Lucky Fly

Hey guys, It is possible that it is a copperhead. I have heard it called both. Oops, I almost forgot to add the recipe. Size 16 - 20 Scud Hook Copper colored tungsten bead Danville brown thread Copper colored Uni-wire. It is a simple effective midge imitation. Steve

Is there a website for reservations and information about the campsite. Steve

I was wondering about hookup ratios. It seems that with the frog hair being extra supple (limp) it would allow the nymph to move more naturally than flouro which can be stiff and brittle. This alone would increase hookup. Any thoughts. steve

retroaction man I found 16 morels on the madison county wildlife management area after work yestarday.

I tie some RS2's with a foam wing. 2mm craft foam from walmart ($.50) will do the trick. Cut a thin sliver of the foam tie it in and then trim to length. A hot pattern that has produced very well for me on local waters and also on the san juan. Don't limit yourself to the standard gray either, tie some in a chocolate brown. I use comparadun hair for the tails. Good tying and tight lines Steve

Skynard is one of my all time favorites. Jimmy Buffet would be a close second. Those are my fly tying music. I will have to go. Where is the welk theater, and how do I get tickets? Steve

I fished the park area sunday afternoon. Fishing was tough as the trout are getting shy due to the fishing pressure. With the warmer weather this winter I have seen the numbers of fisherman increase during catch and release season. However, with a good drift, several fish can be brought to hand. I saw 2 nice rainbows being caught. One was out of the lodge pool (in front of the lodge) and one was a little farther down. The brown is still holding in the riffles behind campground 143 in the fly zone. He is worth a try if you have some time. Best flies in order of catches were the pheasant tail, pheasant tail midge, san juan worm, and a wooly bugger. I tie my buggers with a very short marabou tail to increase the hookups. When trout get hook shy in pressured waters, a change in sillouete can pay big dividends. RRV or guys, I noticed in the other post about wading from the bridge that crosses roaring river by eagle rock to the park. How long of a wade is it and is it worth it. I have wanted to do it for the past several summers to escape the crowd, just have not found the time yet.

Sorry about not being able to get there in the morning. Patrick got up with a fever. I made it to Roaring River by 1:00 and fished until the bell. Did not see anyone that I recognized. Fishing was tough with the wind, did manage 10-12 on PT's, Mercury Midges and Minute Midges. No big fish. The large brown is still holding in the shallow water behind campsite 143. He will go 20+ inches. i fished for him for about an hour right before the bell with no luck. He did look at a wiry flymph but did not commit. steve

I am in. I am bringing my son, Patrick Also, I am bringing along a couple of buddies, Shawn and Derek, both are fairly new to flyfishing but are eager to give it a go. The bug has definitely bit them. So the grand total is 4 maybe 5. steve

Count me in. I enjoy floating the Buffalo, I have not been on it in about two years, so I can't comment on the fishing but the scenery is seconfd to none. We need some rain or the spring season is going to be a DRAG (No pun intended). steve

Ollie, Bring that spinning reel down, I don't have a problem (unless you beat me ) Yes, the old lodge where you buy your daily permit during the creel season. Look forward to fishing with you again. Steve

Official Date & Time: January 8, 2006 8:00 Social Meeting Time (In Front of Lodge) I really like the idea of a fishing competition. I think we should give it a try. If anybody, tippet7 or loo10, is interested in helping organize a "Missouri Masters" competition, drop me an email, we will work out some details and I will post the rules. Official Head count: Lucky Fly - Steve Watkins

The crackleback is a famous pattern in the ozarks. I have fished it several times to represent a hopper, beetle, or just a searching pattern. For whatever, it is an effective pattern. I like to tweak my patterns as well. For the body on my crackleback, I use metallic floss from the hobby stores in green. I also add four strands of midge flash tied short for the tail and grizzly hackle. It is an idea that I picked up at Tim's Fly Shop. The difference is Tim's patterns are tied with green tinsel. I could not get the wraps to look like I wanted it, not spaced correctly etc. With the floss, I twist it tightly (yong special style) and it gives a great segmented look to the underside. I am going to tie some tonight with four strands of herl, I am with Brain, it gives it a clearly defined shellback. Tight Lines Steve

A mini fishing competition, that sounds interesting. What format is the flyfishing masters? I have fished a one fly tournament before. Also, if everybody agrees, lets go with January 8, at 8:00 in front of the lodge.

