'll get plenty of answers. John

My son and I are looking at a trip on Monday to RR. I'll be driving a black Nissan with camo stripe on the bottom. I wear a green tilley hat as well. Will try to look you up if we make it. John

Sounds like a great time! That food poisoning can be some nasty stuff. Glad to hear he's over it and back on the water. John

Not if your a REAL fly fisher. At least that's what I tell my wife.

Our trip started off a little rough. I worked New Year's Eve and had a rough night; got about an hour's sleep and ended up with a early morning call that put us about an hour late. We got to the NYD get together late, but was able to meet a couple of guys that were still hanging around. We finally got to the water about 2:30 and fished until dark. Dad - 1, Son - 0! Time for some supper, the OU game and some much needed sleep. The next day started off much better. We hit the water about 10:00a.m. and fished until dark again. John finally caught his first trout! In fact he ended up with three for the day and beat out his dad. Dad - 1, Son - 3! Back at Lilly's we set in on Jeremy's tying class and John learned a few new techniques and tied a couple of fly's. Thanks guys for the helpful tips. Day three was another good day. In fact, we were having so much fun we extended our trip another day. Back on the water about 8:00 a.m. and fished until noon. Decided to take a break back at the truck for a mid-day snack and cold pop. As we were setting on the truck the horn blew. That's okay, we'll go get some real lunch, take a nap and be back at dark for some night fishing. The weather is suppose to cooperate and a full moon should make for a good night on the water. Too bad, some one forgot to tell the powersite! They were generating hard when we got back at 6:00 p.m. Okay, some supper and return later for a delayed start. Back at 10:00 p.m. to find four generators on-line! Today's totals; Dad - 6, Son - 2 Day four. As I left the room to start packing up for the return trip I heard the horn blow! Not again! That's okay, we'll start the day off with a good breakfast of biscuits and gravy and hit the water a little later. It's now 10:00 and the water is still flowing. The chart say's it's due to stop at noon and stay off until 5. So, it's time to introduce my son to one of the finer aspects of fly fishing/tying . . . visiting fly shops! And finding that one thing you just can't live without. Back on the water at noon . . . yup . . . water still on. So, we don our gear and head to outlet #1 where you can still get to the outlet from a small portion of the sand bar. We fished until 5 when they went on-line with four generators. Actually had a good time and saw a lot of fish caught. Dad - 4, Son - 4. We tried to stay as long as possible so we could declare a winner but the long road trip home demanded we leave so we declared the day a tie! Over all this trip rates an A+. Some quality time with my son and some good fishing. I can't say enough about how nice Lilly's Landing was. Everyone was so friendly and the accomadations were great. If you get the chance, you must stay there. Take care and tight lines to all. John

Interesting thread! Think I'll have to join the ranks and look into a graphite rod. Sounds like a lot of fun. John

Sorry to have missed everyone! Work did not cooperate with me on New Year's eve. I ended up with only about an hour sleep and a very early call that put me about an hour late leaving the station. My son and I got down there about 1:30p.m. A few were still around and we chatted for awhile before hitting the water. Gary - A+ on the meatballs! They even kept me warm later Sounds like I really missed out on the seahorses, maybe next time. My son and I stayed around for a couple of more days to do some "father/son" fishing before he heads off to Japan for three years. I'll post a report later today. Hat's off to everyone involved and can't wait for the next one. John

Be safe and be careful! I'm stuck at work today. I've got a bad feeling about tonight, especially since I'm planning on leaving for five days in the morning to fish at taney, it's New's Year Eve and there's a big party at one of the local drinking establishments. Could be a busy night. Can't wait to see everyone at the NYD fishing. Take care. John

Hey, maybe we can do a bit of a casting clinic on NYD if anyone is interested. I'd be willing to help out. I'm not the best, and don't follow by example, but I can help with the basics. John

Oh, that was too good! I'll save this for use at a later time. Merry Christmas to all. John