Hey, all

[troutchaser]

I've been lurking here for some time, now. I began to feel kind of like that weird kid in high school who never talked to anyone.

Anyway, I'm a novice fly fisherman. I've been a meat tosser since I was a kid. I have some great memories of my dad taking all of us kids (5 of us!) to the donut shop on Scenic Street (in Springfield)where my sister took half an hour to choose a glazed donut (aaarrgggghhhh!!!). We'd drive to Taneycomo, eat our donuts and share milk from the old Thermoses. You know the ones - they looked like red plaid? We'd take over one of the little fishing docks, pull out our bag of marshmallows and can of corn and catch our limit of trout.

I have two kids of my own now, and I'm carrying on the tradition. The donut shop is gone; there's a strip mall there now, so we stop at Hardee's for a breakfast biscuit - and my daughter takes 15 minutes to decide on egg and cheese - and then it's off to Bennett Springs or Taneycomo for some trout. Other times we go to Fellows Lake for Crappie and Bluegill and ham sandwiches.

The reason I'm here is to try to tap the collective wisdom of those who have used fly tackle for a while and gain a little knowledge to help me along the learning curve as I pursue this new obsession of mine.

[Phil Lilley]

Sounds as if you're blessed... memories and future dreams.

Welcome.