Things are starting to slow down just a bit. So with saying that, now I can get back to the other side of fly fishing I love. Don’t get me wrong I love being on the water, but I really look forward to the colder months so I can upload tying tutorials and talk more about fly tying. It just works out that way and I like it!!
I’ve been under the weather the last few days so I’ve been working on the “back to basics" page. Some of you might know what I’m talking about, but for some that don’t I’ll give you some insight. I got to thinking awhile back that it would be nice to go back to the start and get all my guys on the same page who are participating in my fly tying classes. We’ve got a lot of new faces and some are brand new to the sport.Not only that we’ve probably got some new readers that would like to know the same. This will be a continued effort for the remainder of the year trying to introduce what I think is the best way to get started and what tying tools and fly tying vises are key for longevity. We’ll also talk about what it takes to become a commercial tyer and the best way to get the job done in a timely fashion.
Over the years my tying has evolved into where I’m out now and looking back at my the previous picture on my tying set up to the one I have now they have changed in the sense that it’s more about speed and productivity. It’s got to the point where I don’t even use a trash bend anymore. Now I just tie and throw everything on the floor and pick it up when I’m done with the pattern or when I have to completely set up for a new pattern. Sometimes I might tie 1,200 of the same pattern before I can go to the next one. Anyways to read more about all this you can click here or go to the sub title page under “on the vise’ called back to basics.
Fishing
As far as fishing it’s been pretty much the same as last week except Taney isn’t running flood gates and the White is running a little more water in the 6,000 cfs range for most of the day. I’m sure we will see it get higher which is great news for moving bigger fish to the banks and easier to get them on streamers. I have some streamer days coming up so be looking for reports on that. Also, not too many people caught big browns this year at Taney. I only know of a few which tells me another brown run missed by high water. Who knows what next year will bring. All I can say is if you’re only banking on Taney for your browns you should think again and learn how to fish the White or Norfork tailwaters. Lot’s of browns being caught and not by fishing in the outlets, which takes a little bit more skill, did I say a little bit I meant a lot, just didn’t want to offend anyone who doesn’t know any better, but the ones who fish it for let’s say the last five years or longer it was more directed to you. Nothing personal, just speaking the truth. Really, get out and fish new water. It’s good for the soul.
One more thing, Roaring River is right around the corner for catching some nice brut stockers during the catch-n-release season so that will be something to look forward to. I love this trout park and being able to change up from catching browns to catching big rainbows is something I look forward to every year.
October 22 2009
Fishing the White for browns has been something else.
All I can say is what a month for catching browns. This week I’ve spent a great deal of time fishing from the dam all the way down to Rim Shoals. Today we had some massive rainfall, but the streamer fishing was good. We managed to hook one, but rolled a few big ones in the 6-10 pound range. No pictures because we didn’t get them to the net, but we know we turned them and that’s what counts when trying to teach people this other way to approach big browns with big flies. They can take what they’ve learned and apply it another day and they also built some confidence at the same time, which to me is believing that it really does work. This water level is awesome for streamers right now and finding them is fairly easy if you comb through enough water. One thing I’m going to look into is a better hook. I’ve always been a fan of Tiemco, but for streamer hooks I’m switching because I don’t believe we are getting the right penetration when setting the hook. Sharper hook points is something I believe will change the percentage on how many we land. I think gamukatsu hooks are better as far as piercing hook points, but who knows what I’ll come up with, just not TMC 5263 or 9395 which are what all these standard articulated flies are tied on.
Overall Conditions at Taney
Taney still seems to be in bad shape, but the outlets are fishing well. I was there the other day and saw several locals hooking fish on pellet flies tied with deer hair and cut into a ball. That’s the “hottest” thing going right now and they are actually out fishing the scud fishers and whatever else is being fished in the chutes. The D.O. is still low, but they are leaving the flood gates open to help with oxygen coming from the top. They will continue to run the flood gates until the lake level reaches 917, that’s one foot up from where they have been leaving it at normal pool. The only question we all have is, is there going to be a brown run left or have the fish going to already be headed downstream. The water temp is a little high so maybe this is helping the run not go into full swing. They need colder water to trigger their brain into telling them its time. Arkansas’ brown run is right around the corner as well. This week I saw a lot of staging going on at Rim. I’m seeing some redds, but all males are doing this which is what they do when they are in pre-stage. If you’re wanting to get on some of this action it will last until January and it should be prime for hooking some nice males before the real spawning starts to begin. When this happens it’ll be time to give it a rest and let the females do what they do.