I was thinking that about trying to organize a Roaring River "Rendevous". It would be nice to put names with faces on the board, I have already fished with Wayne and Ollie. I was thinking about sometime early in January, maybe the 8th. Intinerary is flexible, a central morning meeting area, then pair up-split up for some fishing then meet for a shore lunch to swap lies (I mean stories) and then some afternoon fishing. If anybody is interested lets bounce some ideas around. steve

Rookie, the Buffalo has some fine fishing along with the outstanding scenery. If an overnite trip is a possibilty, I would do Ponca to Rush. Also, my own tip would be to plan on putting in at 9:00 or 10:00 and taking out at 7:00 or 8:00. The canoe traffic on the Buffalo in the spring is very crowded. If fishing is your purpose, then the later start time will but you behind most floaters and the water will be less disturbed as most pure floaters begin from 6:00 to 8:00 in the mornings. Plan on taking a lunch at 12:00 or so to maintain your "fishing gap". This works on the Elk as well. steve

An annual C&R tag for the parks would be an awesome idea. I release 95% of the trout that I catch and I ask that people that I take fishing with me do the same (most do). I will keep a couple of trout for lunch or dinner when I camp at Roaring River, but besides that, I release the rest. I hope that MDC can work something out. steve

Ollie, If I am not mistaken, we shared a smallmouth adventure on the Kings River a couple of years ago with Wayne and Ozark Stream Hawk. I missed this years trip due to the birth of my second son , Benjamin. We should try to get together and fish a little before the no creel season is over. A meet and greet for all the Roaring River crew. I can even cook up a mean streamside lunch. steve

Sorry for the abbreviation, that is simply a pheasant tail nymph variation. However, it is tied with a skinny body and no thorax. I use pearl mylar for a flashback variety, but because of the no thorax, I cut the mylar in half. On some, I use midge flash to make gill slits. Very effective pattern for Roaring River and Beaver. steve

Fished Roaring River Sunday PM with my son, lots of fish but few big ones. Did manage to land a 4-5 lb. rainbow at the end of the trophy waters just on the other side of the bridge. The water was a bit off color from the construction but had cleared considerably by Sunday. We fished the park by the low water bridge and caught several nice fish on a PT. Patrick lost a tremendous fish on a mini olive bugger fished on the swing. If anybody gets him, I want my bugger back . Moved to the skinny water behind campground 2 for the rest of the afternoon. I enjoy fishing this section during the no creel season, not as many hookups, but as close to a spring creek as i well get any time soon, it is technical water . I drive a white Jeep Wrangler with AR tags and a razorback sticker and st. croix sticker in the back glass, drop by and say hello, we can swap stories and flies. I will probably make another trip this sunday. steve

That is an awesome deal, I wish I had some Christmas cash sitting around. The river ridge canoe is the cadillac of canoes (IMHO.) You should have no trouble moving these boats. Just curious, why are you selling them.

My favorite stream to fish for smallies is the War Eagle near Huntsville. You will not catch many 20 inchers but you can catch all the 10 to 15 inch fish in the spring that you can stand. I use a crawdad pattern that resembles Fox Statlers mudbug. I also dead drift size 12 red fox nymphs along seam lines in fast current. Kings River would be a close second, if not tied for first on my smallie list. Plenty of respectable 10-15 inchers on the upper Kings where I call home, and the chance to tie into a real toad, especially if you fish the lower sections near Table Rock. It has been rumored that 100 fish days are possbile on the Trigger Gap to Hwy 62 float. The trophy waters is always a nice float, the chance to really hook a bragging size fish. Steve

I have a new simms freestone XL vest for sale, it has no stains rips, or tears. It is an excellent vest, but I prefer a chest pack. $40 Also, I have a CF Waterproof fly box with 16 rows with a 7 row insert, I will throw in a dozen humpback scuds that are already in the box. $30 I need some christmas cash. swatkins@hhs.nwsc.k12.ar.us

Steve, That sounds like a white R&R Caddis. I tie mine with rubber leg material on a scud hook in a size 16. Very effective and legal. i use red thread and make a small collar. The fly is a western fly from Colorado I beleive. White River Angler in Fayetteville is were I picked up the pattern, they use it effectively on Beaver as well. Can also be tied in a brown. Steve Watkins