The N.A.F.F Program
I just wanted to say thank you to all who attended. It was nice meeting you all and I’m looking forward to doing more programs in the future. We actually recorded this and will be putting this footage into small clips. You should be able to view it sometime in the near future when we get the time to edit it. It was a great turn out and I think we sparked some great interest in streamer fishing. For those who will attend the Sowbug Round-Up next year I was asked to do a streamer program in one of the classrooms for next years Sowbug. Just thought I would give you the heads up if you are going to attend the 2010 Sowbug in March.
The free fly giveaway from signing the guestbook
I haven’t forgot about the ones who are getting a fly personally tied by me. I’ve been real busy with trips and once I slow down I’ll get these out to you asap.
The Site
I’m really excited about how this site is going and the true followers I have that spend the time to read my reports and content. I’m thinking about getting another forum, but it’s up in the air. I don’t care about the millions of registries, but more importantly I do care about my readers and this would be a good way to talk about questions you might have regarding things I do or write about that are of interest to you. We’ll see how it goes, I don’t know, email me and let me know what you think. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this.
Bull Shoals Dam
This will be closing at the end of this month so make sure you get out and fish it in the next week or you won’t be able to until the first of February. It’s been fishing really well, but not right up top. Right below the shoals the D.O. is a lot better. The lakes are both turning over and should be done sometime in the next few weeks so fishing should pick up once it’s over.
Fly Tying
One thing I’m going to do is work on the new tying page called “back to basics”. This page will cover everything I use for tying all my flies. There’s a lot of tools out there, but I’ll give you what I think you should have and not have to play the guessing game on what is the best or what works the best for whatever material your tying. Now this is my opinion and I’m sure everyone has there own on what is the best, but from a commercial stand point this is what works and keeps on working for me and that’s really the important thing. I’m really doing this page to help the beginner who is on his way to the fly shop ready to get started in the tying world. I’ll try to help you get the right stuff right off the bat.
October 18 2009 Dry Run Creek - And what a creek it is....
The Norfork recently had some new work done, which I have to give a big shout out to everyone who was involved in this project. They outlined the river bank on our side with big rocks and made it a lot easier to navigate. They still have some work to be done, but the fish are still actively thriving in the creek right now. I would say 70% browns and 30% rainbows with plenty of big fish to go around. Here’s a few pictures of some browns we were able to land. Lost some big fish, but caught a fair share to. Jordan will never be the same.
I’ve been so busy that I really don’t have time to write a full report. The next day off I h ave is on the 26th. When I get some free time I’ll get back up to speed. This Tuesday I’ll be talking about streamers at the North Arkansas Fly Fisher Club. I’m really looking forward to meeting everybody. It should be a lot of fun. See you there
October 15 2009
Is it really a HOT streak.
Man, just when you think you can’t keep catching these solid browns, we end up hooking three on the first three cast of the day. Where you ask, in the bucket, that’s what I call it. Big browns are always holding there and because it does take the right water I’m fishing to do “the system“, I guess it forces you to learn a great deal about reading water. I’ve discovered areas that most people don’t spend any time in because it’s tough water and really relying on a drift is almost impossible unless you learn and understand the “correct” drift or what it takes to make this presentation work. It’s happening too much for it to be about luck now. I’ve really discovered something that is what I think the hottest way to catch big trout. I won’t go into detail because it’s my bread and butter, but I will tell you it will change the way you approach fly fishing the next time you’re in a situation where you have an opportunity at a big fish. I’m really on the high horse if you can’t already tell. I mean WOW, three nice fish in one day and to do it one after another is almost impossible, unless you’re fishing in a remote location or a hatchery. Nowhere will you have days like this if the river is pressured like crazy, but this bite, it seems to not matter as much. These fish are relating to what I’m doing and some of you that have fished with me know exactly what I’m talking about. Keep fishing it and it will happen to you, trust me.
Today’s fishing was a little tougher than the last couple of weeks. Don’t ask me why, but it was. We still caught fish, but not one after another like we have. I think the weather that came in today was a little colder. And it didn’t start getting colder until later in the day. Plus fluctuating the water back and forth was messing up things if you ask me. I think tomorrow will be a different story. The weekend should have plenty of sunshine and that’s what it takes to get these fish going again. All I know is I’m looking forward to fishing the whole weekend at the White.
Taneycomo is a different story. I don’t expect this high water to leave for awhile. They are predicting to shut the flood gates off tomorrow, but leave the four generators running around the clock. If you’re coming down, don’t forget there’s other places to fish so don’t let Taney get you down. If you would like to have some pointers on where to go please feel free to call, I’ll help you out. Here’s some trout porn for you to look at until the next report which should be on Monday.
October 15 2009
Another Successful Day At The White
I just can’t believe this water we are having down on the White. It’s been really sweet hooking up (or should I say the Arkansas term “landing”) with some nice browns. That’s been the name of the game this past week.
I took John from Colorado who fished with us last year at Taney. I told him next time we go I’ll pick the best water for that given time. The timing could not have been better. I told him on the way down that he would have a shot at something big, and perhaps a brown, which is what he was after. Well…we made that happen and made the trip worth while for him and I‘m glad I could do that for him I mean that‘s what it‘s all about. It was a bit busier than the last few days so I was a little worried, but the system I have the fish don’t seem to care all that much. It’s been a REAL productive way to hook quality fish throughout the year. Today we caught well over a hundred fish with multiple doubles. All I can say is the bite on the White is on fire!! Until next time America…see you on the water.
October 14 2009
Here’s a few videos for you to check out. One is a brown showing some cool feeding behavior. Kind of gives you more of an insight on how browns can feed facing downstream in the current. It’s all about reading that water my friends.
The other one is what all the “hype” is about how big this fish really is that’s hanging out in the outlet below the ladder where they built the new race way leading up to the hatchery. A lot of people are saying it’s over 30 pounds, which would be a state record. To me, it’s probably pushing 26-27 pounds, but who really knows unless you catch him. All I can say is good luck because you’ll need it landing a fish of this size. Enjoy the footage and I bet you press reply again and again, I did.
October 13 2009
Great fishing if you ask me!
Yes, we all know Taney is having another tough year for low water, but don’t let that fool you. Just an hour and a half south you can find some great water. The White River is running some awesome water, and you can even find several wade fishing opportunities if that’s what you‘re looking for. That’s where I’ve been doing most of my fishing this month. It is disappointing to not be able to fish the run that is in full swing at Taney right now. As I’m typing this they are running all ten flood gates and have been for the last 48 hours. The lake came up seven feet in two days from Springfield getting 8-9 inches of rain and Branson getting around 4 or so. This should teach everyone a lesson on understanding that we don’t need much rain to make things real hectic for these tailwater fisheries. Because Bull Shoals can store more water (30 feet) they’re not running as much which has made fishing pretty good considering the conditions we are facing at Taney. With saying that I do feel sorry for all the people who come here to fish it. All I can say is hang in there because there is always next year. Or maybe, just drive a little south and you’ll find all the trout water you want. If you need some “guidance”, let me be your guide.
The Site
Updating the site has been a little tough for me right now because of how many trips I’ve had. Along with finally moving into our new place that we’ve been waiting on for the last few months, things have been a little busy. I’m settled back in and now have internet so you should see more recent updates. Remember the next class is right around the corner (November 14) so make sure you can attend. Classes are free and are held in the main building at the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery starting at 2pm until 4pm. These next few classes will be more devoted for the beginner, it’s called back to basics, but I’m sure everyone will benefit from it nobody where your at in the fly tying world. Here pretty soon things will slow down and I’ll have more time to upload some more fly tying patterns, which I always like doing for the readers on the site. Thanks for being loyal, I really appreciate it.
Fishing Steamers
Now to fishing. Fishing has been great and I must say this year has been one of my best for hooking bigger fish on a more consistent basis, especially for my clients. We’ve lost several big fish in the course of the last month. If I told you some of the stories you wouldn’t believe me and not having pictures to go with it, well….why talk about it. Right? I guess I can say just four days ago we hooked into a 28 inch brown, a 26 inch rainbow within a hour of each other, but lost both due to bad hook sets. That’s the nature of the beast though. Really, for some of the people who are fishing with me that have never done some of these techniques that I’m trying to teach makes it a little hard to get the hang of it and land everything you catch. That’s just the way it goes, but still being able to give them a chance at one is just as good as landing one if you ask them. They still know they had that opportunity and are leaving with much more knowledge on what it takes to land one of these trophies. People have to understand this, you have to lose a few before you really understand what it takes to finesse one of these to the net. And with saying that, I’ll touch on another subject about learning something new and being able to totally switch you from playing big fish on light tippet to horsing one on big tippet.
We are all programmed when fishing light tippet and small weight rods to play the tug-a-war game with knowing how much tension to use when playing whatever size fish you’re trying to land. Depending on the size will definitely determine how much tension you use, and using lighter tippet will be even more of a challenge. If you know you’re going to go after big fish try getting away with bigger tippet. You’ll notice you’ll land a lot more bigger fish if that’s what you’re targeting. Now going back to what I was going to explain. When I try to convert someone from regular indicator fishing to streamer fishing for the first time. One thing I’ve learned with all of them is getting them to understand the difference on how you would normally hook set a fish using the nymphing techniques verses a big streamer technique. When you’re so used to fishing that way you don’t really have to set with a big follow through. It seems like just a small penetration with the hook you got him. And being able to keep the tension, most of the time you’ll get them in. So by keeping that same mind frame when throwing big flies with heavy pound tippet, we forget that we can really give it all we got. What I mean by that is SET THE HOOK. A normal set that we are all use to won’t bring in 90% of the fish you hook streamer fishing. Yes, the small ones, but anything over 23 inches I can bet you this, you will lose most of what you catch when first learning this new technique. And what I mean by streamer fishing is not a single hook in lets say size 2-8 using floating lines swing in the current as your wading. I mean articulated flies throwing anywhere from 8-10 wts using 275-550 grain sinking lines. If you haven’t done this, then all I can say is your missing out. It’s a big challenge, but worth every bit of it and once you have it down, this is what you’ll be wanting to do most the time. The moral of the story is this, you have to go from not applying pressure to applying so much that even if you don’t get a good hook set, you still give it all you got so that you still have a greater chance on keeping the hook from slipping out because of slack or not having enough tension on the fish. I hope this opens some of your minds and can help you bring bigger fish to the net.
Fishing In General
Most of where I have been fishing is up at the dam. The bite has been really good and the boat pressure has been down because the crowds are staying down in the more popular spots. There has been a lot of times when we are the only boat for several hours before seeing one motor up. Don’t ask me why, but I like it this way. It’s really given us a chance at hooking more bigger fish because of less pressure. The pattern for generation has been 2 units in the morning and then turning one more on by the afternoon. They’ve been fluctuating this from 2,500 to 4,000 cfs which makes most the water you’re fishing 3-4 feet giving yourself a lot more opportunities at getting your fly down in the strike zones, especially with streamers. Just this week we’ve been able to land a largemouth bass and followed up the next day with a walleye. I guess these fish like the new structure they put in recently. I was really amazed to see just how much color these two warm water species had to them. That bass was probably one of the prettiest bass I’ve caught in all my life. Not real big, but very rich in color. The streamers we are using are all in the 5-7 inch range and are all tied on two hooks with the back one being cut off, but still relying on the articulated action is key to the presentation if you ask me. Both the warm water fish hit the same color fly which tells me they like this one in particular out of all the others.
Yesterday I got to take Summer and Darren out for the day. It was cloudy and misty which were all good results for a streamer day. This was Summer and Darren’s (click to read his report) first time trying out this streamer bite. They both got the hang of it and both had good results bringing a really nice cutthroat and a 23 inch brown to the boat. I threw for a while and caught a walleye to finish the day. Today is my only day off until the 26th of this month. If anyone is looking to come down the end of this month I do have a few openings. Sorry for those who I couldn’t take this month. Hopefully we can do it another time. Until next time....